Applying to Oxford or no point?

So I got 3 A*s at A level and I want to do chemistry at uni, but haven’t decided where to go yet (I’m taking a gap year). Is it worth thinking about top unis like Oxford? How does the application process differ from if I were to apply somewhere else? Admissions tests? Interviews? And how good does my personal statement need to be? I hadn’t even considered Oxford before and I don’t really think I’ll be good enough to go but it was just a thought lol

Absolutely consider Oxford. With your achieved grades, you will absolutely get an interview at least.

Your application will have to be in by October 15th, rather than the usual deadline for other universities.

Much like chemistry anywhere else, there are no admissions tests.

As for interviews, the number of interviews you will get will depend on which college you are interviewed by. Usually it’s just 2 or 3 per college, but you can have interviews from a second college, usually bringing the total number of interviews up to 3 or 4.

The personal statement isn’t the biggest part of deciding if you get an offer, but it’s well worth making it as strong as possible by having a number of supercurriculars you can talk about in some depth (e.g reading a few chapters from books like “chemistry^3: introducing inorganic, organic and physical chemistry” and explaining how they’ve built on or challenged your understanding of the A level material).