<p>I'm fifteen years old and I'm currently in 10th grade. For a long time it has been my dream to go to Oxford University to study English Literature. I've been doing research on the admissions process for a while now, even though applying to college is still a few years away. I have some questions about the application process that someone who's already gone through it can hopefully answer.</p>
<p>Is it necessary for an American to apply via UCAS? If so, how is it done?
Would you reccomend conducting your interview in America or flying to England? If you opt to do it in America, is it done telephonically or in person?
Is it true that Oxford does not really consider your GPA? (I read that somewhere and I was kinda shocked, haha. I know they place a lot of value on AP test scores and SAT II scores. And on their admissions website they go on and on about accepting students based on academic proficiency, so wouldn't they take your GPA into account?)
This is kind of a childish question but I'm curious; what is the interview like? </p>
<p>Also (and I suppose this is the main question), does a high school student with a 3.5 GPA but a 5-5-5 AP test record and a 2100 SAT score stand a chance of getting in?</p>
<p>Any answers to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated. (:</p>
<p>You have to apply via UCAS. It requires a personal statement and one teacher rec. The deadline falls sometime in October. </p>
<p>I believe some interviews are conducted in America, in New York. The interview is academic in nature, rather than personal. They ask academic questions (but of course the requisite questions about your personality.</p>
<p>It depends what the AP tests were, like are they relevant to your intended course of study?</p>
<p>I think you are a bit early in your research, as some of the answers to your questions may have changed by the time you actually apply. However, since the application deadline is 15th October the year before you wish to be admitted (eg 15 Oct 2009 was the deadline for students wishing to start October 2010), it is as well to be prepared!</p>
<p>
yes, UCAS is one common app for all UK schools. It is filled in online at [UCAS</a> - Home](<a href=“http://www.ucas.com%5DUCAS”>http://www.ucas.com) All instructions are on this site.</p>
<p>
In the past some interviewes were conducted in person in New York. However, this year, due to the credit crunch, these were cancelled. It’s possible to do a phone interview, but if you possibly can I would recommend visiting Oxford. Then you will have a better idea of whether you like it in reality (not just in movies), on cold, dark winter days.</p>
<p>
Your GPA is meaningless unless Oxford has someway of assessing all the other students in your school. They don’t know if you are top because you’re a genius, or because all the other students and stupid/lazy. UK students take a 2 year course of study called A-levels (which Americans believe is one exam, but it isn’t. It is class work and exams over two years) and the exams are graded nationally i.e. the grade shows how the student compares to every student in the country. This is why they prefer APs for US students.</p>
<p>
I have posted about my intverview at length on this site, and several other posters have posted about their own interviews. Use the search function. There are also videos of interviews on the Cambridge website (haven’t chekced Oxford, but they will be much the same) and on YouTube. </p>
<p>There is also a UK site similar to this one at
<a href=“http://www”>www</a>. the student room .co .uk
remove the spaces for the link to work. You may be able to find someone studying your subject (see below), to answer your questions there.</p>
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<p>Imposible to answer, but I would highly recommend more than 3 APs. In the UK there is no such thing as “liberal arts” (they might think that term was some kind of sculpture/drawing/painting class). You apply to study one subject (often called a “course”) and, with rare exceptions, you cannot change your mind. Therefore, they won’t look at grades no related to your course of study. For example, if you want to study English, if those APs are calculus, Chemistry and Physics, they will be useless. I suspect you know this, as your post says you want to apply for English literature, but just wanted to be clear.</p>