[Chief Wiggum]

(Original post by IvyTiger)
Which university is more concerned about your grades, Oxford or Cambridge?
Does any of them automatically reject without an interview because your grades barely or just meet the standard?
(I'm applying for Literature or History)

I think Cambridge tends to interview more people, but I think Oxford uses pre-interview tests to deselect before interview quite a lot (eg, HAT for History).

[_becca]

(Original post by TimmonaPortella)
Just to point out, guys, the solid thrashing Cambridge just gave Oxford in the boat race is another thing you might consider to make Cambridge the more awesome choice.

If there had been no interruptions, we would have won! They were like two lengths ahead of Cam by the first interruption & restart. Grrrr.

[TimmonaPortella]

(Original post by _becca)
If there had been no interruptions, we would have won! They were like two lengths ahead of Cam by the first interruption & restart. Grrrr.

lol I know, I was joking.

[fluteflute]

(Original post by IvyTiger)
Which university is more concerned about your grades, Oxford or Cambridge?
Does any of them automatically reject without an interview because your grades barely or just meet the standard?
(I'm applying for Literature or History)

(Original post by Chief Wiggum)
I think Cambridge tends to interview more people, but I think Oxford uses pre-interview tests to deselect before interview quite a lot (eg, HAT for History).

It's also worth noting that Cambridge see your UMS scores, so could if they wanted reject people with A grades, but who only got 80% at AS (rather than 90%+). Oxford can't do this, simply because they don't know whether you got 80% or 100%.

[Audrey...]

Cambridge asks for 16/20 from french bac applicants, whereas Oxford only asks for 15/20 (might seem pretty similar but it does make a considerable difference...)
So would it statistically be easier for a french applicant to get into oxford or am I missing something out here?

(If any french students could help me out here I'd really appreciate it )

[roh]

(Original post by Audrey...)
Cambridge asks for 16/20 from french bac applicants, whereas Oxford only asks for 15/20 (might seem pretty similar but it does make a considerable difference...)
So would it statistically be easier for a french applicant to get into oxford or am I missing something out here?

(If any french students could help me out here I'd really appreciate it )

Cambridge's standard offer is A*AA whilst Oxford still offer AAA for some Arts subjects so translating the A Level offer may be the reason.

With Oxbridge though the grades just get you to the interview and that's where you win your place.

Cambridge like very high AS Level (exam taken at the equivalent of the end of premiere) results from British students which may explain it also.

Oxford set an awful lot of their own entrance exams such as HAT, ELAT, TSA, MAT etc. which will be a big factor for them as well.

The grades don't necessarily totally reflect the difficulty of getting an offer, particularly with Oxford. For example, for Law LSE, UCL, Nottingham, KCL, Durham and Queen Mary all make a standard offer of A*AA whilst Oxford's is AAA, but it is still widely accepted that Oxford is harder to get into than any of them.

It's impossible to be certain but it's likely they will be equally difficult to get into.

[qwertyuiop1993]

(Original post by Audrey...)
Cambridge asks for 16/20 from french bac applicants, whereas Oxford only asks for 15/20 (might seem pretty similar but it does make a considerable difference...)
So would it statistically be easier for a french applicant to get into oxford or am I missing something out here?

(If any french students could help me out here I'd really appreciate it )

In terms of fulfilling your offer it would be easier at Oxford, IF they give you a standard offer (it's never certain what grades they may stipulate).

However, because offers are given out before you finish the bac and also a variety of other factors are taken into account, the difference between 15/16 for the purposes of getting an offer is only important insofar as you need to hit the minimum required prediction to get an interview (and even then there are a number of different circumstances that might mean you are interviewed even if you are predicted lower than the requirement)

Beyond that it's up to interview/aptitude tests to really pinpoint the best students.

So basically, you can't really say getting an offer is easier at one or the other based on the grade requirement (The people who end up with offers at both universities are most often those who easily surpass the minimum requirements anyway - for example at Oxford the standard offer for 2011 entry was AAA for people taking A levels but 93.3% of successful applicants got better than that). The standard offer difference in the bac requirement is more important after you get an offer.

Unless you really think you can't get 16 I think the best way to choose between them is thinking about factors about courses/location etc. which have a much greater impact on student experience.

[Audrey...]

Ok so basically the 15 requirement at Oxford is a bit of an understatement - the people who get accepted usually get better grades in the end.

I'm quite confident I can get 16 overall, and probably higher than that in biology (which is what I want to study). Maths is slightly more problematic but as long as they don't base the offer on it I'll probably be able to compensate with my other subjects I'm going to stay with my original choice and apply to Cambridge. The natsci course is much more flexible, so it's a better transition from the bac - It would be hard to go from studying 10 subjects to studying one really specialised course.

Thanks for clearing everything up, I was starting to have massive doubts about my choice

[qwertyuiop1993]

(Original post by Audrey...)
Ok so basically the 15 requirement at Oxford is a bit of an understatement - the people who get accepted usually get better grades in the end.

I'm quite confident I can get 16 overall, and probably higher than that in biology (which is what I want to study). Maths is slightly more problematic but as long as they don't base the offer on it I'll probably be able to compensate with my other subjects I'm going to stay with my original choice and apply to Cambridge. The natsci course is much more flexible, so it's a better transition from the bac - It would be hard to go from studying 10 subjects to studying one really specialised course.

Thanks for clearing everything up, I was starting to have massive doubts about my choice

No problem Good luck with your application!

[Lac.]

(Original post by Audrey...)
Ok so basically the 15 requirement at Oxford is a bit of an understatement - the people who get accepted usually get better grades in the end.

I'm quite confident I can get 16 overall, and probably higher than that in biology (which is what I want to study). Maths is slightly more problematic but as long as they don't base the offer on it I'll probably be able to compensate with my other subjects I'm going to stay with my original choice and apply to Cambridge. The natsci course is much more flexible, so it's a better transition from the bac - It would be hard to go from studying 10 subjects to studying one really specialised course.

Thanks for clearing everything up, I was starting to have massive doubts about my choice

Salut!
I'm also taking the French bac, and will be applying to Oxford this year. There are several things that you have to consider - firstly, that for most subjects, you are given an overall score, but also marks to acheive in individual subjects - for exemple, 15/20 but with 18/20 in maths.
Plus, other factors also come in to play in the selection process, and in the end they never give you an offer that they think you won't acheive if they decide that they really want you - it is possible to get a lower or higher offer than specified. (Last year from my school, there was one person with an offer of 16 for Oxford, and one of 14 for Cambridge! (for history))
So I would take the standard offers with a pinch of salt, I think they're mainly guidelines - go for the course that interests you most.
Hope that helps.

[The_Gina]

Hi,

I am interested in applying for Oxford or Cambridge for Engineering. I have 10 A*s 2 As at GCSE and am predicted A* in Maths A level (completed in one year) and high As in physics and chemistry AS and am doing further maths next year. Although I am predicted an A* in maths for this year, if I mucked up one module that doesn't count to the A* (eg S2) and got a B/C in that one module, will that be seen, or affect my chances?

I know cambridge focus more on your AS ums, whereas oxford look more at your GCSEs, so which course would I have a better chance at, given that the courses are virtually identical and I like both universities?

[dontbtz]

Oxford don't look 'more at your GCSEs' ... And S2 does count towards the A* potentially. The B/C will bring your overall grade down so you might get a B.

[The_Gina]

(Original post by dontbtz)
Oxford don't look 'more at your GCSEs' ... And S2 does count towards the A* potentially. The B/C will bring your overall grade down so you might get a B.

Okay, assuming I have 480+ ums overall then, will one bad module score affect my chances, even if my overall grade is A* (with 90+ in c3+c4)

[Smason5]

I did Maths and Further maths and from experience many of my friends did not do that well in s1/s2 but it had virtually no affect as they still got A* so i doubt you will get a B for getting a B/C in one module but poss an A. Oxford does look largely at your GCSE for certain subjects as for Medicine they actually state this and they have a calculator to check how likely it is you will be selected for interview. I applied for Cambridge(successful) and my friend Oxford. I chose Cam as i liked the place better. I don't think it works like you think. You have the same chance at each really. But what are your strong points. High UMS then Cam is a good opt. Are the grade requirements the same for engineering?

[Smason5]

(Original post by The_Gina)
Okay, assuming I have 480+ ums overall then, will one bad module score affect my chances, even if my overall grade is A* (with 90+ in c3+c4)

No, they understand that everyone is human and can make mistakes or have bad days. I was told this by an admissions tutor. Tho you will have to put it down tho. Also if you had a valid reason such as teacher was laregly absent etc. Is the module directly related to your course?

[The_Gina]

(Original post by Smason5)
I did Maths and Further maths and from experience many of my friends did not do that well in s1/s2 but it had virtually no affect as they still got A* so i doubt you will get a B for getting a B/C in one module but poss an A. Oxford does look largely at your GCSE for certain subjects as for Medicine they actually state this and they have a calculator to check how likely it is you will be selected for interview. I applied for Cambridge(successful) and my friend Oxford. I chose Cam as i liked the place better. I don't think it works like you think. You have the same chance at each really. But what are your strong points. High UMS then Cam is a good opt. Are the grade requirements the same for engineering?

The Grade requirements are the same for both unis (A*AA). What UMS average would you suggest i apply for cambridge with if i achieve? atm im on about 92% across all my subjects

[The_Gina]

(Original post by Smason5)
No, they understand that everyone is human and can make mistakes or have bad days. I was told this by an admissions tutor. Tho you will have to put it down tho. Also if you had a valid reason such as teacher was laregly absent etc. Is the module directly related to your course?

the module is not related

[Smason5]

It depends on the college, which college do you plan to apply to. It ranges from 85-95%. A specific is better. Downing say >85% but Trinity 95%.

[Smason5]

With 92% you will def be fine at most colleges.

[The_Gina]

(Original post by Smason5)
It depends on the college, which college do you plan to apply to. It ranges from 85-95%. A specific is better. Downing say >85% but Trinity 95%.

not sure about colleges, but by the looks of it, not trinity D: