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AHHHHHH so what I read is really true!!!!! :yahoo: I'll just apply to Worcester College then XD thanks for the information!!! :D :D

questions will keep flowing from me, guys. lol.

in the English Language Requirements, they said they require a 5 in English SL without indicating the language level (A1, A2 or B).

I have English B HL and is predicted a 7 at it.

I also took English as a Second Language in IGCSE and got an A.

however both are "2nd language courses" and I have only been in an international school since grade 10 :S but in grades 10-12 I have been taught fully in English.

do you think this will suffice? or will I still need the stupid IELTS/TOEFL?

I'm just going to apply for Computer Science (which doesn't really require me to take English Lit, I guess?)

anyway they only said English SL without stating the group :S

I was thinking of asking the admission staff there but not sure which one to contact.

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Guest Soiboist

The admission officers will have no idea themselves of the content of the course that your taking, and as it says both HL and a high grade (in your case possibly a 7), they will be most satisfied with that. I even think English B SL could have sufficed as it is a pure science course you're applying to.

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Hi :)

I want to apply to Cambridge for Maths but in the course requirements it seems as though physics HL is necessary, as well as Further Maths SL ( which is recommended IF the school gives you the choice), and I have neither. I have a constant 7 in Math HL and my physics teacher said that I can most probably get a 7 in physics SL as well. Will Cambridge even consider me? Here is an excerpt from the Cambridge website :

Statistics, computing or even mechanics aren’t requirements: you can start all these subjects from scratch when you get here. However, there’s a large component of theoretical physics in the course, so you’ll find it helps to take mechanics modules at A Level Mathematics/IB Higher Level Physics. Physics A Level is also useful.

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Read carefully and you will note that for the IB Diploma Programme Maths HL is essential, which practically means that more or less all colleges require it, whereas Physics HL is "Highly Desirable", meaning that most colleges require it, yet some don't. From this link you can see specifically what subjects the colleges find essential, preferred and useful, and you can thus apply to one that fits your own subjects and requirements. Cambridge considers all applicants thoroughly, and from what I can recall Further Maths SL is a rather unusual course, which consequently shouldn't harm you too much not having. As you'll be compared to other IB students you should focus on maintaining a high overall grade, and obviously 7s in both Maths and Physics. Your academic potential and aptitude for studying Maths is most crucial for gaining admission, and you'll satisfy both by achieving top grades. For Maths I can't imagine how you would potentially show more interest than by studying it at school; reading academic books is more suited for social science and humanities courses, whilst it is not expected from science and maths.

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For those who applied to Oxford (and were accepted!), I have a question.

When I discussed about PS with some folks who are going to apply to Oxford too, I was highly recommended to read a book related to the major I'm applying for, and write about it in my PS. However I don't like reading and honestly prefer somebody to read it and teach/inform me what's inside the book. So I figure I will not read any book just for the sake of my PS.

However I'm starting to worry.

So I wonder how many of you didn't write about a book in your PS? Or did all of you write about at least one? How many paragraphs did you spend for this?

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Well, I personally included a couple of books that I read and also mentioned a few others in passing. Most personal statements I've seen have done this as well - I dedicated a paragraph to them in mine and included a few comments on why I found each book interesting. Also, it is likely that you will discuss some things in your uni interview where reading - even if you haven't mentioned anything in your PS - relevant material will be really helpful. The PS overall, however, isn't that important as long as they like you in the interview, so the previous consideration is perhaps more important. I'd say check out the background reading for applicants here and see if there's anything there that seems interesting. Reading on a subject that is of interest to you is likely to be fun even if you don't enjoy fictional books, and an university level course anywhere will involve quite a bit of reading :)

PS. my PS since you asked about it is in the Files section already :) I'll read through yours when you've got a draft if you'd like.

Edited by Cynthia
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Ugh I just feel like crying now..... I mean it's not that I don't wanna read. I'd like to, if it's something to do with computer! but I don't think I'd have the time for reading, since I'm a super lazy slacker and my teachers like to give a lot of HW. One of the books suggested is about algorithm. I'm already writing my EE in algorithm, will that be an advantage?

In the interview, do they start with asking about your personal information, casual chatting etc? Because I get this impression that in my interview I'll just be given a problem to discuss with the interviewer until we both agree on a solution (for CS that is). Is that all, really?

Oh and I didn't check out the Files section! Thank you Cynthia, I have downloaded it! :) And since when are you able to read my mind? :P could really use the help :) thank you!

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Since I declined all of my Computer Science offers from UK universities and decided to apply for Economics (for 2012 entry), I started considering Oxford University as one potential choice. My final exams (May 2011) grades are:

Maths HL - 7

Economics HL - 7

Chemistry HL - 6

English A2 SL - 7

Biology SL - 6

Modern Greek A1 - 6

TOK - A

EE Economics - A

Overall: 42/45 (Core points: 39/42)

Do you believe that I could possibly get an interview for Economics and Management at Oxford University? The fact that I got a 6 in Chemistry HL is what troubles me the most because it is one of my HL subjects and obviously they prefer 7 7 7.

Anyway, I would love to hear your opinion :)

(Also I have Further Mathematics SL pending grade because I will sit the exam during my gap year, as well as the STEP math exam from Cambridge)

Edited by Jirashimosu
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The university's standard offer is 38-40 including 766 at HL. If you have achieved more than this (or are predicted to do so), your grades will not play a role in the deselection before interview - my friend who'll be starting the course in Autumn said that he met plenty of people who were predicted 38ish in his interviews. The TSA is the most important criteria for deselection; there's no way your grades will deter you from receiving an interview invitation. Moreover, next year is likely to be very much less competitive due to the tuition fee increase.

@Desy, Anything related to the course is a definite advantage in the interviews - which is why I recommend at least some background reading :D

For me there was very little chatting - they did ask me about my trip to the UK when taking me to the interview room and there was like a minute of small talk but that was that. This is likely to vary per interviewer, but the interviews are very short so they'll probably want to keep it as short as possible; if you seem very nervous there might be more of it.

I can't say what you'd have in a CS interview, but I assume you will be given a chance to discuss your interests in CS at some point. I had two myself; in both of them there was a historical source that I had to discuss, and in the other we talked about my written work. In one of them the tutors asked me about my own interests, mainly focusing on my EE (which they seemed to be impressed by, so doing an EE on something related is really good).

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Since I declined all of my Computer Science offers from UK universities and decided to apply for Economics (for 2012 entry), I started considering Oxford University as one potential choice. My final exams (May 2011) grades are:

Maths HL - 7

Economics HL - 7

Chemistry HL - 6

English A2 SL - 7

Biology SL - 6

Modern Greek A1 - 6

TOK - A

EE Economics - A

Overall: 42/45 (Core points: 39/42)

Do you believe that I could possibly get an interview for Economics and Management at Oxford University? The fact that I got a 6 in Chemistry HL is what troubles me the most because it is one of my HL subjects and obviously they prefer 7 7 7.

Anyway, I would love to hear your opinion :)

(Also I have Further Mathematics SL pending grade because I will sit the exam during my gap year, as well as the STEP math exam from Cambridge)

Hey your IB scores are fine for E&M. The biggest factor that tutors use to select who gets interviewed is the TSA score. So, I would say prepare well for the TSA - take the past tests on the Cambridge Assessments website and maybe read through A-Level books on Critical Thinking.

You should know that E&M is easily the most oversubscribed course among all Oxbridge courses - so there is stiff competition and you might need luck to get you through. Only 30% of applicants are interviewed - if you do get an interview, you've already won half the battle.

You can PM me if you have any specific details about the course and the application process since I'm enrolling for E&M this October.

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As you all probably know or at least can see from the red and white flag under my profile, I figure I'd be getting an online interview (well, I mean if they decide to interview me), or perhaps they have a representative somewhere near here to interview me. If this is the case, am I going to be getting two (or three) separate interviews too? Or would it be simpler (only one interview)?

I'm still resentful about having to talk about a book in the PS :mellow:

I talked to the admission coordinator for CS at Oxford in TSR, asked a few questions, one of which is as follows:

I've heard that previous background in computing/programming is not necessary, but do you prefer candidates who have done programming over those who haven't although they are passionate?
I think some experience is useful, but not necessary. Having studied the subject before can help give you confidence that you'll enjoy studying it at degree level, and that you're reasonably good at it. We assume no prior knowledge of computing or programming in our teaching -- but be prepared to work hard at first if you're starting from scratch. There are a few suggested sources for reading at http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/admissions/ug...ground_reading (although not much about programming).

Does it sound like he still expects me to have some prior knowledge of computing or is he saying that it's completely fine if I don't have it?

Should I ask him about discussing a book in the PS?

@Jirashimosu yes I guess you are likely to be interviewed! definitely apply to Oxford!!!!! we both will meet Cynthia and dogmatichurricane next year woooooooooo!!! XD (or at least I hope so :D)

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Just a note, as people have been talking about the IB offers. While Cambridge generally gives slightly harder offers it also varies according to course and college rather significantly. For example Christ's is one of the colleges that give generally the hardest offers. However, I have to say that you should choose your university and college for other reasons (obviously keeping in mind what you can achieve) since there are also large differences in course content in the two universities.

@Desy, I hate to be harsh, but with that attitude I wouldn't necesssarily apply to Oxbridge. University in general, and Oxbridge especially is about having to learn the stuff for yourself, rather than being guided on how to do it. Obviously you get supervisions and lectures, but lectures really cover the more basic information, and supervisions are to go through your work and mistakes. For either of them to be advantageous you will have to have a lot of self-discipline and be able to learn individually (ie. picking up a book, and reading it, or going through the problems on your own or whatever), that is the core of the learning process at Oxbridge, your academics won't be guiding you through everything, as it is assumed that you are smart and motivated (ie. both capable and willing of learning on your own), and they just push you that extra bit/give the elementary knowledge you need.

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SIGH okay look, in university I'll be willing to read books (I'm willing to do it in the first place! it's good!) but now everything is just so annoying and everybody's opinion is just adding the stress and everything gets too demanding I just wanna quit! I don't want to read books now, okay?! I only have a few months to the deadline of the application and my EE and TOK are due very soon (this week and august respectively). I also have IAs due soon and I seriously think that reading a book JUST FOR THE SAKE OF MY PS will only add the stress and waste my time. really, if I even had the time to do so I seriously would use it to get more sleep, which I need more than that ****. if only my school would give me one free week without any assignment due and no HW or test or anything I'd be more than willing to read a mountain of books. but I don't wanna do it now okay so please don't force me like that because it's just adding the unnecessary stress as TOO MANY people already said that. anyway I know of people who get into Oxbridge without bull****ting about a book in their PS, so it's not a crucial aspect in the application process. anyway there are other things to consider, esp the math aptitude test and I don't think they would reject one whose MAT and predicted grades are good just because they don't have prior knowledge in the subject (but I'm not saying it's me, it's just an example.). it's not all about reading... come on. please be a little more open minded.

or I guess I'll just forget everything and not apply to Oxford. it's just adding all the unnecessary stress. thanks all for the info and such but I'm probably not going to apply but we'll see.

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about the choice of major, this is down to you and it's very crucial because if you end up not liking this major, you can hardly change, or maybe won't be allowed to change. you will end up in regrets for the rest of your life and hate yourself for choosing that major. so, you must think it through and seriously find the right major.

what's your favourite subject? what are your HLs? do you have any idea of what you wanna do in the future? what do you like to do? what field fascinates you? which class do you enjoy the most? list down a few choices (or we can help you with this, start a new thread if you can) and then read Oxford's prospectus, Courses section, read it for the majors you chose and see the modules. pick the one that interests you the most. if there is something about it that you don't like, don't choose it. keep searching, i'm sure you'll find one that you love best.

I've done a lot of research about financial aid too and AFAIK Oxford nor the government do NOT sponsor non-EU students, so we are so unlucky. however you should contact the British Council in your area and ask about the availability of financial aid (I did this, but my country does not offer any. poor me.). otherwise you'll need to search for scholarships offered from companies or organisations that might tie you with some working bond or something. Oxford itself only has scholarships for those in the choir or orchestra, if I'm not mistaken.

I'm not sure about working in the UK but I think pretty much any place will want to employ you if you graduated from Oxford so you shouldn't worry about it as you can still work outside the UK.

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I've done a lot of research about financial aid too and AFAIK Oxford nor the government do NOT sponsor non-EU students, so we are so unlucky. however you should contact the British Council in your area and ask about the availability of financial aid (I did this, but my country does not offer any. poor me.). otherwise you'll need to search for scholarships offered from companies or organisations that might tie you with some working bond or something. Oxford itself only has scholarships for those in the choir or orchestra, if I'm not mistaken.

It's true that you'd be hard pressed to find financial aid whilst applying to Oxford, but many colleges have generous bursary schemes that you will be able to apply for when you get there. You'll usually have to write an essay or something of that sort...

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Made my Cambridge offer for English Literature. Here is my summary of tips (some I've read elsewhere, some I've come up with/modified based on my experience) on the application process and so on.

Part 1 - Selection.

First you need to choose between Oxford and Cambridge. If you can, visit the cities, but most crucial to your decision should be the nature of the courses you're interested in. Everything else, like where people are friendlier or which place "felt" right, is random and stupid. In my case almost all my criteria were random and stupid, but Oxford has an "x" in the name, and I have an inexplicable aversion to that letter. Also Cambridge is less industrial (I think). But you can see how my decision could easily have gone the other way if circumstances had been different, and what that means, really, is that your choice is not that important. There's no real separating the two.

Choosing a college is also a fairly random process, but whatever you do, don't make an Open application (no college chosen - not sure if there is an Oxford equivalent to this). You will get lumped in the single-sex colleges if female and poorly located colleges if male. Don't try to manipulate admissions statistics for your benefit: it won't work. The university websites will have lots of guides on choosing but a better guide is the students themselves: in Cambridge for example, when students were asked which college they'd have gone to if their own wasn't an option, the majority chose Emma. I personally think it's just the ducks, but either way, this is as good a guideline as any, better than most.

In general, do your homework. Read everything you can on the university websites. Trawl through forums and connect with people going through the same process as you .. IBS is a bit of a small community, TSR is much bigger and you will find your kind there.

Part 2 - Application

Standard UCAS procedure. Have at least one safety (this must be safe) and try not to do anything stupid. Exam grades are more important than in-class grades in determining how good you are at a subject. Predicted grades (or rather, the teachers that hand them out) can be influenced, but make sure you are capable of meeting the grades. Get your reference written by a teacher who loves you to the bottom of their souls. If this teacher teaches in your intended future field, that's a bonus, but the first criteria is much more important.

Your personal statement is probably the single most important part of your application that you have direct power over. Make sure it's good. Read a billion guides on how to write a good one, bug current Oxbridge students for theirs, read as many of them as you can and figure out what's good/bad about them. Go for a sophisticated but never arrogant tone. Don't rely on external help; you won't be bringing your mother to the interview. Also (and this is one of those I-should-have-done-this things) try not to make it sound better than it is. I put in some complex stuff about Ulysses that I knew would sound good, but it would've sounded better if I'd actually read the book. I crammed before the interview. They didn't ask me about it - I got lucky - but you can't rely on that. The underlying pattern of your PS should be sort of like "This was a challenge but I overcame it" mixed with some "I hope to do this in the future". Never "I did this and that and also that and I'm amazing". Some of the decisions you will be making about your personal statement will be: how to structure it (I did it chronologically in terms of my country movements etc); what to focus on (yourself or your ideas, for example -- I mixed both, but primarily the former); how to start it (mine had a personal anecdote about how reading became important to me. a little cliche); how to end it (even more cliche - a wise quote). These details can help your PS look polished, which is important for first impressions, but ultimately your intelligence and experience will shine through anyways. Just make sure you are doing the best you can here. Pore over it at 3 AM if you have to; give it to everyone from your loving teacher to your mom's aunt's dog's cousin's friend.

Part 3 - Interview

Come prepared, knowing your personal statement backwards. They asked me for a list of things (fiction, non-fiction, drama, prose) I'd read recently and some of the questions were on that. If they do the same to you, obviously, know those books too. Re-read what you can a few weeks in advance; read Sparknotes or some equivalent in the days leading up to it. Know your sh1t; it's stupid to miss out on an opportunity like this because you don't. But enjoy the city and if you go to Cambridge, check out the killer fudge at the Fudge Kitchen on Kings Parade. Go to bed early the night before and if you can't sleep (you probably won't be able to), do something mundane like watch a movie. Talk to other people you meet there: they might be your classmates later. You might even meet someone really hot and interesting (I did). When in the room, speak slowly and try to enunciate. Don't be afraid to think for a few moments before replying. Ask for clarification when in need. Don't come out happy/sad: you can't know how you did. You are being compared to other students, not to some mythical Oxbridge standard. Or at least come out happy, knowing you did your best. That's the most important thing. In preparation for the interview I would also recommend multiple practices with qualified teachers or ex-Oxbridge students. Not necessarily because the material will overlap (completely didn't, for me) but because it gets you into the habit. Things like fidgeting, meeting eyes, etc. can be sorted out. You will feel less nervous at the real thing.

Part 4 - Offers

If you get an offer, congratulations! It will be a long and exhausting process either way and if you don't, don't worry. People drop out of top universities and make billons, imagine how much you'll make if you don't even go! Tell yourself it would've been full of arrogant brats anyways (the people who get in won't mind). If you do get an offer, rejoice! Drink lots of champagne. Work hard for your exams (imagine telling everyone about your offer and not meeting it. can you imagine a worse feeling? apparently losing a job is about as harmful to your happiness as the death of a family member ... but there's no scale that even approaches the emotional burden of not making an Oxbridge offer. I know this because I spent a lot of time imagining myself preparing for the eventuality.)

Also, take it easy over the summer. They gave me a reading list with like 50 books on it. Not happening. This might be the best summer of my life -- absolutely no burden, no homework, etc. Drink, have sex (um, but only if you're married. i think). Enjoy your youth and try to go to university with more to your name than intelligence (trust me, most people at Oxbridge are smart).

And finally, good luck.

Postscript -- Just noticed Cynthia mention standard Oxford offers being 38-40. I was offered 41 but I've heard of up to 45, 39-42 being closer to standard at Cambridge.

Edited by Daedalus
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Made my Cambridge offer for English Literature. Here is my summary of tips (some I've read elsewhere, some I've come up with/modified based on my experience) on the application process and so on.

Part 1 - Selection.

First you need to choose between Oxford and Cambridge. If you can, visit the cities, but most crucial to your decision should be the nature of the courses you're interested in. Everything else, like where people are friendlier or which place "felt" right, is random and stupid. In my case almost all my criteria were random and stupid, but Oxford has an "x" in the name, and I have an inexplicable aversion to that letter. Also Cambridge is less industrial (I think). But you can see how my decision could easily have gone the other way if circumstances had been different, and what that means, really, is that your choice is not that important. There's no real separating the two.

Choosing a college is also a fairly random process, but whatever you do, don't make an Open application (no college chosen - not sure if there is an Oxford equivalent to this). You will get lumped in the single-sex colleges if female and poorly located colleges if male. Don't try to manipulate admissions statistics for your benefit: it won't work. The university websites will have lots of guides on choosing but a better guide is the students themselves: in Cambridge for example, when students were asked which college they'd have gone to if their own wasn't an option, the majority chose Emma. I personally think it's just the ducks, but either way, this is as good a guideline as any, better than most.

In general, do your homework. Read everything you can on the university websites. Trawl through forums and connect with people going through the same process as you .. IBS is a bit of a small community, TSR is much bigger and you will find your kind there.

Part 2 - Application

Standard UCAS procedure. Have at least one safety (this must be safe) and try not to do anything stupid. Exam grades are more important than in-class grades in determining how good you are at a subject. Predicted grades (or rather, the teachers that hand them out) can be influenced, but make sure you are capable of meeting the grades. Get your reference written by a teacher who loves you to the bottom of their souls. If this teacher teaches in your intended future field, that's a bonus, but the first criteria is much more important.

Your personal statement is probably the single most important part of your application that you have direct power over. Make sure it's good. Read a billion guides on how to write a good one, bug current Oxbridge students for theirs, read as many of them as you can and figure out what's good/bad about them. Go for a sophisticated but never arrogant tone. Don't rely on external help; you won't be bringing your mother to the interview. Also (and this is one of those I-should-have-done-this things) try not to make it sound better than it is. I put in some complex stuff about Ulysses that I knew would sound good, but it would've sounded better if I'd actually read the book. I crammed before the interview. They didn't ask me about it - I got lucky - but you can't rely on that. The underlying pattern of your PS should be sort of like "This was a challenge but I overcame it" mixed with some "I hope to do this in the future". Never "I did this and that and also that and I'm amazing". Some of the decisions you will be making about your personal statement will be: how to structure it (I did it chronologically in terms of my country movements etc); what to focus on (yourself or your ideas, for example -- I mixed both, but primarily the former); how to start it (mine had a personal anecdote about how reading became important to me. a little cliche); how to end it (even more cliche - a wise quote). These details can help your PS look polished, which is important for first impressions, but ultimately your intelligence and experience will shine through anyways. Just make sure you are doing the best you can here. Pore over it at 3 AM if you have to; give it to everyone from your loving teacher to your mom's aunt's dog's cousin's friend.

Part 3 - Interview

Come prepared, knowing your personal statement backwards. They asked me for a list of things (fiction, non-fiction, drama, prose) I'd read recently and some of the questions were on that. If they do the same to you, obviously, know those books too. Re-read what you can a few weeks in advance; read Sparknotes or some equivalent in the days leading up to it. Know your sh1t; it's stupid to miss out on an opportunity like this because you don't. But enjoy the city and if you go to Cambridge, check out the killer fudge at the Fudge Kitchen on Kings Parade. Go to bed early the night before and if you can't sleep (you probably won't be able to), do something mundane like watch a movie. Talk to other people you meet there: they might be your classmates later. You might even meet someone really hot and interesting (I did). When in the room, speak slowly and try to enunciate. Don't be afraid to think for a few moments before replying. Ask for clarification when in need. Don't come out happy/sad: you can't know how you did. You are being compared to other students, not to some mythical Oxbridge standard. Or at least come out happy, knowing you did your best. That's the most important thing. In preparation for the interview I would also recommend multiple practices with qualified teachers or ex-Oxbridge students. Not necessarily because the material will overlap (completely didn't, for me) but because it gets you into the habit. Things like fidgeting, meeting eyes, etc. can be sorted out. You will feel less nervous at the real thing.

Part 4 - Offers

If you get an offer, congratulations! It will be a long and exhausting process either way and if you don't, don't worry. People drop out of top universities and make billons, imagine how much you'll make if you don't even go! Tell yourself it would've been full of arrogant brats anyways (the people who get in won't mind). If you do get an offer, rejoice! Drink lots of champagne. Work hard for your exams (imagine telling everyone about your offer and not meeting it. can you imagine a worse feeling? apparently losing a job is about as harmful to your happiness as the death of a family member ... but there's no scale that even approaches the emotional burden of not making an Oxbridge offer. I know this because I spent a lot of time imagining myself preparing for the eventuality.)

Also, take it easy over the summer. They gave me a reading list with like 50 books on it. Not happening. This might be the best summer of my life -- absolutely no burden, no homework, etc. Drink, have sex (um, but only if you're married. i think). Enjoy your youth and try to go to university with more to your name than intelligence (trust me, most people at Oxbridge are smart).

And finally, good luck.

Haha pretty much spot on with applying to Oxford too except for the fact that we don't have female-only colleges like Lucy Cavendish? Just to add on to that, I found that being in my school debate and MUN team really helped me with the interview - in terms of calming myself and not showing my nerves. It's not exactly public speaking but the tutors in front of you look like a huge audience judging you hahaha. I guess that's where mock interviews come in handy too though I never had one (so I don't think it's a necessity).

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Soiboist

A few questions...

Oxford requires 3 SAT subjects tests or 3 AP tests and SAT or ACT, but do IB students have to report these as well as their IB scores?? Or are IB scores sufficient? Just in case other American students don't read/reply to this, do British IB students send in their A-level-things in addition to their IB predicted grades?

I've never visited the Oxbridge campuses, and I'm trying to decide which school I prefer. What are your impressions (in brief is fine), and are there any differences at all between the schools outside the courses (customs, traditions, ceremonies, environment, town life, anything not on their websites)?

Do they have good/decent/renowned programs for theatre, musical theatre, and music (orchestra/ensemble)? Do you think there are local dance and music teachers, or do the professors in the universities take students and teach privately? Are there any partnerships with professional theatre companies?

And can Oxbridge students go to London easily?

I'd really appreciate any answers, especially to the first questions!!

1. If you have gone to the IB Diploma Programme that is sufficient for Oxbridge admission, and I can think of no reason why it would be different for American students. This means that you only submit your IB scores to UCAS.

2. Similarly to the reply for (1), British students either choose to study the IB or A levels. You can't pick both. I suppose this is what might have been confusing to you in the first place.

3. Exactly what you mentioned in your question. It is all about personal preference. I'd advise you to visit the university for choosing a college, because an open application might give you a poorly placed college or something else not very benefitial. Daedalus mentioned this in his guide above. If you can't go to Britain you can read on their official websites and on forums; you will most likely be able to find information that is of importance to you.

4. Yes, extra-curricular possibilities are good at Oxbridge. I can't answer the specific questions on programmes and teachers and so on though, you could easily send an e-mail to someone who knows I suppose. Check the websites, they surely have information.

5. London visits should be no problem, when it comes to communications anyway, while at Oxbridge.

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A few questions...

Oxford requires 3 SAT subjects tests or 3 AP tests and SAT or ACT, but do IB students have to report these as well as their IB scores?? Or are IB scores sufficient? Just in case other American students don't read/reply to this, do British IB students send in their A-level-things in addition to their IB predicted grades?

I've never visited the Oxbridge campuses, and I'm trying to decide which school I prefer. What are your impressions (in brief is fine), and are there any differences at all between the schools outside the courses (customs, traditions, ceremonies, environment, town life, anything not on their websites)?

Do they have good/decent/renowned programs for theatre, musical theatre, and music (orchestra/ensemble)? Do you think there are local dance and music teachers, or do the professors in the universities take students and teach privately? Are there any partnerships with professional theatre companies?

And can Oxbridge students go to London easily?

I'd really appreciate any answers, especially to the first questions!!

if you take A levels and IB (do you??) just submit both scores. have you taken any SATs? actually IB results alone will do, but I thought you MUST submit all your formal qualifications, so anything you've taken including A levels and SAT. the higher education advisor at my school advised me to take SAT because it might lead to unconditional offers instead of conditional ones if my results are really good. but if you've taken SAT, just submit your grades anyway.

I haven't visited Oxbridge either but I choose Oxford simply because it's easier to get into (higher and crazy requirements from Cambridge! so I don't dare...). but if you want to go into the Sciences I heard Cambridge is better? and Oxford is better for Humanities. you should go to TSR if you haven't and read some of their good articles on this.

extra curricular activities, depends on the college I guess? some colleges are better at certain sports or music so it's something to consider too when choosing a college!

good luck with your choice! FYI I'm applying to Oxford :)

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