Hey, so I’m a freshman in High School right now but I’m planing on applying to Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, and many other out-of-country schools when I’m applying. My mother went to Oxford, and I have a British Passport but I’ve never lived there- does anyone know if I can still count as a British Citizen for applications? Also, how can I stand out to schools like Oxford who don’t look at transcripts. Thank you!
Well, if your mum went to Oxford (as a full-time student, not an exchange student) then she can tell you that rule #1 is that you can’t apply to both Oxford & Cambridge.
She will also know that rule #2 for UK universities is that you apply to study a single subject (or specific joint subjects)- and that is all you study, so you want to be really sure that it is something you want to study intensively for 3/4 years.
The third part of your question your mum might not know, which is that it is residency (specifically tax residency), not citizenship that determines your status. About 60 students a year get into Oxford from America, and about half of those are resident in the US but are citizens of other countries, including the UK. Having a UK passport means you won’t have to hassle with a visa, though.
The answer to your last question- how to stand out- is that you show your interest in, and aptitude for, the subject you want to study, in part by what you do beyond school requirements. You will also want to plan your standardized testing, so that you will have APs / SATII subject tests in relevant subjects (and a 2100 or better SAT). Depending on the subject, there are also Oxford specific aptitude tests that you take in the fall of your senior year.