Securing entry to Oxbridge
Discussion
Hi all. I start a new school as Head of Geography in September and have already met the sixth former who is keen to apply to Cambridge this year to study Geography. I’d appreciate hearing from any staff or alumni who can advise me on how I can help prepare him as best we can regarding interview preparation etc. Thanks all.
no first hand experiance, but my brother went there, he was nothing special, not even that bright, but had good exam results and got in no problem, like any interview, be honest and ask lots of questions.
btw my brother is now a head of a private school in kent, so it dis help him having been there.
btw my brother is now a head of a private school in kent, so it dis help him having been there.
As you probably know, the two biggest things on Oxbridge’s radar are super-curricular activity and contextual offers.
The former requires the candidate to show an evidenced interest in and commitment to the subject outside the four corners of the curriculum. Attendance at public lectures, field trips, placements (obviously easier for vocational subjects than for geogers).
Contextual stuff: you’re either blessed, or stuck, with what you’ve got there.
When it comes to interview tips, are there any recent leavers from your school who’ve gone to or at at Oxbridge? Ask them. After that there are professional organisations that claim to offer interview tuition, though from what I remember they’ve just pooled a bunch of current undergrads/recent grads and use them to tell potentials what to expect.
Having done a bit of similar interviewing in the past, I’d say the best presentation is for a candidate to not appear over coached; listen to the interviewer at least as carefully as they think about what they’re going to say; think about the question before just wading in; try to structure answers in a coherent way; think about the consequences of answer before giving it (because the answer will determine the next question); don’t be shy about giving an answer which is qualified by “but that need some more thought”; and be themselves.
The former requires the candidate to show an evidenced interest in and commitment to the subject outside the four corners of the curriculum. Attendance at public lectures, field trips, placements (obviously easier for vocational subjects than for geogers).
Contextual stuff: you’re either blessed, or stuck, with what you’ve got there.
When it comes to interview tips, are there any recent leavers from your school who’ve gone to or at at Oxbridge? Ask them. After that there are professional organisations that claim to offer interview tuition, though from what I remember they’ve just pooled a bunch of current undergrads/recent grads and use them to tell potentials what to expect.
Having done a bit of similar interviewing in the past, I’d say the best presentation is for a candidate to not appear over coached; listen to the interviewer at least as carefully as they think about what they’re going to say; think about the question before just wading in; try to structure answers in a coherent way; think about the consequences of answer before giving it (because the answer will determine the next question); don’t be shy about giving an answer which is qualified by “but that need some more thought”; and be themselves.
I used to teach a STEM subject at Cambridge. BlackWidow's advice is good. Regarding the interviews - they are carried out by the college fellows who will have the pleasure of teaching the students they admit. So what they're thinking is - will this person be good to have in a supervision/tutorial where there is perhaps only one other student? Are they curious, do they have a lively intellect, will they tackle problems and essays with energy? Or is it like getting blood out of a stone?
I'm going to disagree with BlackWidow and suggest that super-curricular activities are far less important than they used to be. Of course it can't hurt but my daughter got a place at Cambridge to read Law this year and she had precisely zero to offer on that front. This is a marked difference from when I got in 30 years ago as they were very interested in what I did out of school then whereas it wasn't remarked on in the slightest this time round.
Assuming that the candidate is predicted a string of A*s and also has strong GCSEs (that bit is sort of a given), there are three things you need to prepare for; in order.
Assuming that the candidate is predicted a string of A*s and also has strong GCSEs (that bit is sort of a given), there are three things you need to prepare for; in order.
- The UCAS statement. This needs to show strong interest in the subject plus a good reason why they want to study it
- Cambridge, at least, will also request an additional personal statement. This needs to be the above plus more (I think they get an additional word count here)
- The interview, assuming they get one, is by far the biggest differentiator and this is hard to game. However it is difficult to be over-prepped here and most schools will have arrangements to give all Oxbridge candidates at least one sample interview; there are also commercial organisations that do the same for a moderate fee (£100 quid or so per interview). To an extent you can't do too many of these and the main thing is to be ready for style of questioning, which is broadly speaking looking to test your interest and approach to problem solving rather than any specific subject knowledge per se.
deckster said:
I'm going to disagree with BlackWidow and suggest that super-curricular activities are far less important than they used to be. Of course it can't hurt but my daughter got a place at Cambridge to read Law this year and she had precisely zero to offer on that front. This is a marked difference from when I got in 30 years ago as they were very interested in what I did out of school then whereas it wasn't remarked on in the slightest this time round.
Assuming that the candidate is predicted a string of A*s and also has strong GCSEs (that bit is sort of a given), there are three things you need to prepare for; in order.
Agree with that, with addition of a fourth bullet point for prep in that some subjects require students to take written tests, for example with Cambridge there's the Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment which changed in 2020 and where maths is an important element. Assuming that the candidate is predicted a string of A*s and also has strong GCSEs (that bit is sort of a given), there are three things you need to prepare for; in order.
- The UCAS statement. This needs to show strong interest in the subject plus a good reason why they want to study it
- Cambridge, at least, will also request an additional personal statement. This needs to be the above plus more (I think they get an additional word count here)
- The interview, assuming they get one, is by far the biggest differentiator and this is hard to game. However it is difficult to be over-prepped here and most schools will have arrangements to give all Oxbridge candidates at least one sample interview; there are also commercial organisations that do the same for a moderate fee (£100 quid or so per interview). To an extent you can't do too many of these and the main thing is to be ready for style of questioning, which is broadly speaking looking to test your interest and approach to problem solving rather than any specific subject knowledge per se.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/ho...
I appreciate that this isn't Geography, however there used to be a Geography Admissions Assessment and it may still exist in some form and/or be a College-specific requirement. Information including specifications and sample tests are available online - the pdf at the link below involves a pre-2020 format NSAA specimen which will at least give some idea of the state of play, more current examples should be available including Geography, which I haven't had contact with.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/pu...
A vague recollection suggests that Geography at Cambridge has typically had relatively few applications, and one of the highest acceptance rates. This non-Cambridge source confirms 37% in keeping with that, but as it's not official a health warning must apply.
https://collegedunia.com/uk/university/800-univers...
All the best OP with the applicant/application.
turbobloke said:
Agree with that, with addition of a fourth bullet point for prep in that some subjects require students to take written tests, for example with Cambridge there's the Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment which changed in 2020 and where maths is an important element.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/ho...
I appreciate that this isn't Geography, however there used to be a Geography Admissions Assessment and it may still exist in some form and/or be a College-specific requirement. Information including specifications and sample tests are available online - the pdf at the link below involves a pre-2020 format NSAA specimen which will at least give some idea of the state of play, more current examples should be available including Geography, which I haven't had contact with.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/pu...
A vague recollection suggests that Geography at Cambridge has typically had relatively few applications, and one of the highest acceptance rates. This non-Cambridge source confirms 37% in keeping with that, but as it's not official a health warning must apply.
https://collegedunia.com/uk/university/800-univers...
All the best OP with the applicant/application.
They are relying less of admissions test of late and dropping them in some courses. https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/ho...
I appreciate that this isn't Geography, however there used to be a Geography Admissions Assessment and it may still exist in some form and/or be a College-specific requirement. Information including specifications and sample tests are available online - the pdf at the link below involves a pre-2020 format NSAA specimen which will at least give some idea of the state of play, more current examples should be available including Geography, which I haven't had contact with.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/pu...
A vague recollection suggests that Geography at Cambridge has typically had relatively few applications, and one of the highest acceptance rates. This non-Cambridge source confirms 37% in keeping with that, but as it's not official a health warning must apply.
https://collegedunia.com/uk/university/800-univers...
All the best OP with the applicant/application.
Got one daughter through Oxford and she’s going back in September to start her Masters, and one son starting Cambridge in September as well.
Both Universities want to see a passion for the subject and the more the candidate can talk about things they’ve done in the subject extracurricular the better. Oxford get the candidate to do Admissions Tests (eg BAT for Biology, EAT for English etc) which are custom written exams designed to explore/expose the candidate’s subject knowledge.
You don’t need to be predicted all A* at A level but it helps for any core subjects relevant to the degree. A typical offer from Oxford is AAA and from Cambridge A*AA though it can be higher for some courses. If you get an offer they are expecting the majority to achieve it, they don’t make ridiculously high offers and expect many to fail.
The interview process is chatty and exploratory and not confrontational. They don’t ask “trick” questions. Usually with 3 professors who give you some subject related material to talk around eg my daughter doing English Literature and Language was given 3 poems to read and analyse.
The process is:
UCAS application
AT’s (Oxford)
Longlist invited for interview
Shortlist given offer
Oxford have a shorter shortlist; Cambridge invite more to interview but give offers to a smaller percentage.
You apply to the University and nominate a college who will interview you, but other colleges may also call you for interview and your eventual offer may come from them. There is certainly a tactic to apply to a smaller/less obvious college as they all have quotas to fill for various courses but places like Magdalene will be more oversubscribed than others.
There are some useful blogs with various details - try looking at That Oxford Girl as an example.
If you meet the academic bar then it is the interview that is make or break. The successful candidate will convince the panel that they have a genuine passion for the subject and have something to say about it. Strong opinions are not a bad thing per se but will need to be backed up by reasoned arguments.
Oxbridge generally are not impressed by “additional” things on a CV that are not subject related. You don’t get much credit for DofE Gold, or being a Grade bazillion harpist.
Remember that all applicants will have a bunch of high grade GCSEs and predicted high A level grades. The Universities need a way to distinguish between them and they cull the “drones” who can regurgitate what they’ve been taught but without the ability to think around the wider subject matter or offer original thoughts.
Bit of a brain dump there but hopefully some of it is useful. The Universities do publish quite good guides to the admissions process on their websites so I recommend you familiarise yourself as much as possible with those.
Both Universities want to see a passion for the subject and the more the candidate can talk about things they’ve done in the subject extracurricular the better. Oxford get the candidate to do Admissions Tests (eg BAT for Biology, EAT for English etc) which are custom written exams designed to explore/expose the candidate’s subject knowledge.
You don’t need to be predicted all A* at A level but it helps for any core subjects relevant to the degree. A typical offer from Oxford is AAA and from Cambridge A*AA though it can be higher for some courses. If you get an offer they are expecting the majority to achieve it, they don’t make ridiculously high offers and expect many to fail.
The interview process is chatty and exploratory and not confrontational. They don’t ask “trick” questions. Usually with 3 professors who give you some subject related material to talk around eg my daughter doing English Literature and Language was given 3 poems to read and analyse.
The process is:
UCAS application
AT’s (Oxford)
Longlist invited for interview
Shortlist given offer
Oxford have a shorter shortlist; Cambridge invite more to interview but give offers to a smaller percentage.
You apply to the University and nominate a college who will interview you, but other colleges may also call you for interview and your eventual offer may come from them. There is certainly a tactic to apply to a smaller/less obvious college as they all have quotas to fill for various courses but places like Magdalene will be more oversubscribed than others.
There are some useful blogs with various details - try looking at That Oxford Girl as an example.
If you meet the academic bar then it is the interview that is make or break. The successful candidate will convince the panel that they have a genuine passion for the subject and have something to say about it. Strong opinions are not a bad thing per se but will need to be backed up by reasoned arguments.
Oxbridge generally are not impressed by “additional” things on a CV that are not subject related. You don’t get much credit for DofE Gold, or being a Grade bazillion harpist.
Remember that all applicants will have a bunch of high grade GCSEs and predicted high A level grades. The Universities need a way to distinguish between them and they cull the “drones” who can regurgitate what they’ve been taught but without the ability to think around the wider subject matter or offer original thoughts.
Bit of a brain dump there but hopefully some of it is useful. The Universities do publish quite good guides to the admissions process on their websites so I recommend you familiarise yourself as much as possible with those.
BoRED S2upid said:
turbobloke said:
Agree with that, with addition of a fourth bullet point for prep in that some subjects require students to take written tests, for example with Cambridge there's the Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment which changed in 2020 and where maths is an important element.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/ho...
I appreciate that this isn't Geography, however there used to be a Geography Admissions Assessment and it may still exist in some form and/or be a College-specific requirement. Information including specifications and sample tests are available online - the pdf at the link below involves a pre-2020 format NSAA specimen which will at least give some idea of the state of play, more current examples should be available including Geography, which I haven't had contact with.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/pu...
A vague recollection suggests that Geography at Cambridge has typically had relatively few applications, and one of the highest acceptance rates. This non-Cambridge source confirms 37% in keeping with that, but as it's not official a health warning must apply.
https://collegedunia.com/uk/university/800-univers...
All the best OP with the applicant/application.
They are relying less of admissions test of late and dropping them in some courses. https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/ho...
I appreciate that this isn't Geography, however there used to be a Geography Admissions Assessment and it may still exist in some form and/or be a College-specific requirement. Information including specifications and sample tests are available online - the pdf at the link below involves a pre-2020 format NSAA specimen which will at least give some idea of the state of play, more current examples should be available including Geography, which I haven't had contact with.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/pu...
A vague recollection suggests that Geography at Cambridge has typically had relatively few applications, and one of the highest acceptance rates. This non-Cambridge source confirms 37% in keeping with that, but as it's not official a health warning must apply.
https://collegedunia.com/uk/university/800-univers...
All the best OP with the applicant/application.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/ho...
There are frequent changes, here's a non-official source which provides updates.
https://www.uniadmissions.co.uk/application-guides...
turbobloke said:
BoRED S2upid said:
turbobloke said:
Agree with that, with addition of a fourth bullet point for prep in that some subjects require students to take written tests, for example with Cambridge there's the Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment which changed in 2020 and where maths is an important element.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/ho...
I appreciate that this isn't Geography, however there used to be a Geography Admissions Assessment and it may still exist in some form and/or be a College-specific requirement. Information including specifications and sample tests are available online - the pdf at the link below involves a pre-2020 format NSAA specimen which will at least give some idea of the state of play, more current examples should be available including Geography, which I haven't had contact with.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/pu...
A vague recollection suggests that Geography at Cambridge has typically had relatively few applications, and one of the highest acceptance rates. This non-Cambridge source confirms 37% in keeping with that, but as it's not official a health warning must apply.
https://collegedunia.com/uk/university/800-univers...
All the best OP with the applicant/application.
They are relying less of admissions test of late and dropping them in some courses. https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/ho...
I appreciate that this isn't Geography, however there used to be a Geography Admissions Assessment and it may still exist in some form and/or be a College-specific requirement. Information including specifications and sample tests are available online - the pdf at the link below involves a pre-2020 format NSAA specimen which will at least give some idea of the state of play, more current examples should be available including Geography, which I haven't had contact with.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/pu...
A vague recollection suggests that Geography at Cambridge has typically had relatively few applications, and one of the highest acceptance rates. This non-Cambridge source confirms 37% in keeping with that, but as it's not official a health warning must apply.
https://collegedunia.com/uk/university/800-univers...
All the best OP with the applicant/application.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/ho...
There are frequent changes, here's a non-official source which provides updates.
https://www.uniadmissions.co.uk/application-guides...
BoRED S2upid said:
I know. As i said they are thinking of axing a few of them over the coming years just giving the OP the heads up.
Definitely something to watch closely - often when one test is ditched, something else replaces it. Some admissions tests have registration deadlines (not far off now e.g. 29 Sept for the NSAA admission test covering Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering, Natural Sciences & Veterinary Medicine) some don't require registration. Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff