Oxford University

[speedy_s]

Hi every1,
I am kind of an ambitious boy
Does any1 here know what u need to get into Oxford uni in terms of grades at GCSE, A levels and any other tips that might help me to get into Oxford.

Thanks A lot and

[alexander]

Chemisty is the easiest thing to get into Oxford.

You could always try and get into Oxford Brookes


Basically if you are a state school person you have a higher chance and people like me have very little due to going to a public school.

With grades so high nowadays it is basically luck which gets you in, so many people get 4 x A's at AS and 7 or more A*s.

3 x A's and 1 B at AS bare minimum

5 A*s + Rest A's Minimum.


Very hard and requires a good chunk of luck but it varies depeding on what subject you want to do.

[Tifosi]

depends on the course, an I assume you arren't refering to Oxford Brookes.

Straight A*'s and A's at GCSE
Straight A's at A level, 4-5 A levels probably preferred excl. General Studies

You'll need to pass the step exams as well.
Languages will probably be a bonus too.

[RoGuE|SaBeR]

Minimum of 3 A's at A Level without general studies counting I would say.

And that is bear minimum really, 4 A's would be preferable to get offered a place and a raft of A*s at GCSE would be useful.

What do you want to do anyway?

[blockers]

Also for most you have an interview, which counts for a lot of your application

Email/Phone them and find out some information, like last years requirments, and get a prospectous

[Swafe]

Straight A's pretty much....my mate got 9 A*s at GCSE and 2 A's

in A levels he got 5 As at AS, most of them were over 290/300 in UMS points, he got 283 in furthur maths i think silly boy

anyway, he didnt even get an interview yet my mate who got AAABB did


all in the personal statement and what subject

good luck

[Elmo]

Saying someone is more or less likely to get into oxford because they go to a private school or not is rubbish.

I had a friend who applied to oxford to do law when she was in her second last year of school (2001-02). She got As and a couple of Bs at standard grade (scottish equiv of GCSEs) and 5 As at higher (about the same level as As levels). She managed to get herself an Unconditional (despite still having another year to finish) Deferred entry for 2003-04 . Whereas my ex applied got straight As all the way through school and got declined.

It's more down to luck and your interviews more than anything, although you do have to do pretty well in exams too

[alexander]

Yes, But they have to accept a certain percentage of State school candidates and there are higher percentage in that when in proportion to the State/Public numbers who apply.

[Sailor]

looking at this they seem to be looking at a lot else apart from grades at the moment... so I reckon really go crazy on extra-curricular stuff that will make you look good as a person, not just a boring, clver geek who sits inside all day...

best of luck

[pickers]

Hi speedy,

I'm at Trinity College Oxford at the moment and having spoken to my tutor (who interviewed me) and various other guys at college there are a lot of common misconceptions. Yes I'm afraid you will need a brace of A* GCSES and As at A Level to get on the first step, but after that as everyone applies with the same grades it is a level playing field. There are no actual quotas on state school and public school pupils, the thing is these day Oxford do a hell of a lot (via their access scheme) to try to get more state school pupils applying which will naturally raise the proportion of them at Oxford to a more representative picture of the education split. So you certainly shouldn't feel dissadvantaged either way. One of the most important things (and is something that I'm afraid you can do nothing about except suck up!) is the teachers report. This is, according to my tutor, one of the most important insights they get into seeing what you are like and how you interact on an intellectual level. Personal statements are of course important and having a good balance of interests and hobbies looks good. The interview is very scary but the most important thing is to try to stay calm and to not be intimidated by the people (and there will always be a few!) who pretend to know everything and think that knowledge is what they are looking for. They want you to have an active interest in your subject (so if you want to do science then reading science news stories or a subject magazine like physics world) is a good idea, but what they really want is someone who can think on their feet. They want people who will work well in the tutorial system, and remember if you don't know the answer ask for a tip, don't say outright you can't do it! The best thing to do is to go on your subject's open day (they are all listed on the www.ox.ac.uk website) and to have a look around a few colleges (as obviously you have to apply for a college). Main thing is not to be intimidated by it all and to go for it...they can only say no.

[shiato storm]

if you're at a state school your chances are better I'm told...
yes, they do.
you just have to be
a) super geek
b) well rounded person
c) uber geek

[Swafe]

Originally Posted by shiato storm

if you're at a state school your chances are better I'm told...
yes, they do.
you just have to be
a) super geek
b) well rounded person
c) uber geek

As long as you know Pi to 4589339843 digits then and can integrate a coke machine, you might be alrite

[yamangman]

As long as your a pot smoking, crack abusing wanabe street goon/anti-establishmentarian, you're a cert for entry.

[Adam]

Yup, no quota system and its a level playing field in the interview. My college still has more PS pupils than state school.

generally you'll find people that didnt get in will make a barrage of excuses. namely the state school or PS have it easier etc.

[Knoxville]

In my experience its all about the interview these days, so many people are sweating their nuts off getting straight A's and are getting left behind by the bloke with average performance and the right attitude.

[Dr. X]

wot pickers said im at teh less clevar colege up th road form him

if you're doing well enough to get a handful of A's and A*'s at GCSE and be doing well enough to have some A's at AS level when you do your UCAS and have a good application then it's pretty level and selection comes down to the interview and or exam papers.

How old are you speedy and what are you thinking of applying for?

For most sciences they'll get you to work through some problems (maths/physics in my engineering interview) on a whiteboard or on some paper. They don't expect you to be able to work through them without help!