Oxford or Cambridge for History/History and English ??

Hi, I'm stuck on whether to apply for Oxford or Cambridge

GCSEs - 5A* 6A
AS level - AAAA with UMS average 96%
Predicted Grades - A* A* A*
Also doing an EPQ, aiming for an A* hopefully

My AS were English (196), History (173), Politics (200), Religious Studies (200), and I dropped RS for A2

I want to apply for joint honours History and English, which is only offered at Oxford. But my teachers said that with my AS UMS average I should apply to Cambridge, on top of the fact that there isn't an entrance exam and is meant to have a higher acceptance rate (is this true?)

If I apply to Cambridge, I would have to apply for single honours, and would rather do a degree in History. The problem is, History was my lowest UMS score, all my others were much higher as I made a mistake in the exam.. Would Cambridge mind this? This would also mean writing a new personal statement.

Oxford has more people applying to it, but at the same time there are fewer people applying for joint honours, so does that give me an advantage in any way?

Thank you for any help :smile:

Reply 1

Ezme39

19

I don't know much about the course, but your stats do look better for Cambridge than Oxford :smile:

OP

Thank you

OP

Anyone else got any advice....?

Reply 4

Rezy

4

Original post by bookishy101

Anyone else got any advice....?

Yeah, from what I know Oxford put more of an emphasis on GCSEs whereas Cambridge look more at your average UMS at AS Levels. (three most relevant AS Levels I think...)

Taking that into account, applying to Cambridge seems like a no brainer since your average UMS seems far more competitive than your GCSEs.

Reply 5

bookishy101

OP

5

Thank you so much, I will look into the Cambridge course in more detail :smile:

Reply 6

Doones

21

Original post by bookishy101

Hi, I'm stuck on whether to apply for Oxford or Cambridge

GCSEs - 5A* 6A
AS level - AAAA with UMS average 96%
Predicted Grades - A* A* A*
Also doing an EPQ, aiming for an A* hopefully

My AS were English (196), History (173), Politics (200), Religious Studies (200), and I dropped RS for A2

Original post by Rezy

Yeah, from what I know Oxford put more of an emphasis on GCSEs whereas Cambridge look more at your average UMS at AS Levels. (three most relevant AS Levels I think...)

You're fine for either Oxford or Cambridge. Yes Cambridge considers AS more than GCSE but your GCSEs are fine for Oxford. The HAT will determine if Oxford calls you for interview. http://www.history.ox.ac.uk/prospective/undergraduate/applying/the-history-aptitude-test.html

Cambridge looks at your entire application but a key UMS average is Best 3 (not more relevant 3). Your relatively low UMS in History will be a worry but your Best 3 ensures you would get an interview.

And re the PS for Cambridge - they ask you to complete an extra PS for their SAQ (Supplementary Application Questionnaire). It can expand or or clarify your "standard" UCAS PS.

Good luck whichever uni you choose.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 7

qwertyuiop1993

16

Original post by bookishy101

Hi, I'm stuck on whether to apply for Oxford or Cambridge

GCSEs - 5A* 6A
AS level - AAAA with UMS average 96%
Predicted Grades - A* A* A*
Also doing an EPQ, aiming for an A* hopefully

My AS were English (196), History (173), Politics (200), Religious Studies (200), and I dropped RS for A2

I want to apply for joint honours History and English, which is only offered at Oxford. But my teachers said that with my AS UMS average I should apply to Cambridge, on top of the fact that there isn't an entrance exam and is meant to have a higher acceptance rate (is this true?)

If I apply to Cambridge, I would have to apply for single honours, and would rather do a degree in History. The problem is, History was my lowest UMS score, all my others were much higher as I made a mistake in the exam.. Would Cambridge mind this? This would also mean writing a new personal statement.

Oxford has more people applying to it, but at the same time there are fewer people applying for joint honours, so does that give me an advantage in any way?

Thank you for any help :smile:

Your grades are fine for both. If you want to do History and English, just apply to Oxford.

Reply 8

izzyd-c

7

Original post by bookishy101

Hi, I'm stuck on whether to apply for Oxford or Cambridge

GCSEs - 5A* 6A
AS level - AAAA with UMS average 96%
Predicted Grades - A* A* A*
Also doing an EPQ, aiming for an A* hopefully

My AS were English (196), History (173), Politics (200), Religious Studies (200), and I dropped RS for A2

I want to apply for joint honours History and English, which is only offered at Oxford. But my teachers said that with my AS UMS average I should apply to Cambridge, on top of the fact that there isn't an entrance exam and is meant to have a higher acceptance rate (is this true?)

If I apply to Cambridge, I would have to apply for single honours, and would rather do a degree in History. The problem is, History was my lowest UMS score, all my others were much higher as I made a mistake in the exam.. Would Cambridge mind this? This would also mean writing a new personal statement.

Oxford has more people applying to it, but at the same time there are fewer people applying for joint honours, so does that give me an advantage in any way?

Thank you for any help :smile:

Hey! 3 years later so i imagine you applied to one and all that jazz. I was considering doing the same a levels as you. Just wondering what uni you ended up at, even if it wasn’t oxbridge and how you find it :smile:

Reply 9

Anonymous #1

Go for both

Oxford or Cambridge for History/History and English ??

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