Getting into Oxbridge: 7 Ways to Boost your Chances
Competition for top university places seems to increase year on year. Yet, students are still scrabbling to write their personal statements, prepare for admissions tests and interviews in the summer immediately preceding application. The truth is, gaining acceptance to the best universities in the world, such as Oxford and Cambridge or Ivy League Schools, should be a long term endeavour.
The application process to Oxford and Cambridge is extremely challenging, not only requiring candidates to have the highest exam grades, but also to excel in admissions tests, submit written work and tackle multiple interviews with leading professors. School grades play a part in securing an interview, but these universities are not looking for students who can regurgitate facts and tick assessment criteria boxes, they are looking for original, curious and logical thinkers, who can use their current knowledge to look for new solutions.
Oxford and Cambridge place a large weight on their own application processes, such as submitted work, admissions tests and interviews, as opposed to students’ school grades. With that in mind, find out how you can prepare early for Oxbridge entrance and develop skills that are integral to a successful application.
Seven Ways To Enhance your Oxbridge Application
1. Ensure you have a genuine interest in your subject
Admissions tutors can see right through students who are insincere in their passion for their course of application. That’s why choosing the right course is crucial to a successful application. What are you most curious about or what would you like to explore further? Intellectual curiosity is the driving force behind a successful Oxbridge application and the process of completing any university degree.
It may be that you don’t know that much about a course that piques your interest on an Oxford or Cambridge course page. The wealth of courses available are not all taught at school and indeed, professors consider it better for you not to have studied certain subjects at A Level. For example, psychology at A Level is vastly different to the type of psychology taught on the Experimental Psychology Oxford course. Additionally, some courses are not taught at school at all: Law, Classical Archaeology and Anthropology, Human Sciences, Linguistics…How can you know what interests you within a course you have never studied? The key to effective Oxbridge preparation is to engage in prolonged independent study and exploration. Which brings us nicely on to:
2. Independent research and study (of topics outside the curriculum)
If there is anything to take away from this article, it is this. Admissions tutors do not want to interview students who are carbon copies of each other; thousands of students applying for a particular course will be taking the same examination board for their A Level or IB and therefore covering the same material. To stand out in your Oxbridge entry preparation, you will need to attempt to acquire or develop expertise and skills relevant to your interests within your course of application. By engaging with topics of interest through reading, critical debate and research projects, you will hone independent research skills and experience putting them into practice and hopefully develop a passion for your subject that can translate in your personal statement and at interview.
IDEAS FOR RESEARCH & EXPLORATION
We have an entire co-curricular division dedicated to helping students build evidence of wider subject exploration & pursue their interests: Minds Underground. A few of our offerings:
Free: We host a fantastic array of essay competitions & our Curious Minds mailing list offers students the chance to receive resource suggestions personalised to their interests
Specialised Work Experience/ Research Projects: E.g. “A project on economic recovery with a COVID-19 Policy Advisor for the UK Cabinet Office” or “Modelling Blood Flow in a Dementia Brain with an Engineer”
Clubs & Courses: STEM, Law, Medicine, Debate…
3. Honing Essay writing skills
Oxbridge degrees in most subjects (less so in maths and some sciences), are largely essay-based. You will be expected to write 1 or 2 essays a week and discuss them with subject experts in tutorial sessions of one or two students. It is for this reason that demonstrating essay writing ability is central to your Oxbridge application preparation and a key tenet of the admissions procedure. Oxbridge not only require personal statements, but frequently assess your interpretative, comprehension and essay writing skills through admissions tests and submitted work. Say you are applying for Oxford’s tripartite Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) course or Oxbridge Law - you will be required to complete the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) for Oxford PPE and the LNAT for Law applications, both of which feature a large essay writing section.
To practise your essay writing skills, why not take part in an essay competition? For example, a number of Oxford and Cambridge colleges host their own essay competitions for students in Year 12, the Financial Times and Royal Society of Economics run an essay prize for the Young Economist of Year and the BBC offers short story competitions for young adults. These provide a great opportunity to delve deep into a topic of interest outside of school, develop research skills and you can mention them in personal statements to demonstrate your academic ability.
4. Interpretative skills and creativity
A common pitfall for Oxbridge candidates at interview, is sticking too closely to their personal statement or material they have revised and rehearsed. The reason Oxford and Cambridge are notorious for asking abstract and unfamiliar questions is to ensure they spot the students who have the most aptitude for the course, not those who have been overly coached to answer set questions on set topics. Yet, students can prepare for the unexpected by developing skills in analytical and creative thinking and honing their ability to interpret material on a range of cross-cutting topics.
It is likely that the interviewer will find the limit of your knowledge in a given topic, and then try to see if they can prompt you into reaching more advanced conclusions that you wouldn’t have been able to reach alone. In most cases they are not interested in the answer. They will first discover what you don’t know, then they will give you a clue or a bit of information and will expect to see how you use that information, combined with your prior knowledge, to reach the next step towards the answer. Students who can talk through their logical thinking will display that they can learn on the spot, a crucial component of application as this is how most learning happens at Oxbridge in tutorials and supervisions.
U2 Tuition Tip: To demonstrate your interpretative skills, ensure every time you include a theory, book or author in your personal statement, you give your opinion on it. There is no point name-dropping books without giving your interpretation. Similarly, be prepared to expand on any concepts included at interview and present an original opinion. At U2, our Oxbridge mentoring sessions mimic the high level of critical discussion expected of students at interview and Oxbridge tutorials/ supervisions to ensure they can go into the real thing with confidence.
5. Focus on interdisciplinarity - Make links between subjects, topics etc.
Interdisciplinary study is central to a large number of Oxbridge degrees. Just think about how many you can think of with abbreviated initials: PPE, HSPS (Human, Social and Political Sciences), PPL (Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics), Natural Sciences (a combination of possible modules in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, Materials, Earth Sciences etc.) and that is not to mention the cross-cutting nature of single subject degrees and the existence of joint honours courses. Geography, for instance, transcends politics, economics, sociology, anthropology, the list goes on. Recognising interdisciplinarity and the ability to make connections between different topics, and to appreciate similarities and differences, is an invaluable skill. When writing your personal statement, ensure you link between paragraphs and topics discussed and think about the wider ramifications across related subjects.
6. Resourcefulness
A common trait of successful Oxbridge candidates is the ability to engage in independent study and be resourceful in approach. Go to a variety of sources of information in your independent research: podcasts, lectures, books, museums, work experience. Work on your oxbridge entrance preparation by developing a broader intellect by engaging with the world around you.
Podcasts
Podcasts are a great way to expand your knowledge of a chosen subject area and are perfect listening material for journeys to school. Some excellent options are listed below, and we have a dedicated Podcasts page on our Minds Underground site with further suggestions:
Weekly episodes in which Melvyn Bragg hosts a panel of expert guests for a fast-paced discussion on a chosen topic, ranging across science, religion, culture and history.
This podcast discusses authors both living and dead, framing them within wider literary trends and schools of thought to leave you tickled – each episode’s reading list is the perfect follow up activity!
The Documentary Podcast – The BBC
This excellent series investigates the latest global developments, issues and affairs to help you go beyond the headlines.
Lectures
Another great option is attending the many events and lectures that take place on a regular basis in London. The Royal Institute hosts fantastic lectures on science, and museums and galleries across London, such as the British Library, have excellent events programmes. Due to COVID-19, these may not be accessible for a while, but why not look for some online lectures? Many reputable institutions such as LSE or City Law, record their popular debates and lectures.
Recommended reading
Journals and newspapers are an excellent resource for you to engage with current affairs. You should also try to read opinion pieces as well as shorter, snappier content in order to practice digesting and engaging with the news in a thoughtful manner. Try to read a selection of articles on the topic to appreciate the variety of angles and opinions. Some great resources include:
The Economist published weekly in print, five articles per month accessible free of charge or unlimited for a subscription
New Scientist published weekly in print, accessible behind a pay wall for a student subscription
The Guardian published daily in print, accessible free of charge online
The New York Times Opinion section is particularly useful for students to gain exposure to intellectual and well informed debate that enhances the quality of news and information
7. Confidence, public speaking / debating
One of the main skills needed in an academic interview is the ability to think clearly on your feet, under pressure and out loud. Many candidates find that while they may be able to answer a whole host of challenging questions on paper, when it comes to verbalising their thought processes, they have difficulty. Even in maths, the ability to parse logical notation and become familiar with converting verbal statements into formal notation and vice versa, will help you to think logically, in a rigorous and efficient manner.
Practise explaining concepts to friends or engage in debating to build confidence in communication and develop analytical skills. Watching debates on YouTube can be very helpful and we would recommend Sam Harris, who also has a fantastic podcast (https://samharris.org/podcast/). Try to also adopt his rational, logical style of arguing. We also run regular debate sessions with Oxbridge-educated UK National Debate Team Coaches and World Championship level debaters. Check out our Debate Hub for more details!
These are just some of the key skills you can think about developing at an early stage. Show admissions tutors you will thrive in the environment by developing confidence in your opinion, refining your problem solving capabilities and extending your knowledge. That way, come October of your final school year, you will be able to submit a genuine and well-thought out application.
Start Early Oxbridge Preparation With Our Oxbridge Tutors
Looking to boost your chance of success? We make building an extracurricular profile and research experience easy for you with our online off-curriculum learning platform, Minds Underground (Summer Schools, Research Projects, Clubs & Courses and Masterclasses), and wider Oxbridge mentoring programmes. Book a consultation to discuss programme options with one of our team.
The Tuition Process
1) Following an initial consultation, we suggest an Oxbridge mentor and send their full CV for review. We will select a tutor with a similar background to the student, from their Number 1 degree course (or someone who can advise on course choice if the student is as yet undecided). We may suggest a range of tutors to choose from with slightly differing rates depending on qualifications and level of experience.
2) We typically suggest beginning with a 1.5 hour diagnostic session, where the tutor will get to know the student, informally assess their current performance level and identify strengths and weaknesses. Following this, we issue a report with feedback, make sure you are happy with the tutor, and structure a plan for future sessions.
3) Regular sessions: Following the first session, the tutor/s will curate a plan for further sessions, which may involve:
Knowledge building: Giving the student exposure to exciting material that goes beyond the school syllabus
Skill building: Honing skills to excel in admissions tests e.g. problem solving skills for STEM subjects, essay writing and critical thinking skills
Personal statement content brainstorming: Exploring high level ideas and endeavours to mention on the personal statement
Interview preparation: Each session is structured like an Oxbridge tutorial or supervision to get the student accustomed to the high level debate/ discussion Oxbridge admissions tutors mimic in interviews.
Sessions from £75/h + VAT.