Hi,
Coming to the decision that it couldn’t hurt to try and apply for Oxford, I just wanted to know how I stand as an applicant.
SAT I: 1470
CR: 780
Math: 690
AP English Lang & Comp: 5
AP US History: 5
AP European History: Still unreleased ;(
SAT II US History: 800
SAT II Literature: 700
Considering I’ll apply for English, I’ll definitely retake the SAT II Literature (even though it has the lowest mean score, 613, of any subject test).
I just wanted to know if it was crucial I score much higher on the SAT, considering the minimum score for Oxford is 1470, or it’d be a waste of time to take the ELAT. I’ll probably retake the test anyways, but how much emphasis does Ox put on getting an SAT that’s 1500+. Would they care more about the fact I score 780 on CR considering I’m an English applicant?
I really am a person who’s extremely passionate about reading and think that will be apparent on the interview if I have such luck.
Thanks
Once you have cleared the SAT requirement, a higher score isn’t going to matter. Your LoR & PS will matter more, and the ELAT much, much more than getting 30 more points on the SAT.
Thanks so much!
So you do in that case reccomend focusing on retaking the SAT Literature?
Are you taking AP lit this year? Is so, I wouldn’t bother re-taking the subject test.
I plan to, though the scheduling could possibly not work out, especially considering I live in Chicago which has the most infamously dysfunctional public education system in the country lol.
But when Oxford says they require three APs/SAT II’s, do they mean by the time of your application or before they accept you? Because if they mean by the time of the application, I probably should send in my SAT Lit, unless my AP Euro is released by that time. And if I do send it in, do you think they’ll turned off by a 700 (their minimum)?
I mean I already have met their requirements, it’s just that I’ve met the bare minimum (an SAT 1470, 2 AP 5’s, and an SAT II 700). Can this secure me an interview if I do well on the ELAT?
The majority of Oxford applicants apply with tests still to take- your recommender or GC ‘predicts’ your mark, and an any offer can be either ‘unconditional’ (you just have to provide documentation of the scores you have reported) or ‘conditional’ on your results. Yes, a ‘conditional’ means you don’t know for certain that you have your place until early July- and that when your US-bound pals are having senioritis you still have to be working!
I do know people that have gotten in with the bare minimum, but obviously it is not common, and it just puts huge pressure on your ELAT and PS.
Why isn’t your Euro score out yet?
What is the PS?
And some weird anomaly I guess. I’ve emailed the college board however.
PS = Personal Statement. It’s the essay in which you make your case for why you are a good candidate for the course (ie, why you chose the subject and why you are well suited for it). It’s short- 4000 characters, including spaces. B/c you are applying for English you will want to refer to reading you have done beyond the classroom (but don’t exaggerate - tutors often ask questions about material included in your PS as an ice breaker at the interview!). You don’t list everything you have read- you choose particular ones and engage with it in critical way, including your own opinions. ECs are only mentioned to the extent that they relate to your subject. If you are applying to more than one UK uni they all see the same PS.
So I would write about books that were meaningful or challenging to me in my PS? I’m a pretty obnoxiously voracious reader, just read Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain and am halfway through Ulysses. Should I mention books like these or will I seem completely full of myself to them? I know this is a matter of opinion, but just to hear yours.
Not sounding full of yourself is one of the core challenges of writing a PS 
The PS takes a lot of work, b/c the space is tight and you are trying to show so much. Those books won’t be at all too show-offy, but you will want to give some thought to what you pick- what do they say about why you want to study English or what part they played in your journey to becoming an English student, etc… It is definitely not too soon to start working on it.
Have you read the English course info online absolutely cover to cover? Spend some time on the English department website to get a feel for what they are looking for. Fyi, although English students get dissed by most other subjects as being, well, less challenging than theirs, you do read 100+ books/year and write about 3 papers on new reading every 2 weeks during term.
Alas, got a 4 on my AP Euro, though I didn’t really put any effort into it because at the time didn’t plan on applying to any UK schools, and as you know, APs are essentially irrelevant in the US.
With that in mind, do you now think I should retake the SAT literature? Just wondering if I’ll get an interview with only 700.