Economics at either Oxford or Cambridge #university #oxford #cambridge

Hi, l'm a female Y12 student and I wondered if I could have some honest feedback concerning my Statistics as a potential Oxbridge applicant for Economics I did alright in my GCSEs, although a bit worse than I expected.
9888888766.
I am currently studying Economics, Maths and Further Maths at college.
First of all, should I take an EPQ? I'm not sure if I would be allowed to since it's currently March of Y12.
But if I would be allowed would you recommend it?
Secondly, would it be ridiculous for me to apply for Oxbridge with my GCSE grades?
If not, would it be better for me to apply to Cambridge rather than Oxford? I heard that Cambridge are more lenient concerning GCSE grades.
Please be honest guys. Thanks

Oxford does not offer pure economics so you'd either have to do PPE or E & M so if you want to do pure economics Cambridge is your only option

Hi, l'm a female Y12 student and I wondered if I could have some honest feedback concerning my Statistics as a potential Oxbridge applicant for Economics I did alright in my GCSEs, although a bit worse than I expected.
9888888766.
I am currently studying Economics, Maths and Further Maths at college.
First of all, should I take an EPQ? I'm not sure if I would be allowed to since it's currently March of Y12.
But if I would be allowed would you recommend it?
Secondly, would it be ridiculous for me to apply for Oxbridge with my GCSE grades?
If not, would it be better for me to apply to Cambridge rather than Oxford? I heard that Cambridge are more lenient concerning GCSE grades.
Please be honest guys. Thanks

Hi, it’s me the person who posted this. Yes I realise this and I wouldn’t mind studying Pure Economics or Economics and Management as I enjoy both. I am more concerned about the likelihood of a successful application. What is your opinion if you have one?

From my understanding from the time I applied to Oxford, they mainly only care about entrance exam scores + interview scores. Also I think Oxford counts 8s and 9s the same so your GCSEs don't look that bad to me

So ultimately your A-Level grades and performance in admissions tests or written work would be taken into account when shortlisting for interviews. In theory oxford tends to interview fewer applicants by shortlisting taking into account GCSE grades and predicted grades and performance at tests prior to interview. Cambridge tends to interview far more applicants and doesn’t tend to look at GCSEs so much. That being said your GCSEs are obviously not as strong as a typical Oxbridge candidate.
The best advice would be to contact the individual colleges and ask how they would view an application from you with respect to your profile. Some colleges might be more receptive than others.

Hi, I've been accepted to Economics at cambridge starting next year, and from my understanding If you mostly care about being accepted then you are much more likely to get accepted to Economics at Cambridge than to Economics and Management at Oxford. You should also consider Land Economy at Cambridge, which is easier to get into and may interest you more

Note that hashtags don't function in that way on TSR
You're probably equivocal at both. E&M is the most competitive course at Oxford most years though, although economics at Cambridge is also very competitive. However you're taking the right subjects so have as good a chance as anyone realistically. That said also Oxford tends to be a bit more GCSE heavy than Cambridge so that might also incline you towards Cambridge potentially.

Hi, l'm a female Y12 student and I wondered if I could have some honest feedback concerning my Statistics as a potential Oxbridge applicant for Economics I did alright in my GCSEs, although a bit worse than I expected.
9888888766.
I am currently studying Economics, Maths and Further Maths at college.
First of all, should I take an EPQ? I'm not sure if I would be allowed to since it's currently March of Y12.
But if I would be allowed would you recommend it?
Secondly, would it be ridiculous for me to apply for Oxbridge with my GCSE grades?
If not, would it be better for me to apply to Cambridge rather than Oxford? I heard that Cambridge are more lenient concerning GCSE grades.
Please be honest guys. Thanks

Hi, I applied to Cambridge for History with very similar grades to you (988888766) and was rejected post-interview after being pooled. I too was concerned about my grades. However, seeing as I was relatively close to getting an offer, I wouldn’t not apply altogether due to your GCSE grades. I think grades are a factor overall but they don’t determine acceptance or rejection and predicted grades are also taken into account. Don’t be disheartened, they are objectively good grades Also, I did EPQ, I think they like it but it’s not essential.

Hi, I've been accepted to Economics at cambridge starting next year, and from my understanding If you mostly care about being accepted then you are much more likely to get accepted to Economics at Cambridge than to Economics and Management at Oxford. You should also consider Land Economy at Cambridge, which is easier to get into and may interest you more

Could you precisely explain why Economics at Cambridge has a higher likelihood of getting an offer compared to E&M at Oxford? I am considering to apply to either course this year! So, I would love to hear from you

Applicants to places rate is about 1 in 9 for Cambridge Econ and 1 in 20 for Oxford E&M. These are rates over the last 3 years.
Land Economy at Cambridge used to be easier to get into than straight economics, but not any more. For 2023, Land Economy was a even more competitive.
Don't be put of by the stats though, as someone needs to get it, and there is no reason why it can't be you, assuming you get the A* predictions, and do well in TMUA.

I appreciate your answer. I also thought it relevant to highlight that these are average statistics and competition for spaces will differ between colleges at both universities. For instance, competition at King's or Trinity college Cambridge is likely to be greater than at many other colleges. It's worth keeping that in mind when making a decision.
Also to touch on the point about Land Econ. The reason that competition for places is high is due to the small department and capacity for students. I would advise that you're better off applying for the Economics BA rather than Land Econ if you have no interest in law. Also do not apply for land Econ if you are more interested in the mathematical/modelling side of economics; from what I've seen, their syllabus tends not to focus on those parts of economics. It's worth trying to get in touch with someone who has taken land Econ if you want to know more about the course (I'm taking Econ, not land Econ).