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Gap year for physics

I'm considering reapplying for physics and philosophy after a gap year, and I was wondering what activity Oxford would be most impressed by. I was considering the year in industry course, but I'm really only considering reapplying if I get all As at A2, and by the time I get my results back it will probably be too late to apply. Are there any other options? :confused:

Reply 1

Morbo

17

Oxford doesn't care what you did during your year out. They want to see if you love your subject, and if you can do your subject.

Reply 2

H&E

3

I don't agree. If your gap activity shows commitment/interest, that has to be a plus. If you can spend a year working in science, that's gotta be awesome preparation for studying it.

Reply 3

KuinKra

1

Yep, I agree with H&E. If you've had the time to do something and spent it lazing around, they're not gonna be impressed.

But when it comes down to it, if you impress them at the interview, it shouldn't really affect it. But it can only work in your favour.

Oh, and if you've only done the A-level maths course, I would use the time to study Further Maths and even a little past that. They pretty much teach you the FM syllabus in the first week or so, so it's nice to have a little preparation.

Reply 4

Morbo

17

No. If you're doing science it makes no difference. See, you get told all this stuff about improving your personal statement and making yourself look like a well-rounded person, but the truth is that for Oxbridge, the tutors don't actually give a monkeys about anything else apart from their subject.

My tutors didn't even read my personal statement. For all they know I could have sat on my arse for a year, or I could have gone and worked in Africa providing water for thousands of villagers, or I could have spent a year in industry learning about industrial processes. It makes no difference, positive or negative. None of it is relevant. They want pure academic ability. And if it does come down to choosing between two equally bright candidates, they'll choose the one they got on best with in the interview.

You can't prepare - and indeed there is no point in preparing - to study at Oxbridge, or any other university for that matter: you've just be good at what you want to do.

Reply 5

KuinKra

1

Worzo

No. If you're doing science it makes no difference. See, you get told all this stuff about improving your personal statement and making yourself look like a well-rounded person, but the truth is that for Oxbridge, the tutors don't actually give a monkeys about anything else apart from their subject.

My tutors didn't even read my personal statement. For all they know I could have sat on my arse for a year, or I could have gone and worked in Africa providing water for thousands of villagers, or I could have spent a year in industry learning about industrial processes. It makes no difference, positive or negative. None of it is relevant. They want pure academic ability. And if it does come down to choosing between two equally bright candidates, they'll choose the one they got on best with in the interview.

You can't prepare - and indeed there is no point in preparing - to study at Oxbridge, or any other university for that matter: you've just be good at what you want to do.

Then you must have had quite disinterested tutors. My tutors read my personal statement and asked me a few quesitons on it. All my friends who took gap years were explicitly asked what they did in their gap year and why.

True, they are interested in how good you are. But they are also interested in how dedicated you are. You could be the smartest guy at interview, but if you demonstrate a complete apathy for it they're hardly going to want to spend their time on you, are they? Doing a project in your gap year, or at least doing something worthwhile with your time shows that you are at least into your subject enough (or even into work enough) to do well.

And I'm not saying that if you did bum around all the time, that means you won't get in. But it will make the tutors wonder: "If he spends his time at home bumming around instead of getting a job or doing <generic thing>, how will be spend his time here? Can he motivate himself?"

Reply 6

H&E

3

I wasn't referring to doing stuff like charity work. I just honestly believe if you do something genuinely relevant, tutors won't ignore it. It's common sense: if someone's spent a year in a research lab, or hopsital, or something, he's clearly passionate and committed, and he'll have learnt the discipline required to work at your subject for long periods, even when it's not interesting. That makes him a better student. FACT. Tutors would be mad to ignore it.

Reply 7

Morbo

17

OK, maybe I came down a little heavy. Of course gap years are worth it in lots of cases and, if it's relevant then no doubt it will help you later on. My mate's coming up to do Modern History next year and he's taken a year out to go visit Eastern Europe and Asia - invaluable experience, I'm sure. I'm not saying a gap year isn't worth it because it is for LOTS of reasons (if you do something worthwhile, as you say). I just wonder what relative importance tutors place on it next to your actual ability.

I wonder how much gap years actually impress anyone anymore. I know too many people taking a year out and they're all doing wonderfully diverse things: teaching windsurfing in Australia and getting nursing experience in a hospital are just two examples from my experience, but I think it's just becoming the norm and no longer marks someone out. Back in the day, maybe 5% of people would have taken a year out, but now it's more like 30%. People are being actively encouraged to take these years out: I'm not sure how much the fact that you have taken a year out really does indicate your passion, commitment and motivation for the subject, and not just how desperate you are to get in!

Maybe this is why we're disagreeing quite so much!

Reply 8

H&E

3

I agree just taking a gap year doesn't impress anyone. Nor does doing something "worthwhile" like teaching or building schools or whatever. Gap years are now a business, you pays your money and you take your choice of wonderfully worthwhile, meaningful and important contribution to the Third World. Fron an application point of view, the only reason to do these things is that tutors will not be impressed by someone just taking a year off.

The only time when I think a gap year can really help your application is if it genuinely makes you a better student. And for that, you'd've to do something really relevant. This is, btw, somewhere where I think better off students continue to enjoy a real advantage. I have several friends who arranged themselves long , paid placements in hospitals, with pharamceutical companies of various sorts, even within the offices of a major political party. They achieved this, of course, because they have a parent who's very senior within the organisation. Tutors, I suspect, realise this, but I still think they have to give credit to someone who's worked in a research lab for six months.

Reply 9

Hoofbeat

14

K'uin K'ra

Then you must have had quite disinterested tutors. My tutors read my personal statement and asked me a few quesitons on it.

Strange how it varies so much. :confused:

I wasn't asked a single question relating to my person statement at any of my four interviews (New & St Hildas) and having spoken to the others who actually all had their interviews at Lincoln none of them were either. We all had maths/physics problems to solve and the closest 'general' question I got was the first question in my last interview at Hilda's: "Why do you like Physics, and are you interested in a particular area?"... and as soon as I'd finished, she handed me a marker pen pointed to a flip chart and said stand over there while I ask you questions!

Reply 10

ThePants999

14

Worzo

No. If you're doing science it makes no difference. See, you get told all this stuff about improving your personal statement and making yourself look like a well-rounded person, but the truth is that for Oxbridge, the tutors don't actually give a monkeys about anything else apart from their subject.

My tutors didn't even read my personal statement...

Very dangerous to assume your experience of a handful of admissions tutors applies universally. You might well get tutors like yours, or like some other people, you might get ones that really do care about this stuff. If you assume you'll get the latter type and prepare, then get the former, you've had worthwhile experiences that just didn't help with your application. If you assume you'll get the former type and don't prepare, then get the latter, you're screwed. The conclusion is obvious.

Reply 11

Hoofbeat

14

generally, i'd recommend that you do do something useful for your gap year, especially because you're reapplying to Oxford and they will be aware of this and you don't want to come across as "I only took a gap year so I could try and get into Oxford again". Even if this is the case, you want to make it appear that your Gap Year was used productively, so I'd recommend spending a couple of months at least working/shadowing in the industry. Perhaps a good suggestion would be to contact some other unis where you don't plan to apply for advice...I know someone who did some work experience at Imperial College, so perhaps they could either allow you to observe/assist in their departments and even if they couldn't they'd probably be able to recommend someone (I tried to do work exp with PPARC but they said the only place I would have been able to do it was up in Scotland which was too far away, but it's certainly worth contacting them. Another possibilty could be the IOP?).

My other concern is that you only seem to be doing the gap year (or at least, particularly the year in industry course) to help with your application and you don't seem to genuinely have any interest in it (that's how it comes across when you say 'I'll wait to see if I have all A's before I pick my gap year). To be perfectly honest, then it's completely pointless...as people said previously, gap year's are only worth it if you actually plan to learn something about yourself/your chosen subject and shouldn't be used to simply impress the admissions tutors. I think you would be far better accepting one of your other offers this year and just forgetting about Oxford. Firstly, you'll get on brilliantly where ever you ended up (maybe it wasn't that you weren't good enough for Ox, but rather you just wouldn't benefit from tutorial system) and secondly, what happens if they reject you again? won't you feel like your gap year's been pointless? will you try and reapply again the following year? Unless you're 100% committed to doing the Gap Year because you think you will enjoy it/learn something from it, then it's pointless - just go to Uni and enjoy yourself! Oxford isn't the be-all-and-end-all, honest!

Reply 12

Moosh3

OP

Hoofbeat

My other concern is that you only seem to be doing the gap year (or at least, particularly the year in industry course) to help with your application and you don't seem to genuinely have any interest in it (that's how it comes across when you say 'I'll wait to see if I have all A's before I pick my gap year).

I'm not really reapplying just because it's Oxford, it's just that their physics and philosophy course is more advanced than others, according to thirtysomething (who did the physics and philosophy course), and seems to be generally more combined and analytical - it's not just studying mainly physics and being introduced to handwaving and unsatisfying philosophy, as he put it. There are a few other places which do similar courses, but unfortunately I didn't apply to those. I will definitely do so if I take a gap year, however.

I was asked several questions about my personal statement in the interviews, so I think I'll play it safe and try to do something relevant to physics during the gap year (I can't really think of anything worthwhile doing in philosophy except for reading a lot of books so I don't forget it all). Do you think it will be at all possible to arrange work experience as late as august?

Reply 13

H&E

3

Yes. Lots of people arrange things after getting their grades. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do what you can now, but having to decide in August is definitely viable.

Gap year for physics

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