<p>I might be able to give a brief explanation, since it is rather complicated, but...in applying to schools in the UK (we are talking Oxford, England, right?) you much apply through the public system, called UCAS. Traditionally, you select your major in your application and desired picks of schools, then your application is provided to all of the those schools and they decide where you fit. I would go to the UCAS website. So you could enter into the situation wanting to go to Oxford but ending somewhere else. Also, the British Council is the UK's education recruiting device abroad, so I would check <a href="http://www.britishcouncil.org/usa.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.britishcouncil.org/usa.htm</a> as it provides further advice in applying (and it's a government group tied with UCAS). The hierarchy, again, can be perplexing of education in the UK.</p>