The Official 2018 Oxford Offer Holders' Thread!

Oh cool! I am going to apply for Classics and my EPQ will be something related to that.... Possibly on epic poetry like the Iliad and the Odyssey but I'm not quite sure)

Can someone tell me a little about accommodation when at Oxford? I believe that you live in student accommodation for the first year? But how expensive is it to live outside of campus.. and would a student maintenance loan cover this?

Central Oxford is very expensive if you go outside of college accommodation. Expect to pay something in the region of £600-650 pcm for a room in a shared house (this should include utilities and internet) or £500 pcm if you live in an outlying town plus £600 for a yearly bus pass. Quality of accommodation is extremely variable. This is perhaps something to consider in later years - groups of students sometimes band together to rent a house.

You are far, far better off taking a college room either on either a termly basis or for a 42-week tenancy. https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/fees-and-funding/living-costs?wssl=1
College rooms are much cheaper with no deposit to pay. If you run into cash flow issues, colleges won't evict you as a private landlord might; if something needs fixing in your room, the wait time for maintenance to arrive can be just a few hours whereas private landlords are poorly regulated.

Most colleges now offer rooms for all years of study. Those that don't may have accommodation offices that help find a room in your 2nd or 3rd year - we would recommend asking about this if you are unsure.

Thank you very much! I have been lead to believe that Oxford, unlike Cambridge and some other universities, only offer on-site accommodation for the first year, is this incorrect? I would prefer to live in a college room anyway so I hope this would be possible How about a six year course like Medicine? Would you be able to stay accommodated for this period of time? Thanks again!

We offer UGs rooms for all years of study and believe that this is the case for most colleges but not all - so if accommodation is important to you, it is worth checking a college's website and/or emailing their admissions office to verify.

Medicine is 3+3 (3 years of pre-clinical followed by 3 years of clinical, with an option to stop after 3 years or transfer to another University for clinical). In practice, Medics move out of college accommodation and rent a house close to the hospital quarter with friends/partners because they value independence and proximity to work. Many also switch colleges to a graduate college, such as Green Templeton for the Clinical stage.

We guarantee to offer rooms to UGs for all years which translates to Clinical for Medics. We can sometimes also offer rooms to Medics for Clinical but the demand is not strong for this.

Hey! I really doubt I'm going to get in but I'd hate myself if I didn't even try .

Your GCSE predicted/achieved grades?
10 A* (9A* and A^ in Further Maths), 1 A, 1 B
What A levels you will be studying?
I'm taking Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths
What course will you be applying for?
Medicine
What extra-curricular activities do you do?
Piano, reading, writing, senior prefect (in year 11)
Any colleges you're interested in? And why?
Wadham just because it's said to have a great gay scene. I need to do more research on the colleges to come to a final decision though.
Why Oxford and not Cambridge?
Oxford typically ranks higher for medicine.

Also, is anyone going to any of the shadowing days and if so, what are we expected to bring on the day?

Hey! I really doubt I'm going to get in but I'd hate myself if I didn't even try .

Your GCSE predicted/achieved grades?
10 A* (9A* and A^ in Further Maths), 1 A, 1 B
What A levels you will be studying?
I'm taking Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths
What course will you be applying for?
Medicine
What extra-curricular activities do you do?
Piano, reading, writing, senior prefect (in year 11)
Any colleges you're interested in? And why?
Wadham just because it's said to have a great gay scene. I need to do more research on the colleges to come to a final decision though.
Why Oxford and not Cambridge?
Oxford typically ranks higher for medicine.

Also, is anyone going to any of the shadowing days and if so, what are we expected to bring on the day?

Hi, good luck! What are those shadowing days you're talking about?

Didn't know Oxford did shadowing days, what are they and where did you find out about them?

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There are 4 days in November when Oxford take in prospective applicants from schools that typically don't have high numbers of Oxbridge applicants. On the day you get to shadow an undergraduate doing the degree you're interested in and get tours/talks etc.

There are 4 days in November when Oxford take in prospective applicants from schools that typically don't have high numbers of Oxbridge applicants. On the day you get to shadow an undergraduate doing the degree you're interested in and get tours/talks etc.

What did you get at GCSE? 9A*s & B in Art (iGCSE).

I know that they are alright, but I was nowhere near the top of my school- half of the year did 11 iGCSEs (Triple Science) and a few did 12/13 (fluent in languages + an extra). This will put me at a major disadvantage, particularly as I go to a private school. Does anyone know how much GCSEs will matter in getting an interview? I'm a specialist not a generalist and I excel at the arts-based subjects but science just is not my cup of tea haha.

What A levels will you be studying? I am studying Pre-U English, Philosophy and History and just for this year, (will then drop) Creative Writing. I started the year doing A level Politics as well but dropped it.

What course will you be applying for? History!

What extra-curricular activities do you do? On the committee for a charity that sets up a Skype link with disadvantaged children in Kenya and students here in England, choir, I write for a US based magazine on arts, lifestyle, literature and current affairs, drama, field hockey, grade 8 singing, work experience etc..

Any colleges you're interested in? And why? Haven't really looked at any in depth, so couldn't honestly say. Initially, I'd like to look at Balliol, Trinity & St. Edmund Hall.

Why Oxford and not Cambridge? to be honest, I haven't really decided between them although I'm heavily leaning towards Oxford at the moment. I like the atmosphere slightly more, but I'm doing a Cambridge masterclass next weekend so may change my mind

thinking of applying to magdalen college for maths as a gap year student , with A*A*A ( maths, f.maths and business studies )also taking further additional maths A2 in gap year and possibly get an A* in it self studied .also potentially 95% avg ums in maths and 93% avg ums in F.maths but with poor gcses, 1 A* 2As 7Bs 1C. I know oxford put a lot of significance on gcses but will having my a levels and with high ums swell as a good score in the MAT , cancel my gcses out and give me a good chance of getting in.?

thinking of applying to magdalen college for maths as a gap year student , with A*A*A ( maths, f.maths and business studies )also taking further additional maths A2 in gap year and possibly get an A* in it self studied .also potentially 95% avg ums in maths and 93% avg ums in F.maths but with poor gcses, 1 A* 2As 7Bs 1C. I know oxford put a lot of significance on gcses but will having my a levels and with high ums swell as a good score in the MAT , cancel my gcses out and give me a good chance of getting in.?

For deferred entry? or whilst you're on your gap year?