Oxbridge Admissions - Profiles

Application

University: Cambridge

College (if made an open application, allocated college): Pembroke

Course: Classics

Year in (not for!) which you applied: 2002

Final outcome: offer made

Applicant

Qualification: A-levels

When did you apply in terms of your qualification? pre-qualification

Are you a home/EU/overseas applicant? N/A

What is your country of origin? N/A

What type of school/college do/did you attend? Independent - selective

GCSE or a similar equivalent taken: yes (11 A*,1 A)

A-levels

A2: Classical Civilisation (NA at AS; predicted A; gained NA at A2)

A2: Latin (NA at AS; predicted A; gained NA at A2)

A2: Mathematics (NA at AS; predicted A; gained NA at A2)

Details about the offer

Type of offer: conditional

Specific conditions: A in Classical Civilisation, A in Latin

Other conditions: AAB

Have you accepted the offer? yes

Have you applied to other universities you consider very close, 'on par' or even better than oxbridge? (Ivies, Sorbonne, LSE..others for different subjects) N/A

Have you met the offer? grades pending/unknown

Decisions about the application

For what reasons did you apply to Oxbridge?

Best course in the UK, college system

How did you decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

better course, shorter (ie cheaper) course, nicer city, too much emphasis on philosophy at Oxford

Why did you choose this college/make an open application?

It was a nice size, very friendly and particularly strong in my subject

Preparation

Did your school/college give you any extra tuition or help prior to your interview or application? yes

A few practice translations, advice on personal statement

Do you have any advice for future applicants in terms of preparation?

Make sure you know all your course material thoroughly, a really good knowlegde of this is more useful than a vague knowledge of things you're not studying.

Interview

Did you have to sit any pre-interview exams (LNAT/BMAT/..)? no

Did you have to submit any written work prior to the interview? yes

One essay from Class Civ- I got a good mark, and felt I could talk confidently about it (in fact I didn't have to)

Did you have to take any exams as part of your interview(s)? yes

no, just the translation - my teacher gave me the old Oxford ones as preparation (download them from the Oxford website)

How was/were in general your interview(s)?

I had 3 - in Selwyn, Trinity Hall, Pembroke. in the first I had to translate a piece of Tibullus - I only managed about 5 lines though! The second was very informal and we hardly mentioned Classics at all. my personal statement was never referred to in any of the 3 interviews.

What questions were you asked during your interview(s)?

Why Classics/Cambridge/pembroke? Why not Oxford? How is the subject relevant to modern life? Are the Metamorphoses an epic? Was Ovid trying to moralise or entertain? What do you want to get out of your degree? Would Dido have thought Aeneas was considerate of other people? Was he? What do you make of Aeneid Book 6? is the Aeneid simply political propaganda supporting Augustus? Do you agree with the actions of Antigone?

What did you wear to your interview(s), and why?

skirt, jumper, boots -although there was no pressure to be smart, just be comfortable

Impressions

What was your general impression of the college that you applied to/any others you visited?

friendly, very beautiful

How was the food provided by the college?

Good

How did you find the tutors in the college?

enthusiastic, welcoming, informal

Final stage

Please describe what happened when you received the letter/the call telling you whether you had a place or not.

I was really pleased and relieved - I knew I had a good chance of getting in but you can never be sure

Looking back

If you were to re-live that year of your life again, would you still apply?

yes, it has the best course

What advice do you have for potential applicants based on your experiences?

Be confident. Don't expect the worst because they try hard to put you at ease. Don't be afraid to make and acknowledge mistakes.

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