Oxford Chemistry Students and Applicants

Yes, but it's all fine.

Hey, I am currently in year.12, and I have just finished my AS level exams. I am considering applying for Chemistry at Oxford, and I wanted to know: If you were an admissions tutor what would you be looking for in a prospective Oxford Chemist?. Also, prior to your application to university, what books/ materials were you reading to broaden your Chemistry knowledge? I found a really old Physical Chemistry book in the library at my school, so I'm basically learning from that, and I'm researching the derivations of the equations and the Quantum principles.

They're looking for people who are good at problem-solving and interested in chemistry, with more of a focus on the former than the latter. I read Why chemical reactions happen by Keeler and Wothers, which is very good bridging material, as well Winter's Oxford Chemistry Primer on chemical bonding. (Although the latter is essentially covered by the former).

If you've found a topic that you find interesting and are happy to plough through, that should be enough.

The British chemistry olympiad is also a good way to start thinking about chemistry in a way you might not do at A level.

I do own Why chemical reactions happen, but I've found it a little confusing, so I've decided to brush up on my understanding of atomic models, and then attempt reading it again.

With regards to problem solving, should I start looking at past olympiad papers? or perhaps even some STEP papers?

WCRH is more of a bridging text between A level and university, so don't worry if you're not getting much out of it yet.

I've never seen STEP chemistry papers -- how long ago are they from? From what I remember, the olympiad is quite unlike A level papers. I think that's probably what you want, since A level chemistry is not a great approximation to degree-level stuff. Look for questions that make you think about chemistry and applications of the knowledge you have, rather than just regurgitating what you already know.

I also wanted to know, if I do a Nuffield Science Bursary this Summer in Physical Chemistry, will this impress the admissions tutors? I do have some work experience also lined up, but I've been told that when it comes to Sciences, work experience does nothing for the application.

It's ~universally understood that A level is a pile of rubbish (learning colours of inorganic complexes without knowing where they come from? Memorizing that diagram of the blast furnace? Who the **** cares?), so IMO anything that shows you actually care about chemistry instead of the pointless and not-always-true stuff the teachers tell you is good. Work experience shows you're dedicated, and even if it wasn't useful to your application as Mr Dragon up there says it's useful in chemistry life anyway. You'll have experience that none of your colleagues will.

Anyone any ideas when we get Finals results? Not that I'm trying to think about it much...

I meant the STEP Mathematics papers lol . Thank you that is very helpful. I've just been scrolling through some recent olympiad papers, and it is quite challenging. I also wanted to know, if I do a Nuffield Science Bursary this Summer in Physical Chemistry, will this impress the admissions tutors? I do have some work experience also lined up, but I've been told that when it comes to Sciences, work experience does nothing for the application.

Finals results should be out on 26th or 27th.

my college grandchildren got 90 and 97 in Maths

I don't know anything about the Nuffield bursaries but anything that shows you are enthusiastic about chemistry can't harm your application. But remember (and this applies wrt the work experience too) that you're applying for an academic course and whether or not your application is successful or not will come down to how good your chemistry is and not how many opportunities you've already been able to take up.

Hey I want to apply for chemistry...I was wondering if Oxford is like Cambridge where they look at the 3 most relevant subject grades.
I got 4As...1 D in gen studies and a B in french.

Getting a D in General Studies doesn't exactly look good but it's unlikely to have a marked effect on the outcome of your application. The tutors will be much more interested in your relevant subjects' A grades and how well you perform at interview.

How much should freshers know going in to the first year? I got in with SAT II and AP Chemistry scores, and looking at A Level Chemistry scares me a bit...