Oxbridge (Oxford & Cambridge universities) A talk to students, staff & parents IV Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Emilii Sczanieckiej Łódź, Poland

Studying at university in UK British universities differ from Polish ones, typically: Away from home Beautiful environment (gardens, architecture, …) Small group teaching & practical + lectures Emphasis on individual thought (not just learning facts) Personal Tutor support Expense: ~£3,300 fees + ~£6,700 living expenses = £10,000/year (PLN ~50,000/year) For details on all courses & universities All UK university applications are through UCAS

UCAS Application Choose course/university Complete UCAS Application online: 15/10 Oxbridge, medics, dentists, vets 15/1 all other courses (except 24/3 art & design courses) 30/6 late submission (only those who still have places) 1.Registration on ‘Apply’ system 2.Personal details, education, employment 3.5 choices of course/university 4.Personal statement 5.School reference with predicted grades 6.Pay UCAS fee Attend interviews, take entry tests Use ‘Track’ to manage your application: receive offers by 31/3: conditional, unconditional, unsuccessful  if no offers, use ‘Extra’ (28/2 – 6/7) send decision on all offers by 5/5: firm acceptance, insurance acceptance, decline  19/8 no successful offers, enter ‘Clearing’

What makes Oxbridge different? In top 10 world universities Exceptional students, staff, facilities, environment Highly selective entry College system Individual teaching Traditional and beautiful environment Facilities for students 3 terms/year of only 8 weeks Financial support Personal support

OxfordCambridge Foundation year Undergraduates11,76511,607 Undergrad colleges3029 (3 only women) Course structure3 year course Some combined courses Part 1(1 year), Part 2 (2 years) Nobel laureates5767 City population165,000130,000 Prime ministers25 (including Cameron, Blair, Thatcher, Heath, Wilson) 15 Famous studentsSchrodinger, TS Eliot, Tolkien, CS Lewis, Lewis Carroll, Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Bill Clinton, Radosław Sikorski, Hugh Grant, Rowan Atkinson, Oscar Wilde, Rupert Murdoch Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Baron-Cohen, Crick & Watson, David Attenborough, Stephen Hawking, AA Milne, Paul Dirac, Cambridge spies, Joe Stiglitz, Monty Python team, Keynes Living costs£6,800 – 8,000£6,000 - £7,500 Oxford versus Cambridge

Most things the same, few differences Different courses: choose the course you like Oxford maybe slightly more political & frivolous, Cambridge maybe slightly more scientific & serious Cambridge bursary scheme open to EU students (up to £3,400/year)

Oxbridge Application process Visit: Open Days (end June, September) or guided tours or contact: Brief your teachers on requirements Choose a course, check entrance requirements Choose a college (or open application) [Choral/organ scholarship? Oxford by 1/9, Cambridge by 4/9] Complete UCAS application form online 1/9 – 15/10 [Cambridge: complete SAQ online by 22/10] Submit any special requirements (essays, tests, …) Interviews by college 5-17/12 Offers by college ?/1 Exam results & college confirms place 19/8 Start as a ‘fresher’ 1/10

Finances ~£3,300/year tuition fees (UK government loan for EU students) living costs £6,800 – 8,000/year Oxford, £6, ,500/year Cambridge no loan for living costs for EU students but Cambridge bursary up to £3,400/year Extra income: family, company sponsorships, organ & choral scholarships, holiday jobs (26 weeks), part-time jobs, college prizes

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Action by teachers Students can apply directly through UCAS using online ‘Apply’ system. Or school can become a Centre and students can apply through Centre. Ask There is workshop 15/10/10 for ‘international agents’ UCAS needs Teacher Reference (up to 47 lines or 4,000 characters + Predicted grades) in English Predicted grades are the main basis for university offers Provide an informed academic assessment of suitability for further study: – their academic performance in post-16 education – their potential for academic success in higher education – why the course they have chosen is suited to them – personal qualities which will benefit them at university: skills, aptitude, enthusiasm – what they bring to the university: extra-curricular activities & interests. – comment on their ability to write /speak in English, say if they were taught in English. – give details & describe how they compare with others in their class. Read student’s application to understand intended career direction, chosen courses & universities. Do not repeat any of the student’s information, unless you want to comment on it. Do not name any particular university, because at this stage UCAS does not allow them to see the identity of the other institutions to which an applicant has applied - they will all read your reference. brief details about the school (size, type of school, number of students in student's year group and/or class sizes, proportion typically progressing to HE, typical qualifications achieved by students, school policy on predicted grades, school ‘catchment area’). “Reference should focus mainly on the student”