Oxford and Cambridge Explained

Jacqui Howard MA Cantab MEd PGCEFaculty of Education, University of Cambridge

Choosing a course

Both offer a range of academic arts, social science, science and engineering subjects – some differences in courses and options available

Things to think about:

Your academic and wider interests – be open minded

Course requirements – for entrance and throughout

Course structure and content

Assessment

Graduate prospects – professional requirements, transferable skills

College choice has no impact on course – unless it isn’t on offer!

FAQ: Can I apply to both Oxford

and Cambridge?

A: No

Academic life

• Lectures, classes, seminars, practicals

• Supervisions - small-group teaching, high quality, intensive contact time with topic experts

• Lectures are important but independent study for supervisions is at the heart of learning

• Students are required to produce ~2 – 3 times as much written work as their counterparts on comparable courses elsewhere

• Director of Studies – oversees academic progress and welfare

• Assessment – end of year rather than termly

The Colleges – what are they?

29/30 undergraduate Colleges – choose or make an open application

Pre-admission•Where your application is processed•Where you are interviewed

As a student•Where you live (accommodation provided)•Where you eat (lots of provision!)•Your primary community (like a ‘mini-campus’)•Where your supervisions are organised

FAQ: Which Colleges are

better for which subjects?

A: None!

FAQ: Are some Colleges easier to get into than

others?

A: No

Choosing a College - where would you like to live?

Common facilities include:

• accommodation• JCR (Junior Common/

Combination Room)• library and computing

facilities• dining hall and bar• sports facilities

Choosing a College - where would you like to live?

Differences include:

• subjects offered

• size / number of students

• location

• specific facilities

• appearance

Choosing a College - where would you like to live?

Differences include:

• subjects offered

• size / number of students

• location

• specific facilities

• appearance

• Differences are not in educational opportunity!

Social life

• Freshers’/Societies’ Fair

• University clubs and societies

• Sport, music and drama at every level

• College community

• Pubs, clubs, bars, theatres

• Get involved!

• Find a good work/life balance

Welfare and support

• Academic

• Pastoral

• Financial

• Disability Service

• University Counselling Services

• Peer support

• Student Union

• No UK student should be deterred from applying to Oxford or Cambridge for financial reasons

• No student should have to leave because of financial difficulty

• Oxford and Cambridge have the lowest drop-out rates in the country

Financial Support at Oxford and Cambridge

University Support

• College-owned accommodation for duration of course and only pay in term-time (short 8 week terms)

• Excellent library, IT, support facilities – rarely need to buy own books

• Subsidised meals and entertainment

• Bursaries

• College Awards

• Book and travel grants

• Achievement awards – academic, sports, music etc.

Application process overview

Choose course and

College

UCAS application

(Extenuating Circumstances Form

if relevant)

Submit by 15 October

Result of application

Choose ‘firm’ and ‘insurance’

choices

Exam results/ confirmation

Written work / tests

Start university

Complete online SAQ(UMS scores and

optional Cambridge statement)

Interview

Key information in selection

Selection is holistic

• Predicted and achieved results in public examinations

• UCAS reference

• UCAS personal statement

• UMS

• Any relevant tests (BMAT, Cambridge Law Test, TSA [STEP])

• Contextual data

• Submitted work

• Performance at interview

Profile of successful applicants

• We seek students whose academic record places them in approximately the top 3% of the ability range

• Most – though by no means all – successful applicants have an AS UMS average (across their best (arts) or most relevant (sciences) three subjects) of comfortably above 90%

• The mean AS average of students receiving offers from a range of Cambridge Colleges in 2010/11 was 94-96%

• Note that these figures are averages, which means that there were successful Cambridge applicants who had UMS averages in their best/most relevant three subjects below 90%

• Every applicant is looked at as an individual

What about GCSE grades?

• Most applicants to Cambridge have at least 5 A*s at GCSE, and most successful applicants have at least 8 A*s. It is also generally expected that students will have achieved high grades in subjects relevant to their chosen course

• HOWEVER – there is no GCSE minimum requirement.

• Our research shows that GCSEs are not an accurate predictor of success at Cambridge, whereas AS UMS scores are.

• We also know that many students ‘come into their own’ in Year 12, for a number of reasons, and that GCSEs are not always an accurate reflection of potential

Personal Statements for Oxford and Cambridge

• Chiefly a starting point for interviews• All of the standard personal statement advice from previous

session stands• Write first about your interest in the subject, your wider reading

and other ways in which you have explored the subject (super-curricular) (~70%)

• Then write about extra-curricular activities/positions of responsibility (~30%)

Extra-curricular activities do not figure in our admissions considerations –

the overwhelming focus is on the chosen subject

Personal Statements for Oxford and Cambridge

• Evidence your RELEVANT skills and experiences – evidence of more than study, but in Oxbridge’s case it is more important to show permeation of ‘study’ – e.g. having attending a free lecture series in your own time would give you more material than having been on the rounders team, no matter what transferable skills this provides.

• Avoid excessive quotation. They want to know what you have to say, not that you know what others have said.

• Write in your own voice – don’t use unnecessarily long words to show off; the same goes for name-dropping.

• Evidence of further reading is essential, but don’t write a ‘shopping list’ of books you’ve read and things you’ve done – it is more important that you critically reflect rather than shoe-horn in.

Interviews

The majority of applicants (over 80%) are called for interview (December)

Interviews are conducted by the Colleges, by subject specialists

Applicants have 1, 2 or 3 interviews, each lasting 20-45 minutes

Interviews are conducted by lecturers and are predominantly academic and subject-focused

Designed to replicate a supervision – looking for ‘teachability’, interest, aptitude

Get used to verbalising your thought processes, talking through problem-solving scenarios, and discussions

Interviews: what to expect

• Focused and challenging questions

• New approaches to existing knowledge

• Prompting from interviewers and questions from you

• Interviews usually cover:

Academic work

Reading and other super-curricular exploration

Subject-related wider awareness

‘Prompt’ material

No hidden agenda and no trick questions – you’re not expected to know all the answers but you are expected to

think what the answers could be!

Common pitfalls

• Wrong subject or course – especially common occurrence in Economics, Law and Medicine

• Uneven track-record in exams

• Too many subjects in Years 12/13

• Poor organisation

• Lack of super-curricular exploration – little or no wider reading/exploration

• Subject knowledge insecure

• Insufficient clarity or flexibility of thought

• Insufficient critical and analytical engagement

• Unwillingness to rethink ideas in the face of contrary evidence

• Inconsistent UCAS reference

• At interview, rehearsed answers, insistence upon ‘performing’, unwillingness to admit to perceived weakness or explain thinking

Finding out more

Prospectuses

University websites

Cambridge www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/

Oxford www.admissions.ox.ac.uk

Open days and events

Contact Admissions Offices – yourself…

Ask questions today!