My Chances at Oxbridge as an American

International Students
1

<p>Just tell me what I've done so far that will be helpful in my admission process. also tell me what i should get done on top of what I've already done that would better ensure my success at Oxbridge. Oh, and a little about myself that may or may not play into my application: I'm 15; I am currently in a dual-enrollment program taking college courses at the CSN college campus here in Henderson, NV; I am a philosophy major; on my way to finish Associates Degree next spring at 16 years old. (Note: this should be an academic evaluation only; no extracurriculars will be added to this list).</p>

<p>My qualifications so far:
-11th grader/undergrad at College of Southern Nevada
-private school w/its own admission process (through recommendation, GPA, submitted work, applicant essays, personal statement, etc.)
-Five star school (out of a five-point scale)
-(will have Associate's Degree by spring of next year at age of 16)
-SAT: 2150
-Critical Reading: 670
-Math: 720
-Writing: 760
-(have yet to take my SAT IIs: planning on takin Math I, Math II, Chinese; might take one more on top of that, but I am undecided)
-GPA: 4.00 (unweighted)
-Weighted: 5.00
-Honors classes
-(just a little side note: AP classes not offered in my dual enrollment program; core-curricular Honors classes taught, and Honors electives acquired through completion of college courses)
-Class of 2014 (Advanced Diploma)
-(another side note: I skipped 10th grade to get into this dual program, which has thus excused me from getting the Advanced Honors Diploma. Oh, and quick question too: should I mentioned that I skipped a grade, or would that be irrelevant to the admission process?)
-Top 20% class rank
-Trilingual
-English native speaker
-Fluent in Korean
-Conversational Chinese</p>

2

<p>Okay, what they are really loooking for is a) grades on standardized exams, and b) demonstrating your interest and commitment to the subject you are planning to study through personal statement and interview.</p>

<p>They will NOT be particularly interested in your extracurriculars, how good your school is, how young you are, your GPA (weighted OR unweighted), your class rank, the grades you skipped, etc. etc.</p>

<p>British applicants will have taken a set of exams called “A-levels”. They want to see something similar from American applicants. For most folks here, that takes the form of AP tests. But I do think you can use your SAT subject tests instead. You are going to need at least three subject tests, probably more. We tell folks who are taking AP tests that they need scores of “5” to get into Oxbridge, I’m not sure what the equivalent score would be on an SAT subject test. And they usually also want to see you with subject tests related to the subject you are planning to “read” (what we would call “major in” in the United States).</p>

<p>It’s a VERY different process from the U.S., and some of the things that are very helpful for college admissions in the U.S. are completely useless for college admissions in the UK.</p>

<p>Also remember that there are many other colleges and universtieis in the UK besides Oxford and Cambridge, and the other ones are easier to get into!!!</p>

<p>KEVP</p>

<p>KEVP</p>

3

<p>What do you want to study? You need to show ability and commitment relating to that subject.</p>

<p>Choose a course of study and look at the A-level subjects required for entry. You ideally need APs or SATIIs in these subjects.</p>

<p>If you enroll age 16 I suspect your parents will have to accompany you to class for at least a year. They won’t allow under 17s in uni accommodation usually.</p>

<p>You cannot apply to both Oxford and Cambridge in the same year. Only one of them.</p>

4

<p>I agree with everything cupcake says. Also, quite recently Cambridge released a new admissions policy which explicitly states that under-18s will only be admitted in “special cases” - with deferred admission the likely result. You can find the policy here: [2.2</a> Mature applicants and under 18s: Cambridge Admissions Office: Undergraduate Admissions Handbook 2012-13](<a href=“Cambridge Admissions Office |”>Cambridge Admissions Office |)</p>

<p>Oxford doesn’t have an age policy as far as I know.</p>

<p>You may want to contact the colleges you’re interested in and ask about accommodation.</p>

5

<p>To all of you, I thank you for your time in replying to my question. Some of those things you mention however I already know, such as that I may only apply to either Oxford or Cambridge in any given year, and that I must select my major as in the admission process before I am to be accepted (if at all). I apologize for not being more clear before, but if you would like to know such that I plan my major to be of Philosophy & Theology. Moreover, I should have said that I plan to apply to Oxford and not Cambridge (at least this first time up). I too am aware that I have yet to take my SAT IIs, and so I will indeed look at it some more. However, aside from what has been brought up so far, I would like more on the interview process as well as how exactly my CV should be constructed (as I hear it is quite different from that of the resumes we Americans use). And since you mention ‘AP’ and ‘IB’ (of which I have neither), how do you suggest I make up for these (or perhaps is this not possible)? Furthermore, what have you to say about the individual colleges themselves; such as which of them is more or less popular than another, or of which would be the best for my major? </p>

<p>Thank you for your time in answering my questions,
“Xanthixx”</p>

6

<p>I’m not sure about applying without APs or the IB, so I’ll leave that for someone else.</p>

<p>In terms of colleges - Philosophy & Theology isn’t offered at many colleges, so your choice will be somewhat easier! It’s offered at Blackfriars, Christ Church, Harris Manchester, Jesus College, Keble, Lady Margaret Hall, Mansfield, Oriel, Pembroke, Regent’s Park, St Benet’s Hall, St John’s, St Peter’s, St Stephen’s House, Trinity, Worcester, Wycliffe Hall.</p>

<p>Of these, Blackfriars, Regent’s Park, St Benet’s, St Stephen’s and Wycliffe are “permanent private halls” (PPHs) - which means they are linked to various Christian denominations and maintain a strong Christian character. Most will have a relatively large number of students studying for ordination. All are co-ed except for St Benet’s which is men only.</p>

<p>I <em>think</em> some of the PPHs only accept mature students (i.e. over 21) so you would need to check this before you apply. Harris Manchester is also for mature students so will not be relevant for you. </p>

<p>The general advice is to apply to a college that you like, regardless of whether it’s popular. Oxford has a mechanism whereby you are automatically assigned second and third choice colleges to look over your application; around 20% of applicants end up at a college other than their first choice.</p>

<p>Which college is ‘best’ depends on what you want in a college. Large or small? In the centre of Oxford or further out? Do you want a college that will provide accommodation and meals throughout your course or do you want to live out? </p>

<p>I would reiterate that you should check with prospective colleges on how arrangements will work for your accommodation before you apply, due to your age.</p>

7

<p>OP,</p>

<p>There is no point in taking both the Math I and Math II SAT Subject tests in any situation. US colleges want to see test from different areas, such as a Math, a science, English, etc. Math I is not highly regarded in the US, so I am sure it is not useful in applying to the UK.</p>

<p>You could look into self-studying for AP tests, but you will need to find a school in your area that offers APs and will let you take the exams there. You can probably find more information about this in the SAT/ACT forum on CC.</p>

<p>It isn’t clear to me which APs or SAT IIs - and it is not clear that the UK unis will value SAT IIs equally to APs - are most relevant to Philosophy and Theology, but I would think you at least need to show high marks on English. I suggest you call some of the UK departments you are considering applying to and ask them which APs they prefer to see, and you can also ask about SAT IIs.</p>

8

<p>What you need to do is find out what “A” level exams British applicants who want to read “Philosophy and Theology” at Oxford take, and then take the AP tests OR SAT subject exams that are analogous to those “A” level subjects. Most folks we talk to here take AP tests, but I do think that you can use SAT subject exams instead.</p>

<p>KEVP</p>

9

<p>waaaaaaaaaaait</p>

<p>your ‘CV’? you’re applying for UNDERGRAD, right? why would you have a CV?</p>

<p>also, as far as I understand, you’ll be graduating with an AS degree from a community college, right? that should more than make up for lack of APs/IBs. that said, why don’t you contact the college to ask about your qualifications?</p>

<p>also, I don’t know anyone who applied for theology, but the philosophy people in my acquaintance took reading-intensive analytical subjects such as philosophy, english literature, history, economics. i guess mathematics would not be relevant to you as a theologist, as it would be for someone interested in logic or philosophy of mathematics, but there aren’t any solid recommendations for philosophy undergrads in terms of high school subjects.</p>

10

<p>Okay, in the USA, if you have an “Associate’s Degree” you can be allowed to skip the first two years of college. But I have never heard of Oxford allowing such a thing. I don’t think they will be impressed with an Associate’s Degree. I can’t find any mention of “Associate’s Degree” on their website. Remember that in the U.S., an Associate’s degree is usually assumed to be for someone who was not “smart” enough to start out in a four-year program, and so had to spend time “catching up”. (I realize that that is NOT the case with the OP, he enrolled in an Associate’s program because of his youth).</p>

<p>I agree that an IB is NOT required for an American applying to Oxford (and I think it would not be required for any UK college/uni)</p>

<p>But I have discovered what grades you will need to get on your SAT subject tests. You are going to need scores of at least 700 in each of at least three SAT subject tests (if it was AP tests, you would need scores of at least “5” in at least three AP tests). Any test where you score less than 700 (or “5” for AP tests) simply doesn’t count for Oxford.</p>

<p>KEVP</p>

11

<p>“I agree with everything cupcake says. Also, quite recently Cambridge released a new admissions policy which explicitly states that under-18s will only be admitted in “special cases” - with deferred admission the likely result. You can find the policy here: 2.2 Mature applicants and under 18s: Cambridge Admissions Office: Undergraduate Admissions Handbook 2012-13”</p>

<p>I was 16 when I applied, and although they gave me a deferred offer, this was ONLY because at interview we discussed the possibility of going abroad for a year first. It had nothing to do with my age, and they themselves said “if you don’t want to take a year out, it’s fine”.</p>

<p>They basically just want to make sure you’ll be able to cope with living on your own - they inform the porter of your age, might give you a little extra pastoral support, but otherwise unless you’re really really young there won’t be much of a difference.</p>

12

<p>Oxford will matriculate you as young as 13 (though that’s rare, obviously). And a community college course should count comparably to an AP or an A level- but you will have to work directly with Oxford to get that through (at least in part by proving that the school is accredited). </p>

<p>The first, most important, piece is your subject- philosophy or philosophy and theology. Look at the websites for each subject and see how you like the programs / courses. You might also go to the the student room site (google it) and look for phil/theo students on the Oxford threads. </p>

<p>Then look at the colleges that offer that subject and see if there is one that stands out.
Put together an email to the college registrars office, specifically addressing the question of how they would view your Associates credits and how you should enter them. Be clear that CSN is an accredited college, that offers BS (4 year) and AA (2 year) degrees. They will wonder if you already have an undergraduate degree- you do not. Do NOT give a long story!! there are no “admissions teams” the way there are in the US- there is probably just a secretary and a single administrator who do everything, so be respectful of their time. Ask short, specific questions in your email. </p>

<p>Good luck…</p>

13

<p>There was a guy a couple of years above me at Cambridge who matriculated aged 15. For the first 2years one of his parents had to accompany him to all lectures. You may well be admitted to Oxford at 16, but depending on their child protection policy your parents may have to attend too. Do they want that? Do you?</p>

14

<p>You need a minimum of AP tests and five’s on all of them or SAT II’s with at least 700. The tests should be relevant to your intended major.</p>

15

<p>@cupcake were you at Fitz then? At least, I think you’re referring to the maths kid at Fitzwilliam?</p>

16

<p>I like the philosphy thing. It’s very refreshing to see something besides science/engineering. Here’s a philosophy question for you - Is it better to live life or study philosophies about it? I.E. What’s the hurry?</p>

17

<p>I was at Murray Edwards.</p>

18

<p>REAL, thanks for your reply, I too am interested in applying this fall 2013 to Oxford. I have just taken the SAT for the 1st time, scored a 2120, 800 in Critical Reading, I’ll take one more time in October. 3 AP’s done no grades yet, 5 more in senior year, I hope to get at least 4 or 5, 5’s from 8!. Done 4 subject tests 800 in World and US History, 740 and 730 in Lit and Bio. GPA 3.8+. I HOPE to apply to study PPE. I will take the TSA in November and hope to get an interview? any ideas, thoughts on the application process or other things I might consider doing, I have visited, Cheers.</p>

19

<p>Sounds like you are on track “Englishman” (I take it that title is more aspirational than literal). Think now about your personal statement and interview. You want to make it clear that you are committed to studying PPE for three years, and also that you come across as someone they would like to have in their PPE lectures and tutorials.</p>

<p>KEVP</p>