Last minute-ish advice for Oxford????? +also are my GCSE grades good enough

hi, i (17m) am trying to get into Oxford (tryna do Philosophy/theology), (yeah i get we're close to application deadline) i just wanted to check a few things with you guys1. ive done my personal statement, (ive said ive read paradise lost and Aristotle's de anima, and the supercurricular stuff) but is very any advice any of you found when applying, ive not included any extracurricular stuff, like swimming or anything, because i ran out of space- is this alright- basically, any advice?2. ive obviously not got my A-lvl grades yet, but ive heard GCSEs are taken into account; i have 7As, a 7, 2A*s, 2 B's, and a C, is this ok??? one of my A's was an EPQ i sat early, which means im on 7As+2A*s minus the EPQ i did in Y11, is this not enough for Oxford???0 CommentsShareSave

Reply 1

mercyawc

7

Re: the extra-currciulars, I would advise including them as there are some unis that do like seeing well-rounded students and seeing what people do outside of their academics, showing that you're more than just a grade, and you're presumably not just applying for Oxford.

With your GCSEs, it's probably OK, that's what I've been seeing at least, especially bc it's humanities, if you're in doubt, you could always email your college, or ask on the 2023 applications thread. I also heard they're taking them into account less this year because of the changes to assessments in 2021. Your C isn't in philosophy or theology though, right? (IDK if those are actual subjects or not)

Reply 2

momo947

Original post by the Ozzyman

hi, i (17m) am trying to get into Oxford (tryna do Philosophy/theology), (yeah i get we're close to application deadline) i just wanted to check a few things with you guys1. ive done my personal statement, (ive said ive read paradise lost and Aristotle's de anima, and the supercurricular stuff) but is very any advice any of you found when applying, ive not included any extracurricular stuff, like swimming or anything, because i ran out of space- is this alright- basically, any advice?2. ive obviously not got my A-lvl grades yet, but ive heard GCSEs are taken into account; i have 7As, a 7, 2A*s, 2 B's, and a C, is this ok??? one of my A's was an EPQ i sat early, which means im on 7As+2A*s minus the EPQ i did in Y11, is this not enough for Oxford???0 CommentsShareSave

If you're really serious about Oxford I'd forget the swimming etc and use the space to highlight academic stuff you've done: Oxford is really only interested in academic ability and your personal statement should reflect this. I got in (just about to start now) with 5 GCSEs - 2 9s, 2 8s and a 5 (in maths, where I did the course where a 5 is the highest grade you can get). I was home educated so that's why I only had five. I think they're more interested in your predicted A levels (I was predicted 3 As) than your GCSEs, although your GCSEs sound pretty impressive. Go for it!

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 3

BarnabyK

15

Original post by momo947

If you're really serious about Oxford I'd forget the swimming etc and use the space to highlight academic stuff you've done: Oxford is really only interested in academic ability and your personal statement should reflect this. I got in (just about to start now) with 5 GCSEs - 2 9s, 2 8s and a 5 (in maths, where I did the course where a 5 is the highest grade you can get). I was home educated so that's why I only had five. I think they're more interested in your predicted A levels (I was predicted 3 As) than your GCSEs, although your GCSEs sound pretty impressive. Go for it!

I agree. Some people talk about the 80/20 rule, the latter percentage being extra-curricular, however I question whether universities actually care about this (apart from maybe places like Loughborough where sports are a huge part of student life..?)

Other universities receive your early application and will be able to make a good guess that you're applying to Oxford; they'll understand your exclusion of the usual filler sentences.

Reply 4

CAG575

8

Original post by momo947

If you're really serious about Oxford I'd forget the swimming etc and use the space to highlight academic stuff you've done: Oxford is really only interested in academic ability and your personal statement should reflect this. I got in (just about to start now) with 5 GCSEs - 2 9s, 2 8s and a 5 (in maths, where I did the course where a 5 is the highest grade you can get). I was home educated so that's why I only had five. I think they're more interested in your predicted A levels (I was predicted 3 As) than your GCSEs, although your GCSEs sound pretty impressive. Go for it!

I would really agree with this. If you put in an early ucas entry then the other universities will know that you are applying for Oxford or Cambridge. You need to gear your personal statement to Oxford. Oxford really aren’t interested in extra-curricular stuff. They do tend to put more weight on GCSE’s than Cambridge but this year with GCSES being all centre assessed grades I think that they will be less important. You definitely have a shot. You need to do a good Philosophy test and submit a good piece of written work and that will hold a lot more weight than your GCSEs.

Reply 5

lol3698

1

Hi, do you have any advice about the philosophy test and interviews?? I am really nervous about my application as my predicted grades are only A*AA and I know that most applicants will have stronger predictions - so I want to do as well as possible in my written work/test to maximise my chance at getting an interview. Thank you sm x

Reply 6

lol3698

1

@momo947
Hi, do you have any advice about the philosophy test and interviews?? I am really nervous about my application as my predicted grades are only A*AA and I know that most applicants will have stronger predictions - so I want to do as well as possible in my written work/test to maximise my chance at getting an interview. Thank you sm x

Reply 7

DaniShush

2

Original post by lol3698

@momo947
Hi, do you have any advice about the philosophy test and interviews?? I am really nervous about my application as my predicted grades are only A*AA and I know that most applicants will have stronger predictions - so I want to do as well as possible in my written work/test to maximise my chance at getting an interview. Thank you sm x

Hey, did you get in? Because I got A*AA too and idk if that’s enough

Last minute-ish advice for Oxford????? +also are my GCSE grades good enough

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