LMH Oxford: Ask us anything

Hi all,

The team here is heading off on holiday - we'll be back on the 30th of August. Refreshed and ready to answer your questions!

Happy holidays

Hi, I was interviewed by LMH for Law last year but I didn't get in unfortunately and will be reapplying to oxford again this cycle. Two questions: will I be disadvantaged because I will be considered a mature student and a re-applicant? And two, do the tutors at Oxford, particularly for law find the overseas skype interview significantly less effective than the physical interview? Asking this because I read in a reddit AMA by an Oxford fellow that professors consider skype interviews less effective because the tutors are unable to follow "how we do work on paper" and taht there are "difficulties in interacting with the candidates."A bit of background information, I am a Singaporean male who has to serve 2 years of mandatory military service from 19-20. Thank you!

Hello, LMH! I'm just about to start year 12. I hope to study French and Italian at university, and thinking of perhaps trying for Oxford. I will be doing History, French, Italian and Economics for A Level.

My GCSEs are:
Eng Lang - A*
Eng Lit - A*
French - A*
Italian - A*
Biology - A*
History - A
Maths - A
Physics - B
Music - B

Do you think I have a chance of being invited for an interview if I work really hard on my personal statement and on my A Level courses?

I know Oxford receive loads of all A* and A applications. I was wondering if my 2Bs would put me at such a significant disadvantage that it wouldn't be worth applying?

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Have a lovely day.

hey Marrium,
To put this into a bit of contexts,when I arrived in the UK and had to complete my GCSE within one year and due to extenuating circumstances my GCSE results were not up to the mark (8 As and 2 A*) due to my limited experience in British education system.However my A levels results are A*A*A* (Already achieved) and A* AA (predicted) for Mathematics, Economics, Politics and Further Mathematics,History, EPQ respectively. I will be applying for PPE and therefore I wanted to know is my application competitive enough as my GCSEs were pretty average? Lastly I have a decent supercurricular profile will that help my application?

Hi, I want to apply for chemistry. Does it matter (I.e decrease chances) if I drop further Maths leaving 3 a levels? i will be taking biology chemistry and maths to A2.


Thank you.

Could you answer the PM I sent while you were on vacation

Our next Open Day is fast approaching (15th September)

We have some stunning grounds, 2 pugs, ice cream and a Principal who snapchats - come and see for yourself!

Hey there, and welcome to the official Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) 'Ask us anything' thread.

I’m Marrium, the Outreach Officer at LMH (weird job title right? You can read more about it and me here). LMH is one of the 38 independent colleges of the University of Oxford, and it’s my job to encourage students to think about making an application.

So if you'd like to find out more about LMH (here's one way to do that) and what it might be like to study here, please do use this thread, or send me a pm and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Hope to hear from you soon!

You can't mention the pugs without providing a picture....

Hello! As somebody who also had Bs amongst A*s and As (which were not related to the course I was applying to) - absolutely yes, apply if you would like to! GCSEs are only one of many factors we consider - I knew many people who didn't have straight As/A*s accross the board. Also @auburnstar is on point as always with the advice.

As you have already pointed out, the personal statement is a fantastic place to stand out. Here are some pointers for the statement:

-Dedicate 80% to your academic interests and motivation, and the other 20% to extra-curricular (make this as relevant to your course or being a student as possible - note that we don't take this into account as we take you on academic merit, but other unis do which is why we say put that 20% in)
-Pursue your subject of interest beyond the school curriculum. Keep an activity log and document books you’ve read outside of school, TED talks you might’ve listened to, podcasts you might’ve tuned into etc. But don’t just list them in that log – evaluate them. You read a book, great. How did it set you thinking? How can you critically engage with it? When it comes to applying, use that log as a basis for your personal statement. Your course page on the Oxford website should give some reading suggestions
-Be concise - don't waste space with floating statements or quotes. Evaluate everything and start off by going straight into it with an example of why the subject enthuses you
-This video is really useful in giving a draft structure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17EPnhhHopE

I hope that helps!!

Hi LMH!

How often do 4 grade offers get made to Y13 students apply while doing 4 A Levels? I know it's not the standard offer, but I was wondering whether it's worth keeping 4 or focusing on my best 3, because if I get an offer for 4 I'm worried I might not be able to meet it.

Thanks!

Hello! We only ever give offers on 3 - if you're spreading yourself too thin and are worried about not meeting your offer because you are taking 4, we recommend only pursuing the 3 - hope that helps