How many A2s are you doing/ did you do?

I start Geography in October (so an Arts applicant) and did 4 AS subjects and 3 A2 subjects, as well as an EPQ.

So you are normal?

I'm also starting in October (reading English) and did 4 AS Levels plus a Language ASSET, and in A2 I did 3 A-Levels plus an EPQ. 4 isn't necessary for Cambridge/Oxford unless you really want to do it. I know someone who did 4 A-Levels because she thought it'd get her into Oxford, but she didn't get an interview even and was stuck with them for the rest of the year.

I did 4 A2s and I'm an arts student, I don't think 4 is necessary at all though, especially if you think it might cause you to miss your offer. Also, doing 5 A2s is rare and in my opinion it's really excessive and can cause people to miss their offers just because it looks "better" to do more subjects. But not if you fail them!

I think you will find most people who do a lot of subjects have typically done some early or are doing related courses. Many NatSci are capable of three sciences & double maths. At my school all the decent English students added in theatre studies as a fourth in half the teaching time. Many selective independent schools are so far ahead that they do AS instead of GCSE in a number of subjects. I did a french A level instead of GCSE along with several others who didn't intend to take languages at University so it didn't matter that we then dropped the subject.

I suspect the "take more subjects because it will look good" myth ois only told in schools who don't send many students to Oxbridge and don't appreciate that quality trumps quantity every time. In that sense I completely agree with you.