How Difficult Is It To Get Into Oxford?

Hi Guys,

I'm currently 15 and I'm going into year 11 at the start of September. We hear all the time how difficult it is to get into the big name uni's such as Oxford so I just wanna know, how hard is it to get into the top uni's?
I am a 'straight A's student', I've received numerous awards from school, I've nearly completed my Duke Of Edinburgh's Award and I've done volunteer work and stuff outside school (like the 'Bar Mock Trials') which I've heard is gonna look great on my CV but I always wonder, is it going to be enough to get into the top uni's such as Oxford or Cambridge? I plan to aspire and become a Lawyer in the future. I know in the current day that a job in the legal profession requires good grades and stuff so can anyone tell me where I am standing given my achievements and stuff and if there is anything that I can do to aspire even further or just anything that looks good on a CV, please let me know. Thanks, WaffleZ.

Reply 1

flopsybunnybell

8

How diifficult is it to get into Oxford? Well, last year the average applicant had a 57% chance of getting an interview. Once at the interview stage, applicants in the last admissions cycle had a 36% chance of getting an offer. But just because you've got an offer doesn't mean you're in - you have to meet your offer first. You can see a breakdown of success rates based on A-level scores here.
So it's pretty difficult, but by no means impossible. The only certainity is that if you don't apply, you won't get in.

It's great that you're doing all of those extra-curriculars, keep it up. Every university other than Oxbridge will want to see that you've done something outside of just GCSEs and A-levels, and things like DofE and mock trial definetly fit into that category. However, I'm afraid, as my teacher puts it, Oxbridge just don't care about DofE. As a general rule (not true 100% of the time, please don't hate on me for it), Oxbridge are only interested in your academic potential.

I hope that answered your question.

Reply 2

lifescomplexity

9

Original post by AlphaNick

Straight As student doesn't know that there's no apostrophe in "As"

Or in "unis"!

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Reply 3

Morgan_1999

Basically, unless you want to study medicine (and you've said you don't), Cambridge (and I think Oxford) don't look at your GCSEs at all. They look at your A Levels. For Cambridge, a typical offer is A*AA or A*A*A at A Level. Cambridge doesn't look at UCAS points (I believe), however, every university does look at what the student does from a non-academic point of view like outside of school. That is generally the difference between getting the interview and not. Many people succeed in getting As and A*s at A Level, but it is those that also prove themselves to be contributors to society that really make the cut. It not only looks good on your CV for uni, but also for future employers. It is definitely hard to get into Oxbridge or other 'Red Brick' universities, but if you have the grades and are passionate about your subject then you have a very good chance at least. :smile:

Reply 4

username878045

17

Original post by AlphaNick

Straight As student doesn't know that there's no apostrophe in "As"... Seriously, write that on your personal statement. Going to Oxbridge doesn't require being a straight As student, it's about loving your subject and showing that you'd be valuable to the university, such as having extra curricular activities which may contribute like sailing which I do. Duke of Edinburgh and school awards and work experience mean nothing really. Every year people get into Oxbridge with plenty of As and Bs at GCSE.

Firstly, letters and acronyms are often given an apostrophe in the plural, to avoid confusion (i.e. it isn't the word 'as'). Either is generally acceptable.

Secondly, OP, this guy I quoted is either lying or just completely misguided. Entrance into Oxbridge is almost exclusively based on academic ability and potential. This will be shown mostly by your grades, which need to be excellent (ideally mostly A*s at GCSE, and almost certainly straight As at AS). They don't care about anything not related to your subject, such as DofE or volunteering. Extra-curriculars relevant to your subject are useful, however, such as the mock Bar trials you mentioned, or any wider reading you've done on your subject. Reading broadly in your subject area will be much more help for writing your Personal Statement and your performance at interview than anything else.

It's possible to get in without amazing grades, but it's much harder.

Original post by Morgan_1999

x

Just quoting you to say that you're mistaken. While many people believe that extra-curricular activities are the key to Oxbridge admissions, it is totally untrue.

In answer to the question in your title, OP: How long is a piece of string?

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 5

lifescomplexity

9

Original post by PythianLegume

Firstly, letters and acronyms are often given an apostrophe in the plural

Yes, they are - wrongly.

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Reply 6

username878045

17

Original post by lifescomplexity

Yes, they are - wrongly.

Posted from TSR Mobile

You bumped a week old thread for that?

Reply 7

NicoandtheNiners

6

Original post by WaffleZ

Hi Guys,

I'm currently 15 and I'm going into year 11 at the start of September. We hear all the time how difficult it is to get into the big name uni's such as Oxford so I just wanna know, how hard is it to get into the top uni's?
I am a 'straight A's student', I've received numerous awards from school, I've nearly completed my Duke Of Edinburgh's Award and I've done volunteer work and stuff outside school (like the 'Bar Mock Trials') which I've heard is gonna look great on my CV but I always wonder, is it going to be enough to get into the top uni's such as Oxford or Cambridge? I plan to aspire and become a Lawyer in the future. I know in the current day that a job in the legal profession requires good grades and stuff so can anyone tell me where I am standing given my achievements and stuff and if there is anything that I can do to aspire even further or just anything that looks good on a CV, please let me know. Thanks, WaffleZ.