HOW OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE WORK: STRUCTURES AND SELECTION
Courses Challenging Broad base in first year. Tripos at Cambridge particularly flexible Wide range of options in each subject
Mainly non-vocational Assessment largely by exam
Academic life 8 week very intensive terms Far more assignments and higher work expectations than other universities Tutorials/ supervision which are unique (in college) Lectures, labs, exams at university/department level Heavy focus on independent study and learning 40 hour week!
Resources:Oxford 10,000 computer terminals Museums in Art, History of Science and Anthropology Oxford has over 100 libraries, 11 million books, 80,00 journal titles Both universities have copyright libraries
Colleges Vary by size, age, location, wealth, facilities Around thirty colleges at both Oxford and Cambridge Small: Christ Church College, Oxford 391 students Peterhouse, Cambridge 251 students Students live in college and it is the base for tutorials/supervisions All colleges offer places in most subjects (but not all) Check!
Christ Church College Oxford
Choosing a college More similarities than differences Open Application or College application Second or third college interview at Oxford 20% get offers from college different from first choice Pool at Cambridge No simple formula for college choice
Financial benefits Plenty of university/college owned accommodation College scholarships, prizes, awards Subsidised college food Cheap college entertainment
Easy availability of course materials Cheap transport
THE OXBRIDGE APPLICATION PROCESS
Entrance requirements
As and A*s at GCSE
AAA offer in most cases for Oxford
AAA* in most cases for Cambridge
IB 38-40 (with 6 or 7 in higher level subjects)
Selection criteria purely academic and subject specific
Emphasis on academic potential not pre-existing knowledge
Ability to think, think independently and problem solve
Evidence considered No separate application forms anymore (UCAS form must be submitted by 15 October to either Oxford or Cambridge which means by SPEECH DAY in school) Academic record Predicted grades Personal Statement Reference Pre-interview test in school, college or test centre depending on subject Written work for some subjects Interview
Watch out for
Views about taking 4 A levels. Oxford advise candidates ‘not to spread themselves too thinly across too many subjects, where they may risk dropping a grade or two in their results. Three A grades would be sufficient to meet most conditional offers but two As and two Bs would not.’
Different A level requirements for same subject at different colleges. See Course requirements on both university websites
Which A levels are acceptable for different courses especially at Cambridge
Cambridge ‘unsuitable’ A levels A Levels: Accounting, Art and Design, Business Studies, Communication Studies, Dance, Design and Technology, Drama/Theatre Studies, Health and Social Care, Home Economics, ICT, Leisure Studies, Media Studies, Music Technology, Performance Studies, Performing Arts, Photography, Physical Education, Sports Studies, Travel and Tourism. International Baccalaureate: Business and Management, Design and technology, Information Technology in a Global society, Theatre Arts and Visual Arts.
Beware college variations Geoff Parks, the Admissions Director at Cambridge has said that: ‘doing these A levels individually is not a problem, it is doing too many of them which could be an issue.’
Why do they interview? Almost all candidates predicted at least AAA or equivalent Almost all have excellent references and strong personal statements Applicants are from diverse educational backgrounds Allows university/college and applicants to assess suitability of course and university/college
Interviews Majority of applicants at both universities are interviewed Early to mid-December May be interviewed at second and third college at Oxford Pool interviews in January at Cambridge Typically two interviews of 20-40 minutes
SUCCESS RATE CASE STUDY: OXFORD 25% success rate overall Medicine 15% versus Biochemistry 43% Economics and Management 8% versus Engineering 31% Law 19% versus History 30% Full applications/ acceptance data for both universities in prospectuses