The Student Room Group

Is Oxford Computer Science Realistic for Me?

I am currently in year 12, shortly going to sit my mocks.
At GCSE I got nine 9s and three 8s.
At A-Level I am taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Computer Science, as well as an EPQ which I am doing on a computer science topic. I obviously don't have predicted grades yet but am fairly confident that I can get all A* predicted (or at the very worst a single A and the rest A*).
I have led and participated in several mathematical competitions with fair amounts of success (some group competitions I led resulted in having my school's name on a website, etc.) and got invited to sit the Oxford University Computing Challenge (Elite?). I also have several computer science projects(research papers, coding project, etc.) in the works which are fairly interesting and will hopefully have them complete by the start of next academic year. I have purchased a book on Quantum Computing and am intending to read a few other CS books over the holiday, as well as complete every MAT paper. However, I'm not sure if I will be able to secure a work experience worth talking about on the personal statement.

Do I stand an actually good chance of getting in? Or at least getting an interview? I'm asking because I've read so many posts about people having solid academic credentials, but not even getting an interview. One poor guy had a 5A* predicted and good supercurriculars and didn't get a single one of his 5 unis, let alone Oxford, which is making me quite nervous. What more can I realistically do to increase my chances of getting to interview?
You will probably be a competitive candidate but, as you probably know, there are many more applicants than there are places available, and nobody is guaranteed an offer. Oxford turns down many candidates with strong applications. A candidate with good grades and predicted grades might write a duff personal statement, or perform badly in an entrance test, or perform badly at interview. The entrance tests, interviews, achieved and predicted grades are the most important things. Some tutors may pay less attention to personal statements because of the possibility that the students have been assisted in writing them, but it's still worth writing the best statement you can.

Remember also that candidates who receive offers might blow up in the exams and not hit the required grades. It's a tough process for everyone.

Try not fret or burn out. Work hard, do subject-relevant super-curriculars, take time off to rest and have fun, and remember that there are many good universities in the UK. Select five universities including one or two safe bets, and not five of the most competitive ones in the UK. Good luck!
Original post by Anonymous
I am currently in year 12, shortly going to sit my mocks.
At GCSE I got nine 9s and three 8s.
At A-Level I am taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Computer Science, as well as an EPQ which I am doing on a computer science topic. I obviously don't have predicted grades yet but am fairly confident that I can get all A* predicted (or at the very worst a single A and the rest A*).
I have led and participated in several mathematical competitions with fair amounts of success (some group competitions I led resulted in having my school's name on a website, etc.) and got invited to sit the Oxford University Computing Challenge (Elite?). I also have several computer science projects(research papers, coding project, etc.) in the works which are fairly interesting and will hopefully have them complete by the start of next academic year. I have purchased a book on Quantum Computing and am intending to read a few other CS books over the holiday, as well as complete every MAT paper. However, I'm not sure if I will be able to secure a work experience worth talking about on the personal statement.
Do I stand an actually good chance of getting in? Or at least getting an interview? I'm asking because I've read so many posts about people having solid academic credentials, but not even getting an interview. One poor guy had a 5A* predicted and good supercurriculars and didn't get a single one of his 5 unis, let alone Oxford, which is making me quite nervous. What more can I realistically do to increase my chances of getting to interview?
9 9s and 3 8s are well above average, but what were your 8s in? Hopefully not in Maths or Physics?

Almost every applicant will have 3 A star grades predicted and it is the admissions tests which will have a huge impact and weight on the offer being made.

Please read the supercurricular suggestions here: super-curricular_suggestions.pdf (cam.ac.uk) pages 9 and 10!!! :biggrin:

I would also suggest you consider the course at Imperial College London:

Economics, Finance and Data Science BSc | Study | Imperial College London

As well as the course at London School of Economics and Political Science:

BSc Data Science - LSE

I wonder which papers you're sitting for A-Level Further Maths? FP1? FM1? FS1? FD1? FM2? 😧 As it is easier to gain a higher grade with FM1 and FD1, as there are so many methods marks available. 😉 lol

Just 5% of applicants are successful and only just under 1 in 5 are interviewed. So I would suggest you also consider Data Science at LSE, Imperial and other courses at UCL, Bristol, Warwick, Edinburgh, York, Nottingham and Manchester too.

I wonder which Oxford college you've chosen? 😧
(edited 9 months ago)
Original post by Anonymous
I am currently in year 12, shortly going to sit my mocks.
At GCSE I got nine 9s and three 8s.
At A-Level I am taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Computer Science, as well as an EPQ which I am doing on a computer science topic. I obviously don't have predicted grades yet but am fairly confident that I can get all A* predicted (or at the very worst a single A and the rest A*).
I have led and participated in several mathematical competitions with fair amounts of success (some group competitions I led resulted in having my school's name on a website, etc.) and got invited to sit the Oxford University Computing Challenge (Elite?). I also have several computer science projects(research papers, coding project, etc.) in the works which are fairly interesting and will hopefully have them complete by the start of next academic year. I have purchased a book on Quantum Computing and am intending to read a few other CS books over the holiday, as well as complete every MAT paper. However, I'm not sure if I will be able to secure a work experience worth talking about on the personal statement.
Do I stand an actually good chance of getting in? Or at least getting an interview? I'm asking because I've read so many posts about people having solid academic credentials, but not even getting an interview. One poor guy had a 5A* predicted and good supercurriculars and didn't get a single one of his 5 unis, let alone Oxford, which is making me quite nervous. What more can I realistically do to increase my chances of getting to interview?

Obviously I can't say whether or not you'll get in, and I'm not an expert. But I did get an offer for the course having done less than what you're doing. You seem like a competitive candidate to me.

Your plan to do MAT revision in the holidays sounds good; you could look at TMUA papers if you run out of practice for the multiple choice section. I'd recommend starting interview prep around November. CSAT questions helped me a lot.

It's an exhausting process, remember to take care of yourself. Good luck!
Reply 4
Original post by Anonymous
Obviously I can't say whether or not you'll get in, and I'm not an expert. But I did get an offer for the course having done less than what you're doing. You seem like a competitive candidate to me.
Your plan to do MAT revision in the holidays sounds good; you could look at TMUA papers if you run out of practice for the multiple choice section. I'd recommend starting interview prep around November. CSAT questions helped me a lot.
It's an exhausting process, remember to take care of yourself. Good luck!
Thanks for that

Did you get admission recently (i.e. in the last three or four years) or has it been a while since you joined Oxford CS?
Reply 5
Original post by Anonymous
Thanks for that
Did you get admission recently (i.e. in the last three or four years) or has it been a while since you joined Oxford CS?

I got an offer in January this year! I'm doing my A-Levels now.
Reply 6
Ah! Congrats! For which college?

What kinds of things did you include on your personal statement? And also do you know what your score was in the MAT? Any advice for the interviews?
Reply 7
Original post by Anonymous
Ah! Congrats! For which college?
What kinds of things did you include on your personal statement? And also do you know what your score was in the MAT? Any advice for the interviews?

Thanks! I got an offer from Jesus College.

I relied pretty heavily on access programmes for my PS. One was a research placement. Aside from that: a MOOC I didn't understand much of, teaching younger students, a brief mention of coding projects, and painting.

I got 48 on the MAT - I wasn't feeling well on the day. I got 9/10 on the resit.

I'm not sure what to say about interviews that isn't obvious. They're not as scary as you'd expect, you might find that you enjoy them. Don't worry if some go badly, or if you end up saying silly things.

The worst part for me was the period after interviews and before decisions come out. I wasted a lot of time getting stressed about it. At that point, don't bother worrying yourself over statistics and trying to work out whether you got in or not - there's nothing more you can do. Keep yourself interested in your other uni choices, it'll make the process less stressful regardless of the outcome. I hope this helps!
Reply 8
Original post by mimi221
Thanks! I got an offer from Jesus College.
I relied pretty heavily on access programmes for my PS. One was a research placement. Aside from that: a MOOC I didn't understand much of, teaching younger students, a brief mention of coding projects, and painting.
I got 48 on the MAT - I wasn't feeling well on the day. I got 9/10 on the resit.
I'm not sure what to say about interviews that isn't obvious. They're not as scary as you'd expect, you might find that you enjoy them. Don't worry if some go badly, or if you end up saying silly things.
The worst part for me was the period after interviews and before decisions come out. I wasted a lot of time getting stressed about it. At that point, don't bother worrying yourself over statistics and trying to work out whether you got in or not - there's nothing more you can do. Keep yourself interested in your other uni choices, it'll make the process less stressful regardless of the outcome. I hope this helps!
Thanks!

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