For those who have applied for Cambridge or Oxford

Applying to College
1

Hello
I’m currently in grade 11 and will be applying for Cambridge this October.
My concern is that, to satisfy the entry requirements, I need tot take 5 SAT subject tests and I have taken one so far. I will take another one thisJune and will have to take the rest three in October. Here’s the problem. The deadline for the application is Oct 15… which is before my sat scores will be released. Will they allow me to submit the scores after the deadline???

And… Can anybody who got into either Oxbridge or UCL(my second choice) their stats?? or is there a thread for the stats
Thank you.

2

What subject are you applying to? It is very relevant.

Other peoples stats are really not useful for Cambridge (or Oxford). Your scores are a gateway requirement: once you have cleared that hurdle the real decision factors will be your Personal Statement (for getting to interview stage) and then interview and subject specific requirements (such as written work and/or aptitude tests).

They are even less useful for most other UK universities (bar a few very competitive places such as LSE, and a few particularly competitive courses, notably medicine), where if you meet the requirements you are fairly certain of getting a place.

over to you @alcibiade!

3

@Actualizer my d is an American at Cam, but there are differences as she applied from France and is also Irish (i.e. she did not take APs. but did a French bac). I would strongly recommend that you read through this thread - it demonstrates how individually attuned the process is, but also gets into a lot of relevant issues.

http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3120743

Inserted below is my description of the process for her.

Most important, you must know what you want to study, i.e. your major - the 3-year course combines curriculum from undergraduate and graduate levels. That means you should demonstrate, through focused experience and effort, that you have been pursuing your interests. Some disciplines are easier to get into than others, e.g. Classics v. medicine. After that, there are many hurdles and requirements.

First, to apply, you have to meet strict grade requirements. If you are a foreign applicant, from a different system, this adds a bit of flexibility, but not much.

Second, if they are interested in you, they may ask for additional personal essays that require research and an expression of the applicant’s own thoughts. Parents are instructed to let it be a pure product of the applicant, with no writing help. I was very impressed with this, as it was a growth experience for my daughter.

Third, they can invite you for an interview on campus. Beyond probing what you know until they stump you, this is to check if you have the “right attitude”, that you “shine” yet know your limits. It was an exercise in humility for my D.

Fourth, they can ask you to take tests in your topic, though this was not required of my daughter.

Fifth, if they make you an offer, it is conditional. They set precise overall grade requirements (or class ranking) - my daughter had to get very high grades on her BAC exams (in her French high school), in some cases for specific disciplines; my daughter had to get A+ in honors math.

For this final hurdle, we formulated a strategy. We looked at her strengths and got a tutor to prepare for her BAC exams (they demand a specific style of answer, which was what we prepared for - not content, but style), in a sense knowing what she could ace and how it was weighted to affect the overall score. We avoided emphasis on subjectively graded subjects, such as philosophy, and concentrated on those over which we had more “control”.

Directly comparing statistics between US and UK admissions processes is misleading. First, with the common UK application, you can only apply to 5 schools. Second, you cannot apply to both Cambridge and Oxford. Third, the grade requirements are rigid, eliminating many qualified applicants from the statistical pool. Fourth, there is no “legacy” advantage, though if you go to the right public (read “private”) school in Britain, you are conditioned for the culture. Finally, my D applied as a European, though she could have done as an American. Americans may have additional requirements, such as submission of SATs.

I should note that applicants have to choose a college within Oxbridge to apply to directly. If that one lacks places in the chosen discipline but thinks the applicant is qualified, they are put into a “pool” with other colleges, which can choose to repeat certain steps in the application process. My D was “pooled” from St. Catherine and offered a place elsewhere. Also, extra-curricular activities are not very important; that being said, my D is an accomplished singer, which we believe helped as she was asked to audition in person for the chorus while still on conditional acceptance.

As one can imagine, it was a long and stressful process right up to July, when her BAC results were posted at school. We were focused on the process for the last 2 years, though from age 12, my D had expressed interest in going to Oxford and had read a book about how to get into Oxbridge. (As it turned out, she visited Oxford at 17 and didn’t like as much as Cambridge.) While my D was motivated to pursue her field on her own, we also nurtured her interests and offered her opportunities for work experiences in it, which she loved.

4

Are you sure you need to take SAT subject test? My son applied to both US schools and Cambridge but he did not have to submit SAT score to Cambridge. My son is an international student to both UK and US. Cambridge only looked at his transcript. Other UK schools asked for any A level{UK exam} subject test taken. His friends studying in US curriculum international schools were asked for AP results only, not SAT I and SAT subject tests.

5

@anaesabc, applying to Cambridge from the US, it’s APs and/or SAT subjects tests, OR IB. All UK universities accept APs or SAT subject tests (and most accept both) in lieu of A levels.

So, the OP does not have to take the SAT subject test- unofficially, APs actually have a bit more cred- but s/he has to take some form of standardized testing. The transcript is barely looked at.

Whatever country he applied from, your son would have had to have something besides his school transcript.

6

My information may be wrong and was from his school GC. My son only submitted his predicted IB score and school transcript. He got an interview and later got a conditional offer from Cambridge. He did not take any A level subject test. He had to take specific test from Cambridge after the interview.

7

Exactly: your son used IB scores, and his GC would have submitted his ‘predictions’ with his UCAS application.

For non-IB students, the transcript is largely irrelevant, and the GC submits predictions on whatever combination of AP / SAT subject tests the applicant is taking.

Note that there are a number of schools in the UK that offer the IB as well, and applicants from those schools can apply with IB predictions instead of A levels as well.

Nobody who is not in the A level system takes any “A level subject test”

8

My son’s personal experience may not be relevant to Actualizer, BUT many students in my country took A level subject test even they are not in A level system. They self study the subjects. The reason behind is UK universities are very familiar with A level results. That is why some UK universities asked my son for A level subject test result despite he is in an IB school.

9

Cambridge interview invitations are usually out in early November, you can contact the school and let them know your situation.

10

As collegemom3717 said US students submits predicted AP/SAT score, there should be no problem for Actualizer as the offer is conditional. The required score of his remaining SAT subject tests will be stated in the offer after his/her interview. My guess only.