<p>I'm a US student considering applying to a British university and was wondering which one of the two would be better in terms of admission chances. I have a very high GPA and high tests cores, and I've heard that Oxford doesn't look at GPA, is this the case for Cambridge as well? Also, are ECs and essays ever considered or never looked at?</p>
<p>Are you a junior?</p>
<p>Yes, and I know the app deadline is in mid-October.</p>
<p>the only essay would be any academic ones they require (check the individual major requirements on the website) and the personal statement. the personal statement basically covers why you want to study your major and you BRIEFLY mention your ECs in it. UK schools’ top priority for admissions are standardized test scores. </p>
<p>there’s alot of information on the university websites and the UCAS website (along with the UCAS facebook page). do some research</p>
<p>What Oxford and Cambridge base their admissions decisions is in fact the interview, not your test scores. If you have a high GPA, you should focus on the other stuff; once you meet the threshold of academic achievement for US students, your GPA and test scores matter very little at both Cambridge and Oxford. In other words, even if a low-ish GPA might indeed raise a flag at Cambridge before the interview and thus prevent you from even getting there, while Oxford would make you sit the entrance exam before the interview and could therefore be impressed with you and call you up despite a slightly weaker transcript, if your GPA is high enough to pass muster at both, there is very little reason for you to worry about it; it will be a check mark on your application, nothing more. Do well on the SAT, get 5s on the APs, and wow the tutors at the interview–the last one being the most important thing.</p>
<p>^oh right, sorry about that. the test scores are the most important thing BEFORE the interview. it’s how they decide whether they’re going to invite you for an interview you or not. my bad</p>
<p>funny how I’m helping you though, seeing as you’re my competition :D</p>
<p>ALSO:</p>
<p>You can apply to Oxford OR Cambridge, never BOTH.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure the OP got that part. S/he “was wondering which one of the two would be better in terms of admission chances.”</p>
<p>So I offered further clarification, is it really necessary to respond in such a manner as to say “that was completely unnecessary”? </p>
<p>I could ask if I had better chances at university A or university B, regardless of my actually applying to either one or both. I.e. “Are my chances better at Columbia or Brown” does not mean I’ll only be applying to Columbia or Brown. Rather, it simply asks where I will have better chances, not that I will not apply (or at least try) to apply to both. </p>
<p>I’m sorry for offering clarificatory information to the OP which you deemed irrelevant. However, considering OP never made clear that they would be applying to either or and it is better to offer such information rather than allow the OP to continue on misinformed, if in fact they are misinformed, I find no reason for your response to me. I was simply helping the OP and offered clarificatory information which I deemed may be important, if they OP already knew said information then that’s completely fine - I’ve done harm; at most I’ve simply reiterated. If they didn’t know said information, then I have helped them. Thus I, yet again, see no reason for your response to me. All I’ve done is attempt to help the OP.</p>
<p>There are tables that provide historical data about the selectivity of each college within Oxford or Cambridge by course. The UCAS site is a great starting point.</p>
<p>@NYU2013 someone’s grumpy…</p>
<p>Do they do alumni interviews in the US? I live near a major city.</p>
<p>And for the record, I’m aware that you can only apply to one of the two, is there any particular reason for this? And which one has a better economics program?</p>
<p>Cambridge does look at your GPA and all other stuff. If you’re international, interview might be conducted by an alumnus or alumna. Both Cambridge and Oxford are extremely selective. But there are programs that Cambridge is more selective than Oxford. The maths, economics, computer science and engineering, to name a few, at Cambridge are more selective than at Oxford’s.</p>
<p>And are economics and humanities programs more selective at Oxford then?</p>
<p>I’m not sure about Cambridge, but Oxford tries to do skype or phone interviews with internationals. unless you have a British passport, in which case you have to fly to England for the interview in oct.</p>
<p>again, try doing some research on the websites. you’ll find all the info. I’m telling you there.</p>
<p>If you have a European passport from Spain,France,Germany etc. do you count the same way as a British resident?</p>
<p>^nope.
10char</p>
<p>Nope, but most EU applicants choose to fly to Oxbridge for interviews. Budget airlines are cheap, and you can easily reach both cities from the major London airports.</p>
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<p>Jesus Christ. Do you honestly have nothing better to do than to post this meaningless wall-of-text?</p>