University of Oxford 2022 Applicants Official Thread

Original post by AliceKS

Kind of a random question, but does it make a difference which exam board you did further maths with at GCSE because I remember seeing/hearing something like that but wasn't sure if it was true. For reference, I did AQA Further Maths so if this counts, then it moves me up to 11 GCSEs which would improve my odds, maybe (hopefully)?

I looked this up - if I remember rightly they count the further maths GCSE as a GCSE but if you did OCR FSMQ then they don’t count it as a GCSE as it is a level 3 course. It’s on Oxford’s website. So it should count.

Reply 1024

Scotney

20

Original post by Oxford Mum

To be brutal, yes, I am saying this about Oxford medicine. You would be better off with Cambridge. I don't want you to waste time on an application that might not work. The average number of 8/9s for Biology is, I think, 8. That doesn't mean you can't get in with less.

Let's ask someone who really knows about Oxford Biology @Scotney

We were told at least 8 8/9s by admissions tutors. There is no admission test for Biology hence priority given to GCSE's.

Reply 1025

h2503

9

Kind of late to the thread but

Subject: Law
College: I think Corpus Christi, but I'm not sure yet. Haven't had a chance to visit because I'm an international student :s-smilie:

Any recommendations?
GCSE grades: They are not offered at my school, I guess the only GCSE equivalent I have is the MYP program
IB grades/subjects: HL History, English Lang & Lit, Geography, SL Biology, Math A&A, Mandarin
Predicted: Not sure yet, but hopefully a 776 or 777 for HL and 43-44 overall if I keep up with my grades haha
Why Oxford?: I went to the virtual open days and also took part in a law essay competition hosted by one of the colleges, and everyone just seemed really friendly! The tutorial system also seems very interesting
State/Private/Grammar/Home: International school

And thank you @Oxford Mum for the Oxford Demystified chapters! They're super insightful and are the reason I found this website :smile:

Also, does anyone know if there is a thread specific to Oxford law applicants for this application cycle?

Reply 1026

Unknownx12

12

Original post by h2503

Kind of late to the thread but

Subject: Law
College: I think Corpus Christi, but I'm not sure yet. Haven't had a chance to visit because I'm an international student :s-smilie:

Any recommendations?
GCSE grades: They are not offered at my school, I guess the only GCSE equivalent I have is the MYP program
IB grades/subjects: HL History, English Lang & Lit, Geography, SL Biology, Math A&A, Mandarin
Predicted: Not sure yet, but hopefully a 776 or 777 for HL and 43-44 overall if I keep up with my grades haha
Why Oxford?: I went to the virtual open days and also took part in a law essay competition hosted by one of the colleges, and everyone just seemed really friendly! The tutorial system also seems very interesting
State/Private/Grammar/Home: International school

And thank you @Oxford Mum for the Oxford Demystified chapters! They're super insightful and are the reason I found this website :smile:

Also, does anyone know if there is a thread specific to Oxford law applicants for this application cycle?

Hi, I want to do law too and I saw this thread just opened for Oxford law applicants. https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7061190

Reply 1027

username5484190

15

Original post by BrightBlueMagic

I received an offer for Law this year with similar grades so it isn’t impossible - I think it would depend on if poor language skills are accepted to be extenuating circumstances by Oxford.

can I ask which college you applied for?

Reply 1028

QHF

Original post by h2503

I think Corpus Christi, but I'm not sure yet. Haven't had a chance to visit because I'm an international student :s-smilie:

Any recommendations?

Corpus is certainly lovely: very small and very tight-knit, well-supplied with accommodation and very conveniently sited.

Given the pandemic, most applicants this year won't have had a chance to visit in person, so at least you're in the same boat as most of the UK applicants on college choices.

I don't have any specific college recommendations, but it's worth working through some college websites and prospectuses to get a feel for the variations between them. My only recommendation is a kind of meta-recommendation: by all means pick a college to apply to, but don't get overly attached to it, as plenty of applicants wind up interviewing at several colleges and finding places at a college they didn't originally apply to--and usually they find once they arrive that they like their college, and can't imagine being anywhere else!

Reply 1029

Original post by youyouxue

Hi everyone,

Just spreading the word about a Zoom workshop coming up this Saturday 17 July 2021 at 15:30 UK time. This recurring workshop will help prospective PPE and E&M applicants improve their TSA scores and is an opportunity for anyone interested in applying for PPE/E&M at Oxford to connect with students who have been successful in their applications.

It's a free workshop hosted by Oxford students. The goal of this workshop is to increase access to application preparation services/mentoring, which is often a paid service that students cannot afford.

If you are interested in joining, please put your name and email on the sign up form and you'll be sent the Zoom link before the workshop date:
https://forms.gle/hkrhRqPikshW47sL9

Unfortunatelty I missed it, are there other workshops coming up?

Reply 1030

Original post by philip.13o+++++

Hey,
Subject - Medicine
College - No Clue, Haven't Researched
A-levels - Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Grades predicted/achieved - A*A*A*A*
GCSE grades - 999888776
Academy Status

From my perspective, every Oxbridge medic in my cohort wants to apply to Cambridge. I estimate there will be around 80 medicine applications, and a half of that number will apply to Oxbridge.

I was thinking about applying to Oxford, Yh my GCSE's are not up there, but in the context of my school, I think ill have less competition.

Hi, I am bit familiar with the application process. Does it matter what school you went to? As in, does it change the value of the offer?

Reply 1031

Original post by h2503

Kind of late to the thread but

Subject: Law
College: I think Corpus Christi, but I'm not sure yet. Haven't had a chance to visit because I'm an international student :s-smilie:

Any recommendations?
GCSE grades: They are not offered at my school, I guess the only GCSE equivalent I have is the MYP program
IB grades/subjects: HL History, English Lang & Lit, Geography, SL Biology, Math A&A, Mandarin
Predicted: Not sure yet, but hopefully a 776 or 777 for HL and 43-44 overall if I keep up with my grades haha
Why Oxford?: I went to the virtual open days and also took part in a law essay competition hosted by one of the colleges, and everyone just seemed really friendly! The tutorial system also seems very interesting
State/Private/Grammar/Home: International school

And thank you @Oxford Mum for the Oxford Demystified chapters! They're super insightful and are the reason I found this website :smile:

Also, does anyone know if there is a thread specific to Oxford law applicants for this application cycle?

Hi, were do I find essay competitions?

Reply 1032

DeBeauvoir2

Original post by any_student_134

Hi, I am bit familiar with the application process. Does it matter what school you went to? As in, does it change the value of the offer?

Your GCSEs are taken by themselves but also contextually. This means you are given a score based on how your GCSEs compare to an average Oxbridge applicant from your schools/similar ones. This means people who don’t go to academies/ private schools have less of a disadvantage and to de tangle ability from teaching to an extent. This score is then a part of your application so a high one gives you a better chance of interview/offer
(Only for national schools, international ones are case by case to my knowledge)

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 1033

Thanks for the response, what do you mean case by case though?

Reply 1034

DeBeauvoir2

Original post by any_student_134

Thanks for the response, what do you mean case by case though?

I’m not sure exactly what they do, just that they can’t use the same process because they don’t have the school info, so they have to look at the application more holistically from the start. The importance of the GCSEs altogether depends on the course as well. Eg it’s particularly important for Medicine, PPE, E+M

Reply 1035

h2503

9

Original post by any_student_134

Hi, were do I find essay competitions?

Hey! I found them by browsing through college websites, but this thread compiles quite a lot of essay competitions too: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6419758

Reply 1036

Oxford Mum

21

Original post by any_student_134

Hi, were do I find essay competitions?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cambridge+essay+competition+2021&sxsrf=ALeKk03X6xVIE_-xEneSU43NQxZ9Pp1q4Q%3A1627317357493&source=hp&ei=beT-YOGJHNPzgAa3loS4Dg&iflsig=AINFCbYAAAAAYP7yfT_ypRTuEPg6Th4tcv-XIZfR-jd0&oq=Cambridge+essay+&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAA6BwgjEOoCECc6BAgjECc6BQgAELEDOgsILhCxAxDHARCjAjoICAAQsQMQgwE6DgguELEDEIMBEMcBEKMCOggILhCxAxCDAToFCC4QsQM6DgguELEDEIMBEMcBEK8BOgsILhCxAxDHARCvAToICC4QxwEQrwE6CwguEMcBEK8BEJMCUPoVWPkuYPA8aAFwAHgAgAFziAH_CZIBBDE0LjKYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6sAEK&sclient=gws-wiz

Just google Cambridge essay competitions and a whole host of them pop up. Click on each link to find a competition that suits you.

Reply 1037

NemesisRider