Thinking of applying to Oxford or Cambridge? Here s
what you need to know.
Oxford and Cambridge. Two
renowned institutions synonymous globally with top-class university education.
Attracting the best and brightest students from around the country and even
further afield, these two universities have a slightly different application
procedure and deadlines to the rest of the UK s universities. Here, we will outline the key
dates to be aware of and the main differentiators in the Oxbridge application
process.
UCAS Deadline: The UCAS deadline is much
earlier in fact it s this month! Whilst the final deadline for the vast
majority of UK universities is 15th January 2018, for Oxford and Cambridge it s 6pm on 15th October. This
deadline is incredibly strict and applications received after it will not be
accepted.
Making your mind up: Unfortunately, you must decide
if you want to study at Oxford, or at Cambridge. The two institutions do not
allow you to apply to both. You can still apply to other universities to make
up your maximum of 5 institutions on your UCAS form, but not both Oxford and
Cambridge.
Don t worry about the
College. Oxford and Cambridge operate on
a collegiate based system (as do York and Durham in the UK). The college will
be where you live, study and socialise for much of your degree. It s advisable
to check which colleges offer subjects you are interested in and go from there.
However, approximately one in five of successful Oxford applicants and 25% of
Cambridge applicants end up at a different college to the one they applied for.
So, don t worry too much about your decision. If you re really not sure which
college to apply to, fear not. You can also make an Open Application, and a
computer programme will match your application to an appropriate college.
Testing Times: Some courses at Oxford and
Cambridge require additional tests to be sat. To see if a test is required,
check your specific course listing. All applications to Cambridge require applicants to carry out a
Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ) or the
Cambridge Online Preliminary Application (COPA) after the submission of their
UCAS form to ensure the information provided is consistent.
Interviews: Both institutions typically
invite all applicants who stand a realistic chance of being offered a place to
attend an interview. At Oxford, interviews take place in December and can be
one or two days you will typically stay in the college you re applying for to
get a feel for the environment. At Cambridge, the majority of interviews will
be held in the first three weeks of December and just take one day, with a
small number taking place in January. The interview will be with one
or two tutors from the course you re applying for. Interviews give the
universities and colleges a chance to assess your abilities, your interest in
the subject and your wider interests. It will be in the style of a
tutorial (Oxford) or supervision (Cambridge), to see how well you respond to
that style of teaching. The tutors may give you a piece to read, give you some
data to interpret or a problem to solve and then discuss it with them. They
aren t trying to catch you out, rather to see your thought process, if you re
open to new ways of learning and how you react to various situations. A good interview takes the
course of a conversation, discussing ideas and wider topics, rather than a
series of questions and answers.
Entry requirements: The typical entry requirements
for each university are A* A* A AAA for Oxford and A* A* A A* AA
for Cambridge. Obviously this is dependent on your subject, so please do check
your specific course for the full breakdown of grades required.
Don t Forget The application process for
Oxbridge is incredibly competitive don t lose heart if you ve application is
unsuccessful or if you are unsuccessful after going for an interview. It s a
huge achievement to be asked for an interview at either of the universities! For the full application
timeline and key dates for each university, please visit the following links: Oxford:
https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford?wssl=1 Cambridge:
http://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/dates-and-deadlines
