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What supercurriculars do Oxbridge care about?

I recently applied for this sort of student council in my school but I didn’t get accepted because of how many applicants there was. I was really hoping I could get in because it would look great for unis, but at the same time I don’t really know what types of extracurriculars and supercurriculars Oxbridge priorities. Do they care more about doing things for ur subjects or leadership roles like I applied for? I’m just worried because I’m missing out on these great opportunities because they are oversubscribed and pick randomly and I just don’t know if it’s putting me at a disadvantage.

Reply 1

Original post
by Anonymous
I recently applied for this sort of student council in my school but I didn’t get accepted because of how many applicants there was. I was really hoping I could get in because it would look great for unis, but at the same time I don’t really know what types of extracurriculars and supercurriculars Oxbridge priorities. Do they care more about doing things for ur subjects or leadership roles like I applied for? I’m just worried because I’m missing out on these great opportunities because they are oversubscribed and pick randomly and I just don’t know if it’s putting me at a disadvantage.

My understanding is that they don't care about leadership roles and extracurriculars unless they're directly related to the subject you want to study. Being head girl doesn't necessarily mean you're suitable to study maths at Cambridge, for example. I'm applying to Oxford this year and I spoke about being an RS prefect, as this was related to my wanting to study Philosophy and Theology. I'm pretty sure they care A LOT more about books you've read, online courses you've done, lectures you've attended etc, and what you gained from them. These kinds of things show that you're engaged with your subject outside of school. Basically, I wouldn't worry about it lol. I know loads of people applying to Oxbridge with really strong applications that haven't done anything like that.

Reply 2

Original post
by orlaklein
My understanding is that they don't care about leadership roles and extracurriculars unless they're directly related to the subject you want to study. Being head girl doesn't necessarily mean you're suitable to study maths at Cambridge, for example. I'm applying to Oxford this year and I spoke about being an RS prefect, as this was related to my wanting to study Philosophy and Theology. I'm pretty sure they care A LOT more about books you've read, online courses you've done, lectures you've attended etc, and what you gained from them. These kinds of things show that you're engaged with your subject outside of school. Basically, I wouldn't worry about it lol. I know loads of people applying to Oxbridge with really strong applications that haven't done anything like that.


Ah great tysmmmmm

Reply 3

Original post
by Anonymous
I recently applied for this sort of student council in my school but I didn’t get accepted because of how many applicants there was. I was really hoping I could get in because it would look great for unis, but at the same time I don’t really know what types of extracurriculars and supercurriculars Oxbridge priorities. Do they care more about doing things for ur subjects or leadership roles like I applied for? I’m just worried because I’m missing out on these great opportunities because they are oversubscribed and pick randomly and I just don’t know if it’s putting me at a disadvantage.


What do you mean by pick randomly? Surely there must have been some sort of process? And as the above post says I doubt it’s necessary if you are applying to something you wouldn’t directly need “leadership” for. May I ask what course you are thinking of?

Reply 4

Extra curriculars have no bearing on your application. They are great things to do for your personal enrichment and may teach you transferable skills which could make you perform better academically too, but no Oxford tutor will care whether you have been on school council, play the cello (unless you are applying for music) or have a DoE gold.

People on here talk about super curriculars (ie learning about your subject beyond the classroom) a lot as though they are some kind of checklist with you needing to have a certain number or they have to be of a certain type. They don’t. It is not about what you do, it’s about how you reflect on that and integrate it into your understanding of the subject. Again, it’s all about how well you translate those experiences to show genuine motivation for the subject and an ability to learn and reflect. Reading a couple of books and talking about them interestingly is just as valuable as winning an essay competition or going on an expensive summer school.

Reply 5

Original post
by orlaklein
My understanding is that they don't care about leadership roles and extracurriculars unless they're directly related to the subject you want to study. Being head girl doesn't necessarily mean you're suitable to study maths at Cambridge, for example. I'm applying to Oxford this year and I spoke about being an RS prefect, as this was related to my wanting to study Philosophy and Theology. I'm pretty sure they care A LOT more about books you've read, online courses you've done, lectures you've attended etc, and what you gained from them. These kinds of things show that you're engaged with your subject outside of school. Basically, I wouldn't worry about it lol. I know loads of people applying to Oxbridge with really strong applications that haven't done anything like that.

I havent done any summer schools and i feel like i am not doing as much as others and the fact for med which rlly puts me at unease

Reply 6

Original post
by Anonymous
I havent done any summer schools and i feel like i am not doing as much as others and the fact for med which rlly puts me at unease

All the people I know applying for medicine didn't do any summer schools or anything. I think with med the main thing they care about is the ucat to be honest. The other thing with medicine that I've heard is that the uni you get into doesn't actually matter for your career as much as other degrees as the course is standardised so should be the same at every university. Not sure how true that is but the education you get should largely be the same? Have you already applied?? I'm assuming you're in year 13.

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