<p>At the University of Oxford, is a student dismissed from school if he/she has a 3.0GPA or lower?</p>
<p>There is no such thing as GPA in the UK. They would likely have no understanding of the term. Therefore the answer is clearly no.</p>
<p>Here is a page from the Oxford University Student Union which discusses Academic Disciplinary Procedures:</p>
<p>[College</a> Academic Disciplinary Procedures — Oxford University Student Union](<a href=“http://www.ousu.org/acaff/regulations/college-academic-disciplinary-procedures/]College”>http://www.ousu.org/acaff/regulations/college-academic-disciplinary-procedures/)</p>
<p>It mentions that each college has its own procedures, with no university wide policy, so it can be difficult to generalize. But basically, the faculty will discuss with a student when they think their work has fallen below acceptable standards, and will give the student a chance (actually, it seems like a student is given at least a couple chances) to bring their work back up to where it needs to be. If the student is repeatedly unable to do this, they will be “sent down” (what we Yanks call “expelled”). Note however there is also “rustication” where a student is allowed to take a year or so off to deal with something like personal issues or health problems and then return to Oxford and start up again right where they left off.</p>
<p>Oxford uses a tutorial system which is about faculty working closely and individually with each student. Under this system, the student will constantly get feedback about their work, and if it starts to slip the tutor and other faculty will notice right away. So as cupcake says, it’s not like an American university. In an American university a professor just gives a grade to a computer that then calculates a number, a GPA, and then some decision is made based on that number. Oxford has much more human contact between faculty and students.</p>
<p>College972, you are STILL thinking that Oxford is like an American university. It isn’t like that at all.</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>Thanks for clearing that up, i am not familiar with schooling procedures, and a woman that i work with told me things like a certain number of a levels or 2:1 something, which confused me a lot.</p>
<p>How does a person get accepted into Oxford? What sort of things do they look for in a candidate?</p>
<p>college 972 - I very strongly suggest you spend time using the Oxford website.</p>
<p>[Homepage</a> - University of Oxford](<a href=“http://www.ox.ac.uk%5DHomepage”>http://www.ox.ac.uk)</p>
<p>I am sure it will answer all your questions which are relevant to admissions, and I am sure you will agree it is better to use an official soruce than random people you know, or strangers on a website. </p>
<p>There is even an extensive video called “How to Apply”.</p>
<p>[Undergraduate</a> courses - University of Oxford](<a href=“http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/index.html]Undergraduate”>http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/index.html)</p>
<p>I think the percentage of undergraduates who do not complete their studies at Oxford is 1% or less (you can find this statistic in UK university league tables). It’s actually really hard to get sent down! Mostly they will do everything to help you graduate.</p>
<p>Do NOT assume ANYTHING is the same as for a US school (and remember the application deadline for 2013 admission is 15 October 2012).</p>
<p>The question of “how does a person get into Oxford (or Cambridge, or some other British college or uni)” comes up here a LOT.</p>
<p>A BRITISH applicant is going to have taken exams called “A-levels”. But they don’t expect foreign applicants to have taken these British exams. Instead, Oxford will expect an applicant to have whatever their country’s nearest equivalent to A-levels. For Americans, that is AP tests. (Although I think some American applicants use advanced SAT subject tests instead).</p>
<p>An American applicant will be required to have at least THREE AP tests with scores of 5–which is the highest score. If you can get that, you have a chance at Oxford. If you can’t, forget it. Remember that Oxford and Cambridge are the most exclusive universities in Britain, with the highest standards for admission. But there are lots of other colleges and unis in Britain as well, and these have lower standards for admission.</p>
<p>If you’ve got (or can get) your three "5"s on AP tests, the next thing Oxford will focus on is your “personal statement” and your interview. They are looking for people who are committed to the subject they are intending to “read” (what we Yanks call “major in”). They are NOT looking for someone who is “well-rounded” (which is what American colleges and unis look for). So an applicant in their personal statement should not be talking about all their silly American extracurriculars that have nothing to do with the subject they are planning to “major in” and “read”.</p>
<p>They are also looking for people who will fit with their culture and style of education. People who they would like to have in the “tutorials”–which basically small group discussions.</p>
<p>Also note that they do NOT look at High School GPA.</p>
<p>I don’t know what the “2:1 something” was without having a context for that remark.</p>
<p>I am glad to see you are finally asking the questions you really do need to know!</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>I did not know that Oxford does not look at your High School grades to be considered a candidate. How many subjects can you read at Oxford, i read somewhere that it is 2, but i am not sure? I also read that Cambridge allows you to study 3 subjects, is that true?</p>
<p>You can only study two subjects if you are joint majoring, such as Physics and Philosophy or Maths and Philosophy, considered the hardest courses possible depending on who you ask (the other being PPE). You also cannot minor in any subject, so if you are doing physics it’s only physics, no english, no history, nothing.</p>
<p>You read one particular degree course (i.e. a program in the US). The course may include more than one subject. </p>
<p>For example - BA History and English is a single degree course (program) consisting of two subjects; BA Philosophy, Politics and Economics is a single degree course (program) comprising three subjects. </p>
<p>You can see lists of the degree courses (programs) at each university on their websites.</p>
<p>As folks have been saying, when you apply to Oxford, you will apply to a specific “course” (what we Yanks might call a “program” or “major”) and then you devote yourself to that “course” for three years, then you get your Bachelor’s degree. You are not allowed to combine courses, but some courses do already have a combination of subjects (like PPE==which is Philosophy, Politics, and Economics).</p>
<p>This is why Oxford is looking for people who are willing to commit themselves to a single course for three years. They are not looking for someone who wants to run around and “dabble” in a lot of different subjects and extracurriculars. There is no such thing as a “minor”.</p>
<p>As you can see, this is very different from a typical American BA program.</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>^^^ Yes. To add some context, Oxford and Cambridge are rather unusual in that they permit a very limited number of combinations. In fact, Cambridge does not permit joint degrees at all. (You CAN study more than one subject at Cambridge, but the system they use is unique so I won’t go into it here. Google ‘Cambridge tripos’ for more information.)</p>
<p>At Oxford, degree courses with multiple subjects are truly integrated. Students on joint degree courses (e.g. Physics and Philosophy) study special topics designed to solidify the links between subjects (e.g. the Philosophy of Physics!). The university does not offer courses with multiple subjects where there is no underlying link between them. </p>
<p>Plenty of people choose not to apply to Oxford for this reason. The list of courses it offers is very small (and Cambridge’s list is even smaller).</p>
<p>I thought you can take two subjects at Oxford if you have the passion for both, but if there is no link between the subjects you cannot, thank you for clearing that up for me. I do love how Oxbridge has a nice twist on education. I looked into Cambridge tripos and the workload is incredible, especially the math one.</p>