GOOD NEWS ON THE INTERVIEW

Having handled the various admission stages well so far, the Oxbridge interview is the last hurdle you must jump. If you were told all your life not to talk to strangers or not to argue with important people, being impressive now can be tough. The good news is that the interview process, while not perfect, is improving each year. Interviewers' questions, which once used to cover obscure fields such as sporting prowess, are now firmly focused on academic matters.

So, exploring your degree course and practising to talk competently about your A-level subjects is one key to success. But don't rest on your laurels. What you want to do now is learn some more maths to help with economics, or tackle a pile of science journals, or carefully reread that great history book you scanned ages ago. More detailed interview advice can be found in Chapters 9 to 14 of OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES.

After following this advice, rejoice in the news that college choice is slowly becoming less crucial. If the university feels that another college may suit you better than the one you picked, it will send you to be interviewed there. This can much improve your chances.


Friday, 12 November 2010
MONEY, MONEY AND MORE MONEY

These are scary times for students hoping to start a degree course in 2012. The government is proposing to let English universities charge tuition fees of between £6,000 and £9,000 a year from then on. Since fees are currently £3,290, this means the cost of a degree may almost treble. While students will have to pay the fees only once they have left university and are earning £21,000 a year, the prospect of graduating with huge debts will discourage especially first generation applicants.

What reluctant sixth formers should keep in mind is that there will still be an annual maintenance grant of £3,250 for students whose family income is below £42, 600. Also, a new scholarship fund will support the very poorest and brightest. Nevertheless, if the government's proposals become law (which they are not yet) students admitted to top universities like Oxford or Cambridge will certainly pay the highest fees.

So, is it still worth working towards an Oxbridge place in 2012? Before you decide, read Chapter 1 of OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES. Dealing with a wide range of student concerns, this will tell you what exactly sets the two universities apart and why it could still be worth going there. You may then want to tell our politicians (many of whom got their Oxbridge education for free) just what you think of their selfish proposal.