<p>Yep.. Oxbridge are definitely TOUGHIES!</p>
<p>uk universities give minimum importance to extracurriculars, and to quote from this hand-book oxford send me: 'although achievements in extra-curricular activities may be impressive, getting an offer of a place does not depend on them'
i think they look primarily at ure grades!!</p>
<p>Yep, that is a fact.</p>
<p>Any UK universities whether it's Oxbridge or the London Unis.. Grades are what matter most.
They give you conditional offers... For e.g. they require all A's in A Levels, or certain number of points in the IB.. then you get in.</p>
<p>You EC's etc. don't matter that much.
It's primarily your grades.. they may look at your personal statement a little bit, but it's definitely not scrutinizied to the extent of the essays for US unis.</p>
<p>Um... They don't even see your grades! They actually don't ask for transcripts. So, frankly, it's your test scores, essays, and interview that are the most important. Indirectly, though, that is a reflection of your grades.</p>
<p>Oh... For A levels and IB they see your predicted grades.. These are important.</p>
<p>And then you only get conditional offers.. You are not able to go unless you fulfill those conditions..
So if they ask you for 40 points in the IB.. and you only get a 38 you're not able to go... So the final exam in May is really important.</p>
<p>Got a letter today:</p>
<p>As I indicated in earlier correspondence, candidates resident outside Western Europe are not normally required for interview. This is to confirm that indeed our tutors will not need to see you. Perhaps I should stress that this should in no way be taken as any indicator of the likely success or otherwise of your application, which is still under consideration.</p>
<p>Any insight?</p>
<p>Hmmmm, but you have had a first, general interview, right? This is how it went for me in Cambridge (and it's probably similar in Oxford). I live in Spain and they asked me to come to Cambridge for both interviews. First was general and second was a subject interview. I'm guessing if you have done 1, it's the general one. That went well for me, but it was the subject interview (I applied for law, the most competitive course at caius) that went awful. It was damn hard, they gave me some laws and told me different cases and I had to apply the laws. I could feel myself slipping away.</p>
<p>Conclusion: if your general interview went well, don't worry, this is probably good news since you don't get the chance to fu</p>
<p>Gah, I didn't have an inteview, either. It's not cool. Eh. So worried.</p>
<p>I had an interview in Vancouver, BC about a month ago. It was actually surprisingly subject-specific. I analyzed poetry and then we talked about literature - both analytically and generally (I'm applying to read for English). Thanks for the explanation, quetzal!</p>
<p>That's good then. They probably fused the general with the subject interview to make sure they were able to learn enough about you so that a second interview wasn't absolutely necessary. Did they ask you stuff about your extra-curriculars and experiences as well? If so, then they definitely decided to fuse the interviews. It makes sense, it's pretty hectic at Oxbridge colleges now with the applications. If you felt that the interview at Vancouver went well and you were able to present yourself as you really are then I there's nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>I applied for English and Modern History and had an interview in New York on November 9th. No questions about extra-curriculars, just subject-specific things. Not too intimidating. Though, mine was based on my PS so I knew what I was talking about!</p>
<p>Grad2005, did you receive a second interview invitation for an interview at Oxford? What college did you apply to?</p>
<p>Only students who can actually visit the school have a second or third interview. I doubt the tutors want to travel all the way back to New York just to talk to me. If I were British and had to stay over at Oxford for my interview, I'd likely have one interview for History, and one for English. But my interview in NYC consisted of both subjects.</p>
<p>I applied to Corpus Christ, btw, though I believe most Americans make an open application.</p>
<p>Yeah, Grad2005, that's what I thought! Except that someone said their friend, who interviewed in NYC, was called for an interview at Oxford as well. But the guy was British, even though he was living in the US, so maybe that makes a difference...
I had my interview in Vancouver B.C. - same situation, except that I'm just applying for English. I applied to Magdalen, but I was also allocated to Lincoln and Jesus. Were you allocated to a second and third choice? Best of luck! Let me know what happens!</p>
<p>I read on the website that Modern History candidates aren't allocated until later on in the process.</p>
<p>I'm not opening that envelope until after Christmas - Oxford won't be ruining my holidays!</p>
<p>Wait - which envelope? Maybe it's that it's 2:30 AM, but I'm slightly confused... I'm glad that they won't ruin your holidays, though!</p>
<p>I'm talking about the author/rejection letter they cruelly decide to send around Christmas time.</p>
<p>I've read about this guy who recieved his envelope, and a "welcome to oxford" booklet slipped out. But when he read the letter, he'd been rejected. Apparently, whoever had packed the envelope had forgotten not to put in the extra materials. These people are cruel.</p>
<p>Ouch. That's awful! I'll probably not receive the letter until after New Year's, though, because it takes about three weeks for mail from Oxford to actually get to me! Where else are you applying, Grad 2005? Other schools in England? American schools?</p>
<p>I added UCL, Edinburgh, and St. Andrew's to my UCAS form. So far, Edinburgh has given me an unconditional offer, which is strange, because I don't take AP exams till the end of the year. My SAT I & II scores surpassed their requirements, so that may have had something to do with it. I also recieved an email from UCL last week, asking for written work. I have yet to get started.</p>
<p>As for American schools, here's my list:</p>
<p>Yale (EA)
Harvard
Columbia
UPenn
NYU
Rutgers</p>
<p>(This list is subject to change, of course. I might be adding Stanford to the list.)</p>
<p>Wow, that's so nice about Edinburgh! Have you visited? It's LOVELY there! And I have to say that having a "safety" across the pond is so much than having a state school safety over here! We have extremely similar lists. Except that mine's about twice as long. Unfortunately. And I applied to Yale EA as well. That's insane! I want to double major in English and Theater, possibly with a minor or triple major in history and/or music. I love all four, but English and Theater are definates... except at Oxford where there is no theater major but they perform more plays per year than any other school in the world. There, I'd (that is, if I got in - ha ha ha ha ha) major in English with a concentration in dramatic literature.</p>