Oxbridge Preparation at Marlborough

As you will have noted from the description of an Oxbridge application and what Admissions tutors are looking for, a commitment and passion for your subject, an ability to address and verbalise areas of your chosen subject beyond the A level/Pre-U syllabus, and subject specific skills are all necessary for a successful application. Each of these key areas will be a focus in the preparation cycle moving towards an application.

The Oxbridge Commitment

The successful Oxbridge applicant will be bright, indeed, but far more than this. They will take the initiative, they will seek out opportunities, they will be independent, passionate and determined. With this in mind, the preparation offered at Marlborough is not a spoon-feeding process. If pupils want to apply to Oxbridge, they will be expected to drive their own progress through independent research, being proactive and, importantly, prioritising academic matters over other commitments. With the decision to apply comes a commitment to prioritise this preparation, to fully prepare for department sessions, Admissions test workshops and mock interviews, and to be the creator of your own success.

Oxbridge Mentors

Although the motivational and organisational onus remains on the pupil, each Oxbridge hopeful is assigned an Oxbridge Mentor at the beginning of their Lower Sixth year to guide their preparation, monitor their progress and answer any questions that the pupil may have. Meetings between mentor and pupil will occur twice termly, focusing on the keys to a successful application, how the pupil is working towards a successful application and what else they can do to further enhance their preparation.

Independent Research

Quite simply, researching around your chosen subject or course is the most essential form of preparation for an Oxbridge application. Indeed, plenty of preparation will be offered by your beaks, but if you are not reading around your subject extensively in your own time, this preparation will be futile. When considering the key aspects of a successful application, researching beyond the syllabus shows an obvious passion and commitment to your subject. This should become evident in a Personal Statement that will centre around the research you have done. Additionally, exposing yourself to concepts and ideas beyond the syllabus with wider research will better prepare you to deal with challenging topics covered in an interview.

Whilst Marlborough can be a busy place, with a number of commitments in sport, music, and even prep, independent research must be prioritised if you are to be successful in an application to Oxbridge. Do not think that you can leave this to the last minute – you will need to finalise your Personal Statement by September of your Upper Sixth year, so you must engage with this extensively in your Lower Sixth year.

Your reading should be driven by your interests within your chosen subject, but your beaks will be more than happy to guide you in your research. In fact, most departments will have a recommended reading list for relevant courses, and Oxford also publish recommended reading for many subjects, which is also applicable for Cambridge courses. The link below will take you to these recommended reading lists, but these are by no means exhaustive or necessary. As mentioned above, your reading should be driven by your own passion and interests, which may lead you to books in the Memorial Library, articles online, magazines (many of which are subscribed to by the Memorial Library for you – see the e-Library page on Firefly), or even lectures and TED Talks online.

Oxford Course Reading Lists

Make sure that you keep a record of the things that you read, along with your notes on the key ideas, questions and thoughts you have when researching. Your research will be pointless if you cannot remember what you read about when it comes to writing your Personal Statement or attending an interview. Another way to expand and exhibit your research is by entering an essay competition, completing a relevant online course, or any work experience that directly relates to your course.

Departmental Sessions

To supplement this independent research, departments offer a weekly enrichment session where there is interest. The form of these sessions will vary depending on department, but they will centre around the pursuit of topics beyond the syllabus and, often, discussion of these topics. If you are applying for a Joint Honours course, the suggestion is to make as many of the sessions for each subject as you can, though there may be occasional clashes. As should be clear by now, these sessions will be valuable, but not sufficient preparation – they are very much supplemental to your own independent research. A successful Oxbridge applicant will be self-driven, and so the onus is on you to seek out the departmental session that is relevant to your chosen course. You will find a list of go-to beaks in each department in the Appendix, if you are unsure who to be in touch with.

Oxbridge Advisory Events

Along with individual guidance from Oxbridge mentors, a number of events are put on to offer more general advice for Oxbridge hopefuls over the course of the Lower Sixth year. Firstly, there is an annual visit from an Oxbridge don, traditionally in the Lent Term, but delayed this year due to COVID. The talk centres around the elements of the Oxbridge application and key skills for a successful application, and offers an opportunity for pupils to ask questions of an Oxbridge tutor; all interested Lower Sixth are invited to this.

Additionally, in the Summer Term, the Guidance Department hosts an evening for Oxbridge hopefuls to glean advice from those in the Upper Sixth who were successful in their Oxbridge applications.

Admissions Test Preparation

As mentioned earlier, Admissions Tests are becoming an increasingly important aspect of a successful Oxbridge application, and so these must be a significant focus in your preparation. Admissions Test preparation will begin in the Summer Term, and will involve workshops, past papers, feedback sessions, and an Admissions Test mock. Despite the importance of your end-of-year exams, and other pressures of College life, you will only be successful in an application to Oxbridge if you can achieve a good mark in your Admissions Test, so this must remain a priority from the Summer Term of your Lower Sixth through to the actual Admissions Test in November of your Upper Sixth year. Many excellent candidates in the past have not been offered a place, with feedback outlining that it was their Admissions Test mark that had let them down.

Check on the course website whether your course requires an Admissions Test and check with your Oxbridge mentor as to which beak will be leading the Admissions Test preparation for your subject area.

Interview Preparation

Another element of the Oxbridge application that may be novel to our pupils is being interviewed about their chosen subject. As mentioned above, departmental sessions will often involve a discursive element to nurture the verbal capabilities of our Oxbridge hopefuls, but pupils who are applying to Oxbridge should also aim to be consistent and enthusiastic contributors to discussion in class. In these areas, confidence and skill in answering questions, defending one’s view and analysing another’s will be developed – these are absolutely essential skills for an Oxbridge application and, in fact, to enjoy and make the most of the tutorial system at Oxford and Cambridge if successful. You will not be surprised to hear that many pupils struggle at interview, even if they are very capable, so make sure that developing these skills is a priority of yours throughout your A level study. On top of this, you will have a number of mock interviews before the real thing. You will be interviewed not only by beaks, but also by experienced tutors external to the College. The experience of being interviewed by someone that you are not familiar with is vital to preparing for being faced with this at your actual interview. Taking on feedback after mock interviews will be vital to your success.