The first week of the summer holidays is for sleeping, but if you are aiming for Oxbridge you will then need to wake up. It’s time to turn yourself into a convincing applicant: the warm welcome you received on your Access visit does not yet mean you’ll be offered a place.
This is especially true for state
school students applying to Oxford. The university runs one of the country’s
largest Access schemes, but although it had over 1,000 more applications from the maintained sector in 2012 than
in 2006, only 39 more state school students were accepted in 2012 than five years earlier. Cambridge
figures are somewhat higher, but state school applicants to both universities still
have a lower success rate than those from independent schools.
So,
what might applicants from comprehensives, academies, grammars or sixth form
colleges be doing wrong? Below is a short list, devised mainly for upcoming year 13s who
need to present their sixth form head with a completed UCAS statement in
September:
1.
Not checking
which A-level subjects are essential for your chosen course: there are rigid subject rules when it comes to
some Oxbridge courses, while others, including Law, accept quite a wide range. Unless
you read the entry requirements well in advance, you may be throwing away one
of your four or five UCAS choices.
2.
Failing to independently
explore a degree subject taught at school: good applicants are avid readers. The statement of an English applicant who has only ever
read set texts is unlikely to impress admissions tutors.
3.
Not bothering to
read the full course description in the Oxbridge prospectus: before
mentioning a course aspect you are particularly keen on (such as medieval
history), make sure it is actually offered by Oxbridge in conjunction with the
course you picked. Getting this wrong may count as laziness.
4.
Thinking about
your degree subject only in the context of your future career: far too many
Oxbridge applicants write that they chose Economics because they are "hoping
for a career in finance”. What admissions tutors want to know is which subject
areas are of interest to you and how you are already exploring them.
5.
Giving too much
space to extra-curriculars: you just want to show that you are organised enough
to keep up with a couple of activities alongside your studies. It would be nice
if one of these was also vaguely relevant to your course, has offered you some great insight or given you useful
skills. Merely listing five different activities is pointless.
6. Being too impersonal in your UCAS statement:
admissions tutors want to know about you as an individual. By mentioning personal
strengths, concerns, achievements or life experiences you may become more
convincing, as well as more memorable.
7. Asking a well-educated relative or
family friend to write your statement for you: any admissions tutor can tell the writings of
a middle-aged graduate from those of a sixth former. Also, the type of student Oxbridge
seeks has somewhat changed over the years.
8.
Copying
a UCAS statement found online: admissions tutors have
for several years had the software to identify such statements. Do you want to
be marked down as a plagiarist?
9.
Sloppy
writing: there is no need for formal language, but applicants
are expected to use proper subject terms. Also, your statement must be
grammatically correct and without spelling mistakes.
10. Starting
too late: Writing a good UCAS statement is a major job. If you leave it to
the last minute, the end result could be not just typos but a confused
narrative and damaging omissions.
STILL UNSURE HOW TO WRITE A STRONG STATEMENT? FOR MORE DETAILED AND COURSE-SPECIFIC STUDENT ADVICE, READ OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES.
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* - Please note that the alleged downloads of this book offered online are invariably old, outdated editions. Avoid!
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