Anyone applying, or preparing to apply, for university will know that when it comes to higher education, there are few institutions with a more impressive reputation than Oxford and Cambridge. ‘Oxbridge’ students are chosen from the best and brightest applicants across the United Kingdom, and the world. This means that for many, the university application process is made twice as stressful, when Oxbridge applications are in the pipeline. Nailing the application and interview process, and receiving an offer from Oxford or Cambridge, may be no easy task, but there is certainly a method, or strategy, that can point you towards success. Read on to discover our tips for crafting a successful Oxbridge application, from the prior research, to the importance of investing time and effort in your personal statement.

Oxbridge Application

One of the earliest, and most valuable, things you can do prior to beginning your Oxbridge application is ensuring you’ve done your research. Applicants may only apply to one of Oxford or Cambridge per year, and though the term ‘Oxbridge’ implies a great many similarities between the two universities, they are in fact very different. Your university experiences will impact the course the remainder of your life takes; it is absolutely worth your time, therefore, making sure you have read up on both universities ahead of time, so you can be absolutely sure you are making the right choice.

Both Oxford and Cambridge Universities expect an exemplary standard of academic work from their students, and it is worth remembering the fact that student life at Oxbridge may be very different from that experienced by students of other universities. Both Oxford and Cambridge operate a collegiate system, requiring you to apply to a college, as opposed to the university itself. This is another area in which research can be helpful — no one college is quite like another, and it will be really worth your while investigating which would be the best fit for you.

Oxford & Cambridge Personal Statements

Students applying for Oxford or Cambridge Universities must do so through UCAS, and are required to submit a personal statement as part of the application process. Your personal statement is of the utmost importance to any Oxbridge applicant, and this is certainly one area of the application process you do not want to rush. Far more goes into the ‘ideal’ Oxbridge student than pure academics, and your personal statement is your chance to demonstrate everything about you that cannot be explained through an exam transcript, or a list of grades.

When crafting your personal statement for an Oxford or Cambridge application, make sure you give equal weight to your motivations, your academic or professional background, where your desire to study your subject comes from, and what you do outside of your studies that makes you an ideal Oxbridge applicant. Given the competitive and stringent nature of Oxbridge applications, you should ensure that your personal statement is beyond reproach. This means paying particular attention to spelling and grammar, and drafting and re-drafting before submitting your final copy. You may also want to have a second (or third!) pair of eyes look over your statement with every re-draft. Third parties will often pick up on errors you yourself may have missed. Asking someone else to read your statement through, ideally aloud, will also help you to understand whether your personal statement flows well, and where changes have to be made to ensure clarity and impact.

Subjects, Difficulty, & Preparation

Applying for Oxford or Cambridge University comes with a totally unique set of challenges, many of which relate to the prestigious reputation held by both. It is ostensibly harder to get into Oxford or Cambridge than it is to get into other UK universities, but many subjects may come with higher entrance standards than others. The competitive nature of subjects such as Medicine, Law, Dentistry and Veterinary Science is only exacerbated by the excellent standard of student applying to Oxbridge, and the stringent criteria Oxbridge put in place.

Overcoming these difficulties can be made immensely easier if you invest time in preparing for the application process. Oxbridge applications can typically be broken down into stages, beginning with submission of a personal statement via UCAS, leading on to entrance exams, and for most students, an interview prior to any offers being made. Each stage provides you with a singular opportunity to make sure you stand out from the hoards of other applicants for your chosen course and college, with chances of success improving dramatically, the better prepared you are for what is to come.

Resources are available online, to ensure you are prepared for what might come your way in an admissions test. Some, if not all, courses offered at Oxford and Cambridge require applicants to sit for a subject-driven aptitude test, which examines not only what you know, but precisely how your thought processes operate. This is particularly evident in Oxford’s English Language Admissions Test (ELAT) — an exam designed to understand how prospective students of English Literature approach text analysis, as well as demonstrating reading, writing and comprehension ability. Though it may be difficult to prepare for a test that is designed to assess the most fundamental aspects of your mind, you can ensure you are as well-prepared as possible.

Interviews

An essential part of the Oxbridge admissions process is inviting shortlisted applicants for interview with their chosen college. From motivations and questions regarding your choice of subject, to the age-old ‘why Oxford / Cambridge?’, you should expect to be challenged on almost every aspect of your application. Your personal statement will almost certainly come back to haunt you if and when you are invited to interview at Oxford or Cambridge. Admissions teams for both universities will draw heavily on your personal statement when it comes to the questions they will ask at interview, so it is well worth your while ensuring you know your personal statement inside and out.

Resources up to and including books written specifically to advise on the Oxbridge interview process are available at your fingertips. For many applicants, the Oxbridge interview will be the first formal interview [they] have ever undertaken. If this applies to you, try not to let the gravitas of what you are undertaking undermine your performance at interview. The process is not designed to catch you out, but rather to help you, as well as the admissions teams, understand whether undertaking your degree at Oxford or Cambridge is a good call. Read up beforehand, and if possible, speak with others who have previously been through the process to draw on hints and tips for the day itself. Where possible, try to see the interview process as a challenge, rather than an impossible hurdle to clear. If your application is successful, and you are offered a place at Oxford or Cambridge, the extra preparation will all have been worth it

Oxbridge Applications

Crafting a personal statement that will give you the best possible chance of being offered a place at Oxford or Cambridge University is no mean feat. Trying to give a detailed account of your life, motivations and ambitions, whilst also adhering to UCAS’s 4,000 character limit can quickly amount to a great deal of pressure, and is part of what prompts many would-be students to say that writing their personal statement was the most difficult part of their entire application process.

Personal Statement Service is a collective of experienced professional writers, dedicated to helping as many students as possible when it comes to the writing and editing of a personal statement for university. Whether you have a personal statement already written and would appreciate a simple edit, or if you require a personal statement written entirely from scratch, our tiered service is designed to benefit you, no matter your situation or requirements.

For Oxbridge applicants, or applicants for Medicine, Law, Dentistry or Veterinary Sciences, our Elite service is designed to produce bespoke personal statements of a uniquely high standard. Our writers are all honours graduates from the UK’s best universities (including Oxford and Cambridge!), and have decades of combined experience when it comes to creating unique personal statements, precisely according to your recommendations. For courses that require a step up in terms of the quality of your personal statement, the Elite package has all the answers.

Where additional material is required to bolster your university application, Personal Statement Service are happy to help here also. From cover letters to CVs or resumes, editing a letter of recommendation, or ensuring you have your statements of intent laid out perfectly before beginning an application through UCAS, our writers are ready to rise to the occasion.

Keen to find out more about how Personal Statement Service can help with your Oxbridge personal statement, for applications from within or outside the UK? Please do not hesitate to get in touch!