OXFORD OR CAMBRIDGE?

Oxford admissions figures for 2009 have just become available. What they show is that the percentage of UK state school students admitted has slightly fallen. 53.9 per cent of UK undergraduates who started at Oxford in October 2009 were from state schools and colleges, 1.5 per cent fewer than the previous year. Cambridge figures for the same year are not yet available, but are thought to be higher.

State school students should not rush to conclude from this that they must therefore only apply to Cambridge. The difference in the proportion of state school students admitted by the two universities has never been huge.

Also, Oxford figures are more promising for 2009 applicants from state schools (as distinct from state school students admitted in 2009). The percentage of Oxford offers to state school students from the UK for entry in 2010 was 56.4 per cent, up from 2009.

Some of the 2009 drop in Oxford’s admissions rate is rumoured to be due to state schoolers increasingly focusing on its most over-subscribed courses, Medicine, Law, PPE and Economics & Management. Oxbridge mentors like myself have been pleased to learn that our comprehensive school students got into at Oxford nevertheless, but wise course and college choice is
often the decisive factor. Find out more about the real choices you have from Chapters 5 and 6 of OXBRIDE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES.


14th January 2010
HANDLING THE OUTCOME

The aftermath of the interviews can be tough. There is lots of waiting, followed by good or bad news, at least if you are an Oxford candidate. If you applied to Cambridge, you may even have an in-between result, a place in the “pool”. Gathered there are impressive candidates who their chosen college could not take. One fifth of the latter will have been found a place elsewhere at Cambridge by the end of January.

For those of you who have received an offer, it’s party-time, if only for a couple of weeks. Then you must embark on the kind of intensive school work that will generate top grades. As Cambridge continues to demand one A* grade from current A-level students, you may want to check out chapter 3 of OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES.

For students left without a place, the main thing is to keep up their spirits. Oxbridge has vastly more clever applicants than it can possibly take, so the fact that you weren’t offer a place does not automatically make you inferior. Another good university may well be delighted to teach you and put you on the path to a brilliant career. Chapter 21 of OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES will help you handle the outcome.


1st December 2009
COMPETITION

Oxford has seen a rise of 12 per cent in undergraduate applications this year and applications to Cambridge are up too. Apparently, most of the students who had put Oxbridge on their UCAS form will still be interviewed, but competition is up.

Rather than letting yourself be scared witless by this thought, you should find ways of standing out. It’s nice to have an unusual hobby such as fire-eating, but deepening your engagement with your chosen course subject is the real key to success. This can mean learning more maths to help with economics, keeping up with the relevant science journals or following medicine-related stories in the news. Alternatively, you may want to carefully re-read a history book scanned some time ago. If you’re tackling a new book at this late stage, stick to a few carefully selected chapters. You want to be able to talk competently about a personal but university-linked interest. For advice on how to do this, read chapter 2 of OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES.