<p>I’m wondering if top UK universities such as Oxford or Cambridge use holistic methods in admission like the US or do they rely a lot more on IB test scores or whatever they called it. At first look, it does seem so. However, I don’t know much about UK universities, so I need to know inputs from other more experienced members with the UK college system.</p>
<p>bump*</p>
<p>I’m not experienced with the UK college system but as I’ll be applying to Oxford this fall, I’ve done some research. Universities like Oxford and Cambridge care first and foremost about your transcript and test scores. You can see their respective requirements online at their websites.
Secondly, they’ll look at your personal statement where you discuss why you want to study that particular subject (many of which have entrance exams you have to take before you can even apply). In this statement, you can incorporate your ECs and show how they fueled your passion for the subject.
Thirdly, they’ll look at your interview performance. You can find what they ask online at their websites.
However, 80% of all students that apply to these schools receive an interview so it truly will be the interview that sets you apart. The schools themselves even admit that the interview is probably the most important part of your application.</p>
<p>Hi there!</p>
<p>I didn’t apply to Oxbridge, but I know that they care a lot more about your grades and test scores than your EC’s. If you’re an American applicant, you’ll have to send them your SAT/AP scores as well as your transcript and a couple other things, if I recall correctly. They also care a lot about the interview and you’ll either have to fly in for it or do it over Skype (I’d recommend doing it in person if you have the chance). The interviewers–tutors for your chosen subject-- will grill you on your declared area of study, so be sure you know your stuff! So to answer your question, unfortunately I don’t believe the process is very holistic. </p>
<p>Here’s a link to what could be considered the CC of the UK: <a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■.co.uk/”>http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■.co.uk/</a>
And some help for interview questions: <a href=“http://www.cambridgeinterviewquestions.com/”>http://www.cambridgeinterviewquestions.com/</a></p>
<p>Best of luck! </p>
<p>Edit: The first link got blocked, but it’s called The Student Room. </p>
<p>Correction to Coriander23 and xFirefox: UK universities (except St Andrews) do not care about your grades / transcript. Because more American students are applying more UK universities are putting in things such as"3.0 GPA", b/c US students keep asking about it, but in reality what matters is your standardized test scores. </p>
<p>Harvarddreamer, Oxbridge are NOT holistic in their applications. If you go to the Oxford Admissions podcasts on iTunes you will hear a History tutor say explicitly “we don’t care about all the other things you have done- we want you to love our subject as much as we do”. </p>
<p>Understand that in England you essentially go straight into your major (bit less true for the Scottish unis, which are typically 4 year programs), and with a very few exceptions (notably PPE) you ONLY study the subject you apply to. So, if you apply to History you will take history and only history for your entire degree. </p>
<p>You will be asked to put down your grades on the UCAS app, but Oxford will never ask to the transcript b/c they have no meaningful way to compare the grades: there is no standardized curriculum in the US, so what you did in Honors Physics may be more- or less- than what another student in another school did in plain old Physics. Or, did you get the super-hard marker / never gives more than 2 As English teacher, or did you get the one where only the slackers got Bs? So, it is all about the standardized testing, which at least compares like with like.</p>
<p>So, for Oxford or Cambridge, the first thing is to have SAT 2200+ (or the re-scaled equivalent), and a <em>minimum</em> of 3 relevant, category “A” AP scores of “5”. </p>
<p>Relevant means something that would have some similarity to the subject that you are applying to study. Also, read the subject page for whatever you are applying to exhaustively. For example, for Law at Oxford you will see that although they don’t list specific subjects, buried in the description is a reference for a preference for math to GCSE level- so the Math I SAT subject test would be a nice addition to your resume. </p>
<p>Category “A” refers to the UCAS tariff list:<br>
<a href=“http://www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/explore-your-options/entry-requirements/tariff-tables/app”>http://www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/explore-your-options/entry-requirements/tariff-tables/app</a></p>
<p>xFirefox is correct about aptitude tests that are given around application time- they are usually make-or-break for getting an interview- and that the Personal Statement is where you can put in ECs that are relevant to the subject you are applying to study. It is also true that the interview is critical: by the time that you get to the interview they are pretty sure that you are clever enough to handle the work, now they need to see if you will do well in the tutorial format- and (crucially) what you would be like to teach. Unlike the US, where interviews are done by admissions people or alums, at OxBridge you are interviewed by the people who will be teaching you- who most likely be spending an hour a week one-on-one or two-on-one with you. </p>
<p>However, xFirefox is mistaken about the interview questions being available online. Although there are variations, it is common for you to be given work that is unfamiliar- a math problem that is a step or two ahead of what you have covered in math, a history reading from an obscure time or place, etc- and asked to work it through or discuss it. The purpose is not to test whether you know the answers but to see how you think, how you approach a new problem, how you learn in a tutorial format. There are other pieces- you may be asked about a book that you mentioned in your PS for example, but there are no standard questions that you can prep for.</p>
<p>Also, while the average of applicants receiving interview offers across all subjects is 70% (not 80%), that masks a wide range by subject. PPE averages 60%, Fine Art 30%, Classics 98%. More relevantly for US applicants, though, is that it varies tremendously by where you are applying from*: in 2013, 67% of applicants from the UK received interviews, but only 21% of non-UK/non-EU applicants did. Similarly, 25% of UK applicants ended up receiving offers, while only 12% of non-UK/non-EU applicants did. </p>
<p>*note that it matters where you are living when you apply, not your citizenship </p>
<p>And Coriander is dead-on about the student room: it is where you will find great information and great support!</p>
<p>Clarification: the Cambridge Interview Questions link is for a company (it also runs the site “Oxford Interview Questions”) that sells help to prospective students (another is Oxbridge Applications). These sites provide a certain amount of info free, and it can be interesting to ferret around on their site. However, while the questions listed are most likely genuine, they are out of context, and the context matters (no, you will not be randomly asked what kind of trees Disraeli planted at his house!). You might find Oxfords own page more helpful: <a href=“http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/applying_to_oxford/interviews/sample_questions_1.html”>http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/applying_to_oxford/interviews/sample_questions_1.html</a></p>
<p>The inteviews are not one directional. For example, on the Geography section of the Oxford sample questions the tutor writes “A good candidate would, <strong>with assistance</strong>, begin to construct…” The tutors in the interview will ask follow up questions, designed to nudge the candidate in the right direction (or challenge them to think through what they have just said). </p>
<p>Oxbridge Admissions is a low life company that trades on the fears of applicants to make money in a rather unethical manner, and it looks as though Cambridge Interview Questions is cut from the same cloth. Please don’t give any money to them! </p>
<p>I’m confused about the GPA not being a factor because our school uses predicted IB score as part of the GPA. My S has a 38 IB, 28 LNAT(practice) and GC not optimistic about Oxford chances due to not having a 40 IB. Does IB take place of SAT if student is in Europe?</p>
<p>IB takes place of SAT anywhere. Predicted IB is what Oxford will make an offer on; condition will be on actual achieved. If S achieves that score on the actual LNAT and can achieve 38-40 (6s & 7s in highers) he should be fine. 38 shouldn’t stop him with a good LNAT.</p>
<p>ITA with collegemom. All UK unis care about is that you are focussed on (even better, devoted to) the subject you wish to study. All else is irrelevant. So if you can play piano to a high standard, that is really only worth mentioning if you are applying for music etc. </p>