1. Applying to Oxford or Cambridge
Felicity Long – Student Recruitment Assistant

2. Presentation Overview
What we have to offer
Academic life
Choosing a College
Social life
Welfare and support
What are we looking for?
The application process
Interviews

3. What we have to offer Challenging, stimulating courses
Collegiate structure
Superb facilities
Top-rated teaching
Small teaching groups
Supportive environment
Information to include within talk:
Our degree courses are ‘traditional’ arts, science and social science subjects
Cover the subject field very broadly at first and narrow in focus each year
Predominantly assessed by end-of-year examinations
Students develop a range of transferrable skills useful in any career and greatly sought after by employers, eg the ability to:
think independently and on your feet
learn quickly
work under pressure

4. Academic life Tutorials / supervisions At least one per week
One tutor + usually two students
Exams: end of year, rather than termly
Degree classification based on exams

5. Academic life > courses
Courses vary between Oxford and Cambridge
Cambridge:
Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic
Architecture
Education
Land Economy
PPS (Politics, Psychology & Sociology)
Veterinary Medicine
Courses divided into ‘Parts’
Oxford:
PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics)
Classical Archaeology and Ancient History
Earth Sciences
Fine Art
Czech, Polish, Turkish
Joint Honours degrees

6. Choosing a College

7. Choosing a College > the college system
All students are members of both their College and University
Number of Colleges : 29 (Oxford) and 30 (Cambridge)
A College is…
Primary academic community
Centre of social life (‘mini campus’)
Provider of subsidised social activities
Information to include within talk:
It is the College which decides whether to make you an offer, and what this offer will be, but it is the University which awards your degree at the end of your studies

8. Choosing a College > how to decide
Common facilities include:
accommodation
JCR
library
dining hall and bar
computing facilities
sports facilities
welfare and support staff
Differences include:
subjects offered
size
number of students
location
specific facilities
Information to include within talk:
Whatever your College, the lectures you go to, the coursework you do and exams you sit will be exactly the same
Colleges are more alike than they are different
Colleges differ in terms of size, age, location, accommodation, facilities
Think of choosing a College in terms of choosing a home
Research: look at prospectuses (University and College), visit (during open days or at other times by arrangement)
Open applications – for equally well-qualified applicants, making an open application has no bearing on chances of being made an offer of a place
Applicants will not be asked why they chose a particular college – tutors are only interested in why they chose a particular course.
Background information for presenter to be aware of:
Cambridge
29 undergraduate Colleges
4 specifically for mature students (though all undergraduate Colleges accept mature applications) – Hughes Hall, Lucy Cavendish College, St Edmund’s College, Wolfson College
3 Colleges exclusively for women – Lucy Cavendish College, Murray Edwards College (formerly New Hall), Newnham College

9. Social life Sport, music and drama at every level College community
University clubs and societies
Pubs, clubs, bars, theatres
Freshers’ Fair
Information to include within talk:
Biggest challenge won’t be finding something to do, it’ll be trying to fit everything in AND keep up with studies
College and University clubs and societies – everything from music and sports, to literature, politics, performing arts, media, faiths, volunteering, cultural groups, and travel
Well over 500 at both universities
Background information for presenter to be aware of:
Sports available
Boxing; football; rugby; rowing; capoeira; caving; cricket; badminton; squash; athletics; urban sports; windsurfing; gliding; motorsports; cycling; darts; fencing; lacrosse; golf gymnastics; polo; water polo; ice hockey; hockey; Jiu-Jitsu; judo; kickboxing; kitesurfing; korfball; mountaineering; tennis; riding; rifle association; skydiving; skiing; snowboarding; kayaking; surfing; swimming; table tennis; table football; trampolining; triathlon; volleyball; wakeboarding; wrestling; yachting; yoga
Music and drama examples
Amateur Dramatics; Footlights; Baroque Music; Belly-dancing, breakdance; European Theatre Group; Indie Music Society; Misfits Swing Band; Musical Theatre Society; opera, tap and dance; jazz; wind orchestra; Triptych Theatre; Experimental Theatre Club; singing; Oxford Revue; Big Band; Gilbert and Sullivan
Also opportunities to get involved in the student newspapers and radio stations; charity work; or play a more active role in a College or University Students’ Union
Nightlife
Plenty of pubs, bars, clubs, big music venues, theatres
Both about 45 minutes out of London

10. Welfare and support Academic Pastoral Extensive bursary schemes
Students supporting students
University Counselling Services
Disability Service
Information to include within talk:
Academic: Tutor (Oxford) and Director of Studies (Cambridge) – keep an eye on students’ academic progress, can offer advice on option choices and point of contact for any queries/concerns relating to a student’s course
Pastoral: College staff (eg College nurse, non-denominational Chaplain etc) (both) and Personal Tutor (Cambridge) – to ensure students’ personal wellbeing
Bursary Schemes (for UK/EU students) – two of the most extensive Bursary Schemes in the UK

11. Welfare and support > Bursaries
Bursary
Household income
Bursary value (2010/11)
Start-up
Oxford
£0 - £17,999
£3,225
£875
£18,000 - £25,000 £0
£25,000 - £49,999
£3,225 - £200
Cambridge
£0 - £25,000
£3,400
£25,001 - £50,020
£3,150 - £50
Information to include within talk:
Available to UK and EU student (Cambridge); UK only (Oxford)
Two of the most extensive university bursary schemes available to UK students in the country
Available for each year of your undergraduate course, not just in your first year
Provided to help students meet their living costs (not tuition fees) while they’re studying at the University and make the most of their time there
Bursaries, not loans, so don’t have to pay them back at any time
At Oxford, students with a household income of up to £17,999 are also eligible for an additional ‘start up’ sum of £875 for their first year only
Most Colleges also offer various other prizes, grants and loans (eg book and travel grants)

12. Welfare and support > living costs
Accommodation £70 - £100 per week
- Pay only for term-time
Average meal £2 - £3
Minimal transport costs
Minimal study costs – extensive I.T. and library facilities
Social life – heavily subsidised, excellent facilities
The main package of financial support available to all eligible students consists of three elements; the Tuition Fee Loan, the Maintenance Loan and the Maintenance Grant.
As the names suggest, the Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan are repayable upon graduation. Loan repayment is covered later in the presentation.
The Maintenance Grant is a non-repayable additional amount available to students from lower and middle income backgrounds to help them through their Higher Education studies.
In addition to the standard package, some students may be eligible for additional amounts in the form of Supplementary Grants. These are available to eligible students in particular situations such as those with a disability or those who have children to encourage them into Higher Education. Further details are provided in the “Supplementary Grants” presentation module if required.
Higher Education Institutions also offer their own packages of support in the form of Bursaries and Scholarships. These differ between Institutions and students should check the amounts on offer directly with their chosen place of study. Further details are provided in the “Bursaries & Scholarships” presentation module if required.
Students enrolling on NHS or Social Work courses, or courses of Initial Teacher Training, are entitled to a different package of support. Further details are provided in the “NHS, Social Work & ITT” presentation module if required.

13. What are we looking for? Are you academically able?
Does Oxford and/or Cambridge offer a course you are passionate about?
Will you enjoy the challenging education Oxford and Cambridge offer?
Information to include within talk:
If you can answer ‘yes’ to these three questions, we would like to hear from you
We are looking for students who:
can most benefit from what we have to offer, whatever their background
enjoy a challenge and are academically able
have a sound knowledge base and a range of skills, with the potential to go beyond the syllabus and use this knowledge in unfamiliar situations
have wider engagement in the subject, expressed through an interest in new ideas and an enthusiasm for reading round the subject
have self-discipline, self-motivation and commitment

14. The application process
UCAS application
(Cambridge Special Access Scheme)
Complete online SAQ
(Cambridge)
Choose course and Ox/Cam College
Submit by 15 October
Background information for presenter to be aware of:
Cambridge Special Access Scheme (CSAS)
Asks schools/colleges to provide additional information and a much fuller reference than usual to enable the Cambridge Colleges to assess applicants more fairly, especially in deciding on appropriate levels for conditional offers.
All Colleges support the CSAS and students are eligible for the Scheme if either of the following apply:
Few people from their school/college proceed to higher education AND their family has little or no tradition of studying for a degree.
The student’s education has been significantly disrupted or disadvantaged through health or personal problems, disability or difficulties with schooling.
Further details and the CSAS form are available online at
Oxford Contextual Data
Oxford takes contextual data into account – we are currently evaluating the use of contextual data from the past two years, and are reviewing the process in time for the next admissions round
Contextual data which has been taken into account over the last two years includes:
an applicant’s school’s performance at GCSE
an applicant’s school’s performance at A level
whether an applicant has been in care
Written work / tests
Result of application
Interview
Choose ‘firm’ and ‘insurance’ choices
Exam results/ confirmation
Start university

15. The application process > what is considered
We treat each applicant as an individual
Information used in selection:
Academic record (eg GCSEs, AS and A levels, or equivalent)
Personal statement
School or college reference
Submitted written work, where requested
Test results, where required
Interview
Information to include within talk:
Admission to Oxford and Cambridge is highly competitive so to fairly assess our applicants we look at all aspects of each application – the interview isn’t the ‘final hurdle’
There’s no blueprint of an ideal student so every applicant is looked at within the context of their own personal set of circumstances. Therefore, each part of the application may vary in relative importance, depending on the candidate.

16. The application process > SAQ
Supplementary Application Questionnaire (Cambridge only)
Used to collect information not on the UCAS application
Ensures consistent information about all our applicants
Completed online, in multiple sessions if you want
Information to include within talk:
SAQ collects information not on the UCAS application that’s useful when assessing applications, such as topics covered in AS/A level (or equivalent) courses and UMS results achieved so far
Also, opportunity to add a Cambridge-specific personal statement if they wish
SAQ will automatically be ed to each applicant once their UCAS application is received
There will be a deadline for the SAQ to be completed and submitted (usually a week) – applicants are advised to look through this as soon as it’s received to check what information is required (some may need to be requested from teachers/their school)
Background information for presenter to be aware of:
Once the online UCAS application has been submitted, applicants will automatically be sent an with a link to the SAQ and asking them to complete it. There will be a deadline that the SAQ must be completed and submitted by (applicants will usually have approximately a week to do this). Therefore, applicants are advised to look through the SAQ straight away to see what information it is asking for and check when the deadline is as they may need to get some details from teachers/their school.
Topics covered in AS/A level (or equivalent) courses helpful for interviewers when deciding what questions to ask.
Cambridge-specific personal statement – don’t need to repeat what put in UCAS personal statement, this is only if the student has something very particular they wish to say about why they’re applying for the Cambridge course that they weren’t able/didn’t want to put in their UCAS personal statement. Won’t be disadvantaged for leaving blank.
SAQ can be completed over several sessions before they submit it – once submitted they applicants will be able to view/review their SAQ but will not be able to change anything.

17. The application process > admissions tests
n.b.: Many of these tests have a registration deadline of 15th October
Oxford
Medicine, Biomedical Sciences
Law
Economics and Management, PPE, Experimental Psychology, Psychology and Philosophy
Maths and Computer Science
English
History
Physics
Tests at interview for some subjects
Cambridge
Medicine, Veterinary Medicine
Law
Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) for some subjects
Some College-specific tests at interview
Information to include within talk:
BMAT – for Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Oxford (UKCAT for Graduate Entry Medicine). Taken before interview (date of test this year will be 3 November)
Cambridge Law Test / LNAT – for Law
TSA
Cambridge – Computer Science; Economics; Engineering; Land Economy; Natural Sciences; and Politics, Psychology and Sociology (PPS)
Oxford – PPE; Philosophy and Psychology; Experimental Psychology; and Economics and Management)
Maths Aptitude Test (Oxford) – taken by all students who are applying for Mathematics, the three joint degrees with Computer Science, Philosophy, Statistics and for Computer Science
ELAT – for English
College tests (Cambridge) will differ between Colleges and will be dependent on the subject
Cambridge
Cambridge Law Test, TSA and College tests usually taken when come for interview – Colleges will provide details of test arrangements in letter inviting applicant to interview
Oxford
Tests at interview for: Classics; Modern Languages; Fine Art; Economics; Language aptitude tests (for languages studied from scratch); Music; Philosophy; Oriental Studies; Language Aptitude Test (Islam and Judaism only)
Background information for presenter to be aware of:
STEP at Cambridge – an entry requirement rather than an admissions test. Almost always required for all offers for Maths and Computer Science with Maths
For notes on the various tests mentioned on this slide please see accompanying Word document.

18. Interviews
Normally two or more interviews, usually lasting minutes
Conducted by lecturers and are predominantly academic and subject-focused
Discussion-based and intellectually challenging
Check the websites for videos and further information
Information to include within talk:
Oxford interviews approximately 75%, Cambridge approximately 90% of applicants
Interviews usually held late November or during the first 3 weeks in December – please avoid making any unbreakable commitments for this time!
Discussion based and will challenge students to think in new ways and beyond what they know - combining existing knowledge with new material
Background information for presenter to be aware of:
The Interviews in Action film on the Cambridge website ( and podcasts on the Oxford website ( show what typical interviews are like so applicants know what to expect.

19. Interviews > what are tutors looking for?
Ability and potential to thrive
Self-motivation, commitment and passion
Ability to think independently and critically
Subject-specific selection criteria (see website)
No trick questions!
Information to include within talk:
Whether applicant’s interests and aptitudes are best suited to the course chosen
Genuine passion for the subject area
Enthusiasm for complex and challenging ideas
Clarity of thought and analytical ability
Intellectual flexibility
Where appropriate, vocational or professional commitment
Expect to think hard but remember that interviewers aren’t trying to catch anyone out
Very often no right or wrong answers to the questions so don’t panic if you don’t know the answer to a question - interviewers are looking to see how you think and apply what you do know to new challenges

20. Interviews > how to prepare
Refresh your memory about:
The course for which you applied
Recent school/college work
UCAS personal statement
Submitted work
Wider reading
Practice discussing academic work and ideas
Vocational subjects…

21. Interviews > outcome
Several possibilities:
Successful application
Unsuccessful application
Application placed in the ‘pool’ (Cambridge)
16,000 apply to each university…
10,000 are interviewed…
3,500 receive a place.
Overall, 1 in 5 applicants receives an offer
Information to include within talk:
At Oxford, you may be interviewed by more than one College in November/December
At Cambridge, if pooled, other Colleges consider your application:
they may offer you a place
they may recall you for interview
(Or the College that pooled you may offer you a place)
Background information for presenter to be aware of:
At Oxford, tutors from different Colleges exchange information and meet to consider everyone applying to study their subject, to ensure that the best candidates get places, irrespective of the College each applicant chose (or were allocated to, in the case of open applications). Therefore, it is possible that you will be interviewed by more than one College in November/December and a College other than your first choice College, may offer you a place.
At Cambridge, you will generally be interviewed by one College in December. It may be that your College, though impressed by your application, doesn’t have a place for you, or may wish to look at other applicants to other Colleges before confirming its last offers. In such cases, you application is ‘pooled’ and other Colleges are able to consider your application. If your application is pooled, you may be asked to attend an additional interview at another College or you may be offered a place without a further interview.
As at Oxford, Directors of Studies in each subject at Cambridge meet throughout the interview period to discuss the overall standard of applications and ensure all applicants are assessed fairly and by the same criteria.
Reasons for pooling:
To allow moderation – comparison of applicants across the Colleges before offers are made
To ensure applicants squeezed out by competition can be considered by other Colleges
To allow reassessment of applicants where indicators disagree

22. Finding out more Undergraduate Prospectuses Alternative prospectus
University websites
Regional Conferences
Open Days: 30th June/1st July (Oxford); 1st July/2nd July (Cambridge)
Contact the Oxford or Cambridge central Admissions Office, or any College’s Admissions Office