oxbridge admissions

> mattirose

Application

University: Oxford

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

Course: Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)

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? Comprehensive School

GCSE or a similar equivalent taken: yes (12 A*,2 A,1 D)

A-levels

I am taking A-levels in:

Maths, Economics, English Literature, Philosophy and Ethics, Politics, Psychology, Sociology and General Studies.

I recieved straight A grades at AS, and am predicted straight As at A2. My marks at AS level varied, some were high As, some were just mediocre, but my school doesn't declare our AS results anyway (the only way the universities know is if we have it written in our references we got all As)

Details about the offer

Type of offer: conditional

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? N/A

Have you met the offer? grades pending/unknown

Decisions about the application

For what reasons did you apply to Oxbridge?

My grades were strong enough, i've a sister at cambridge so was very aware of the prestige of Oxbridge, and i absolutely love the course.

How did you decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

I knew i wanted to study politics, and Cambridge do far worse in legue tables for it. Also, when i found out about PPE, i prefered the pairing of politics with the 'E' and 'P' rather than the other disciplines in SPS which is the politics course at Cambridge.

Why did you choose this course?

It just seems to me that all of the disciplines corroborate and compliment one another perfectly! I also really enjoy the study of each of them.

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

I just walked in on the Oxford open day and fell in love with Christ Church!

Preparation

Did your school/college give you any extra tuition or help prior to your interview or application? no

No.

Interview

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

TSA Oxford with an essay question.

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

No.

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

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

One went well, one went badly...or so i felt afterwards anyway.

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

politics- something from personal statement i was asked to expand on a concept.
economics- discussion followed by an AS/top GCSE level maths question.
philosophy- discussion on moral dilemma/laws.

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

Heels! (they make me feel empowered ;) )

Impressions

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

Fantastic! i had a massive living room all to myself + bedroom.

How was the food provided by the college?

Good.

How did you find the tutors in the college?

Encouraging, particularly politics took care to 'put at ease', gentle start to interview etc.

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

Helpful, approachable.

Final stage

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

Awful! only had to wait 1.5 weeks, but was unbearably nervous.

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

I was just generally elated!

Looking back

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

Absolutely, even if i hadn't got in, i learnt alot from the interviews and experience.

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

Read your subject- not because you will talk about it at interview (well i didn't), but because; a) it's your subject you should find it interesting and want to read it anyway, b) it shows through in you're intellegence, analysis and terminology used etc, c) it will make you feel much more prepared and calm before the interview.

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