University of Oxford 2023 Undergraduate Applicants Official Thread

Are these official AS exams? Will they count towards your actual final grade? Or are they just end of year 12 school exams? There's no set deadline, it varies from school to school, as does the criteria. UCAS opens in September, so I'm assuming most schools determine final predicted grades at the start of September. The best thing you can do is ask your school what they use to determine predicted grades, not sure what else they'd use apart from end of Y12 exams really. I think you can and certainly should request your teacher to bump it up to an A*, and maybe you can ask her to set an additional exam or two for you to prove your worth. Try and do the best you can in the upcoming exams, if you get an A with a high raw mark/UMS then I see no reason why you wouldn't be predicted an A* (assuming here that A is the highest grade since it's an AS exam).

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University of Oxford 2023 Undergraduate Applicants Official Thread

Tell us about yourself

Subject applying for ~
College applying to ~
A-Levels/ Equiv taking ~
Additional qualifications (if any) -
Predicted/ Achieved grades (A level/ eq)~
Achieved GCSE/ Equiv grades ~
Why Oxford? ~
Why that college? (if you know why) ~
State/Private/Grammar/Home ~

Applying to #Oxford University – Taking the FIRST step!
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2023 entry admissions timeline
Personal Statements Bank

Hi I'm Mel:

- I'll be applying to Oxford for Biochemistry this year for 2023 entry and I'm going to apply to St. John's!
- I'm currently studying Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths (I'm also doing an EPQ but this probably won't be considered by tutors in my application as anything other than supercurricular)
- We haven't had any official predicted grades but I'm confident I could get at least A*A*AA in my A Levels (A*s most likely in Chemistry and Maths)
- At GCSE I got 10 x Grade 9, and 2 x Grade 8 (english lit and french )
- Its a common thing to say, but the main appeal of Oxbridge is obviously the tutorial system - as well as being able to learn from world leaders in their field, surrounded by so many other hugely intelligent students
- John's just seems like a really good fit for me! Relative to other colleges, they have a fairly large Biochemistry Intake per year, and it would be really good to have other people on the course in college. I also really like their sports societies, and I actually ~like~ the honeycomb accommodation?? I've also been considering The Queen's College, and will hopefully visit both (and others) at some point within the next few months.
- In terms of other Unis, I'm definitely going to also apply to Imperial and Sheffield, with UCL and Southampton currently completing my top 5 (although this is likely to be very different come October...)

Hey!

I'm applying for Physics, not sure which college yet but I love the look of Magdalen

I'm taking chemistry, maths, further maths, and physics but don't have my predicted grades yet. Oxford feels like such a beautiful and friendly city to live in I loved it when I visited, so I might as well apply!

Other unis I'd like to apply to are Imperial, UCL, Warwick and Bath

Just spotted this thread by sheer coincidence - you keen beans

Oxford music alumna here (2007-2010). Just writing my usual "if anyone has any questions about Worcester College, or the music degree at Oxford (bearing in mind it's been revamped wildly since I left!)" post. It gets hard to keep up with these threads sometimes but do give me a shout if I'm needed

Hi all! I’m on my gap year at the moment but will be studying Geography at St Catz in October. I reapplied in my gap year after being rejected pre-interview and helped to run the Oxford 2022 thread and managed the spreadsheets.

If anyone has any questions about applying generally, Geography, St Catz, reapplying, applying in a gap year etc or anything Oxford related let me know i’m happy to help. After 3 years of considering Oxford and Cambridge through my gap year and throughout Sixth form I’ve gained bits of knowledge about applying (for other subjects too) so let me know if I can be of use!

Hi @azby1098, is there a rule that you must apply to a different college in a different application cycle if you were rejected, especially if it was a pre-interview rejection? Also, is Oxford biased against reapplicants / gap year students and do admissions tutors actively expect more from you as a gap year applicant, e.g. holding you to higher standards in admissions tests and especially interviews, or do you have as much chance as a first-time applicant? Thank you!

Hey

Subject applying for : Engineering
College applying to : maybe Balliol ?? (idk I think it has one of the highest numbers of engineering students and it's pretty much in the city centre) or Keble (close to the engineering building)
A-Levels/ Equiv taking : Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Economics
Additional qualifications (if any) : I'm doing an EPQ as well
Predicted/ Achieved grades (A level/ eq): Maths A*, Econ A, F. Math A, Physics A (I know the entry requirement is A*A*A but I'm working on physics)
Achieved GCSE/ Equiv grades :
Maths - 9
Eng Lang -9
Eng Lit -9
Physics -9
Bio -9
Chem -9
Comp Sci -9
Art -8
Spanish -8
Further Maths -9
Addition Maths (OCR FSMQ) -A (45 UCAS points)
Why Oxford? : I like the idea of a general engineering course, it means I don't have to specify and choose before I know more about the different areas of engineering. Also it's one of the highest ranked schools for engineering in the UK along with Imperial which I'm also planning on applying to. I also like the idea of the different colleges, it's like the best of a campus and a city university all in one.
Why that college? (if you know why) ~ stated above
The other Unis I'm planning on applying to are UCL, Imperial, Bath and Sussex

Reapplicant here

Applying for modern languages- French and Spanish
college- either magdelen or Lmh
A-levels- French, Spanish, Music, History
additional qualifications- grade 8 violin distinction, grade 5 piano distinction
predicted- 4A*
Gcse- 10 9s
why oxford- for my chosen career path I want to have the best education possible, I was very late starting to apply last year and I regret that
why that college- honestly I just think they look lovely, I wish I had a reason more of substance

state comprehensive

I am a mature student and got an A* in GCSE German but never took the language to A-Level as I was not aware of how difficult it could be. But I should get A*’s in German and Spanish and an A in French hopefully.

Speaking is not easy, but it takes a lot of listening to French, German and Spanish radio stations as well as news and TV series on Amazon and Netflix.

Individual Research Projects can make the difference between an A*/A and B/C, and they are easy if you use search engines effectively for your bibliography online.

French

Novel: L’étranger
Film: La Haine

L’etranger is one of the most popular novels and has a lot of resources and can easily be prepared for and so can the film La Haine. So I am confident of an A grade.

Moreover, grade boundaries were 66% for an A grade and 75% for an A* grade.

German

Novel: Der Besuch der alten Dame
Film: Goodbye Lenin

The novel has been around for decades and has a lot of resources and the film is very popular as an AS film as well as an A-Level film option.
Grade boundaries are not that high at all, at 70% for an A grade and 80% for an A* grade.

Spanish

Novel: La Casa de Bernarda Alba
Film: Volver

I am learning Spanish as it will be very useful in South America and other Spanish speaking countries, which is larger than the population of German and French speakers globally combined.

I also find Spanish the easiest language A-Level. I should get an A* with 85% being required and most certainly an A grade with 75% being required.

Subject applying for ~ Law

College applying to ~ Not sure yet, stuck between Lady Margaret, Christ Church, Trinity and Balliol

A-Levels/ Equiv taking ~ A Level Psychology, History and English Lit

Predicted grades~ AAA but the way my mocks are going I can see an A*AA predicted in my future

Achieved GCSE grades ~
88888775 and Merit in BTEC ICT (Feel a bit dumb looking at everyone's 9s now 😭😭😭)

Why Oxford? ~
...Why not haha
It'll look good on my job applications. It sounds superficial but honest to god who actually goes to Oxford and doesn't think that? Not my main motivator but as the UCAS Oxbridge deadline draws closer I'll whip out something.

State/Private/Grammar/Home ~ Went to state comprehensive school, a not so good one tbh. But despite that I'm still in its sixth form so I am the clown here.

I'm also applying to UCL, LSE and Nottingham

Hello TSR, I'm Barny! I'm from the North of England and hoping to study Modern Foreign Languages at University


Subject applying for ~ Russian and French

College applying to ~ Either Christ Church or Brasenose

A-Levels/ Equiv taking ~ French, Russian, Latin, EPQ (maybe, I haven't yet decided)

Additional qualifications (if any) - Grade 6 Piano, that's about it.

Predicted/ Achieved grades (A level/ eq)~ All A*

Achieved GCSE/ Equiv grades ~ 99999999988 + A in HPQ

Why Oxford? ~ It's one of the best unis for my course, and I love the idea of being able to study in the city of dreaming spires. It's not something I've "dreamt of since childhood", but I think it's worth a shot.

Why that college? (if you know why) ~ Both have really beautiful buildings and vibes, and strong rowing teams, I'm a keen rower so that's important

State/Private/Grammar/Home ~ I'm at a private (ancient public) school.

admissions feedback from UCAS 2022 entry cycle

Christchurch
Merton
Keble
Somerville
Mansfield
Queen's
St Catz

You submit every qualification you have (this isn't a choice you make, it is required). Oxford understand that people doing different exam systems have different exam grades at different ages. In any case, almost no English applicant has had AS grades either for several years now, and no Scottish applicant has ever had them. It's really not a big deal if you don't have AS grades, or other grades taken when you were 17, or any official qualifications at all yet, provided you have what's expected in your exam system.

In case you're not aware, you don't convert to equivalent UK grades. You give the qualifications you actually have. Oxford (or other universities) will do the conversion.

Subject applying for ~ History
College applying to ~ Somerville
A-Levels/ Equiv taking ~ History, History of art, English literature, EPQ
Predicted/ Achieved grades (A level/ eq)~ prediction 3A*s
Achieved GCSE/ Equiv grades ~ 11 9s
Why Oxford? ~ Seems to be a better course than Cambridge, I will give it a go and it's really not the end of the world if I don't get in, studying history is what matters to me the most more than anything else!
Why that college? (if you know why) ~ Nice atmosphere, a lot of people studying history, nice college choir ( I am applying to the choral scheme) not too competitive
State/Private/Grammar/Home ~ private, international student studying in the UK

which are the most economical and most expensive colleges in terms of accommodation costs at Oxford?

Heya! If you want to find out more about the difference between different colleges, I would recommend checking out this link to free Oxbridge UCAS Comparison Tool which shows you detailed information about colleges to help you make your choice!
Hope this is helpful!
Milena G.
Oxbridge Mind

Subject applying for ~ Biomedical Sciences
College applying to ~ Leaning towards Keble
A-Levels/ Equiv taking ~ Biology, Chemistry, Maths
Additional qualifications (if any) - EPQ on neuroscience-related field
Predicted/ Achieved grades (A level/ eq)~ predicted: 3 A*'s
Achieved GCSE/ Equiv grades ~ 4 9s, 5 8s
Why Oxford? ~ World class research. Strong academic tutoring as well as a vibrant and academically-challenging courses. I'll also be able to connect with students who are passionate about the same things I am, which is actually kind of refreshing for a change
Why that college? (if you know why) ~ Keble has a beautiful atmosphere as well as being situated in a fairly closely to the biomedical sciences building - closest college to the medical sciences building (saves me the walking, I know, I'm lazy ). Also, a fair few tutors here are familiar with biomedical sciences/neuroscience, which plays massively in my favour considering I'm hoping to graduate in neuroscience at the end of the 4 year course!
State/Private/Grammar/Home ~ State

Hi everyone!

- Applying for comp sci, already taken a gap year and will be in first year of an undergraduate mathematics course at the time of applying (personal circumstances, its weird lol)
- Hertford College atm
- A*A*A achieved
- 987777764 in GCSE. Definitely not all 9s however I feel I have proved myself at A-Level, and also my mathematical ability is definitely high enough (my MAT score will definitely be indicative of this!)
- Teaching quality, academic focus, and rigorous learning. Over my gap year I have become aware of my love for learning, and I hope to continue to do it in a place where others feel the same
- State school, below average GCSE and A-levels.

quick note; this year I applied for accounting and finance (got offers from LSE, Warwick, durham, and Nottingham). However, I quickly realised that I do have a love for problem solving and theoretical study. Mathematics is the closest course I can study right now, and due to personal circumstances i cannot take another gap year. I'm completely fine with this, as it means that the learning will continue and I can prepare myself for the rest of my studies (hopefully at oxford!)

Applying to Maths and Computer Science at Oxford (no clue about colleges) from a state school (in a relatively low income area).
GCSEs - 99999888776.
Not sure about predicted grades tbh, an optimistic guess would be A* Maths, A* Economics, A Further Maths and A Physics.
Not too confident in my chances (given I've no prior formal experience in Comp Sci, have perhaps subpar GCSEs for this track, and have less than the typical 4A*s), but I plan on doing everything I can to better my chances.
Want to go to Oxford in the hopes it'll better my chances of employment and access to high-level employers at big Software Development firms.