LMH Oxford: Ask us anything

Hello,
I've had a look into the ins and outs of MFL admissions for this one. I am assuming that if you are self teaching Russian, you will not be receiving an A-Level qualification this coming summer; in which case, you would be admitted to a Russian course as an ab initio student. (Please correct me if I am wrong and you are self-teaching an A-level!) The added complication for this is that Russian sole is not available at Oxford as an ab initio course; it has to be taken with another language in which you've already achieved an A-Level or equivalent qualification. Here is the faculty's webpage for clarity.

If you count as an ab initio student, you would not have to submit work; if you are applying as an A-Level student, you would ideally need to have your work marked by an external tutor - although if this is impossible then make sure you include a note explaining your more unusual circumstances.
Hope this helps!
India

Hi!
I'm thinking of applying to read History

I go to a very good school and our average GCSE grade was 6a* and 4As. That is what I achieved at GCSE. At AS level, I did better and achieved 5 As, all with 95%+ (my prediction is A*A*A*). I've been told by lots of people that Oxford cut off people who performed average at GCSE and i'm slightly worried about applying because of this. (I know Oxford don't ask for marks but it's in my reference)

Also, I was wondering that despite going to a private school, I live in an ACORN area which is flagged, and was wondering whether going to a private school but being poor cancel each other out, or will my application remain flagged?

Thanks for all of the help and sorry for the repetitive questions but I'm stressed and uncertain

Hi - thanks for answering questions here! I just have a quick question - what exactly is the interview structure like at Oxford for joint degrees? My guess is that there are two interviews per subject but I've struggled to find a concrete answer online. If it helps I'm applying for Mathematics and Computer Science.

Thanks again!

LMH's view on applying for deferred entry?

(law)

Hi - thanks for answering questions here! I just have a quick question - what exactly is the interview structure like at Oxford for joint degrees? My guess is that there are two interviews per subject but I've struggled to find a concrete answer online. If it helps I'm applying for Mathematics and Computer Science.

Thanks again!

didn't know oxford did a thread like this too. I want to pursue a maths degree, however I have a weak academic past. From what I hear Cambridge have leniency on Mature students with a weak academic past if there recent academic results are very good. What is Oxfords attitude to this?

If I have A*A*A* in recent A levels or etc would I still be considered or would my A levels from 2004 which were bad and my bad GCSE scores mean I had little to no chance?

does the fact that I am self teaching affect my chances one way or the other as well?

didn't know oxford did a thread like this too. I want to pursue a maths degree, however I have a weak academic past. From what I hear Cambridge have leniency on Mature students with a weak academic past if there recent academic results are very good. What is Oxfords attitude to this?

If I have A*A*A* in recent A levels or etc would I still be considered or would my A levels from 2004 which were bad and my bad GCSE scores mean I had little to no chance?

does the fact that I am self teaching affect my chances one way or the other as well?

I know for Maths they don't like large gaps between A-Levels and going to university. Maybe apply after you take these A-Levels. In my opinion, if you applied without them, you wouldn't have a great chance of success.

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Hi there,

LMH considers deferred entry in line with every other Oxford college - it should not have a detrimental effect on your application, providing you specify when you apply that you want to defer. Oxford colleges do not accept deferral after offers have been made/confirmed for the following academic year, except in exceptional circumstances (e.g. medical ones).

India

How many law offers to LMH generally give?

Hi,
I'm currently doing AS and I plan to study a degree in relation to maths at university. I've recently decided that this may simply be Mathematics or even Accounting, however, I'm still looking into this.

I'm just curious about past students' experiences at Oxford - in general as well as what you particularly enjoyed in lectures and with accommodation arrangements, for example. I'd also be interested in hearing about how you feel your experience could have been improved.

It would also be great to hear back from anyone taking/who has taken either Mathematics or Accounting and to learn about how they found the course.

Thanks,
Matrix
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Hi there,
Oxford does not offer an undergraduate degree in Accounting, so you would only be able to consider Maths as an option here - this may affect your choice of university, depending on what you decide you would like from a degree course.

We can certainly get in touch with some of our current Maths students and ask them to say a bit about their experiences at Oxford - please be aware that it may take a bit of time to gather their responses, as term has just started and our students are typically very busy! Alternatively, if you ever want to visit LMH then we would be happy to find you a current Mathematician (or two) to have a chat with you and show you around - email [email protected], we are happy to welcome prospective students all year round

One interesting element of the Oxford Maths course is that students can choose whether they study for three or four years, which means everyone's experience is unique. You can also find lots of information on the Maths Faculty's website.

Re general experiences at Oxford, accommodation arrangements at LMH are generally very good and well received: we can offer three guaranteed years of accommodation in college (students on four year courses are required to live out in 3rd or 4th year - but this is a vast improvement on most Oxford colleges, where you are only able to live in college as a first and final year student). We also have the benefit of modern buildings, a kitchen on every corridor, and a large proportion of rooms with their own bathrooms. As with every college at Oxford and Cambridge, students are required to move all their belongings out of their room during each holiday, unless they have made special arrangements (it generally costs more to stay during the vacations, unless you are working for the college or are a finalist).

Any more questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch!India

Thank you for taking the time to type out this response.

I see, thank you for informing me about this. Indeed, it may cause me to change the universities I am hoping to study at, however, I am still looking into this.

Thank you, that would be much appreciated! I do understand that and it's not a problem. I do have a while yet until I apply for university anyway so the timing of the responses isn't an issue . Thanks for letting me know about this opportunity.

OK, that's good to hear. It does seem to make things easier, looking at it from this perspective.
You mentioned jobs for the college. What types of jobs could this include?
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Students have the opportunity to apply to be "runners" for the annual admissions period at Christmas, or callers for the college's annual telethon at Easter - places are generally competitive for both, and their benefits include being able to leave all your things in your room during that holiday. (More regular part time work isn't generally available - these are jobs specifically for undergraduates)

Glad you've found this helpful! It's definitely useful to start thinking about university earlier rather than later.
India

I see, this does sound quite interesting. The benefits are certainly worth thinking about here. (Would this mean that you'd only be able to have this opportunity during your first year at university, then could only continue to leave possessions in the college, providing you paid for it?)

Yes, I feel that this may reduce the possible stress associated with applying to university. However, I'm still unsure about my future ambitions in terms of specific degree choice and career, which I know is not uncommon. I just hope to gain a greater understanding of this at some point soon, which will help me make related decisions.