<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>