HOW TO BE A PROMISING OXBRIDGE APPLICANT

University of Oxford

If your virtual Oxbridge Open Day was a success by inspiringly showcasing your chosen course and its official entry requirements,  a strong UCAS statement is the way to built on this. You now want to show  that you are not just getting high grades for the work you do at school, but also developing  your own interests and skills (some but not all course-related)  by drawing on  external sources. Is there a book, journal, website or academic's YouTube talk which has broadened your understanding or given you new insights? Do you find the new research methods emerging in response to new challenges really exciting?

 In order to get to know you a little further, many admissions tutors would at this point also appreciate an answer to the unspoken question: "And what are your personal interests?“ Football, clubbing, clothes or finding a girlfriend/boyfriend obviously won’t do. Even a computer sciences don is looking  for someone  able to name more than World  of  Warcraft. While an unusual hobby like rearing tarantulas may help you stand out,  this is not what an admissions tutor is quite looking for here either, unless she is a  biologist.

Still, the fact that you have a life outside school may actually be turned to your advantage. With a bit of effort, some hobbies  can actively suggest that   you are suited to a demanding course, being the kind of student who is curious and keen on challenges, as well as persistent. It's fine to mention in your statement that scuba diving, for instance,  is what you love most in the world,  but if you're a prospective science student, do  make sure to also mention that you've explored the physics behind your diving kit!

While travel, plays, films and exhibitions  may also develop the academic mind if you can afford them, they are certainly not the only way to impress. Helping out at a food bank, working at a car wash or belonging to some kind of organisation  can also offer you valuable insights  into anything from Economics to Medicine. So might your family's experience of migration, poverty or ill-health. Topped up by some background research now the libraries have reopened, it may also suggest university-loved qualities like resilience and a  keen desire to find answers.

Being able to mention suitable extra-curricular interests or activities is certainly helpful with very many Oxbridge courses except perhaps Maths. While strong grades and test results are still crucial, Oxbridge dons will privately admit that what often marks out successful applicants is not just natural brightness but also  a willingness to  explore an extra-curricular topic (or to read around an A-level one) while still at school. Doing so makes the transition to a challenging Oxbridge course much less painful for both tutor and tutee.

This does not mean that you need to have a full grasp of your future degree subject yet, of course, but a student who has shown an active interest in the methods leading to scientific innovation or literary  success is probably an eager reader and thus a promising applicant. So is someone keeping up with great course-related discoveries in anything from Archaeology to Space Science and interested in the future challenges they may pose.  

COVID-19 has also had a impact well beyond the medical field, and both universities are doing key research into effective cures or vaccines. Methods, progress and set-backs are regularly covered on their home pages.  Oxford, which is conducting a major science project designed to produce the first coronavirus vaccine,  lists other projects on its frequently updated SCIENCE BLOG.

Already got an  academic interest of your own? Great , but it should now be deepening. A history fan will already have graduated from historic novels  to a historian's view of a key period or issue (think Communist Russia, The HIghland Clearances  or Imperialism). A budding social scientist may want to look for features reassessing the British electoral system or the welfare state.

While liking 19th century writing is always a good thing, developing a personal interest in a more specific field, for instance women in Victorian novels (or 20^th century Spanish poetry) is even better.  Interesting new arts projects are showcased by Oxford on its ARTS BLOG. Cambridge, meanwhile, lists its most interesting science science and  arts research together on its RESEARCH pages..

What, though, if you have not quite finally settled on a course  yet?  There is still time -  as long as you are  willing to  devote some of your holiday to reading the most promising course pages in the Oxford or Cambridge prospectus  again, but now with a tooth comb. Not only does this colourful online document   spell out the formal entry requirements in terms of A-level subjects and grades, as well as the degree contents, thus showing a student's real options, but it also lists the wide range of careers a course may lead to. As some course names  (think Land Economy or Materials Science) will mean very little to parents, this could reassure them that you are making a sound choice.

All done then? Well, not quite yet. Having settled on your perfect course, it's also worth keeping up-to-date  by periodically checking out the links to relevant media stories found in my Twitter posts @oxbridgentrance.

Need further advice? You'll find all there is to know about Oxbridge and its  admissions process  in my best-selling guide, OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES, available on one-day delivery from Amazon.

   

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