<p>Hello all, I'm currently in 11th grade in America, and I have my mind set on applying to University of Oxford in 2010. I read online that I'll have to take 3 AP tests and score a 5, or 3 SAT subject tests with a 700 or better. Yikes! Any advice for that?</p>
<p>Also, I'm planning on applying to their Physics department, and I'll have to take a Math/Physics admissions test in fall 2010. The problem is, my school only has one physics course and I'm taking it this year! I might forget a lot of the material by this next fall. Should I take a physics course over the summer?</p>
<p>And IF I pass the admissions test, I'll have to interview there in December. Do I have to fly all the way to England? I guess if I'm accepted, I'll have to get used to flying back and forth to England..</p>
<p>Any advice on how to prepare would be much appreciated!</p>
<p>Check this over on the thread that is for Study Abroad. There are several US kids who are at Oxford right now that can tell the tale. This year, I know the application process changed just a bit, because my D wanted to apply. DO exactly what you’re doing now, check thoroughly into what you need for your major. You study one thing and one things only at Oxford so you need to REALLY want to study only that. I know that my D wanted to apply, and she did have the stats, but she wanted to major in PP (physics/philosophy). She came to this realization too late, and will have only Honors physics but they require “advanced” (2nd year) physics. They do NOT let things like that slide, they recommend you complete a year in the US and get what you need THEN reapply (many majors require only 3 years’ study anyway). One poster said they “require” at least 700s to be competitive, but that they really PREFER to have all 750s. Dunno if that’s true, but I think it pretty much holds true for top Ivies too, so…makes sense. Just FYI. As for the tests, what did your PSAT look like? Over 210 I assume? That relates to a 700 in each of the 3 sections of SAT I. Though I will say my D was both up and down on her SAT IIs. She was 740/740/730 on SAT, but then 780/750…and 620/700 on SAT IIs! </p>
<p>Just plan on several sittings to take a lot of them AND remember that you won’t have a lot of your APs until AFTER you graduate. That makes it tough because Oxford often makes an offer based on your predicted senior grades, which would include AP grades for U.S. citizens. You won’t get those until July after your senior year, but you’d have had to accept an offer at a US college long before that. So you’d need to plan on either getting 5’s on APs as a Junior, OR getting some stellar SAT IIs. </p>