Oxbridge Information

Oxford and Cambridge are the two oldest, wealthiest and most famous universities in the UK. Teaching at Oxford first existed in some form from late in the 11th century, before being recognised formally as a universitas in 1231. After a number of disputes between students and Oxford townsfolk in 1209, several academics fled from the town to Cambridge, where they later founded the rival university. The universities have since grown to be two of the top-scoring institutions in cross-subject UK university rankings. It is worth noting, however, that they are not always considered the best universities for specific subjects.

What sets Oxbridge apart?

Colleges

The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge are both institutions that are arranged in a collegiate structure. Oxford is made up of over 40 colleges, Cambridge of over 30. Applicants will apply for a certain college within their chosen university, though you can also submit an “Open” application where you don’t specify a preferred college. A college is a collection of individuals and buildings that form a community, including students, staff members, libraries, student accommodation, common rooms, cafes and bars. This is not only the place in which students live (at least for their first year), but it is a social hub and a centre for their academic provision, in tutorials and supervisions; lectures, labs and larger classes tend to be held in central faculty buildings.

Tutorials and Supervisions

Generally, in universities, teaching is done in large groups either in lectures or seminars. At Oxford and Cambridge, there is a greater focus on teaching in smaller groups, and often even on a one-to-one basis. These sessions are referred to as tutorials in Oxford and supervisions in Cambridge. An undergraduate student would tend to have one or two tutorials/supervisions per week. This way of teaching gives students access to world-leading experts on a regular basis, challenging and supporting each student’s academic pursuits. These sessions, however, require a significant amount of preparation, and so the intensity of workload is often far greater at Oxford and Cambridge than other universities. Nonetheless, this intensity is manageable, with terms lasting only eight or nine weeks each. Traditions

While all universities have their own traditions, Oxford and Cambridge have some of the most historic and bizarre. For instance, despite uniform not existing at university, Oxford students are required to wear sub fusc for their exams, as well as matriculation (when you officially join the university) and graduation. Sub fusc involves a black (or navy) suit, trousers or skirt, with a white shirt and white or black bowtie or ribbon, along with a gown. Oxford students will also wear a flower pinned to their gowns during exams – a white carnation for their first exam, red for the last, and pink for those in between. In both Oxford and Cambridge, Latin is often used in ceremonies, including matriculation, graduation, and formal dinners; gowns are often also worn at these events.

Information for pupils considering Oxbridge

Is Oxbridge right for you?

Firstly, read the above information about what sets Oxford and Cambridge apart from other universities, and consider whether you would enjoy and thrive within the collegiate and tutorial systems. Next, consider the preparation that will be required for a successful application, and familiarise yourself with the application process.

Are you a strong applicant for Oxbridge?

Though there is no blueprint for an Oxbridge student, successful applicants will all be intellectually curious, committed to pursuing knowledge in their chosen field, and willing to be challenged. Aside from these characteristics, there are a number of qualities that admissions tutors look for in an application:

GCSE Grades

The most concrete evidence of an applicant’s academic ability is their GCSE grades. Oxford and Cambridge are committed to widening access, and so they take into account contextual data when analysing these grades.

This involves information on the socio-economic characteristics prevalent in the area in which an applicant lives, as well as the typical GCSE performance of pupils at their GCSE school and the typical A level performance of pupils at their A level school. They would expect pupils from a leading independent school, such as Marlborough

College, to achieve far better grades than pupils in a struggling state school. Historically, there have been very few Marlburians that have been successful in their applications to Oxbridge with fewer than eight Grade 8s or 9s. Moreover, the more 9s the better.

Predicted Grades

Predicted grades are passed on to Oxford or Cambridge as part of your UCAS application. It is essential that your predicted grades are equal to, or preferably higher than, the standard offer made to pupils in your subject.

This means that excelling in your A level subjects is absolutely necessary for a successful application.

The University of Oxford tends to make offers between AAA – A*A*A. The lower offers tend to be for Humanities, while the higher offers tend to be for

Sciences and Mathematics. This does not mean that it is any easier to get an offer for Humanities than Sciences – both areas are extremely competitive. Additionally, the majority of pupils who succeed in their application to Oxford do achieve A*A*A or above, even if their offer is lower. In 2019 over 65% of successful applicants achieved A*A*A or above.

The University of Cambridge tends to make offers between A*AA – A*A*A, but Cambridge will occasionally alter their offers depending on a pupil’s predicted grades. For instance, a pupil might be offered a place conditional on A*A*A*A. This offer alteration does not occur at Oxford. Similar to Oxford, the majority of successful applicants will achieve A*A*A or better at A level (for example, 78% in 2019). Once again, lower offers do not mean an easier application – Cambridge might give higher offers, but it is no more competitive than Oxford. If you are going to be a successful applicant, you should be able to achieve excellent grades regardless of the offer.

Subject Knowledge

Your application to Oxford or Cambridge will require evidence of extensive research into the subject on which your chosen course is based. This is expected to not only be an understanding of what the course is, but a self-driven exploration into the areas of the subject in which you are most interested.

In the lead up to an application to Oxford and

Cambridge, you will be expected to research your course beyond the confines of your A level or Pre-U syllabus; this research should occur throughout your Lower

Sixth year.

Your understanding of your chosen course will be assessed in your Personal Statement, which should evidence a passion and commitment to the subject, and at interview where tutors will examine your aptitude for the subject – more on this in the Oxbridge Application section.

Subject Specific Skills

Depending on your chosen course, you will require certain skills to succeed in your application. For instance, Science-based degrees will require Mathematical skills. These skills will often be tested in an

Admissions Test and in interviews (see the Oxbridge

Application section). It is also worth including details about these skills in your Personal Statement, where appropriate.