Oxbridge Admissions - Profiles

Application

University: Oxford

College (if made an open application, allocated college): St Edmund Hall

Course: Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular

Year in (not for!) which you applied: 2008

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? home

What is your country of origin? United Kingdom

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

GCSE or a similar equivalent taken: yes (8 A*,1 A)

A-levels

AS: Mathematics (NA at AS)

AS: Religious Studies (A at AS (266 UMS))

A2: Biology (A at AS (260 UMS); predicted A; gained A at A2)

A2: Chemistry (A at AS (248 UMS); predicted A; gained A at A2)

A2: Physics (A at AS (278 UMS); predicted A; gained A at A2)

Details about the offer

Type of offer: conditional

Specific conditions: A in Biology, A in Chemistry, A in Physics

Other conditions: AAA

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) yes

Have you received offer(s) from them? yes

Have you met the offer? grades pending/unknown

Decisions about the application

For what reasons did you apply to Oxbridge?

I've never failed at anything (apart from History GCSE where got an A)

How did you decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

Oxford is better

Why did you choose this course?

Biochemistry is for lads

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

St Edmund hall love rugby and so do i

Preparation

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

oxbridge lessons

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

Do background reading and know AS chemistry and biology backwards. Practice doing reaction mechanisms under pressure (in front of a class etc)

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? no

Did you have to take any exams as part of your interview(s)? no

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

Based around AS chemistry and biology

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

That would be telling...

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

Shirt and jumper I liked and felt comfortable in (it doesn't matter what you wear)

Impressions

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

Relaxed and fun but not much money

If seen, please describe the college accommodation eg. size of rooms, facilities.

Rooms were small and basic but you'd put up with anything if it meant getting into oxford...

How was the food provided by the college?

Fine

How did you find the tutors in the college?

Fine

Generally, what were the college students like (from what you saw of them)?

Nice chaps / girls, perfectly normal

Final stage

Please describe your feelings during the time you waited for the decision.

Not too bothered about whether i got in or not. Hadn't got my hopes up and third interview had gone badly, already had offer from first choice college at durham so would have happily gone there

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

I opened the letter and read i'd got a place; i laughed

Looking back

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

Yes

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

Do background reading and make sure you can convey that you are really interested in your subject. Know your AS syllabus really well a lot of questions for many sciences are just AS questions. Sounds easy but it's hard to do it under pressure.

Feedback

We are sorry, but the owner of this profile has not given us his/her consent to provide the feedback service.