STRUGGLING TO DRAFT A STRONG, OXBRIDGE-GEARED UCAS STATEMENT?

Clare Bridge, Cambridge

Ever tried to persuade an eminent stranger to invite you into their grand old home? Very few sixth formers have, so the mere thought of creating a UCAS statement persuasive enough to get you asked up by (not just!) Oxford or Cambridge can indeed be terrifying. Once you accept that it may take three or four drafts, though, writing the first one will be a lot less stressful. Here to help you along is a list of the top mistakes to avoid, plus some financial information.

     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 found in the University prospectus with care, you may be throwing away one of your UCAS choices. 

   Merely skimming the prospectus page of your chosen Oxbridge course: 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.

    Failing to show that you are already independently exploring your chosen degree subject by reading around it: good applicants are avid readers: a student who has only ever read set school texts is unlikely to impress admissions tutors. So, try to mention a couple of course-relevant books, poems  or lab activities you enjoyed and say why. Maths applicants may instead want to mention a few intriguing maths problems they have engaged with or one day hope to.

   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.

  Giving too much space to extra-curriculars: having a wide range of interests can be a good thing, but don't overdo it. You just want to show that you are   organised enough to keep up with two or three of those alongside your studies. It would help if one of those was  at least vaguely relevant to your course, has offered you some great insight or given you useful skills. Merely listing five different activities is pointless.

 Being too impersonal in your UCAS statement: admissions tutors want to find out about you as an individual. By mentioning personal strengths, concerns, achievements or obstacles overcome you may become more memorable, as well as more convincing. 

    Sloppy writing: there is no need for formal language, but applicants are expected to use proper subject terms, and to get authors' names and book titles right  Also, your statement must be grammatically correct and without spelling mistakes.

  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.

     Copying a UCAS statement you 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?

     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.

    Dropping the whole idea due to money worries: fearing that Oxbridge fees and living costs, are well beyond your family's means can make a student want to give up altogether. In fact, the same tuition fees, currently £9,250 per annum, are charged by all but two UK universities. The fees are also not paid for upfront: they are covered by a student loan, to be repaid in manageable instalments to Student Finance England once a student has graduated and is earning a reasonable amount. 

     

    Even more importantly, Oxford and Cambridge have each created a multi-million Pound financial support fund to be spent on substantial, non-repayable grants to students with modest (or no) family incomes. In addition to this central fund, many individual Oxbridge colleges offer financial help with rents, books and sometimes even travel.

Need yet more help with your statement? Unsure whether you are doing yourself justice,  or perhaps sounding too arrogant? Are your worries about whether you'll be coping and happy at Oxbridge (if you do get in) keeping you awake at night? You'll find the best advice on how to handle all aspects of the application stage, including tests and interviews,  in my uniquely detailed guide, OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES.