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The Official 2019 Oxford Applicants Thread



Here we have it folks - the Official 2019 Oxford Applicants Thread!

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This thread is in mainly for those looking to apply to the University of Oxford for courses starting in September/October 2019. However, anyone can participate obviously.

Please feel at liberty to talk about anything Oxford - courses, social life, colleges, admission tests, interviews, the city itself - anything that springs to mind

To break the ice a little bit, here are a few questions you can answer to start off:

What did you get at GCSE?

What A levels are you studying?

What are your AS grades (if this applies to anyone)?

What are your target/predicted grades?

What extracurriculars do you do?

What course will you be applying for?

What colleges are you interested in and why?

Why Oxford and not Cambridge?

(I know this is early before anyone says, but the Cambridge lot already have theirs so…)



I guess I’ll have to kick things off:

What did you get at GCSE? - 988 6A*s 3As; therefore 9A*s and 3As

What A levels are you studying? - Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Further Maths

What are your AS grades (if this applies to anyone)? - n/a

What are your target/predicted grades? - haven’t got them yet, will update once I get my target grades
Edit: finally got my target grades: I’m targeted AAAA for the end of year 12, personally by the end of year 13 I want minimum 2A* 2A, although I would probs take 1A* and 3As because that’s enough for Oxford med

What extracurriculars do you do? - not too many: junior prefect(basically a full prefect but without a special tie), student voice rep, science and maths mentor, helping children read, also like going to the gym(I’m not a gym lad unfortunately) and I go to medsoc in my school.

What course will you be applying for? - Medicine (wish me luck with my death wish)

What colleges are you interested in and why? - I haven’t had a proper look yet, but Worcester really appeals to me because its just beautiful (also Emma Watson went there so yeah (HP fan here))

Why Oxford and not Cambridge? - I’m actually not decided yet tbh; I like both but am leaning towards Oxford, however, my GCSE grades probs aren’t good enough for Oxford med, therefore I’m still considering Cambridge. Also, they’re both beautiful and I like the fact that Cambridge is smaller too. However, I still prefer Oxford tbh.

Tagging @Lemur14 @CoffeeAndPolitics @Sonechka (great banter) to help tag in other people who may want to got Oxford in 2019

Also @AryanGh
(edited 5 years ago)

Scroll to see replies

Original post by zq01
Also, they’re both beautiful and I like the fact that Cambridge is smaller too.


The med school is substantially larger, though.
A bit early, don't you think? We haven't even had interviews for 2018 yet.
Original post by youyouxue
A bit early, don't you think? We haven't even had interviews for 2018 yet.


The Cambridge applicants have got there’s up for 2019, also the 2018 Oxford thread was created more than a year ago, so earlier than us👍🏾
Very impressive to see this appear so soon after the October 15th deadline for 2018 undergraduate entry has closed!

We are Brasenose Admissions - an account maintained by Brasenose College outreach and admissions officers and the admissions tutor.
If you tag us in a post @BrasenoseAdm or even mention "Brasenose", we'll respond if we think we can help.

You are also welcome to message us with any query about undergraduate applications.

Some advance dates for your diaries: the next University and College Open days are Wednesday 27 June 2018, Thursday 28 June 2018, and Friday 14 September 2018.

If you can't wait that long, we host school visits all year and if you turn up to our Porter's Lodge they have prospectuses and you are welcome to take a look around. If you are lucky, there may be student volunteers or one of us free to provide a tour. Most (if not all) of the other colleges also offer this so you can compare and contrast different colleges fairly easily.

Check out these links for more information:

https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate?wssl=1
http://insidebrasenose.org/
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/university/student/brasenose-college-oxford
https://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate-admissions/346-prospectus

and follow us on Twitter @BrasenoseNews

Deadline for UCAS applications for 2019 entry: applications can be submitted from 1 September 2018 up until the deadline of 6pm 15th October 2018
(edited 6 years ago)
What did you get at GCSE?
986A*A*A*AAAAAAAB + distinction* in ECDL and A in FSMQ
What A levels are you studying?
Maths, further maths, chemistry and computing
What are your AS grades (if this applies to anyone)?
Not got them yet as I'm year 12, but we're being entered for both maths and further maths AS in May.
What are your target/predicted grades?
We haven't been given any personalised target grades, let alone predicted grades this early, but we get target grades based on our GCSEs and what people achieve with similar grades, which were AAAB (B in maths :rolleyes:), but this was amended to AAAA. I'm sort of ignoring them though...predicted grades are more important to me than targets.
What extracurriculars do you do?
Tonnes of drama/musical theatre, some dance, used to do piano but seem to have accidentally stopped that. Hours upon hours of volunteering each week as well :lol:
What course will you be applying for?
Maths most likely. Very small possiblity of maths and stats or maths and computer science though.
What colleges are you interested in and why?
Seems to change weekly as I look into it more, but I really like Worcester at the moment. Lincoln is also quite up there, I've actually stayed at St Johns before and it's really nice and I love Corpus Christi as well...I like them all :lol:
Why Oxford and not Cambridge?
Well...it's gonna be simpler to write a list
1. If I applied for Cambridge I think I'd get disowned :lol:
2. We have a long family history with Oxford (both my parents went there, along with 2 of my grandparents and some other relations etc.)
3. It's a lot nearer, and certainly public transport is easier (only 2 changes, about an hour, maybe 1h15 total, whereas Cambridge is 3-4 changes, around about 3 hours and via London)
4. I know a lot of people around Oxford, my godmother lives there, as well as others I know less well, but some similarity is good
5. As I've been to Oxford quite a bit growing up then I know my way around to a certain extent which is always useful (Well I can get between St Johns, the maths institute, Blackwells, G&Ds and St Aldates which basically sums me up...I'm a maths nerd who likes ice cream too much)
6. As far as my limited research into Cambridge went, I think the Oxford courses suit me better (especially as I'm not sure if I'm applying for straight maths yet)
7. STEP...let's just say I don't really want to do it...the MAT looks much more managable!
8. Cambridgers punt from the wrong end :tongue: (Ok, perhaps that's not a good reason, but it's true!)
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 6
Hi, guys. I'm @CoffeeAndPolitics, the Community Assistant for Study Help and I never noticed this thread until someone drawn my attention to it. I'm currently in Year 12 studying A-Levels in History, Economics and Sociology and I'm going to attend the Cambridge Masterclass for History on 4th November 2017. I'm probably going to end up applying for Cambridge for History & Politics or HSPS.
(edited 6 years ago)
Been waiting for this :smile:

What did you get at GCSE?

A*A*77AAAA5D (I know those last two really drag them down but my profile is one of, if not, the best contextually. The 5 is in English Language and the D is in German).

What A levels are you studying?

Chemistry, Physics, Maths and Psychology.

What are your AS grades (if this applies to anyone)?

N/A, but we'll have end of year internal exams.

What are your target/predicted grades?

Since it's the beginning of AS, we don't have predicted grades. However, we do have minimum expected grades, which are based on others with GCSEs "similar" to ours. However, they're based on our average GCSE score (mine is only 6.8), so my MEGs are low: Bs in all (B-B-B+B+).

What extracurriculars do you do?

I don't really do anything considered as an extra-curricular, but I will be doing work experience/university schemes (I applied to the Cambridge Shadowing Scheme) relevant to my course and I'm looking for a part time job.

What course will you be applying for?

Chemistry, unless something changes and I decide to go for Chem Eng, Psychology or Physics (no chance of doing Maths since I can't get into a research career with that).

What colleges are you interested in and why?

Brasenose, because its buildings look lovely. I have a soft spot for historical buildings, which is why I love places like Oxford and Cambridge.

Why Oxford and not Cambridge?

I hate the idea of doing NatSci. It's essentially like doing A Levels but harder for another two years. I would only apply there if I didn't know what I wanted to do.
Original post by zq01
Here we have it folks - the Official 2019 Oxford Applicants Thread!

This thread is in mainly for those looking to apply to the University of Oxford for courses starting in September/October 2019. However, anyone can participate obviously.

Please feel at liberty to talk about anything Oxford - courses, social life, colleges, admission tests, interviews, the city itself - anything that springs to mind

To break the ice a little bit, here are a few questions you can answer to start off:

What did you get at GCSE?

What A levels are you studying?

What are your AS grades (if this applies to anyone)?

What are your target/predicted grades?

What extracurriculars do you do?

What course will you be applying for?

What colleges are you interested in and why?

Why Oxford and not Cambridge?

(I know this is early before anyone says, but the Cambridge lot already have theirs so…)



I guess I’ll have to kick things off:

What did you get at GCSE? - 988 6A*s 3As; therefore 9A*s and 3As

What A levels are you studying? - Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Further Maths

What are your AS grades (if this applies to anyone)? - n/a

What are your target/predicted grades? - haven’t got them yet, will update once I get my target grades

What extracurriculars do you do? - not too many: junior prefect(basically a full prefect but without a special tie), student voice rep, science and maths mentor, helping children read, also like going to the gym(I’m not a gym lad unfortunately) and I go to medsoc in my school.

What course will you be applying for? - Medicine (wish me luck with my death wish)

What colleges are you interested in and why? - I haven’t had a proper look yet, but Worcester really appeals to me because its just beautiful (also Emma Watson went there so yeah (HP fan here))

Why Oxford and not Cambridge? - I’m actually not decided yet tbh; I like both but am leaning towards Oxford, however, my GCSE grades probs aren’t good enough for Oxford med, therefore I’m still considering Cambridge. Also, they’re both beautiful and I like the fact that Cambridge is smaller too. However, I still prefer Oxford tbh.

Tagging @Lemur14 @CoffeeAndPolitics @Sonechka (great banter) to help tag in other people who may want to got Oxford in 2019

Also @AryanGh


1) 10A*s
2) History, Politics, English Literature
3) N/A
4) A*A*A*
5) Cadets, school council, tennis.
6) Philosophy, Politics, Economics
7) Open Application
8) Well course not offered at Cambridge, and just like Oxford better for some reason! :biggrin:
(edited 5 years ago)
What did you get at GCSE?
11A*s (IGCSE Maths and English) and an A in a FSMQ in Additional Maths (where an A is the highest grade you can get)

What A levels are you studying?
Maths, Further Maths, Economics, Psychology

What course will you be applying for?
Experimental Psychology

Why Oxford and not Cambridge?
I like the campus/buildings of Oxford better, and also the town:smile: Course-wise both the Oxford and Cambridge ones sounded interesting, but I like the vibe of Oxford more (idk why XD)
Applying to oriental studies, probably at christ church or wadham.
Gcses: 5A* 3A2B
A-levels: A*AAA A(AS Economics)
Epq, french, spanish, government and politics.
I'm technically taking two gap years for mental health reasons.
I plan to resit one exam and do an extra A-level in history. If I apply for oxford next year i'm hoping my grades will look like:
A*A*A*AA A(AS Economics)
Can anyone please tell me if I stand a chance with my below average gcses?
I didn't go to a private school and I do have some extenuating circumstances regarding mental health which I won't go into.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by sophia1928
Applying to oriental studies, probably at christ church or wadham.
Gcses: 5A* 3A2B
A-levels: A*AAA A(AS Economics)
Epq, french, spanish, government and politics.
I'm technically taking two gap years for mental health reasons.
I plan to resit one exam and do an extra A-level in history. If I apply for oxford next year i'm hoping my grades will look like:
A*A*A*AA A(AS Economics)
Can anyone please tell me if I stand a chance with my below average gcses?
I didn't go to a private school and I do have some extenuating circumstances regarding mental health which I won't go into.


Tbh, I’m genuinely not sure. Your other stats look really good and your GCSEs aren’t horrendous, they’re still great. Personally, I think you should go for it, and realistically even if you don’t get in, every other university in the country would happily take you, so yeah!
Original post by zq01
Tbh, I’m genuinely not sure. Your other stats look really good and your GCSEs aren’t horrendous, they’re still great. Personally, I think you should go for it, and realistically even if you don’t get in, every other university in the country would happily take you, so yeah!


Thank you. I'm just really worried that i'll be up against people from grammar schools with like 12 A*s at gcse
Hey:smile:
I'm considering applying for medicine too!(:s-smilie:)
GCSEs: 999, 9A*, 1B (so 12 A* and a B in drama, idk if that will bring me down:frown:)
A Levels: Biology, Chemistry, Physics (and Maths but I'll most probably drop that soon)
AS: N/A
Predicted grades: don't have them yet
Extracurriculars: I used to do a bunch of stuff but then I stopped, I will be doing maths mentoring next term though :biggrin: unless work experience counts?
Colleges: no idea hahah
Why Oxford: To be honest I don't really know, partly because the offer is A*AA instead of A*A*A
I can't believe it's less than a year until we have to apply!
Good luck everyone:tongue:
Original post by Polinaa
Hey:smile:
I'm considering applying for medicine too!(:s-smilie:)
GCSEs: 999, 9A*, 1B (so 12 A* and a B in drama, idk if that will bring me down:frown:)
A Levels: Biology, Chemistry, Physics (and Maths but I'll most probably drop that soon)
AS: N/A
Predicted grades: don't have them yet
Extracurriculars: I used to do a bunch of stuff but then I stopped, I will be doing maths mentoring next term though :biggrin: unless work experience counts?
Colleges: no idea hahah
Why Oxford: To be honest I don't really know, partly because the offer is A*AA instead of A*A*A
I can't believe it's less than a year until we have to apply!
Good luck everyone:tongue:


Wow, I got some competition😂Good luck!!
Reply 15
Currently in year 13, and might apply during my gap year :smile:

What did you get at GCSE? 10 A*s and 1 A

What A levels are you studying? Maths, Biology, Chemistry

What are your AS grades (if this applies to anyone)? AAAAA

What are your target/predicted grades? A*AA (hoping to get 3 A*s though, because why not)

What extracurriculars do you do? Chess, Piano, Badminton, Mentoring GCSE students

What course will you be applying for? Biological Sciences

What colleges are you interested in and why? Probably St Annes? I haven't visited any yet, but I've heard good things there.

Why Oxford and not Cambridge? I applied for natural sciences in this year's admissions cycle, but researching further, I discovered that my passion lies most in biology. However, if I don't get excellent grades this summer, I will probably not take a gap year but do a degree in natural sciences instead.
Hi everyone! I've only been on TSR intermittently over the past year but oh well

What did you get at GCSE?
9 A* & a 9

What A levels are you studying?
Maths, Further Maths, History, Economics

What are your target/predicted grades?
4A*s (computer generated based on my GCSE grades, although realistically my goal is at least 3 As in Maths, History & Econ and then a decent pass in FM)

What extracurriculars do you do?
Debate club, poetry club, youth parliament, public speaking competitions

What course will you be applying for?
History & Economics hopefully (going to the History masterclass at Cambridge in November :smile: )

What colleges are you interested in and why?
Wadham - good reputation with state school applicants, Magdalen because of the history & St Anne's because I've heard nice things about it from other people who applied there

Why Oxford and not Cambridge?
Lower entry requirements, my college has a better track record of sending students to Oxford than Cambridge, the city is a little livelier and my course combination is offered there (History & Politics at Cambridge is tempting though)
What did you get at GCSE? 10 A* + an A in FSMQ Additional Maths (highest grade you can get)

What A levels are you studying?
Economics, Maths, Further Maths, History. Worried if I would need another essay subject like English for History course

What are your AS grades (if this applies to anyone)? N/A

What are your target/predicted grades? Don't know yet - but would like all As at the very least

What extracurriculars do you do?
Not much, did Speech up to grade 8, some D of E, contributor to school's history magazine

What course will you be applying for? Straight History

What colleges are you interested in and why? Wadham because of the liberal feel and Magdalene for its strength in my course.

Why Oxford and not Cambridge? Not completely decided, and I know that History at Camb is much easier to et into but always loved the idea of Oxford so worth taking the risk. Also Oxford is bigger and is more of a city and I'm a city girl, think Camb would be too quiet
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 18
My name is Katie if anyone wants to know. :smile:

What did you get at GCSE?
6A*s 3As 1B (not great I know)
(A* contains an 8 and a 9, A contains a 7)

What A levels are you studying?
Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics.

What are your AS grades (if this applies to anyone)?
Nah.

What are your target/predicted grades?
My targets are AAAA but we don't get A* targets for maths or science at my school, so personal target is A*A*AA

What extracurriculars do you do?

Prefect (going for Head Girl), HSK Level 1 Chinese, run a Amnesty International inspired group where we discuss human rights, volunteer at a charity which gives disabled people access to sport, work as a tutor at Explore Learning, tutor some top set GCSE science girls in school, part of the Oxbridge group - we do many things like make a newsletter, write and speak assemblies, create PSHE sessions, mentor younger girls etc...

What course will you be applying for?

Probably Biochemistry. I am concerned, though, as I only got an A grade in Biology at GCSE.

What colleges are you interested in and why?

No idea.

Why Oxford and not Cambridge?
I'm actually not certain. I did want to study Natural Sciences at any university really, but few offer it, and even fewer offer a structure of it that I like. So although I don't mind the Cambridge NatSci course, I'm not sure I could find 4 other universities I'd want to apply to.
Also, my school is linked with Brasenose at Oxford.
(How does one delete a comment? Still undecided on where I’m applying to so I’d like to come back another time 😂)
(edited 6 years ago)

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