Oxbridge Applicants

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone had any advise for me with regards to applying to study maths at Oxbridge. I'm currently in Year 11 and understand that I am a little while away from uni life and all that, but I was wondering is there anything that I could do that will make me stand out on my CV when applying to top universities like oxbridge. The reason I am asking this now, is because I was wondering if anyone could perhaps suggest some extracurriculars or other achievements that I can try attain in the coming summer holidays or in year 12 and 13? I am academically good but I do not have any scholarships etc.. I do singing and I have recently taken part in a public speaking contest. I haven't got a lot for my CV so I was wondering if anyone could please suggest what else I could do and how to "stand out from the crowd"... I really need to build my CV!!

Thanks.

Reply 1

thismyusername

12

The main thing is supercurriculars, not extracurriculars. For maths this will be things like the UKMT, olympiads, maybe visiting some maths lectures and events, reading books related to maths. The other things will help a bit but focus mainly on things directly related to maths, as well as preparing well for the admissions test when the time comes as that will be the main thing used for shortlisting. Hope this helps :smile:

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by thismyusername

The main thing is supercurriculars, not extracurriculars. For maths this will be things like the UKMT, olympiads, maybe visiting some maths lectures and events, reading books related to maths. The other things will help a bit but focus mainly on things directly related to maths, as well as preparing well for the admissions test when the time comes as that will be the main thing used for shortlisting. Hope this helps :smile:

So is it mainly just things relevant to what you want to take? Or do other things matter too…
Gosh 😅 are there any other “supercurriculars “ that I can do as I think most schools do ukmt anyways so I’m not really going to stand out unless I get through to the olympiads yk :smile:

Reply 3

RichE

15

Original post by Anonymous #1

So is it mainly just things relevant to what you want to take? Or do other things matter too…
Gosh 😅 are there any other “supercurriculars “ that I can do as I think most schools do ukmt anyways so I’m not really going to stand out unless I get through to the olympiads yk :smile:

Keep stretching yourself - finding problems and/or books that challenge you. Olympiad problems are nothing like HE maths. Rather find ways to be thinking about maths more broadly and in a more connected fashion. This won't necessarily lead to a certificate, but you will grow as a mathematician.

Reply 4

thismyusername

12

Original post by Anonymous #1

So is it mainly just things relevant to what you want to take? Or do other things matter too…
Gosh 😅 are there any other “supercurriculars “ that I can do as I think most schools do ukmt anyways so I’m not really going to stand out unless I get through to the olympiads yk :smile:

Other things will have a slight impact but the main thing will be maths related stuff. And the personal statement will have a very small impact anyway, they mainly focus on the admissions test, GCSE grades and then obviously A level predicted grades. If you want some inspiration you can look up other examples of maths personal statements and see the sorts of things people are doing

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