Oxbridge Admissions - Profiles

Application

University: Oxford

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

Course: Chemistry

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? post-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? Grammar School

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

A-levels

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

A2: History (A at AS; predicted A; gained A at A2)

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

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

Details about the offer

Type of offer: unconditional

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) no

Have you met the offer? grades pending/unknown

Decisions about the application

For what reasons did you apply to Oxbridge?

More interesting content to the courses than other uni's (full final year is research) ; tutorial system ; opportunity for serious sport/lifestyle.

How did you decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

Oxford is a better town - Cambridge seems like when the students leave at the end of term the town dies ; and I think has the prettier buildings.

Why did you choose this course?

Interest, subject I always enjoyed the most at school - made further reading quite easy.

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

Best location of all the colleges - aesthetically and logistically ; good sports/social reputation and not as high pressurred as some other colleges.

Preparation

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

mock interview

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

Further reading (undergrad textbooks etc) ; make sure you're fully prepared on any subject you raised in your personal statement.

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)?

1st was challenging and felt quite rushed (only 20mins) as they moved between topics and answers quite quickly.
2nd was better, felt like more time was avaliable, and the interviewer was really nice although again the questions were way off the AS/2 topics.

Please comment further on any particular aspects/topics of your interview(s).

1st was organic and inorganic
2nd was physical and maths

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

They worked out what I didn't know very quickly and asked questions on it - especially in the organic.

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

Chinos, nice shirt and smart loafers. Most people were in a suit or similar - those in casuals (trainers etc) looked like they weren't making an effort.

Impressions

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

Radcliffe square reminds you of Inspector Morse ; tutors, porters and students made a pleasant atmosphere, and there was a suprising but graifyingly low level of "geeks".

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

Room was the same size as in most halls in other unis visited, but quite high ceiling which made it feel bigger - had loo and sink as well.

How was the food provided by the college?

Perfectly decent, especially the breakfast.

How did you find the tutors in the college?

Did make me feel at ease and as relaxed as I could've been. First interviewers even apologised at the start that the interview was only 20 mins and so they wouldn't be trying to be amiable.

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

A pleasing absence of "geeks", that genuinly seemed to make an effort to keep the atmosphere welcoming.

Final stage

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

I thought I'd given as best an impression as I could've done so quite relaxed as they were either going to think I was good enough or not.

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

Christmas food shopping in waitrose...

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?

They don't care about extra curricular etc in the interview, nor these 'infamous' abstract questions you read about. It was about...chemistry

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