EXTRA-CURRICULARS AND OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE

While reassuring, a recent Guardian feature on the Cambridge admissions process has also left some students confused. After observing admissions tutors from (very state school-oriented)  Churchill College pick natural science students, the paper’s reporter felt that “there is far less interest than is popularly thought in extra-curricular activity”. However, when medical dons from various colleges were choosing future doctors, extra-curriculars did seem to matter: what swung it for one able student was that he was not just working in a care home, but had also, uniquely, trained as a special constable.

So, is it OK to focus on school work alone? Well, it depends.Cambridge does not offer points for extra-curriculars as such (and Oxford says they won’t “compensate for lower academic potential”). Also, colleges keen to attract more good state schoolers tend to care less about them. No maths tutor at Cambridge or Oxford is likely to be swayed by an applicant’s sporting, artistic or even charitable activities. The outstanding mathematical ability she seeks is not enhanced by playing cricket. Your time is far better spent solving maths problems. Other science applicants, though, can benefit from a science-linked hobby. @oxbridgentrance.

As for medicine, a willingness to engage with needy people while cramming for top science A-levels does help. Medicine is a dirtier, more gut-wrenching and exhausting business than suggested by “Scrubs”.  So, if you want to be a doctor, step into the tough, real world, but relax:  not all medical dons want a trainee special constable. For more detailed medicine advice, see chapter 15 of OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES.

OXBRIDGE COURSES: DON'T RUSH YOUR CHOICE

Oxbridge admissions statistics reveal that the number of students applying for the two universities' most popular courses has continued to rise. As a result, student success rates for those courses must necessarily fall. So, if you are irresistibly drawn to the brainy world of Oxford or Cambridge, it is best not to make your degree choice quite yet.  Find out first whether there is more than one attractive Oxbridge course that's open to you; then check how many applicants per place each of these is likely to get.

Do not just look at your most obvious choices. While your A-level subjects may restrict the number of degree courses you qualify for, this does not mean that you can only apply for something you have taken at school. Certain core subjects, if well combined, give you a very wide degree choice indeed. Knowing this can help you avoid (if you so wish)  the most over-subscribed courses.  

Where should you begin? There is no Oxbridge chart which shows you at a glance where specific A-levels could lead, but another top university, Bristol, does provide such a chart.  This is well worth looking at, although the Bristol courses (and entry rules) are not quite identical to either Oxford or Cambridge ones. For more detailed advice on how to find the Oxbridge course that is right for you, see chapters 3 to 5 of OxbridgeEntrance.

CHRISTMAS PREP FOR OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE

Know which Oxbridge course you’d like to apply to in future? If so, the Christmas holidays are perfect for some entrance prep. By the spring, you might be far too busy with exams.

It is certainly not enough to have fallen in love with a specific course: you need to cement the relationship. Is your library card up-to-date, so you can borrow something course-related to read over New Year? Have you already put a few relevant books on your Christmas list? The university prospectus may offer recommendations and newspaper reviewers will have lots more, as will chapters 2 and 11 of OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES.

Alternatively, would a subscription to an online journal such as Geography Review, Nature, New Scientist, Biological Sciences Review or Student BMJ be of use to you? Students interested in the humanities benefit from the New York Review of Books (or read the LRB). History Today is an easy read and, if you care about politics or economics, the online daily Guardian or the weekly Economist (which have quite different perspectives) will help. How about asking for the DVD of a recent BBC science series, or of Shakespeare’s plays? Combined with a large slice of Christmas cake, each of these will enhance your well deserved break.

OFF TO THE OXBRIDGE INTERVIEW?

Having received the invite you were hoping for, do you feel more terrified than chuffed? If so, note that an Oxbridge interview (or three) is, above all, a reward for the good work you’ve done. After looking at your grades, UCAS statement, references and perhaps test results, admissions tutors already feel that you might be suited to one of their demanding courses. So, a 100 per cent perfect interview performance is slightly less crucial than students think. Do your best, but don't panic if you stumble over a question or two. You might still get in.

Also keep in mind that although an Oxbridge interview is more formal than a conversation, it is not a test of your social skills. Most questions are likely to draw on knowledge you have gained in class and from your own reading and research (hopefully mentioned in your statement). Others may require you to give your opinion, or to draw logical conclusions from material you are shown. You’ll find Twitter tips specific to your course @oxbridgentrance.

Some basic interview skills, too, will already have been implanted by your school: giving yourself time to think before you reply to a challenging question is one. Answering the question actually asked (rather than the one you would like it to have been) is another. If you can speak in a clear, audible voice instead of mumbling, that’s even better. For more detailed interview advice, read chapters 9-14 of OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES

OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE RULES FOR MATHS

A Daily Telegraph report of 24th October revealed that while university applications for 2012 are down by 9 per cent, Oxford and Cambridge have seen the number of applicants drop by a mere 0.8 per cent. Competition will therefore remain fierce, especially for one of the most popular Oxbridge courses, Mathematics. This attracts maths lovers from all over the world, so even an outstanding maths student cannot be sure of a place.

Not all groups of UK students do equally well. Admissions figures for 2010 (the latest available) show that the success rate of Oxford maths applicants from state schools was 16 per cent, but 24.7 per cent for those from private schools. At Cambridge, it was the 17.5 per cent for state school applicants, but 27.7 per cent for those from private schools: a huge gap, even by Oxbridge standards. Students from comprehensives do least well, often because were only able to take AS Further Maths. This is formally acceptable, but makes it harder to display their abilities.

So, how might you get in? The obvious answer is by knowing more maths. A very useful maths site is http://www.mathcomp.leeds.ac.uk/individual-competitions/senior-challenge/. Another one, http://bit.ly/qzRdca , goes to the papers themselves, with solutions.

OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE VIA STATS

Planning to relax as your UCAS application is sent and the interview (should you get one) still miles away? Don’t do it: you now need to interact with some figures. With the exception of Music, Languages and English Lit., almost all Oxbridge courses these days have at least a small mathematical element.

So, you might well find yourself being asked to interpret a course-related statistic at your test or interview. Students who did not take a statistics module as part of their Maths course often stumble at this point. You’ll find advice on how to handle stats questions in chapter 10 of OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES.

However, if even the sight of a statistical graph makes you shake, you may also need a basic book like STATISTICS FOR DUMMIES. Medical candidates can go a step further and leaf through MEDICAL STATISTICS MADE EASY. Don’t panic if most examples go over your head: the first section is for you and will prove invaluable.

FROM UCAS FORM TO OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE

Still battling with your personal statement? According to a report in Oxford student paper "Cherwell", one in six Oxbridge candidates may have had expert help with their application. However, don't dispair if your school provides little UCAS guidance or you can't afford to degate the task to a paid expert. You may not be an experienced CV writer, but presumably know all there is to know about your unique, university-geared self. So, don't assume that someone you never met must be better at describing your abilities, interests, hopes and achievements. Chapter 8 of OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES takes you through all the stages of producing an academically impressive yet honest personal statement.

If you nevertheless go into blind panic when trying to bash out those 47 lines, note that these are not quite as crucial today as a decade ago. Both Oxford and Cambridge dons have complained that too many of the statements they now see are clearly the work of an adult. Consequently, Oxford has let it be known that the information given there is just one among several indicators used to assess a student's talents. Cambridge actually says that there are no marks for a good statement. This does not mean that you can be sloppy about yours, of course: the right contents, presented in a coherent style, will work in your favour. Most importantly, UCAS statements continue to form the basis for many interview questions.