Oxbridge Admissions - Profiles

Application

University: Cambridge

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

Course: Archaeology & Anthropology

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

Final outcome: pooled, offer made (Girton)

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? United Kingdom

What type of school/college do/did you attend? Grammar School

Pooled by Fitz, Girton then made an offer without additional interviews.

GCSE or a similar equivalent taken: yes (3 A*,5 A,3 B)

A-levels

AS: Critical Thinking (NA at AS)

AS: Economics (A at AS (95 UMS))

AS: General Studies (A at AS (95 UMS))

AS: History (B at AS (78 UMS))

AS: Psychology (A at AS (91 UMS))

AS: Religious Studies (A at AS (93 UMS))

Psychology prize awarded by my school.

Details about the offer

Type of offer: conditional

Specific conditions: A in Economics, A in Psychology, A in Religious Studies

Other conditions: AAA

Have you accepted the offer? undecided yet

Not received all other offers yet

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? N/A

Cambridge is top, waiting for UCL, offers from bristol and durham

Decisions about the application

For what reasons did you apply to Oxbridge?

Best quality of education in the country. Great course, great campus, excellent reputation.

How did you decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

Cambridge course is broader, more physical anthropology.

Why did you choose this course?

People are interesting.

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

More relaxed and less pompous than others, both Fitz and Girton.

Preparation

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

Mock interview with 2 teachers who went to oxbridge.

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

Read a lot, you will look a dick if you don't know what you have applied to study. Be enthused, your supposed to love the subject! Relax - if you don't get in its not the end of the world.

Interview

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

Nope.

Did you have to submit any written work prior to the interview? no

Yes, 2 essays.
One was psychology, one was RS. Both ones that I had done in the past year, both 100%, slightly re-worded to make them sound better.

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

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

Good - first was subject, then a general interview that as far as I could tell was still totally focused on the subject. The staff were really friendly and not at all intimidating - felt like more of a chat then the interrogation I had imagined!

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

The general had a picture of a roman tomb stone, I had to ask the interviewer questions (what was found with it, what does the inscriptions say etc), to build up a picture of the artifact. I made a cock-up in subject as the the guy asked me about to talk about one of the items on the table and i talked about the newspaper which was there to stop the other items scratching the glass - but it went well and he found it funny and so we talked about news paper!

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

Talk about the social anthropology of a coke can, newspaper and brick. Talk about the reading I had done. Why did Neanderthals die out? Can art be used to communicate? Why were cave paintings made? What does this piece of ancient Korean art represent? Why arch and anth? why is a hierarchy essential? The roman tomb thing ^^.

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

Shirt, jumper, chinos. Not too formal, but not scruffy. My interviewer did not wear shoes so I may have felt over dressed in a suit.

Impressions

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

Relaxed, friendly supportive.

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

Standard Uni rooms but very high quality.

How was the food provided by the college?

N/A ate in a pub next to St Johns

How did you find the tutors in the college?

Relaxed and hugely friendly, did not feel under too much pressure.

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

Nice, met an arch and anth first year student in the waiting room who as very friendly and made me feel more relaxed.

Final stage

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

Assumed I did not get in - means you never get disappointed.

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

Hi this is so and so calling from girton, we received your application from the pool and would like to make you an offer...

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?

Read - try and look for academic papers published by staff from the college. Know a broad base around your subject. Don't be afraid to say 'I don't know' - its better than bullshitting. Don't get too worked up about it.

Feedback

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