State school Oxbridge applicants..

Hi! Sorry to jump in :colondollar:

I'm at a state school (Catholic school...but I think it's still a "state" school as it's not fee paying and there's no entrance exam etc.) and hope to apply to Oxford in the future, and hopefully applying to the UNIQ summer school this year for history :biggrin:

But I don't know...I don't have any extra-curricular (besides wider reader) relating to History, and I don't play an instrument, do sports, or Duke of Edinburgh as every other potential Oxford applicant seems to :smile:

I've also noticed that most successful applicants for the UNIQ summer school have 6-9A*s at GCSE! I have 5A*s, but I'm still applying, lol,

Anyone else thinking of applying for the summer schools at Oxford or Cambridge/ History? :tongue:

Reply 61

Oldmantax

We have quite a few alumni, and lots of oxbridge teachers. There's an oxbridge/redbrick club, with discussions, talks from students, interview questions etc. Seems to help the number of successful applicants.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 62

Oldmantax

Original post by Niki_girl

Hi! Sorry to jump in :colondollar:

I'm at a state school (Catholic school...but I think it's still a "state" school as it's not fee paying and there's no entrance exam etc.) and hope to apply to Oxford in the future, and hopefully applying to the UNIQ summer school this year for history :biggrin:

But I don't know...I don't have any extra-curricular (besides wider reader) relating to History, and I don't play an instrument, do sports, or Duke of Edinburgh as every other potential Oxford applicant seems to :smile:

I've also noticed that most successful applicants for the UNIQ summer school have 6-9A*s at GCSE! I have 5A*s, but I'm still applying, lol,

Anyone else thinking of applying for the summer schools at Oxford or Cambridge/ History? :tongue:

I might apply for the Oxford ones in History, even though I don't really want to study it, which is a bit cheeky I know, but they don't offer Philosophy, Politics or Econ at the summer schools, so it's worth a shot. Or I might try for Maths.

What do they say? Jack of all trades :smile:

Master of none :frown:

that's me..

Reply 63

Oldmantax

oh just remembered I have a question for Oxbridgey people. I have some people I know at Oxford (some doing subjects that I want to study) Is it worth contacting/visiting them at Oxford? Is it worth doing interviews with academics I know?

Reply 64

The_Lonely_Goatherd

20

Original post by doloroushazy

thank you! What sort of things would be good for experience and stuff for English, do you think? My teacher has mentioned entering writing competitions, submitting pieces to magazines and shtuff (i'm a dreadful writer though).

For an English PS, it's important to show wider reading and intelligent discussion of it. This is more important than the ECs, tbh, so if you're less confident in your writing skills, focus on that. Debating is always another good one.

There are some current English students in the Oxford subforum. bysshe is one of them. I'm sure if you wrote her a polite PM, they wouldn't mind answering questions you might have. Tell them TLG sent you :biggrin:

Original post by Niki_girl

Hi! Sorry to jump in :colondollar:

I'm at a state school (Catholic school...but I think it's still a "state" school as it's not fee paying and there's no entrance exam etc.) and hope to apply to Oxford in the future, and hopefully applying to the UNIQ summer school this year for history :biggrin:

But I don't know...I don't have any extra-curricular (besides wider reader) relating to History, and I don't play an instrument, do sports, or Duke of Edinburgh as every other potential Oxford applicant seems to :smile:

I've also noticed that most successful applicants for the UNIQ summer school have 6-9A*s at GCSE! I have 5A*s, but I'm still applying, lol,

Anyone else thinking of applying for the summer schools at Oxford or Cambridge/ History? :tongue:

Hi five on the Catholic school! :five:

Really pisses me off when people say faith schools aren't state schools :fuhrer:

Again, for History, wider reading is far better than ECs. You don't need to play an instrument (unless you're applying for Music. It's kinda handy then :musicus:

), do sports or DoE to be an eligible Oxford applicant :nah:

There's a nice History student called Mook on here; also, rkd. As above, if you write a polite PM and say I sent you in their direction, I'm sure they wouldn't mind :smile:

The Sutton Trust had a minimum requirement of 6 A*s at GCSE. I don't know about UNIQ but just to reassure you that even if the summer school people have loads of A*s, that doesn't mean that everyone at Oxford is like that. There's an Oxford student on here with 2 A*s :yes:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 65

Niki_girl

15

Original post by Oldmantax

I might apply for the Oxford ones in History, even though I don't really want to study it, which is a bit cheeky I know, but they don't offer Philosophy, Politics or Econ at the summer schools, so it's worth a shot. Or I might try for Maths.

What do they say? Jack of all trades :smile:

Master of none :frown:

that's me..

http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/working_with_schools_and_colleges/uniq/courses_1.html

I thought they were offering PPE this year? :confused:

New for 2011

Reply 66

Niki_girl

15

Hi five on the Catholic school! :five:

Really pisses me off when people say faith schools aren't state schools :fuhrer:

Again, for History, wider reading is far better than ECs. You don't need to play an instrument (unless you're applying for Music. It's kinda handy then :musicus:

), do sports or DoE to be an eligible Oxford applicant :nah:

The Sutton Trust had a minimum requirement of 6 A*s at GCSE. I don't know about UNIQ but just to reassure you that even if the summer school people have loads of A*s, that doesn't mean that everyone at Oxford is like that. There's an Oxford student on here with 2 A*s :yes:

Funnily enough looking at the success rate for the UNIQ summer school it's probably easier to get into Oxford to study History as an undergrad than it is for the summer school! :laugh:

I guess they're more keen to see loads of A*s at GCSE because in the summer of year 12 that's all we'll have as a definite indicator, where as when we apply as actual applicants we'll have AS grades and predicted grades....

Should I still bother applying to UNIQ with 5A*s? :tongue:

I did also get 6As/3Bs at GCSE but they probably don't care as much about that...

Reply 67

tw15st3d

17

meh, state school apps are fine, had 37 successful guys from my secondary school in 07 i think. ooO

Reply 68

Oldmantax

Original post by Niki_girl

http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/working_with_schools_and_colleges/uniq/courses_1.html

I thought they were offering PPE this year? :confused:

New for 2011

Thanks, defo applying there then. They must have updated the website since I last looked (which wasn't that long ago)

Reply 69

greengables

Original post by doloroushazy

it seems it's always like that! Or else they'll get out a pritt stick and some cut-out-and-stick activities and act as if it's a massive treat hah.
We're doing British and European history, in British we're doing the 1500s so Henry VIII's divorce, dissolution of the monasteries etc etc
and European we're doing 1500s as well, abuses within the Church, Luther and protestantism, Calvinism and maybe Zwinglism? I'm not sure. I'm on AQA i think.

What about you? :smile:

Ahh, seems bad history teachers are universal! In our lessons we get the fun of writing out CVs, reports, chronicles, newspaper reports... :angry:

I'm on OCR and I'm doing Tudors too (Henry VIII to Mary I) and the Cold War. I don't know which is worse...

Reply 70

doloroushazy

10

Original post by greengables

Ahh, seems bad history teachers are universal! In our lessons we get the fun of writing out CVs, reports, chronicles, newspaper reports... :angry:

I'm on OCR and I'm doing Tudors too (Henry VIII to Mary I) and the Cold War. I don't know which is worse...

History teachers seem to have a wealth of pointless history-based activities! for example our homework for last lesson was "write a school report for Charles Habsburg, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1555"...?!!
Ah i'd rather do Cold War stuff (I think! I didn't do history at GCSE and I think they did WWII, Cold War, Vietnam War etc so maybe I'd be sick of it if I had). I prefer either really modern history (1900s stuff) or really really ancient history on the whole.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 71

thesalamander123

11

I'm doing 3 sciences without maths, will cambridge hold this against me for medicine? I know you don't need maths for medicine (I'm not a troll :P), but I fear Cambridge may want more from applicants.

Reply 72

doloroushazy

10

Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd

For an English PS, it's important to show wider reading and intelligent discussion of it. This is more important than the ECs, tbh, so if you're less confident in your writing skills, focus on that. Debating is always another good one.

There are some current English students in the Oxford subforum. bysshe is one of them. I'm sure if you wrote her a polite PM, they wouldn't mind answering questions you might have. Tell them TLG sent you :biggrin:

Ahh thankyou so much :smile:

you're so helpful! by wider reading, do you mean things related to the course or just stuff which shows you enjoy reading good literature? sorry to bombard you with questions!

Reply 73

The_Lonely_Goatherd

20

Original post by doloroushazy

Ahh thankyou so much :smile:

you're so helpful! by wider reading, do you mean things related to the course or just stuff which shows you enjoy reading good literature? sorry to bombard you with questions!

Wider reading in the case of English Lit means showing that you've read literature (not necessarily the classics but not stuff like Harry Potter. Unless you're feeling quite daring :biggrin:

) that's not on your AS/A2 syllabus :yes:

Do bombard away. That's why I'm on the thread! I don't mind bombarding as long as it's friendly, polite and patient with regards to replies :smile:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 74

Kroll

OP

Original post by greengables

Not too bad thanks, motivation is such a problem at the minute though. It seems to decline as the term goes on.. and I have Maths and English modules in January which are really important!

I'm going to have to tell my history teacher about it, because then she'll know that I'm aiming for 90%+ and I need help! Other than that I think I'm ok though :smile:

what do you think you'd like to apply for (sorry if you've already said, I haven't read through the whole thread!)

No worries, I'm thinking of applying for PPE. Which exam board are you on for maths? I also have to sit a module for it in January.. Bah!

Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd

I guess it is a small price to pay in the long run, yeah. It was fine: I just told everyone that I only got in coz I'm Asian. Blatant lie but it lightened things up a bit :biggrin:

A few general things worth mentioning for everyone:

Lol its an irony that we have to put ourselves through it all, just to self-deprecate at the end when we've succeeded!

Original post by r_u_t_h

Our school's careers advisor even said something to the effect of 'Why do you even want to go down south, what's wrong with the universities here in Scotland?' when I asked him about it.

I had my interview last week and am now just awaiting the final verdict...

Again, interesting. It's amazing the lack of support some places offer. As it has already been mentioned, Cambridge admissions tutors can often tell from experience when somebody's undergone endless prepping so there's no huge loss there. Good on you for ultimately not feeling discouraged, that really does show something. We all have our fingers and toes crossed for you :smile:

Original post by laurie:)

I've been getting As and borderline As in past papers and mocks, but ive never ever broken into the 90% mark and i can't see anything that i can do to improve on that, i keep working but nothing ever changes, plus my biology coursework went horribly. :frown:

I'm the same in maths! Its weird, these aren't wishy-washy subjects, there are always clear cut answers. Might be wise to invest in some revision guides if you havent already? And pester your teachers. In maths I've gone from averaging Es (I know) to As/high Bs since September by pestering my teacher. Pestering is ok.

Original post by itzRussian

My school focuses hard on raising its average standards and I feel that it doesn't really care about good students (let alone Oxbridge hopefuls). For example, there is no advice given in terms of preparation, raising a PS to Oxbridge standard, getting involved in extra-curricular activities in your subject or anything like that. The teachers never stretch someone beyond the school curriculum and act like the best they can do is give support for exams. In terms of preparation specific to Oxbridge requirements, our school is beyond ****. I overheard that once you get an (oxbridge) offer, you get pulled out of classes & get tutored so you get your A2 grades. No sign whatsoever of this kind of 'tutoring' for those who are applying or preparing for interviews. & Worst of it is, if I raise this concern, the teachers are likely to give me a scruffy UCAS reference, considering they are already in a 'give me a break' attitude.
Riiiiiighty. For my preparation, I'd have to read tons of old, traditional physics books and prepare very hard for the Physics Aptitude Test. My maths would have to be polished because even though I take Further Maths, the concepts are only introduced after Oxford interview dates. So overall, ALOT of self-teaching to come... ontop of aiming 95% UMS modules.
If your school's like that, you're not alone, trust me. :smile:

Nice to read some thing like this :tongue:

Not that I'm revelling in your situation or anything but my college is absolutely the same. They've sent one student to Oxford (3 years ago) but she wasn't taught here and was merely using the college as her test centre... Nicee. It's mid-December and most of our A2s still havent received their UCAS references. Figures, seeing as the tutors have only even begun to mention university to them. And when your economics teacher is actually a law teacher who's visibly clueless, you know it's gonna be a slight problem lol.

Anyway, rant over. How have you found self-teaching, and which methods have you been using? It's all a bit daunting for me, I'm living on a diet of textbooks, the internet and past papers. Yum :frown:

Reply 75

Kroll

OP

Original post by Niki_girl

Anyone else thinking of applying for the summer schools at Oxford or Cambridge/ History? :tongue:

I want to apply for PPE but I'm concerned about the gcse requirement :frown:

Still, good to see I'm not the only PPE prospect :smile:

Original post by Oldmantax

I might apply for the Oxford ones in History, even though I don't really want to study it, which is a bit cheeky I know, but they don't offer Philosophy, Politics or Econ at the summer schools, so it's worth a shot. Or I might try for Maths.

Oldmantax, which subjects are you doing and how are you preparing for the exams etc? And is it your school doing the Oxbridge alumni thing?

Reply 76

lorry:)

20

Original post by Kroll

I'm the same in maths! Its weird, these aren't wishy-washy subjects, there are always clear cut answers. Might be wise to invest in some revision guides if you havent already? And pester your teachers. In maths I've gone from averaging Es (I know) to As/high Bs since September by pestering my teacher. Pestering is ok.

its really hard now cos im on 'study leave' for my mocks, so i can never see my teachers, and we literally have like 2 days at school in january before the exam, so its a bit late for pestering. and i've got several revision guides but i dunno, they just don't seem to be working for me?

probability can go to hell as far as i'm concerned. oh and the enormity of the amount of information i have to remember for psychology scares me everytime i think about it. :redface:

Reply 77

lorry:)

20

Original post by thesalamander123

I'm doing 3 sciences without maths, will cambridge hold this against me for medicine? I know you don't need maths for medicine (I'm not a troll :P), but I fear Cambridge may want more from applicants.

no, as far as i can tell, they prefer students with three science/maths subjects, therefore, by doing the three sciences, your fulfilling their preferences :smile:

although they do take students with two science/maths subjects, they need to have at least one of those at A*, and another science/maths to AS Level.

I am considering taking all four onto next year, because i really want to do medicine at Cambridge, but i also want to do psychology A2 because i'm enjoying the subject, but if i do that, i'll be putting myself at a disadvantage by dropping maths, so if i want to do both, i have to take all four to A2 :frown:

Reply 78

Unkempt_One

13

State school applicant here who just had his interview. My school has quite a lot of people applying to Oxbridge though; I can only hope I'll be one of the people to get a place.

Reply 79

TheatreLovely

11

Original post by Kroll

This. Couldn't have put it better myself :smile:

How do you keep yourself motivated and how're the studies going in general? For me it can get slightly isolated since I get looked down on for not wanting to go straight to UEL or whatever.. Meh.

I keep myself motivated by the thought of being able to go to a really good university and be with like-minded people.

I think my studies are going well so far, but I am a little bit worried about getting low marks in my English literature course work... Language exams are also quite easy to mess up, so I am a little apprehensive over that as well. It is quite hard to measure how well you're doing, except for assesments and the like.

How about you?

State school Oxbridge applicants..

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