<p>What's the rough ratio of conditional vs. absolute acceptance at Oxford? Do they set different standards of conditional acceptance, based on the strength of the applicant? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I'm not an expert, but I've researched Oxford a lot.</p>
<p>It appears that conditional acceptance is the norm, especially for British students. I don't know how familiar you are with the British system, but their main test scores are the A-Level examinations, at the end of senior year. At the time of the interview, only predicted A-levels are available. Oxford may set conditional acceptance as getting those predicted scores.</p>
<p>For American applicants and other applicants applying with APs, the procedure is more complicated. Because Americans finish high school a year earlier than Brits, Americans are expected to finish high school with 9-10 AP exams, the equivalent of a year at American college. If an American in their junior year applies with 4-5 AP exams already taken, the offer will most likely involve doing well on 4-5 more exams. However, if a student applied junior year with 6,7, or more AP exams, it's likely they'd get an unconditional offer provided they were accepted.</p>
<p>Weaker applicants who are barely accepted typically have higher standards of conditional acceptance than stronger applicants.</p>
<p>
[quote]
For American applicants and other applicants applying with APs, the procedure is more complicated. Because Americans finish high school a year earlier than Brits, Americans are expected to finish high school with 9-10 AP exams, the equivalent of a year at American college.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity: isn't 9-10 AP exams too many ? I thought something like 4 AP exams would suffice for Oxbridge admission.</p>
<p>4 AP exams would be perfectly good at the time of application, but I'm under the impression they'd expect more to be done by the end of senior year.</p>
<p>I got in unconditionally with four APs. Then again, I applied specifically as a post-qualifications candidate (since I'd taken said APs junior year.) I'm pretty sure condition/non-conditional is a function of whether you wish to apply pre or post-qualifications, which in turn, I suppose, would be a function of how confident you are in your APs (scores, and relevancy to your course that you intend to study.) This is all, of course, conjecture, based upon personal experience.</p>
<p>I thought that everybody who has not finished high school yet at the time of admission would get a conditional acceptance (depending on the final grades and test scores) and everyone else an unconditional acceptance. I am no export on Oxford though.</p>
<p>I've looked into this issue and actually asked the question to people at Oxford: everybody who has not yet finished high school at the time of the decision gets a conditional acceptance. Conditional sounds like the applicant is not good enough or something, but that's not true.</p>
<p>As you all know, Oxford does not ask for transcripts SAT's and other standardized tests, unlike US colleges. Oxford only wants two recommendation letters, your predicted grades and one personal statement.</p>
<p>If they like these, they call you for an interview. And they are proud of their selection process. But they actually have little material to evaluate you on. I think it's normal that they want the applicant to fulfill the predicted grades, don't you?</p>
<p>Onemoreparent, while that may be true if the student applies pre-quals, I haven't finished high school yet and still got an unconditional offer; I know another American at my soon-to-be college who got the same, and I believe another applicant from my school applied post-quals as well. Perhaps it's something for my college specifically, but my college counselor advised me to go post-quals/seek an unconditional offer from the beginning...</p>
<p>Being pre-qual as opposed to post-qual depends on one thing only - whether you have completed and received marks/grades for all the exams you listed on your application form. Usually, people will apply pre-qual, because they will still have a year of school left, with exams at the end of it - these exams will be listed as 'pending' on the app, and acceptance will be conditional on achieving a certain mark/grade. </p>
<p>However, if you've completed all your exams and/or don't list that you're taking any further exams, you'll be a post-qual applicant. Therefore, acceptance will be unconditional and based on what you've already achieved. You can only do this if the exams you have already taken are at the highest level possible expected of high school students, or higher.</p>
<p>The last few postings have basically summed up the situation. But one additional point. If you have some APs under your belt, but some others still to go, the extent to which the remaining ones might feature in a conditional offer is likely to depend on how relevant they are for the subject you have been accepted for. It is not unknown for Oxford to pick out one AP and say you have to get a 5 in that one. </p>
<p>(This is just replicating the conditional offers UK students often get, e.g. two As and a B at A-level but there must be an A in maths.)</p>
<p>How would it be if I had 4 APs done by Junior year, and 5 more for senior year?</p>
<p>If you state on your application form that you have relevant exams left to do, with marks/grades pending, you will be given a conditional offer. For example, if you're applying for Physics and you still have Physics or Maths exams left, you will get a conditional offer. If the exams you have left are NOT relevant, it is left to the college's discretion whether to make your offer conditional or not.</p>
<p>Indeed.
For reference - I applied for Theology post-quals with European History, English Language, English Literature, and Latin Vergil done, and US History, Economics, Art History, French Literature, and AB Calculus left to do. I got an unconditional - which means that the results of the latter five examinations, if I even choose to take them, will not affect my application. The four I took were deemed sufficient preparation and of sufficient relevancy for my desired course.</p>
<p>I applied with five APs (55544) and got a conditional offer -- I have to graduate from high school. Other than that, I don't have anything else to do. So I would disagree with Jbruner17 that Americans are expected to have 9-10 APs. I think what applicants are really expected to have is a passion for the subject and a good head on their shoulders.</p>
<p>For Oxbridge, the interview is also very important, and increasingly, a supplementary test set by the university is going to be required.</p>
<p>US qualifications
Successful candidates would typically have an excellent High School record supplemented by SAT I scores of at least 1,400 in Critical Reading and Mathematics and preferably also 700 or more in the Writing Paper, giving a combined score of at least 2,100, or ACT with a score of at least 32 out of 36. We would also expect three Advanced Placement tests in appropriate subjects with two at grade 5 and one at grade 4 or SAT II two or three appropriate subjects at 700 or better.</p>
<p>If you meet those standards before your senior year, you would receive an absolute offer (assuming your interview goes well). If you, like most students, do not meet the qualifications just yet, you will receive a conditional offer.</p>
<p>Not necessarily - it depends on the college. Some colleges will set conditions for relevant senior year courses, even if you have already met the minimum requirements. So for example, if you're applying for Biochemistry and have met the minimum requiements, but mention on your application that you are taking an advanced course in Maths, they might require you to achieve a certain grade in it. Some colleges won't do this.</p>
<p>Because of the decentralised nature of Oxford admissions, it's generally best to email the admissions tutor at your college of choice first, and ask them their opinion based on your existing record.</p>
<p>Oh my. These standards are really high. I only have 3 APs all 5s. Two of them are for economics, and I'm applying to the Engineering, Economics, and Management Program. I hope those help me.</p>
<p>Well, that's fine since those are the requirements TheExoticOne listed above (plus the SATS and everything). The requirements are meant to be challenging but not impossible. </p>
<p>By the way, if you're applying for EEM you will be expected to have taken the highest level Maths and Physics courses available to you as well, since the programme shares a common core with Engineering Science. (It's two thirds Engineering actually, I believe.)</p>
<p>What I would say about the entrance requirements is that they are a guide, something to aim for. If you are just short, it's still worth applying because individual tutors have absolute discretion to admit whoever they like. If you do well at interview and show aptitude, it won't matter if your test results are a little low.</p>
I missed the deadline for AP signups this year and my school doesn’t offer any. I’m a Junior right now. I’m going to take 5 SAT IIs (US History, World History, Literature, Math Level 2, and Spanish). Realistically, I’m looking at 800’s in US, World, and Literature, and I can top 750 in Spanish and Literature.
If I agreed to take around 4 APs next year (my senior year), with them being Macro and Micro Economics, Psychology, and European History, would I realistically have a shot at a conditional offer from Oxford?