2011 entry Oxford Applicants Thread

[bellashley]

I thought maybe it would be good to know some oxford applicants' application process.

Apparently, all of the oxford applicants are waiting for invitations of interview (or maybe you have gotten one). I am applying for EP and still have not heard anything yet... Kinda worried...

Did anyone hear anything??

[Cynthia]

Applying for History (University College) No news yet either, kind of hoping for invitation/rejection today but we'll see what happens!

[vodkaNcaviar]

hi so im planning on applying to oxford this october but I wont get my IB score (obviously) until July of next year (im am currently a junior)

anyways... I am afraid that I if I apply to oxford this year I wont have the predicted IB scores that they are looking for therefore wont give me the time of day. The reason for this is that my school predicts IB scores based off the coursework that we have done all year and not going to lie... ive been slacking off a lot this year.. Im afraid that I have contracted a little disease called senioritis (its just a fancy term in the states for being lazy because you are a senior) even though I am only a junior.. I haven't done any work this year that will affect my IB score (internal assesments are done during our senior year) so I am still okay but I know my teachers will probably predict me in the 4-6 range which wouldnt be close enough for oxford.. plus my school has a policy of not telling students their predicted scores before they take their exams so that makes it harder for me to actually be able to know if my predicted score is good enough for oxford...

So my question here is, should I apply to oxford this fall.. knowing that I wont be getting good predicted scores from my teacher, or wait until the following fall after ive received my IB scores to apply to oxford?

That means that I would be taking a gap year.. except my parents wont allow me to take a gap year so I will very likely be going to a university in the US when I apply to oxford.. Does this all make sense? I hope I am not confusing anyone.

Anyways is it okay for me to apply to oxford while I am attending my first year at college?

Also I am afraid to tell anyone that I want to apply to Oxford. I want to wait until I have my actual IB scores before I tell anyone because I am afraid that people will laugh and think I am not smart enough for Oxford... which is so not true! I am smart (HIGHH SAT score) but I get distracted easily and have a tendency to slack off. And now I know how important it is to do well in school so I am changing my ways and now I am working harder.

but yes... should I wait until i get my scores to apply to oxford?

[Guest Soiboist]

What you must consider is that Oxford (and other prestigious universities in the UK) doesn't want you to just slack off during a whole year. They want to see that you have actually done something useful during your gap year or years. In some ways it could possibly benefit you though, if you would do something that is related to what you'll be studying. It differs between colleges though, so you should mail them and ask for how those colleges that you'll be applying to specifically view gap years. But generally I'd say that you'll be fine as long as you do something useful during the year.

I don't think (or I'm rather sure) that you can't just switch from the US to the UK like that either without starting from scratch. So if you're going to the UK after a year in the US that money that might be just wasted. But you're right in that predicted grades is very important as they will base their offer on that, and if you don't have high grades they will most likely not consider you. Someone else should comment on that though, I'm not quite sure whether it would be best for you to wait a year or apply directly.

[lexie]

hi so im planning on applying to oxford this october but I wont get my IB score (obviously) until July of next year (im am currently a junior)

anyways... I am afraid that I if I apply to oxford this year I wont have the predicted IB scores that they are looking for therefore wont give me the time of day. The reason for this is that my school predicts IB scores based off the coursework that we have done all year and not going to lie... ive been slacking off a lot this year.. Im afraid that I have contracted a little disease called senioritis (its just a fancy term in the states for being lazy because you are a senior) even though I am only a junior.. I haven't done any work this year that will affect my IB score (internal assesments are done during our senior year) so I am still okay but I know my teachers will probably predict me in the 4-6 range which wouldnt be close enough for oxford.. plus my school has a policy of not telling students their predicted scores before they take their exams so that makes it harder for me to actually be able to know if my predicted score is good enough for oxford...

So my question here is, should I apply to oxford this fall.. knowing that I wont be getting good predicted scores from my teacher, or wait until the following fall after ive received my IB scores to apply to oxford?

That means that I would be taking a gap year.. except my parents wont allow me to take a gap year so I will very likely be going to a university in the US when I apply to oxford.. Does this all make sense? I hope I am not confusing anyone.

Anyways is it okay for me to apply to oxford while I am attending my first year at college?

Also I am afraid to tell anyone that I want to apply to Oxford. I want to wait until I have my actual IB scores before I tell anyone because I am afraid that people will laugh and think I am not smart enough for Oxford... which is so not true! I am smart (HIGHH SAT score) but I get distracted easily and have a tendency to slack off. And now I know how important it is to do well in school so I am changing my ways and now I am working harder.

but yes... should I wait until i get my scores to apply to oxford?

May I ask, what do you think your total predicted score will be? Without a minimum of 38/45 (the lowest offer they give) you're right, you probably should not apply. My school in fact requires 40/45 to apply, although I got an offer of 39 so I think that's kind of silly. But it is definitely less than impressive if your score is low.

Also important is the course you're applying for - do they interview 30% or 90% of applicants? You could possibly make up for a poor score with a great interview, but that's assuming you get an interview.

What I would do, is talk honestly with my teachers. You've almost done your first year of IB (I presume) and even if you say you can make it up, think honestly about what you think you can achieve. Senior year in IB is harder than the first, and if you slack off it can be hard to make it up. Keep in mind you don't just need the predicted grades, you need the grades. Nevertheless, if you work really hard from now until October, have an honest talk with your teachers about your plans (they won't laugh at you, I'm sure they want what's best for you) and see if they think you can do better. If they do, convince them to give you the higher predicted grades.

I think also Oxford won't accept less than 5's in HL's.

In terms of a gap year, I agree that it should be productive and related to what you want to study. If you transfer to Oxford from the US, no credits or anything like that get transferred, you basically start over again. Keep in mind also a lot of people with great scores get rejected, so even if you do achieve wonderful IB grades, take a gap year, and then apply, it's not a guarantee. Can I ask why Oxford over all the great schools in the US?

In my personal opinion, if you work hard from now until predicted grades I think you can raise your grades (I raised mine from a 36/37 spring of junior year to a 42 October of senior year). It's doable But be honest with your teachers and let them know what's going on

Hope that helps somewhat. Keep in mind I'm by no means an expert and can only give you my very biased opinion based on my own personal experience.

[vodkaNcaviar]

during my gap year i will be starting my first year at a US university

and im going to a state school that will only cost me 5K which is cheap for us in the US

and i am aware that I will have to start over for me which wont be so bad because the first year wont cost me a lot...( i do know 5k is a lot but my oxford>any school) and I know it is a risk that is why Im attending university instead of taking a total gap year....

and I am okay with attending a US university but because my GPA is not as high as I want it to be it would hurt my admission chances and my IB score is my last chance to attend an amazing school.

[Guest Soiboist]

Remember that you will have to write what you have done during your gap year on your personal statement, or else the admission officers will wonder where that extra year went. I don't know if writing that you went to a US university for one year will be such a good idea. From my experience they really want a good reason for not going into university directly after graduation.

[vodkaNcaviar]

=( how do i justify spending a year in a US university!! =(

[vodkaNcaviar]

also how does oxford find out your predicted IB scores?

do you put it on your CAS application form or do they call your school?

[Guest Soiboist]

=( how do i justify spending a year in a US university!! =(

That was my point from the start, for the admission officers it will just look as if you're undecided and don't know what you want to do. Is it Oxford specifically that you want to go to, or do you want to study in the UK in general? I'm thinking in case of that you don't get accepted into Oxford (which you obviously can't take for certain despite how good you're as a student), would you be fine with other universities as well? Or will you just continue your studies in the US? Anyway I think that you should email Oxford or the faculty which you will apply to and explain your problem to them. They will be most understanding and will probably have a solution for you. After all they are interested in getting the best students, and having bad predicted grades shouldn't hurt your chances if you show good academic capability in other ways and also receive good final grades.

Most important for UK universities though (unlike the US) is not only to show that you have great academic possibilities, but to show that you possess a great interest in the course that you will study. This is thus even more important for Oxford as it is one of the best universities where the competitiveness is much higher than for others. Read books that are related to your course, they usually have lists on their website, because you will in your interview be required to show that you can talk about your subject and have potential of becoming a good student for that specific course. They don't care about how much you know on before hand, but rather if you think in a way that is expected for the course.

I think that you usually put your predicted grades on your UCAS application, but as your school have the policy to not tell the predicted grades I'm not sure. Someone else have to comment on that.

[lexie]

also how does oxford find out your predicted IB scores?

do you put it on your CAS application form or do they call your school?

After you submit your UCAS form to UCAS, they send it to your counselor, who puts in his/her reference and predicted grades that teachers gave him/her.

I think I remember something about Oxford wanting to see SAT scores from US students but that may just be for those that don't do IB...Have a look at their website and see if you can maybe send in other qualifications besides IB scores.