The Oxbridge application process
Hey, stxdywarrior here! Iâve recently just applied to Cambridge University to study English, and I wanted to share my tips and experiences to help you if youâre interested in applying. First of all, if youâre applying to Oxford or Cambridge, thatâs great! Theyâre both amazing universities, and applying is going to be challenging but so rewarding. I have no doubt that youâll excel, whatever you want to do.
Please share this and add to it if you wish to!
A quick note: While this masterpost is general, I have to stress that lots of these tips may only apply to humanities subjects. I donât have much to say about the sciences, Iâm afraid. If you are applying for a science, however, I still hope you can find some great content in here for you.
Okay, first thingâs first: the application itself. Applying to Oxbridge is different because you have to have your UCAS form sent by October 15th (while everyone else has the luxury of waiting until January), and while that sounds stressful, itâs a great feeling to get it done early, trust me. And this means having applied to ALL your chosen universities, not just Oxford or Cambridge.
Another thing thatâs different about Oxbridge is that theyâre collegiate universities, so youâll have to choose a college. Or, you can choose to make an open application, meaning youâll be assigned a college later by the university. Donât stress too much about this stage - people choose certain colleges for all sorts of reasons, and theyâre all good anyway. I chose my college because it was small and had good student wellbeing services.
Because the deadline is so early, I would recommend you start thinking about your personal statement by Summer, so that when you get back in September, you can hit the ground running. Here are a few tips I have for your personal statement:
 Get all the help you can. And by this I mean: ask everyone you know who might be helpful to have a look over it. This means teachers, family members, classmates, and anyone you know whoâs recently been through the same process you are going through.
That being said, make sure all of the opinions donât leave you at see. I found it really hard when one person was telling me one thing and another was telling me the opposite, but I learned to balance my OWN judgements with other peoplesâ.
Donât worry about the character count until your last drafts. Make sure you nail the content first.
It doesnât matter how many drafts you have to get through, as long as you save all the drafts. I think I got through like 14 drafts?
Donât JUST write it for Oxbridge. What I mean is, the other universities on your list matter too. So even though Oxbridge donât care much about your extracurriculars, that doesnât mean you should ignore them.
It isnât about quantity, itâs about quality. Even if youâve only done a few things, if you write about them well, then theyâre still just as impressive.
A tip not everyone hears is that the universities want to hear about your personal response to things. Donât just say you read a book; say how it made you feel, and why you were interested in it. Use phrases like âI was fascinated byâ and âthis intrigued meâ. Iâm serious.
Remember that your personal statement is literally the hardest piece of writing you have to do. Itâs easy to feel daunted by it, but there are plenty of resources out there to help.
Supplementary Application Questionnaire (Cambridge only)
If youâve applied to Cambridge, youâll soon get ask to do the SAQ. This isnât a big deal, but itâs quite a long form to fill out, so itâs best to do it carefully and start early. Youâll be asked things like what modules youâve studied in your a levels, and you have to include a profile photo of yourself. At the end, you can also write an additional personal statement. This is optional, but just for reference, my one included some things Iâd done that I hadnât included on my personal statement, and I related them to some of the specific modules on the Cambridge course.
Depending on which subject youâre applying for, you may be asked to sit an exam. This will be typically registered through your school or college, and itâs important to make sure you sign up before the deadline (which will be set by your school). The exams happen around late October.
As I was applying for English, I took the ELAT (English Literature Admissions Test). In the ELAT I was given six texts (poems or novel excerpts), all linked by a theme, and I had to pick two to âcompare and contrastâ. So there was no set structure, and I couldnât strictly revise for it. In terms of preparation, you can find past papers, and it also helps to do language analysis of some unseen poetry just so youâre used to it. You will NEVER be tested on things you donât know; theyâre more looking for the way you form and present an argument.
Depending on which subject youâre applying for (mainly humanities), you may be asked by email to submit essays to your chosen college. I was asked to send in two essays that Iâd done in a school setting (I got to choose, whew), and I needed to print four copies of each (no idea why) and get my teachers to sign it to prove it was my work. The essays canât be edited.
One thing to note is that, while Oxford usually let you email them, Cambridge are still in the Dark Ages and will only receive them by post. So if youâre applying to Cambridge and are a confused millennial like me, who literally never uses post, Iâd get the essays in early.
Another thing is that my college constantly emailed me reminders about the essay deadline, so unless you live under a rock you canât miss it.
As the final stage of the application process, you will (hopefully!) be invited to interview. Theyâll let you know by email in late November. Cambridge typically invite about 80% of applicants, whereas Oxford invite less, which I think is about 50%. So if you get an interview, congratulations! And donât panic. People say itâs the biggest factor in the process, when in reality the universities treat each part of your application equally.
Interviews are done differently by each university. In Oxford, youâll be asked to stay at your college for a few days, because not only do your college interview you, but your application is sent around other colleges, so you could be invited to interview at another college at any time. (Sorry I canât shed more light on this, as I didnât apply to Ox.) In Cambridge, you only get interviewed by one college, and you have the option of staying overnight or just going for the day.
While you donât need to go overboard with this one, do read a lot around your subject in the few weeks beforehand, so that if they ask, âso, what have you been reading lately?â, youâve got a lot to say.
If you have the opportunity to do a practise interview, take it. My school organised one for me, but even if your school doesnât, find someone - like a teacher - who can do it for you. Even if itâs them just grilling you on your personal statement, at least youâll be used to articulating your arguments in an interview setting.
If you sent in essays, make sure you read over those essays beforehand. They asked me about one of mine.
Map out some generic questions that they might ask you. For English, for example, I researched questions like, âis it better to read a play or see it in production?â and âwhatâs the difference between literacy and literature?â and even âwhat is literature?â
Youâll be notified by email the professors who will be interviewing you. Iâd recommend looking them up (theyâll be on your college website) and finding out what they specialise in.
Read over your personal statement as many times as you have to. Theyâre very likely to ask you about something on there.
This sounds cliche, but PLEASE look after yourself before the interview. It always takes place right at the end of a really busy term, so watch out for colds and things (Iâm telling you this because I was recovering from a chest infection when I interviewed, and had only just got my voice back RIP)
If youâre doing a humanities subject, you might be given a source or written extract to look at before one of the interviews, and then theyâll discuss it with you. Iâd bring lots of highlighters for you to annotate. (I was expected to just be given a poem for English, but I actually got a poem AND part of a critical essay. Go figure.)
No one cares what youâre wearing. I mean, wear sensible stuff, but thereâs no need to try to hard.
This is a bit random, but my teacher told me to make a list of all the things I love about my second choice university the night before, to remind myself that Oxbridge isnât everything. Believe it or not, it worked.
You have to expect to be put on the spot, and this means on-your-feet thinking. I heard they can smell a rehearsed answer from a mile away.
When youâre waiting to interview, youâll probably meet loads of other applicant like you. Itâs up to you whether you chat with them or not - I know some people like to keep themselves to themselves to keep their focus, while I personally loved getting to know people, as chatting helped me stay calm. Either way, everyoneâs in the same boat, so donât worry.
If youâre like me, and easily get distracted by social media, Iâd recommend staying off it for the whole day if you can. I did this, and it helped me protect my mental space and keep out negative thoughts.
Some of your interviewers might come across as a bit scary. They might also disagree with everything you say, which can be off-putting. Try not to worry too much if this happens - stand your ground.
When you make an argument, be prepared to justify it, but also, if you want to change your mind, do it. The interviewers are looking for a teachable mind, not someone whoâs right all the time and knows everything, so show you have an open mind.
Once the interviewâs over, all you have to do is get some well-deserved rest and wait! Try not to overthink how it went, because in reality you have no idea. Some people think they did awfully, but end up getting an offer, so.
Okay, hereâs the truth: Oxbridge is not the be-all and end-all. It just isnât. Your worth and intelligence cannot be defined by an institution.
For when youâre waiting for a decision: think of Oxbridge as a bonus. This is what I did: I had another university as my âfirst choiceâ, so that Cambridge was just an extra.
If you donât get an offer: You will be so happy at wherever you decide to go instead. Think of it as Oxford or Cambridgeâs loss, not yours - hundreds of applicants who are very much smart enough to get a place donât, and that isnât because they arenât good enough.
While itâs okay to feel disappointed, itâs best to focus on the amazing learning experience that applying has been. Youâve shown yourself that you can handle all that while still maintaining your priorities and sense of self. So you should STILL be proud.
If you do get an offer: Congratulations! Party time. Except itâs not time to party just yet, because youâve still got to get the a level grades to secure your spot.
I hope this helped! Donât hesitate to ask me anything else you want to know.
Just tagging a few people who have been through the same process/have asked about it: @rebeccaravenclaw @littlebitofstudy @lesbianlondongrammar @sectumsempracurse
