Oxbridge Admissions - Profiles

Application

University: Oxford

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

Course: Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular

Year in (not for!) which you applied: 2007

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? Comprehensive School

GCSE or a similar equivalent taken: yes (6 A*,2 A,1 B)

A-levels

AS: Critical Thinking (A at AS)

AS: English Literature (B at AS)

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

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

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

Details about the offer

Type of offer: conditional

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

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) N/A

Have you met the offer? grades pending/unknown

Decisions about the application

For what reasons did you apply to Oxbridge?

Quite simply because Oxford is the best university in the country for my course.

How did you decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

Didn't like NatSci at all - also, I think Oxford is a nicer city.

Why did you choose this course?

It is the best Science! - it explains life.

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

I was stuck for ages between Trinity and Exeter - but when for Trinity in the end because I thought it looked nicer, and because it was "supposed" to be better for biochemistry

Preparation

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

They set up a few practice interviews- in all honesty, they were crap and nothing like the real thing but meh.

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

Read around - find subjects that interest you and take them further - Nick Lane and Matt Ridley are good authors to check out.

Interview

Did you have to sit any pre-interview exams (LNAT/BMAT/..)? yes

Wooop!

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

Woop!

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

Wooop!

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

It was very relaxed. I had one at Trinity and one at Corpus Christi.

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

At Trinity it was more academic, they asked me about oxidative phosphorylation and photophosphorylation - asking me to compare the two (similarities, differences). They also asked me to talk about a book I had mentioned - they asked me to draw two optical isomers and discuss they're uses (I think i just blurted out "err medicinal!") haha.

At Corpus it was a little more relaxed, they asked me why biochemistry and why oxford. They then asked about anything interesting I had recently read - i talked about something i read in new scientist.

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

see above

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

A navy blue jumper and smartish trousers - no need at all to wear a suit! those who do are trying to impress through their clothes and not their brains. But also dont dress too "scruffily".

Impressions

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

It's amazing! Typical Oxford college :D

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

The rooms were a good size and the kitchen/bathrooms were alright.

How was the food provided by the college?

Not sooo amazing - but oh well, can buy food.

How did you find the tutors in the college?

REALLLY helpful and talkative! they were just really nice people.

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

One was an arsehole - but we ignored him, the other, a girl, was really friendly, she talked lots about how great Trinity is which got a bit boring - but they're all like that.

Final stage

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

Hmm not tooo bothered - I had stuff at school to do, and I had applied to other unis that I would be equally happy to go to.

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

...However, when I received the letter I went mental!! "WOOOOOP!!!" - jumping up and down etc...very happy moment.

Looking back

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

YES! even if i had been rejected - it's just a good experience. Most students don't really have 5 unis that they really really really want to go to or can realistically see themselves at, Oxford just takes up one space, why not go for it!

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

GO FOR IT!

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