Oxford and Cambridge: are either a possibility? PLEASE help me.

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>Hello my friends,</p>

<p>I am new to this thread, so please take it easy on me. I am very sorry in advance if anything I write is pointless or naive or has been asked before. I am also typing on an iPhone, so I apologize for any brevity and/or errors. </p>

<p>I am currently a Junior at Phillips Academy, a highly selective private secondary school in Andover, Massachusetts. I suffer from Nonverbal Learning Disorder, a condition which has greatly hindered my respective performances in math and science. With that said, I have a verbal IQ of 139, which qualifies my reading/writing proficiency as near-genius. </p>

<p>Let's start with the bad. At Andover, we are graded on a 1-6 scale, with a 5 being considered an A and a 6 being more like an A+ (it varies from class to class). In math and lab sciences I have consistently scored 3s and 4s (basically B's and C's). I am in the school's lowest Physics level right now (though I am averaging an A in the class), and have only taken two years of lab science because I was forced to drop Chemistry my sophomore year after receiving a 2 fall term. I have been a year behind in math for the duration of my time at Andover, and dropped the subject for good last term after completing the school's bare minimum graduation requirement (Precalculus). </p>

<p>I cannot stress enough that I have been extremely dedicated in these classes, but my ability to do well in them was rendered basically nonexistent by my learning disorder. I also love science, and actually originally wanted to pursue chemistry (before it handed my ass to me), so I will take term contained sciences (environmental science, bioethics, and so on) for all of next year to ensure that I complete three years of Andover's science curriculum. Similarly, I hope colleges will consider that the Chemistry course I dropped was the equivalent of a freshman honors program at any typical college, and that although I dropped math as quickly as possible, my completion of Precalculus still puts me alongside most of my peers outside of Andover. In short, I have worked my ass off and I know I am a capable student, but I have a diagnosed learning disorder that was never properly addressed by my school, and it has really screwed me over. </p>

<p>Now for the good: my record in English at Andover is almost perfect. I received below a 6 on a writing assignment at the school only once. I also maintain about an A average in Spanish and an A- in History, both of which are equivalents to typical AP courses, and have received 6's in almost every philosophy, art, and music class at the school. Furthermore, this term I qualified to conduct an Independent Project with a faculty mentor for full course credit: an unusual honor for an 11th grader. The focus of the IP, which I created and designed myself, is the composition of critical and analytical essays on Intersectionality in the 1970s Feminist Art Movement. Despite being a Junior, I am also on the senior editorial board of four of the academy's leading journalistic and literary publications. I also do a lot of extracurriculars, but I heard European universities don't care about that. </p>

<p>Due to my proficiency in writing and literary analysis, I hope to attend a university that allows me to rigorously pursue one and only one field of study (in my case English). Because of this, the "Oxbridge" schools (but mostly Oxford because I know I can only apply to one) seem like a very good fit. I am afraid, however, that Oxford will not even consider me due to my poor record in math and science. As I said before, my difficulties were primarily a result of a learning disorder coupled with incredibly challenging math/science curriculum, and even with my condition, I was a straight A math and science student in middle school, and would have done fine in my public high school's AP classes. </p>

<p>As for SATs: I read that Oxford requires a minimum of 700 in each subject to achieve a 2100+ overall score. I know that I scored no lower than a 10-12 on the essay and a 750-800 on both English-based sections, but I am afraid my math might have been in the high 600s. In other words, I have the combined 2100+ total but probably NOT the 700 in math. Are they not even going to consider me unless I get my math scores up?</p>

<p>I have only been challenged by one English class in my entire time at Andover (which arguably has the best English program of any secondary school in the United States), and I know that there is no English class at Oxford that I will not be able to handle (though I'm not stupid: I fully expect to be challenged within an inch of my life). I know my top choice Ivy League schools (Yale, Columbia, Brown) most likely will not accept me due to my GPA. I am afraid that despite being a good fit for Oxford, the school will not even consider me, and I will end up going to one of my safety schools (St. Andrews, Edinburgh, NYU, Trinity College Dublin). </p>

<p>I know that if I have to take a lot of math and science, any Ivy League or Oxford would be incredibly difficult for me. But if I am able to pursue only English, after my lack of a challenging experience at Andover, I am worried that I will not be challenged at any of my safety schools. </p>

<p>Thanks so much for taking the time to read all of this. Any advice on applying, opinions on Cambridge v. Oxford, or suggestions about other schools to look at would be greatly appreciated. The only other information I can think of to I've you guys is that I am a liberal Democrat, a self-taught musician in four instruments, a passionate social justice advocate, something of an artist (just recreationally), and neither money nor financial aid will be a problem for me. I also clearly want to apply international. (:</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

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<p>You have spent a lot of time typing on your iPhone and clearly no time at all researching Oxford or the UK / Irish model (unless this is all a set up). Indeed, given the renowned college counselors @ PA, it is rather a surprise that they haven’t told you that if you are applying for English the UK / Irish unis won’t care about your math skills, or that your classroom grades are largely irrelevant. Nor do I understand how you know your SAT overall score but not the score by segment, as it is on your score report. Finally, you mention no other testing, which is essential for all of the UK / Irish unis. What APs / SAT IIs tests/scores do you have? What will be taking this year and next? </p>

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<p>I agree with your choice of Oxford, since it is known to be more inclined to humanities and arts. Also, the university is more integrated to the city which makes the life at Oxford richer (in my opinion). </p>

<p>As for the tests, if Oxford accepts superscores, I think if you sit for another SAT and ignore all sections but maths, which should give you more time to rest, you should be able to get past 700. Good luck!</p>

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<p>I think if you sit for another SAT and ignore all sections but maths</p>

<p>I feel like it will reflect absolutely horribly on you if you receive the equivalent of zeroes on two out of three parts of the test…</p>

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<p>“You have spent a lot of time typing on your iPhone and clearly no time at all researching Oxford or the UK / Irish model (unless this is all a set up).”</p>

<p>I beg your pardon? I drafted this on the four hour train ride home from Columbia University. I have EXTENSIVELY researched Oxford model, and the data I received has so far been inconclusive. You say the universities “won’t care about my math skills,” yet the official Oxford website indicates that anything below a 700 in my math SATs will result in my application not even being considered. The wording of the site had me confused, and so I decided to do a little more “research” by posting my specific circumstances on here and gauging the reactions of my peers and superiors. As for my grades being “largely irrelevant,” the specific concerns I point out should indicate pretty clearly that I am concerned less about GPA and more about my relative performance compared to classmates without learning disorders. If you truly feel I have nothing to worry about, I see no reason why you could not have told me so in a civil manner. </p>

<p>Additionally, the “renowned college counselors at PA” (if you need a specific name, mine is Ms. Anne Ferguson), meet with students all of four times, and in the first two meetings do not discuss the college admission process, choosing instead to focus on creating a full list if viable options for each student. Given the remarkable depth of knowledge you evidently feel you possess regarding my high school, I am surprised you were not aware of that. </p>

<p>Collegemom3717, I do not waste my time constructing elaborate “set ups” for would-be experts like yourself who hide behind computer screens. I will be taking APs in United States History, Art History, English language, English literature, US Gov and Politics, and World History this Spring, and my ACTs are scheduled for April. If you have any further questions, or maybe even something useful to contribute to the conversation, you can reach me at <a href=“mailto:gtully@andover.edu”>gtully@andover.edu</a>: yes, my Andover address. But learn some basic courtesy before contacting me again. </p>

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<p>OP, I didn’t contact you- you asked for information. </p>

<p>What your ‘extensive’ research has not turned up is that the minimum requirements for admissions to Oxford are scores of 5 on 3 APs that are relevant to your field of study and a 2100 SAT and any subject-specific requirements. The website does NOT say that your application will not be considered if you don’t have a 700 in all 3 sections of the SAT , it says “successful candidates would typically have SAT Reasoning Test scores of at least 700 in Critical Reading, Mathematics and the Writing Paper”. I know humanities students at Oxford whose math was a little short of 700, but as you haven’t posted your scores, I can’t really say anything more. </p>

<p>It is not clear why you are worried about your performance relative to your classmates: even if several of them are applying to Oxford you will be evaluated for your potential as an English student, and as I said earlier, the Oxford English tutors really won’t care about your Math and Science skills. What they will care about is your potential for the study of their subject, and your suitability for the tutorial format. If you get 5s on your APs this spring, do well on the ELAT, have a decent recommendation, and write a strong personal statement (PS) you should be in good shape to get an offer for an interview. </p>

<p>A note on the Personal Statement: here are the pieces from your earlier post that will be relevant / appropriate for your PS: </p>

<p>" I qualified to conduct an Independent Project with a faculty mentor for full course credit: an unusual honor for an 11th grader. The focus of the IP, which I created and designed myself, is the composition of critical and analytical essays on Intersectionality in the 1970s Feminist Art Movement. Despite being a Junior, I am also on the senior editorial board of four of the academy’s leading journalistic and literary publications". </p>

<p>Nothing else in all that you wrote is relevant or recommended for a PS- not even your “Nonverbal Learning Disorder”, because it is not relevant to your ability to study English. Your PS is where you demonstrate why you are a good candidate to study English: your ability, commitment, and demonstration of a passion that goes beyond required classroom work. It is not about why you are a good person or a hard worker or that you have overcome life obstacles or are a well-rounded person (on iTunes there are interviews with admissions tutors who say point-blank ‘we don’t care about any of the other things you have done- we just want you to love our subject as much as we do’). I am not being uncivil- that is just how it is. </p>

<p>I did not pretend to have a “remarkable depth of knowledge” about your school, I merely referenced the high regard that many in the college advising field have for PAs college counseling. I am sorry to hear that it is not as satisfactory on the inside as the results indicate to the outside world.</p>

<p>Nor am I a “would-be expert hiding behind my computer screen”. I am reasonably informed about the Oxford application process, have helped many students through it, and visit CC to offer support. However, I have also seen both trolls and people who want others to do their work for them on CC. </p>

<p>Your reaction to my post seems rather intemperate, and I considered for a good while whether to simply ignore it and let you find your own way. </p>