Oxford Maths Students and Applicants
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Well in earlier years I've qualified for the Kangaroo, and I've got gold almost every time, and next time I do it I should qualify for it, so hopefully I'll have that to shove on there as well. Thanks a lot for your help, it seems that you had a lot of similar things and I suppose they would put more emphasis on the actual mathematical ability than the passion of the applicant.
Are you sure it's harder to get an offer from Oxford? From what I've heard and witnessed the standard of Maths at Cambridge is much higher than Oxford..
Thanks again!
Are you sure it's harder to get an offer from Oxford? From what I've heard and witnessed the standard of Maths at Cambridge is much higher than Oxford..
Thanks again!
dooodle1
Are you sure it's harder to get an offer from Oxford? From what I've heard and witnessed the standard of Maths at Cambridge is much higher than Oxford.
It is harder to get an offer for maths at Oxford, but that's mainly because the offer is easier to meet — Cambridge only accepts about 60% of the people it gives offers to because of the STEPs, whereas almost all Oxford offers holders will get in. By the end of the admissions cycle, about the same proportion of applicants are admitted by each, and the standard of students will be very high at both.
If you're struggling to think of what you can do to make you stand out, it might help to look at some previous applicants' statements. Reading A Concise Introduction to Pure Mathematics by Liebeck or What Is Mathematics? by Courant and Robbins would be a good idea, both to give you an idea of what you're letting yourself in for (maybe more the former for this) and also so that you've got something off-piste that you can talk about in your PS, to demonstrate an interest that goes beyong the curriculum.
BMO is too late in the year to include it in your application should you be applying next year.
This might sound a bit silly but I think that a distinction in the AEA in lower sixth helped me get my Oxford offer since I overheard the interviewers before going in to one of my interviews and they were talking about how it offset the fact that I didn't excel in the entrance exam.
Maybe you want to have a go at that then?
Maybe you want to have a go at that then?
Ok great I see, well I think I'll stick with Oxford then, Cambridge has always seemed quite daunting, especially with STEP's reputation and all..
Aha I'll definitely have a look at those, and try and get my hands on those books. I've also got a mpile of them here which I intend to read over the summer. Shame about the BMO.
The AEA, hmmm.. my school's never done it, but maybe I could try and get some extra tuition and do it outside school for that extra edge? THanks a lot everyone.
Aha I'll definitely have a look at those, and try and get my hands on those books. I've also got a mpile of them here which I intend to read over the summer. Shame about the BMO.
The AEA, hmmm.. my school's never done it, but maybe I could try and get some extra tuition and do it outside school for that extra edge? THanks a lot everyone.
dooodle1
Ok so I have a genuine interest in studying Maths at Oxford, and I would like to think I have a fair chance of receiving an offer, provided the interview and admissions test go alright. I've been to a general admissions open day, and been around the town and I really love it, and have registered and been confirmed for a Mathematics open day in May, and also intend to visit specific colleges in July, specifically a few that I've shortlisted (not any of the top ones, I'm perfectly happy going to a relatively average college).
I am at a top private school, which unfortunately does seem to be a disadvantage these days, but nonetheless I won't let it put me off. I got 9.5 A*s and 2 As in my GCSEs and an A in OCR FSMQ Additional Maths (there is no A* grade) and am currently studying for my IB diploma, obviously doing Maths and Physics at higher, and should be predicted somewhere between 42-45. I have a number of extra-curriculars and positions of authority but I don't really think Oxford care anymore. I don't mean to sound arrogant, I would really put my results down to my schooling, as I said my school is much above average.
My issue is that when it comes to the personal statement and interview, I honestly have no idea how I'm going to convey a passion for Maths. I do love Maths, it's my favourite subject and always has been, but everyone is going to say that, so I was hoping for some advice anyone can give me that will make me stand out alongside everyone else. I've done Maths challenges with the school, and I've read a number of Maths related books, so I suppose that can go in my personal statement, but that's pretty much it.
I should think that my ability at Maths would not hold me back - I've tried the entrance papers and haven't had much trouble and my head of Maths thinks I'm capable enough, so this is really the only issue.
I really need any edge I can get, because while you might think that my GCSEs and IB prediction are good, they aren't a great deal above average at the school I go to. Sorry for the long post, any advice anyone studying Maths at Oxford or anyone at Oxford can give me would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
I am at a top private school, which unfortunately does seem to be a disadvantage these days, but nonetheless I won't let it put me off. I got 9.5 A*s and 2 As in my GCSEs and an A in OCR FSMQ Additional Maths (there is no A* grade) and am currently studying for my IB diploma, obviously doing Maths and Physics at higher, and should be predicted somewhere between 42-45. I have a number of extra-curriculars and positions of authority but I don't really think Oxford care anymore. I don't mean to sound arrogant, I would really put my results down to my schooling, as I said my school is much above average.
My issue is that when it comes to the personal statement and interview, I honestly have no idea how I'm going to convey a passion for Maths. I do love Maths, it's my favourite subject and always has been, but everyone is going to say that, so I was hoping for some advice anyone can give me that will make me stand out alongside everyone else. I've done Maths challenges with the school, and I've read a number of Maths related books, so I suppose that can go in my personal statement, but that's pretty much it.
I should think that my ability at Maths would not hold me back - I've tried the entrance papers and haven't had much trouble and my head of Maths thinks I'm capable enough, so this is really the only issue.
I really need any edge I can get, because while you might think that my GCSEs and IB prediction are good, they aren't a great deal above average at the school I go to. Sorry for the long post, any advice anyone studying Maths at Oxford or anyone at Oxford can give me would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
It's obviously a good idea to write a decent personal statement, but in the end it isn't that important. What matters is that you do well in the entrance test/interviews, then grades/other maths related achievements, then probably your reference. It doesn't matter if you don't think the personal statement sounds original- nobody's does. Just make sure you focus on maths (I think about half of mine was on running, which in hindsight was a bit silly
).You know, the usual maths challenge stuff, if you're doing a maths extended essay then write about that, any interesting books you've read, any areas of maths that particularly interest you... basically it should (1) show that you're keen on doing lots of maths, and (2) give some interesting topics that someone could ask about in an interview, though this is usually just as a warm up if they ask about the PS at all, which often they don't.Don't stress too much about it, but do make sure that it's clear and accurate (grammatically and mathematically!).
PS- are you doing IB further maths? Is it even offered any more? I found that helped at any rate... maybe try to learn an extra option or two if you can't do further maths).
I have pretty much same IB scores. But I got predicted 44 and did 2 of my subjects in 11th grade. I think you won't have any problem getting interview unless you don't screw your PS or Admissions test big time. the question is 'will you get through the interview'.
and for that, I can't say anything about it because I know many people who got predicted 44~45 got rejected in the process of interview, while people with the predicted score of 40~41 gets in.
But to give you an advice, I would say do Maths EE. That will be really helpful for your interview (in fact, I think that was why I got into Oxford this year)
and for that, I can't say anything about it because I know many people who got predicted 44~45 got rejected in the process of interview, while people with the predicted score of 40~41 gets in.
But to give you an advice, I would say do Maths EE. That will be really helpful for your interview (in fact, I think that was why I got into Oxford this year)
I got in this admissions cycle. I would recommend NOT looking at other personal statements until you at least have written a draft of your own. This will make it more personal and original. (A tutor at one college said she at most glances over the personal statement. However at another, a tutor picked up on a mathematical topic and asked me to explain it) Mention some maths publications (the Liebeck book mentioned above is fantastic) and one or two maths topics (e.g. cryptography) and really understand these (as deeply and rigorously as possible) for the interview. To be honest, I think 90% of the decision will be on your interview and admission test with a little more riding on the interview. Practise interview questions as much as possible. Quote if you want me to answer something else.
somebody else
I had pretty much the same grades as you (9A*/A in FSMQ/43 in IB with 777HL), from a private school, and they're about average tbh. You won't be at a disadvantage because of your school or grades, most people at Oxford went to good schools, whether state or private.
It's obviously a good idea to write a decent personal statement, but in the end it isn't that important. What matters is that you do well in the entrance test/interviews, then grades/other maths related achievements, then probably your reference. It doesn't matter if you don't think the personal statement sounds original- nobody's does. Just make sure you focus on maths (I think about half of mine was on running, which in hindsight was a bit silly ).You know, the usual maths challenge stuff, if you're doing a maths extended essay then write about that, any interesting books you've read, any areas of maths that particularly interest you... basically it should (1) show that you're keen on doing lots of maths, and (2) give some interesting topics that someone could ask about in an interview, though this is usually just as a warm up if they ask about the PS at all, which often they don't.
Don't stress too much about it, but do make sure that it's clear and accurate (grammatically and mathematically!).
PS- are you doing IB further maths? Is it even offered any more? I found that helped at any rate... maybe try to learn an extra option or two if you can't do further maths).
It's obviously a good idea to write a decent personal statement, but in the end it isn't that important. What matters is that you do well in the entrance test/interviews, then grades/other maths related achievements, then probably your reference. It doesn't matter if you don't think the personal statement sounds original- nobody's does. Just make sure you focus on maths (I think about half of mine was on running, which in hindsight was a bit silly
).You know, the usual maths challenge stuff, if you're doing a maths extended essay then write about that, any interesting books you've read, any areas of maths that particularly interest you... basically it should (1) show that you're keen on doing lots of maths, and (2) give some interesting topics that someone could ask about in an interview, though this is usually just as a warm up if they ask about the PS at all, which often they don't.Don't stress too much about it, but do make sure that it's clear and accurate (grammatically and mathematically!).
PS- are you doing IB further maths? Is it even offered any more? I found that helped at any rate... maybe try to learn an extra option or two if you can't do further maths).
Ok that's great, the general consensus here seems to be that the key is to ace the admissions test and interview, with a decent PS with examples of your passion for maths to abck it up and as a topic of conversation in the interview.
I'm not doing IB further maths, our teacher has told us that virtually noone does it because a number of the papers are equivalent to 2nd year undergraduate level maths in difficulty, and that only a handful of people (mostly in Asia, as stereotypical as that is) worldwide do it every year. I'm not sure to what extent that is the case, but my school has had a fair amount of success in sending people to Oxford for maths, and we've never done further maths.
As for the extended essay, sadly I'm not doing it on Maths, as big a disadvantage as that will be, which is why I wanted to stand out for some other reason. We were discouraged from doing one since it's quite hard to write 4000 words about an aspect of Maths, as much as I regret it now..
Tae-Hwan Lee
I have pretty much same IB scores. But I got predicted 44 and did 2 of my subjects in 11th grade. I think you won't have any problem getting interview unless you don't screw your PS or Admissions test big time. the question is 'will you get through the interview'.
and for that, I can't say anything about it because I know many people who got predicted 44~45 got rejected in the process of interview, while people with the predicted score of 40~41 gets in.
But to give you an advice, I would say do Maths EE. That will be really helpful for your interview (in fact, I think that was why I got into Oxford this year)
and for that, I can't say anything about it because I know many people who got predicted 44~45 got rejected in the process of interview, while people with the predicted score of 40~41 gets in.
But to give you an advice, I would say do Maths EE. That will be really helpful for your interview (in fact, I think that was why I got into Oxford this year)
My lord!
I'm not sure I do have/will have the same IB scores as you, or anywhere close. I hope to god you weren't a borderline decision, as you look, from your sig at least, to be a far better candidate than I am.. You're doing 7 subjects including further maths at standard, you have those maths competitions, and have an extended essay in Maths.
I seriously doubt your extended essay was the only reason you got in, especially considering previous successful applicants from my school in recent years, and considering the head of maths at my school thinks I have a decent shot.
Congratulations! I'm also considering St. Anne's
I don't think there's much I can say that others haven't already said. You could look in to some interesting aspects and theories of maths (for example I mentioned the Banach-Tarski paradox). You don't need comprehensive knowledge of these, just a remedial understanding and interest. Also mention specific areas of maths that you like i.e. you could look in to number theory.
Also for wider reading I recommend some Eli Maor books. Or even read 'The Elements' by Euclid, one of the most famous mathematicians and considered 'The father of geometry'.
That reminds me, you could write about some famous mathematicians that have inspired you.
Also for wider reading I recommend some Eli Maor books. Or even read 'The Elements' by Euclid, one of the most famous mathematicians and considered 'The father of geometry'.
That reminds me, you could write about some famous mathematicians that have inspired you.
dooodle1
My lord!
I'm not sure I do have/will have the same IB scores as you, or anywhere close. I hope to god you weren't a borderline decision, as you look, from your sig at least, to be a far better candidate than I am.. You're doing 7 subjects including further maths at standard, you have those maths competitions, and have an extended essay in Maths.
I seriously doubt your extended essay was the only reason you got in, especially considering previous successful applicants from my school in recent years, and considering the head of maths at my school thinks I have a decent shot.
Congratulations! I'm also considering St. Anne's
I'm not sure I do have/will have the same IB scores as you, or anywhere close. I hope to god you weren't a borderline decision, as you look, from your sig at least, to be a far better candidate than I am.. You're doing 7 subjects including further maths at standard, you have those maths competitions, and have an extended essay in Maths.
I seriously doubt your extended essay was the only reason you got in, especially considering previous successful applicants from my school in recent years, and considering the head of maths at my school thinks I have a decent shot.
Congratulations! I'm also considering St. Anne's
Well, considering that I was not the one who got transferred to other college, I was not the weakest one! haha
Further Maths only provides the course in SL.
And the key is Interview. In the interview, because of my extended essay, they asked me a lot about my extended essay, and that would impress the tutors. So EE in Maths would help a lot.
Tae-Hwan Lee
Well, considering that I was not the one who got transferred to other college, I was not the weakest one! haha
Further Maths only provides the course in SL.
And the key is Interview. In the interview, because of my extended essay, they asked me a lot about my extended essay, and that would impress the tutors. So EE in Maths would help a lot.
Further Maths only provides the course in SL.
And the key is Interview. In the interview, because of my extended essay, they asked me a lot about my extended essay, and that would impress the tutors. So EE in Maths would help a lot.
Ha I bet you weren't
.. AH well that is minorly reassuring, but in any case they don't offer it at my school..Ah ok that's more reassuring, well hopefully I'll have something else the tutors can pester me about..
Thanks for everything guys, it's been a great help.
a) Don't be so confident in your own abilities, it's pretty difficult to know how good you are while still at school.
b) Being from a top private school won't advantage or disadvantage you. The porportion of people fromt he private sector getting in is about the same as the proportion applying.
c) Displaying a passion for maths should really come from the stuff you do automatically, see if there are any courses you're interested on going on, go to some talks, read some pop maths books. I did some maths/physics courses/activities, but I did most of my "Look, I love maths" in my first paragraph where I went on a rant about how I decided to do university maths, talking about elegant proofs and then abstract algebra.
b) Being from a top private school won't advantage or disadvantage you. The porportion of people fromt he private sector getting in is about the same as the proportion applying.
c) Displaying a passion for maths should really come from the stuff you do automatically, see if there are any courses you're interested on going on, go to some talks, read some pop maths books. I did some maths/physics courses/activities, but I did most of my "Look, I love maths" in my first paragraph where I went on a rant about how I decided to do university maths, talking about elegant proofs and then abstract algebra.
I'm just going through the current application cycle, and have an offer for Hertford College. Here is some advice based on advice that I got:
a) When writing a personal statement, don't start off by thinking how every sentence sounds. I found that the best thing was to start off and write whatever came to mind. Leave it for a day, and then go back and look at what you wrote, fine tune and tweak it etc. Showing passion shouldn't be about ticking boxes - it's something innate and should be shown naturally through experiences like an appreciation of wider reading, taking part in extra mathematical activities etc., basically, by immersing yourself in Maths. It may be useful to take an A4 sheet and make a mind map outlining for yourself why you like Maths and the experiences you have had to back this up. This may even help you understand your own motivations better for studying Maths at University. I wouldn't worry about saying - this shows passion etc etc, what you have done will be evidence enough. Write it in your natural tone, with a nice natural vernacular. You want to sound like someone they want to meet. Don't worry about the big loud show ( I believe that in one of the PodOxford Podcasts on Personal Statements, the English Tutor said that one applicant actually said in his personal statement "I enjoy kissing, hugging and making love" to stand out!!!!!)
Might I suggest "The Backbone of Pascal's Triangle" as some reading? It costs about £11 from the UKMT. It bascially covers the Central Binomial Co-efficients and the wide range of applications that they have. It includes chapters on interpretations combinatorially, using integrals to estimate them and establish asymptotic formulae, series involving them, catlan numbers, random processes, gamma and beta functions, and then three focused chapters proving the following results: Chebyshev's bound for , Bertrand's Postulate, and the fact that .
As well as this is contains excellent graduated exercises at the end of each chapter, and also harder challenges throughout the text of the book (my favourite have included:
*Prove that when you write n in base p (p is prime), and add it to itself, then the total number of carries you have to perform is the power of p in
*Show that
(this requires use of the beta function)
What is Mathematics is also an excellent read.
a) When writing a personal statement, don't start off by thinking how every sentence sounds. I found that the best thing was to start off and write whatever came to mind. Leave it for a day, and then go back and look at what you wrote, fine tune and tweak it etc. Showing passion shouldn't be about ticking boxes - it's something innate and should be shown naturally through experiences like an appreciation of wider reading, taking part in extra mathematical activities etc., basically, by immersing yourself in Maths. It may be useful to take an A4 sheet and make a mind map outlining for yourself why you like Maths and the experiences you have had to back this up. This may even help you understand your own motivations better for studying Maths at University. I wouldn't worry about saying - this shows passion etc etc, what you have done will be evidence enough. Write it in your natural tone, with a nice natural vernacular. You want to sound like someone they want to meet. Don't worry about the big loud show ( I believe that in one of the PodOxford Podcasts on Personal Statements, the English Tutor said that one applicant actually said in his personal statement "I enjoy kissing, hugging and making love" to stand out!!!!!)
Might I suggest "The Backbone of Pascal's Triangle" as some reading? It costs about £11 from the UKMT. It bascially covers the Central Binomial Co-efficients and the wide range of applications that they have. It includes chapters on interpretations combinatorially, using integrals to estimate them and establish asymptotic formulae, series involving them, catlan numbers, random processes, gamma and beta functions, and then three focused chapters proving the following results: Chebyshev's bound for , Bertrand's Postulate, and the fact that .
As well as this is contains excellent graduated exercises at the end of each chapter, and also harder challenges throughout the text of the book (my favourite have included:
*Prove that when you write n in base p (p is prime), and add it to itself, then the total number of carries you have to perform is the power of p in
*Show that
(this requires use of the beta function)
What is Mathematics is also an excellent read.
I'm going tomorrow! Gotta be there for 10 - I'll have to get up really early 
I'm also famous for getting lost all the time, and for sleeping through alarms.
So yeah, like I said, I should be going tomorrow :P
I'm on 'schedule one' and am going to the Computer Science bit after the initial maths bit
I'm also famous for getting lost all the time, and for sleeping through alarms.
So yeah, like I said, I should be going tomorrow :P
I'm on 'schedule one' and am going to the Computer Science bit after the initial maths bit
Hello everyone!
I need all of yours' advice. I am from Canada, and interested in studying Masters in Mathematics at Oxford! Is anyone here doing Masters or has applied? Being an international student, I don't know what I should do to make myself stand out other than getting good grades. I am not familiar with British education system either. What Canadian degree would be equivalent to upper second class degree in UK?
Please help someone! Thanks
I need all of yours' advice. I am from Canada, and interested in studying Masters in Mathematics at Oxford! Is anyone here doing Masters or has applied? Being an international student, I don't know what I should do to make myself stand out other than getting good grades. I am not familiar with British education system either. What Canadian degree would be equivalent to upper second class degree in UK?
Please help someone! Thanks
To echo what has been previously said, the book by Martin Liebeck is an excellent read.It is not only an awesome read, I have read it twice now and plan to reread it before starting university in october, but for me it also confirmed that maths was what I wanted to read at uni.
The only other advice I can give is try to be relaxed about the whole process and not get too worked up about it. I did get stressed over the admissions test and hence I severely underperformed to what I was scoring in practice papers - as yes they do always seem easier not under timed conditions. The same goes for the interview, enjoy it. Obviously its aim is meant to stretch you in order to find natural talent and passion for your subject, note how i say natural. By being worried or nervous about it you are likely to not show yourself off to the best of your ability and there is no doubt that the interview is the most important step in the application process.
If you have any other questions feel free to PM or quote me here about an Oxford maths application or indeed maths applications at uni in general.
The only other advice I can give is try to be relaxed about the whole process and not get too worked up about it. I did get stressed over the admissions test and hence I severely underperformed to what I was scoring in practice papers - as yes they do always seem easier not under timed conditions. The same goes for the interview, enjoy it. Obviously its aim is meant to stretch you in order to find natural talent and passion for your subject, note how i say natural. By being worried or nervous about it you are likely to not show yourself off to the best of your ability and there is no doubt that the interview is the most important step in the application process.
If you have any other questions feel free to PM or quote me here about an Oxford maths application or indeed maths applications at uni in general.
Mitchy0283
To echo what has been previously said, the book by Martin Liebeck is an excellent read.It is not only an awesome read, I have read it twice now and plan to reread it before starting university in october, but for me it also confirmed that maths was what I wanted to read at uni.
The only other advice I can give is try to be relaxed about the whole process and not get too worked up about it. I did get stressed over the admissions test and hence I severely underperformed to what I was scoring in practice papers - as yes they do always seem easier not under timed conditions. The same goes for the interview, enjoy it. Obviously its aim is meant to stretch you in order to find natural talent and passion for your subject, note how i say natural. By being worried or nervous about it you are likely to not show yourself off to the best of your ability and there is no doubt that the interview is the most important step in the application process.
If you have any other questions feel free to PM or quote me here about an Oxford maths application or indeed maths applications at uni in general.
The only other advice I can give is try to be relaxed about the whole process and not get too worked up about it. I did get stressed over the admissions test and hence I severely underperformed to what I was scoring in practice papers - as yes they do always seem easier not under timed conditions. The same goes for the interview, enjoy it. Obviously its aim is meant to stretch you in order to find natural talent and passion for your subject, note how i say natural. By being worried or nervous about it you are likely to not show yourself off to the best of your ability and there is no doubt that the interview is the most important step in the application process.
If you have any other questions feel free to PM or quote me here about an Oxford maths application or indeed maths applications at uni in general.
Hi there, thanks a lot for the info! I really really appreciate it. I personally don't know anyone whom I could ask for some kind of guidance.
I looked up the program - master of mathematics and foundations of computer science. For that program, do we have to have a strong computing background? My major is pure mathematics, therefore, I dont' have a strong computer science background.
Can I have your email address just in case if I need to get some general questions answered about the program or the university?
I will pm you my email address.
Thanks a lot again!
PS: Are you studying Mathematics at Oxford?
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