American Applicants Oxford 2018

Original post by alexthegreat256

Hello! I'm Alexandra, an American student applying for entry in 2018 who wanted to reach out to other potential American students. I'm from New York City and applied with predicted scores via International Baccalaureate to study Philosophy and Theology at Oriel.

Now it's your turn- introduce yourself!

Hey, I'm Liam, also an NYC applicant! I'm applying for History and Economics at Balliol.
I'm applying with SAT and SAT Subject test scores, all of which I've already taken. The HAT and TSA Section 1 are very scary, however.
Are you taking the Philosophy Test in NYC?

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 2

username3077848

3

Hey! I am not American, but go to an international school in South Korea! (Lived in California for 2 years though)

I am applying for History and Politics at St. Catherines, with ACT and AP Scores.

Reply 3

OP

Original post by ricardoricardo

Hey, I'm also an NYC applicant! I'm applying for History and Economics at Balliol.
I'm applying with SAT and SAT Subject test scores, all of which I've already taken. The HAT and TSA Section 1 are very scary, however.
Are you taking the Philosophy Test in NYC?

Yep! My school registered as a test center, so luckily for me I can take it right in my normal course of school. I considered applying with SATs and Subject Tests, but my school's curriculum doesn't really align with them. Because I was able to be predicted high scores, I went with that, even though as an American, it's a little frightening to have to receive a conditional offer.

Are you applying anywhere else in the UK? I'm doing Durham, Birmingham, KCL, and Exeter (got an offer for Exeter already).

So cool to see someone else from the city!

Reply 4

Original post by alexthegreat256

Yep! My school registered as a test center, so luckily for me I can take it right in my normal course of school. I considered applying with SATs and Subject Tests, but my school's curriculum doesn't really align with them. Because I was able to be predicted high scores, I went with that, even though as an American, it's a little frightening to have to receive a conditional offer.

Are you applying anywhere else in the UK? I'm doing Durham, Birmingham, KCL, and Exeter (got an offer for Exeter already).

So cool to see someone else from the city!

Wow, congrats on getting an offer this early in the process! Must be nice.

Consider yourself lucky on your testing site. I'm taking my tests at a CUNY in Brooklyn, and unfortunately I have to spend the whole day there because I'm taking two tests.

For me, receiving a conditional offer is more than a little frightening. I didn't have the courage to go for a conditional offer and predicted grades, which will probably hurt my chances for Oxford, but who knows.

The only other UK school I applied to was Edinburgh. But I am applying to Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.

Reply 5

Original post by alexthegreat256

Hello! I'm Alexandra, an American student applying for entry in 2018 who wanted to reach out to other potential American students. I'm from New York City and applied with predicted scores via International Baccalaureate to study Philosophy and Theology at Oriel.

Now it's your turn- introduce yourself!

Hey I’m Kiran! I’m from Michigan and applying to Queen’s for PPE in 2018. I did APs in lieu of A levels, and I’m also pretty nervous about the TSA. Maybe we’ll see each other at Ox for interviews later!

Reply 6

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Original post by KRushton

Hey I’m Kiran! I’m from Michigan and applying to Queen’s for PPE in 2018. I did APs in lieu of A levels, and I’m also pretty nervous about the TSA. Maybe we’ll see each other at Ox for interviews later!

Thanks for introducing yourself Kiran! I'm curious (for you and anyone else) how did you find writing your personal statement? Personally, I didn't know anyone in American who knew exactly how to write a British-style personal statement, and so I had to read tons online and read a bunch of articles to understand the whole point of it. It seems to me VERY different from the American college essay :smile:

Reply 7

fkusa91

Hello! I'm Katherine from D.C, and I'm applying to New for English! I did APs and ACT also, and I have to take the ELAT next week which is kind of stressful but oh well

Reply 8

Original post by KRushton

Hey I’m Kiran! I’m from Michigan and applying to Queen’s for PPE in 2018. I did APs in lieu of A levels, and I’m also pretty nervous about the TSA. Maybe we’ll see each other at Ox for interviews later!

Have you had any luck with TSA prep? I've taken every past paper between 2016 and 2012 but they seem to be getting easier as I go further back in time, so I'm not sure if any further practice will help…

Reply 9

username3077848

3

Anyone got an email from St. Catherines? Didn't get any emails yet :frown:

Reply 10

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Original post by T1BumpPack

Anyone got an email from St. Catherines? Didn't get any emails yet :frown:

I got an email from Oriel saying they have received my application and giving me instructions for submitting written work, as well as the timeline for being shortlisted for an interview. Don't know about St. Catherines though...

Reply 11

Original post by ricardoricardo

Have you had any luck with TSA prep? I've taken every past paper between 2016 and 2012 but they seem to be getting easier as I go further back in time, so I'm not sure if any further practice will help…

I've only done a few practice exams actually. Most of my TSA prep up to this point has been reading a book regarding the test. I've taken 2012,2013 and 2014 but you can find admissions feedback for each year on the Keble website. Here's the 2013 page for reference: http://www.keble.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/subjects/past-feedback/ppe-2013

Reply 12

Original post by alexthegreat256

Thanks for introducing yourself Kiran! I'm curious (for you and anyone else) how did you find writing your personal statement? Personally, I didn't know anyone in American who knew exactly how to write a British-style personal statement, and so I had to read tons online and read a bunch of articles to understand the whole point of it. It seems to me VERY different from the American college essay :smile:

Yeah it was a bit difficult for me to understand at first, but I found it refreshing to write about something concrete after writing dozens of US essays. I looked at articles/prospectuses for suggestions too. I think mine ended up being a strong piece of writing, so I'm happy. :smile:

Reply 13

Original post by T1BumpPack

Anyone got an email from St. Catherines? Didn't get any emails yet :frown:

I've gotten an email from Queen's, but unfortunately I don't know about anyone applying to Cats

Reply 14

Original post by KRushton

I've only done a few practice exams actually. Most of my TSA prep up to this point has been reading a book regarding the test. I've taken 2012,2013 and 2014 but you can find admissions feedback for each year on the Keble website. Here's the 2013 page for reference: http://www.keble.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/subjects/past-feedback/ppe-2013

Thanks for the link; the Keble resources are very helpful. Unfortunately for me, for each practice I've taken I'm either just above or just below the admissions cutoff, which is a bit stressful. I'm hoping that adrenaline will power me through to a higher score on test day.

Reply 15

Original post by ricardoricardo

Thanks for the link; the Keble resources are very helpful. Unfortunately for me, for each practice I've taken I'm either just above or just below the admissions cutoff, which is a bit stressful. I'm hoping that adrenaline will power me through to a higher score on test day.

Yeah my scores have been above the cutoff but not significantly, so I'm hoping I do well on test day

Reply 16

username3578402

Hey everyone, I'm applying to study Maths at Pembroke, qualifying with AP/ACT (although I sent all of my SAT/SATII scores as well). I have some less than stellar AP scores in subjects unrelated to my course (I still meet the requirement + have a 35 on the ACT), and am worried that they will negatively affect my chance of getting in. What do you think? Does the adcom take these unrelated tests into consideration?

Reply 17

ParkJiSung777

6

Hi guys, I'm Sam, an American junior who wants to apply to Oxford next year. Can you give me any of your experiences applying? Was there anything different than applying via the Common App? Also, can someone see if my scores are good enough for Oxford? Right now I have a 1570 SAT and 3 5's on AP World History, AP English Language, and AP Human Geography. I want to apply for PPE. Thanks!

Reply 18

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