[Dominicque]

I would have thought so; I meant it helps that you have 9 A*-A GCSEs.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it, I mean you've already sat them!

(If you are still worried, you could get in contact with the University themselves! )

[Extricated]

No they don't.

[waqarasim]

Will I be penalised or discounted for my B in a Gcse short course??

[The Mr Z]

(Original post by waqarasim)
Will I be penalised or discounted for my B in a Gcse short course??

that alone? no. Oxbridge aren't vindictive, if the rest of your application is good they'll completely ignore that.

[fluteflute]

You should definitely put both the BTECs and Short Course GCSEs on your application form (this time next year).

Oxford and Cambridge may not value them particularly highly: if you all you had was BTECs and Short Course GCSEs I'd be doubtful at your chance of getting a place.

But you've got a solid set of "normal" GCSE results as well, they're certainly not going to turn you away because you did some additional qualifications.

[yahhhhhh]

Prior to getting my AS results for which is was predicted straight A'S in Chem, Maths, History and Economics, i was thinking of applying to Oxford for law. Unfortunately i got 2A's a B and C and my GCSE's were 5A* 6A's, however, i am fairly certain that i will be predicted 3A's at A-level or with abit a luck one will be an A* is there any point in applying anymore, seen as Oxford do not like retakes??

[hiphiphooray]

they don't care about retakes
if you want to study there then you should apply

[M.AKH]

There aint no harm in applying..go for it if you want to

[Kagesou]

Oxbridge tend to give offers for interviews for almost everyone. They are a university who don't just care about grades, but a lot more. So there is a point in applying. However at the same time you've got to show them something really special at the interview if you want a chance to get in.

[Munchies-YumYum]

You might impress them with your Personal Statement and Interview.

[yahhhhhh]

But surely I'll be competing against people who have got better credentials than I gave, do you reckon I will still get an interview even under these circumstances?(maybe less people will apply becos of tuition fees).

Also have any of you guys applied and been successful, having achieved the kind of grades mentioned?

[SamF1992]

As long as you're predicted AAA or above for A2 then it's worth it. Oxford place a lot of emphasis on aptitude tests, so nail that and you have a very good chance of getting to interview.

[The Mr Z]

(Original post by bilal95)
Hey I just got my results a few days back and this very question came to my mind, so here I am.

In GCSE's I got:

Maths (One year early) A*
Additional Maths A*
Chemistry A*
Physics A*
Biology A*
English Language A*
English Literature A*
ICT A*
Religious Studies (RS) A*
History A
Economics A
French A

So basically it's 9A*s 3As but I do have a feeling that my history will go to an A* as i have gotten high A*s for every single exam, but my CW which was meant to be 90 ums was moderated down to 70 (and i only need about 80 ums for an A*), so i will be making an appeal for that.

Anyways, on top of this, my other achievement is that I got a Gold in the the intermediate UKMT (UK Maths Trust) Challenge.

I have also done a 2 week internship at Shell Health and have worked for 3 weeks at a charity group called Naya Jeevan.

My A levels are currently Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry, Physics and History (but i am thinking of not doing History anymore as I have been told that 5 may be too much burden on me specially with this type of combination).

And my passion has always been maths since a very young age and that's what I would definitely like to do at university, so I would be applying for a pure maths course.

So do I have a chance to be accepted at the prestigious OxBridge for pure maths?
Another thing I want to know is that approximately, what would i need to get in my A levels to be accepted at OxBridge (considering i do 4 excluding history)?

Thanks

I swear I've seen this posted elsewhere...oh well.

Yes, your GCSEs are strong for entry into Oxford, but performance on the Maths aptitude test and interview will be critical to actually get an offer.

Cambridge don't care for GCSEs much, they will base their decision on AS results and interview.

Cambridge make a greater proportion of offers, but all offers will involve STEP, a very tough Maths exam you will take around the same time as your A2s. You'll need plenty of preparation and practice for STEP to meet the offer.

Overall, you have a good chance but I can't really tell you how good until you've done your AS.
You need to be aiming to get at least high 80s % wise in almost all your modules, and over 90% in maths AS (C1 and C2). It's not a strict limit, but you want to be getting top As and A* quality marks (they don't actually award A*s at AS, but you want to be at the level to get them)

Regarding your personal statement, Oxbridge look for passion for your subject and ability, so things like your UKMT challenge are good, you will need to keep doing those every year and hopefully get through to the second round. They are worth mentioning, especially if you can get to the Kangaroo/BMO and get a distinction.
Your work experience is only worth mentioning if it is directly related to maths.
Reading around the subject and attending master-classes and public lectures is very useful.

[bilal95]

(Original post by The Mr Z)
I swear I've seen this posted elsewhere...oh well.

Yes, your GCSEs are strong for entry into Oxford, but performance on the Maths aptitude test and interview will be critical to actually get an offer.

Cambridge don't care for GCSEs much, they will base their decision on AS results and interview.

Cambridge make a greater proportion of offers, but all offers will involve STEP, a very tough Maths exam you will take around the same time as your A2s. You'll need plenty of preparation and practice for STEP to meet the offer.

Overall, you have a good chance but I can't really tell you how good until you've done your AS.
You need to be aiming to get at least high 80s % wise in almost all your modules, and over 90% in maths AS (C1 and C2). It's not a strict limit, but you want to be getting top As and A* quality marks (they don't actually award A*s at AS, but you want to be at the level to get them)

Regarding your personal statement, Oxbridge look for passion for your subject and ability, so things like your UKMT challenge are good, you will need to keep doing those every year and hopefully get through to the second round. They are worth mentioning, especially if you can get to the Kangaroo/BMO and get a distinction.
Your work experience is only worth mentioning if it is directly related to maths.
Reading around the subject and attending master-classes and public lectures is very useful.

Thanks for the information, so is doing charity and internships related to different subjects no use? And yes, I have posted this before. Please tell me what else could be done to make my application better?

[The Mr Z]

(Original post by bilal95)
Thanks for the information, so is doing charity and internships related to different subjects no use? And yes, I have posted this before. Please tell me what else could be done to make my application better?

You can mention them, but things not directly related to your subject should take up no more than 1/5th of your personal statement.

If you can find a way to relate them to maths then they are worth mentioning (eg you were doing statistical analysis), and if they are related to physics (as the Cambridge maths course does include a theoretical physics component) they are worth mentioning.

As I've said, keep going on the UKMT challenges. Reading beyond the syllabus (you may have to wait until partway though your AS to start that so you have some grasp of the concepts needed) and anything else you can think of that shows passion for your subject.

[Kidioteque]

(Original post by nexttime)
At GCSE? They tend to look at GCSE grades as a whole rather than picking individual subjects, certainly if AS grades in that subject are available. In an essay subject as well the marking can be a bit dubious - it would be fine to apply (if the rest of the application was strong, obv).

Yeah, sorry -- I didn't make that completely clear: 'would an A at GCSE in the subject you're applying for at Oxbridge hamper you?' would probably have been a more concise way to phrase it Thanks a lot.

[rdsnell]

I'm applying for Law at Oxford and I got AAAA at AS. I really want to drop English Language at A2, and leave myself with History, English Lit and Government and Politics. Do you think it would be ok to drop this subject, and leave myself more time to work on my EPQ and extra curriculars, or would Oxford view this as a "soft" option?

[Chief Wiggum]

(Original post by josh9294)
Are the any particular differences with Caius admission process, since its a medical based college?

Also, I forgot to mention. I took an A level early, I thought this would be neutral, or positive - anything but negative. But it seems some universities actually look down on that, perhaps because you may have 'less work' to do over the A2 year or whatever reason.

Is this the same for Cambridge?

How many A Levels are you doing in your final year of school?

As long as it's 3, you should be absolutely fine. If it's 2, then that might be a problem, but I'm not knowledgeable about that at all.

[HermesTrismegistus]

These are bogus claims, of course, we all know the lowest grades ever accepted in Oxbridge are A*A*A*A*.

[No, really, congrats, that goes to show that potential and passion really are the decisive factors in Oxbridge admissions.]

[BatmanInDisguise]

Hi, dunno if anyone will see this now but i'm hoping to apply to oxford to study English this coming year, but i'm worried about my GCSE's. Basically...

I went to a Steiner School with an alternative curriculum which means i was only given the option to take 3 GCSE's - English, Maths and Art but no sciences etc. However i got 3 A*s for them and i've just got A*A*A*A for A-levels (plus a B at AS), so does anyone have any thoughts on whether they'd accept only 3 GCSE's??