General Advice.

Hello there,

I won't be applying for university for a good two years or so now but I really wish to study at Oxford. I know this seems trivial but is there anything I can do between now and applying that could strengthen my chances of getting in? Of course minus the grades needed to be accepted! :tongue:

Many thanks in advance to any who reply and Happy Christmas!

Oliver

Reply 1

SamF1992

Read around your subject as much as possible. Which subject are you thinking of applying for?

Reply 2

Habitué

I'm really interested in the PPE, though it's really oversubscribed.

However I'm interested in Physics and the EEM (Engineering, Economics and Management) courses.

Thanks :smile:

Reply 3

lalaberlin

You should probably make up your mind first :wink:

you can't prepare for everything you might want to study :wink:

so for physics and engineering, you should definitely read around your subject and do a lot of problems, like, everything you can think of basically, for example
why is it cold in winter?
questions on satellites
how does a fridge work? how does its temperature changes when you open it?
speed an forces of a rollercoaster?
how is light reflected on the backside of a cd?

you get what I mean :wink:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 4

SamF1992

All Oxford subjects are over subscribed to be honest, if you're interested in PPE don't be put off because it's competitive. My main advice would be to apply for the degree that interests you the most, and then read around the areas involved, and of course, focus on your school studies in order to get the best possible grades :smile:

Edit: Just to add onto the PPE over subscribed bit, when I said I was interested in PPE to my college, they discouraged me and said History and Politics would be a better option, due to PPE's competitiveness. Despite not being as keen on History as I am on the PPE disciplines, I was going to go along with their advice, until I got a B in AS History. So I applied for PPE as originally planned and now I have a PPE offer. That B in History is the best grade I've ever got, because it stopped me from applying for a course that I was not as passionate about, and I think I definitely wouldn't have been offered a place to read Hist-Pol, and if I had, I doubt I'd enjoy it half as much as I hopefully will with PPE. So I suppose the bottom line is, don't be put off by competitiveness, apply for the one you're most passionate about. I think my enthusiasm for PPE really came across in my interview, and was a big factor in me getting an offer, and there's no way I'd have been able to convey the same enthusiasm in an History interview.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 5

Habitué

Original post by lalaberlin

You should probably make up your mind first :wink:

you can't prepare for everything you might want to study :wink:

so for physics and engeneering, you should definitely read around your subject and do a lot of problems, like, everything you can think of basically, for example
why is it cold in winter?
questions on satellites
how does a fridge work? how does its temperature changes when you open it?
speed an forces of a rollercoaster?
how is light reflected on the backside of a cd?

you get what I mean :wink:

Haha, too true, I've really got to make my mind up!

I'll ponder over these problems for a little while .. :biggrin:

Original post by SamF1992

You're right but it's just so intimidating knowing how fierce the competition is. I'm nervous about it and I've still got years to go! It's quite pathetic really. :L

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 6

lalaberlin

Original post by Habitué

Haha, too true, I've really got to make my mind up!

I'll ponder over these problems for a little while .. :biggrin:

You're right but it's just so intimidating knowing how fierce the competition is. I'm nervous about it and I've still got years to go! It's quite pathetic really. :L

do ponder

they got asked in this year's interviews. So if you like this kind of questions, you're definitely right for physics / engineering and for Oxford :smile:

it's good to be determined this early though :smile:

and don't let the statistics scare you :wink:

Reply 7

SamF1992

Try not to worry about the competitiveness, I went into the interview process with inferior grades to pretty much everyone else in Wadham, and I came out with an offer. As you say though, it is competitive, so try not to set your heart too much on Oxford, remember there are plenty of other perfectly good universities out there.

Reply 8

MajorMajor

C'mon, OP, it's two years! Shouldn't you be having fun, rather than worrying about getting into uni?

If you're clever enough, you'll get into a good university. If you're passionate about PPE, go for it because being passionate about the subject is a true advantage when applying to Oxford.

But seriously, right now, go read a book or something instead of wasting time here...