hewey

If you're lucky enough to get an interview you'll also need to show an incredible passion for your subject. My cousin got into Oxford for history, and one reason she believes she was accepted was because of the enthusiasm she has for the subject. Before finishing high school she'd already been on two volunteer archaeology digs in Egypt and Israel, an 8 week WWI-based tour around Europe and the UK, had two internships at the Australian War Memorial, gained months of high school work experience with two different anthropologists, a history professor and an archaeologist, worked for two years at a top museum in Sydney and taken a range of history-based courses both in Aust. and overseas during her school holidays. And those are just the ones I can remember. I'm not even going to attempt to venture into her academics and awards.

Keep in mind you'll also most likely need to take additional, Oxford-developed examinations. In applying for history, my cous needed to take the "HAT" test (broad essay-based history exam). I'm almost certain there are similar ones for medicine, law and the like.

Either way, I'd try and improve your scores and make sure you can some how prove your enthusiasm for your subject. From what has been described to me, both from my cous and grandfather (who attended for medicine), they basically want you to prove to them that you're going to (or at least going to attempt to) go on and change the world in some way or another. They really only want to accept people who are brilliant enough and passionate enough to do so.

Elastine

Actually, the admission difficulty largely also depends on the course you have chosen. Some courses like Biological Sciences or Materials are pretty easy to get in provided if you have a successful enough academic record. On the other hand "high" level courses like Medicine, Economics and Management and PPE are very difficult to get in due to the sheer number and quality of students that apply.

xanthom

2100 GPA is minimum expected at Oxford. 3.5 GPA? Ain't gonna cut it. For IB, you're expected to have around a 40 if you want to have a good chance. That means four 7s (A+s) and two 6s (As). Very difficult to get into these schools.

Nick017

You have an extremely low chance. While your at it, why don't you apply to IIM... (Indian Institute of Management)

sonar

oxford won't even see a transcript, so grades don't matter. they want high scores.

Sci-Fry

Ignore what people are saying about "don't bother applying". It would be stupid not to apply if you are passionate about your subject and really want to go there.

That aside, don't worry as much about your GPA as your predicted IB scores and actual IB scores (which I assume you're going to take pretty soon).

And a note to the others, stop demotivating him simply on the basis of having a low GPA. That's complete balderdash (love that word).

xanthom

I think it's true that the IB final exam grades matter somewhat more than the GPA for British schools (predicted scores determine whether they accept you conditionally, while actual scores determine whether you are officially accepted), although GPA still holds some weight. Who knows? If your predicted IB scores and actual IB scores are high enough, you may have a chance.

It would be stupid to not apply if you think you have a chance of getting in. With his scores, he probably has a chance, but it will be an extremely small one, unless his predicted IB scores are significantly higher than his GPA suggest. In any case, you're not completely in the water, so it's not like I'm demotivating you from applying. Go for it if you think you have a chance.

Elastine

the app fee is only 15 pounds. :P

Apply.

onemoreparent

A lot of contradictory advice here. The best thing to do is to go to Oxford's or Cambridge's websites -- all the conditions (SAT etc) are very clear there.

And I know at least for Oxford that they really encourage people to apply -- Motivation and intellectual potential are what they are looking for.

Believe me, it's not as hard to get in as it looks. You'll be surprised.

I second cupcake's suggestion about "The Student Room" -- it's like College Confidential for the UK. A goldmine of information.

Calcruzer

Here's some info that was posted previously on CC about this subject. I hope it helps you:

"For LSE, OxBridge, you need 2200+ (preferably 2300+) and 4 5's. and 1 4.+
For ICL and other classy British schools (University College London, St. Andrews, York) you need 2000+ and 5 aps at 4 or 5.

If you don't have 5 APs or 5 good APs, you can list your senior year APs and say you're taking them in may. They'll give you what is called a conditional acceptance, which basically says, you're in, but you need to get a 4 or 5 in these courses.

Also mind that LSE is going to be very difficult numbers wise to get in, more than Oxbridge, but Oxbridge requires very difficult interviews and tests with the interview. At least for Oxford the interview is offered in NY and across the pond with very little flexibility.

Also, for British schools, you apply to 6 "courses." A course is a major at a university. Mind that you can only apply to one course at OxBridge every year. Your UCAS app might look like this.

190 Oxford Politics, Philosophy and Economics
123 LSE Economics
134 LSE Economic History
152 LSE Mathematics and Economics
290 UYork Economics
1083 St. Andrews Economics

For every school besides OxBridge you can apply to as many courses as you want at that school that fit under your 6 allotted courses. There is no other way to apply to British schools that is not UCAS.

UCAS stands for Universities and Colleges Admission Service. There is a 15 pound fee for all 6 applications. All 6 applications are identical: They have your test scores, a "personal statement," an open reference, and that is all they go off of. You only have to put it in once.

They used to have a "Tariff" for American and Worldwide students where there was a point system for all accomplishments and you added up your points and saw where you should get in. However, the American section seems to be gone now. It's like 120 points for a Hard AP 5 (Eng, Calc, Language, History) and 50 for a soft AP 5 (Envi Sci, Stat, etc) and something like 50 points for a 750+ on an SAT section. Most courses at Oxford needed 600+ points. See if you can find the tariff.

Also mind that British schools might be cheaper, but the level of instruction is far less. There is far more reading and far less teaching than at an American institution. They call it "reading" for a degree. Also British degrees are 3 years courses with little room for electives.

My mates who were accepted to British schools:

2280, six 5s including AB calc, BC calc, Chem was accepted to Oxford unconditionally for a course in Mathematics and is enrolled....."

The stuff above was posted previously--as I mentioned above.

You might also consider checking these other sites:

unofficial-guides.com - Oxford University

Living and Learning in Oxford

P.S. I'll be in England in two weeks and will be staying across the street from University College London (in the Bloomsbury district just north of Soho), so if there is something particular about that college you need to know, write me and I'll see if I can get the info while there.

Gryffon5147

They want members of the British upper class and other people that can be future influential leaders on the world stage. See the list of people that have been Prime Minister of Britain. Virtually all from Oxford or Cambridge. Look at the figures of "public" school acceptance rates compared to those of British "day" schools. Anybody can see the discrepancy there. The truth is that Britain as a nation runs on a diminished but still very real system of social stratification... their entire social backbone is built on it. Nobody said that the schools had to be fair, and they don't even try to make a show of it like some of the top US colleges. Try to find info about undergraduate financial aid on their sites within the first couple seconds like you can do for every other top US college (I'm still looking for it. I'm not sure the page exists). Sure, they'll accept a few internationals, but the ones that do apply will be hyper competitive and generally good enough to get into the top US colleges as well.

I'd stick to the colleges you know or some less competitive colleges in England. Or Berkeley. I might see you there...

cupcake

That's because it doesn't. The concept of financial aid does not really exist in the UK. For UK/EU students the tuition cost is the same for all universities at about £3000 per year, but you don't actually pay this until after you graduate (there are reductions if you pay it upfront when you enroll). There are some discounts if you choose to study a less popular 'hard' subject like physics. Then there are student loans which come from the government which pay for living costs. These are not paid back until you graduate and earn above a certain amount. Interest onlt at the rate of inflation so they are a pretty good deal.

For international students there is generally no financial help unless you can find it in your own country. UK universities are all in effect like US public schools. they are funded on the most part by taxes paid in the UK. If you haven't paid any taxes (or rather your parents haven't) you have to pay the full bill. It's as simple as that. It's how the universities make money.

Elastine

Oxford has 3 scholarships for international students though, you might want to apply for one of those (of course, the competition is insane.)

ajadedidealist

A note: the 5 AP thing is not set in stone. I applied post-qualifications with 4 APs (all 5s), and an SATI of 2350 and got in for Theology at Oriel - an unconditional offer, which actually allowed me to drop the additional APs I'd planned for this year.

Also, they never looked at my high school grades - I found out after I'd gotten my offer that College Counseling had never been asked to send in my transcript at all! Only standardized tests, etc. count. But I've heard that all the scores/etc., are primarily to qualify for interview; beyond that, it's the interview that does the trick.

upton

Gryffon, you cite the admission bias of Cambridge and Oxford as evidence for elitism in UK? Look at Yale, with the "New World Order" Skull and Bones Society -- membership includes several US presidents and a strong fraction of the powers that be in the US government.