WHAT'S NEXT IN OXBRIDGE PREPARATION?

In an ideal world (and quite a few countries) the only qualification for a top university place is high achievement at school, crowned by top marks in an either internal or external exam. This is not true in the case of Oxbridge. Both Oxford and Cambridge expect considerable  prior engagement with your future course, even if it is not directly related to any of your school subjects.  

Very soon after your AS exams, you must therefore finally settle on a course. Having done so after careful study of the university prospectus and perhaps attended a subject-geared Open Day event, you can now deepen that relationship. Students who dither about course choice until September will struggle to prove they really care about engineering, history or law.

What constitutes such proof is, above all, the reading you have done, and this now means books. For a student used to getting all their facts and explanations from free websites, this can be quite a shift. While online tasters or TED talks have their uses, only a book will enable you to connect the dots. Depending on your course, it can be one of OUP's short introductions, a specific study, grand theory, a literary novel or even a biography.

A number of Oxbridge course pages include suggested reading, though some of it comes from lists for first year university students and can be too hard for Year 12s. You’ll find lists of slightly easier, course-related books in chapters 2, 11 and 17 of OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES*.
 

Also make sure you have a valid library card, as a recommended book may not be in print anymore.  If you’re still unsure what to pick, consider leaving your screen for a good terrestrial bookshop. Waterstones, Foyles, Hatchards and The London Review Bookshop stock a wide range of university-level titles you can browse through, and staff know the key texts.

Unsure how to work your way through a slightly daunting new purchase? The answer, at this stage, may be to read for half an hour or so each day, always at the same time and definitely without clicking on Face Book. Check you’ve understood what you’ve read, but don’t look up every single new word. Many terms will become clear as you read on.

Should you jot down anything? It depends on the complexity of a subject. Try to briefly summarise a central point or great insight. Do also remember to note down title and author.  

All done? Ready to move on  to a second book perhaps? Don't let anything  stop you. If you keep going now, you'll have something really impressive to offer in your UCAS statement, Oxbridge interview or test.

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* - As Oxbridge entrance rules frequently change, applicants need to read the current edition of this guide, available from Amazon.  The alledged downloads of this book offered online  are at best extracts of old. outdated editions. Avoid!