Oxford Applicants 2016 Entry & Interview chat

Could @BrasenoseAdm possibly outline how the contextual flagging system works (in determining shortlisting), and whether or not different colleges/departments use this information differently or if there is a university-wide policy on the matter. Thank you!

When I was young I really wanted to go to Oxford.

I go to a good school and got super grades at GCSE and am predicted strong grades at Pre-U (no lower 6th exam).

But I have seen people I know who are much smarter than I get so stressed and so I took the decision not to apply. I am not so much lazy as I like to do things my way and in my own time - and am sure I would not enjoy the 'Oxford' pressure and so I took Polonious' advice and I was true to myself.

I don't think UCL will be a walk in the park and I know that I will have to really work hard, but it won't be Oxford. Oxford really do mean it when they say they want the brightest and the best, and even if I made the cut I would be running uphill all the way.

Why Ch Ch? Have you been there?????

LYBS
Look yes, but seeee.... Everyone looks, few see.

No, I have never been to Christ Church...frankly I haven't even visited Oxford, or any of my other universities of choice. I've also applied to UCL!
oh and you view yourself as one who truly 'sees' (whatever that means)?

Hi, im in year 11 and need to choose my a levels in the next week or so. I want to apply for oxford (in the future) and i was wondering if subjects such as politics or history of art are seen as 'easy subjects' compared to something like history. I want to do english lit. and a language/politics at uni. Thanks x

Is it between them and history? because history is a highly regarded by universities, but more difficult to do well in
Then again, I don't think doing one of those two would hugely harm your chances as long as your other subjects are strong (Universities like English lit and languages too)

I've got the feeling that as long as you have 2 strong subjects (Like English and history) then it doesn't really matter what your third one is, although if its related it may be helpful

Hope that helps, and good luck!

Hi, im in year 11 and need to choose my a levels in the next week or so. I want to apply to oxford (in the future) and i was wondering if subjects such as politics or history of art are seen as 'easy subjects' compared to something like history. I want to do english lit. and a language/politics at uni. Thanks x

Have you received an interview yet?

I think that's a little harsh I would ask the same question- I know why I want to study my course and why at Oxford - I want to go to one of the best uni's in the world, and I want to study human sciences because I find it interesting. I know why I want these things but I don't know that these are the right answers to give to an interviewer - I don't know what they're looking for, they probably hear this exact thing from everyone so I would wanna know what other people are thinking of answering to this question to see if there's a way to set myself apart. Doesn't mean I or the person asking this question shouldn't have aplird


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Oh no, not invalidate my original mark. My concern was that some universities don't accept students who take resits (like UCL, for Law). And I wanted to know if re-sitting exams is seen negatively by Oxford admissions.

No, I have never been to Christ Church...frankly I haven't even visited Oxford, or any of my other universities of choice. I've also applied to UCL!
oh and you view yourself as one who truly 'sees' (whatever that means)?

Oxford and Cambridge merely get SOME of the brightest and not necessarily the best. Many don't apply, and many dont get in because of shear bad luck - they were nervous and had a bad day at interview or made a few silly mistakes in an exam ( be it AS levels or the entrance exams). Lets be frank - the interview process is seriously flawed. You are not being interviewed by robots - humans can and do make more emotive decisions than they might like. Which subject tutor wants to let in a great but absolute ass of a student who will make three years of tutorials irritating? Better to let in the other students who are also great but are not going to make your 2 tutorials a week a pain.

A C Grayling established the New College of The Humanities in part because he saw how many brilliant students were being turned away by Oxbridge.

The truth is that the question 'Why do you want to study at Oxford (Cambridge)? or why Brasenose (Christ's)? is a totally crap question.

How should you answer it?


You could say, 'Well I'm a big fan of prestige', or 'I'm trying to get ahead in life', or 'Well I just loooove the buildings.' These may all be TRUE but really not done!

Or you could try the toadying, "well it would be an honour to study at the same college as the great Jeffrey Archer (!)/ David Cameron/ Michael Palin/ Mylo/Toby Young"

Again might be true, and won't actually harm you

but

what you really need to do is to look at the tutors (be they college or department), find out what their particular interests are and then....READ UP ON THEM, then you can develop a LEGITIMATE reason for your choice.

Truth is this crap question is no more than an ice breaker, just make sure you have some kind of answer.

Hey guys, quick question:
What is Oxford's view, more specifically Magdalen's view, on applicants who've resat exams?

I did the IB and got 38 points (out of 45) with 7-6-6 at higher level - the equivalent of A*AA. So I already have my grades.But I also redid a maths exam a couple of days ago hoping to bump up my total to 40-41 points.

Considering I've already met the minimum requirement for the Law course, will this resit be viewed badly by the admissions team? I'm only getting my results in January, so I know this retake won't be seen as a positive addition to my application, but I want to make sure it's not a deterrent either.

I realised today one of the unis I'm applying to adamantly refuses to make offers for their Law courses to students who resit exams, A-Levels or otherwise. I tried to find info about this on Oxford's website, to no avail. Any advice/info is appreciated, thanks!

It just seems to me that in your example UCL are rejecting the original grade AND not accepting the re-sit grade.In the Oxford case you have met the standard offer without recourse to re-sits. They will only reject you if they consider the other candidates are stronger. That's not really negative, it's just the nature of the competition.

No, I'm choosing English, French, Spanish and for my 4th I am trying to decide between History, History of art and politics!
Also how much do GCSE grades affect your uni applications?

Hi, im in year 11 and need to choose my a levels in the next week or so. I want to apply to oxford (in the future) and i was wondering if subjects such as politics or history of art are seen as 'easy subjects' compared to something like history. I want to do english lit. and a language/politics at uni. Thanks x

It just seems to me that in your example UCL are rejecting the original grade AND not accepting the re-sit grade.

In the Oxford case you have met the standard offer without recourse to re-sits. They will only reject you if they consider the other candidates are stronger. That's not really negative, it's just the nature of the competition.

Could anyone guess when Economics and Management interviews are given out (or more generally when any TSA courses give out interviews)?