<p>So how would the chances be for me as I apply ED this year? My ACT is well over the average, but my GPA is rather lackluster compared to the previous GPA average of 3.57, but is now incomparable to the 3.79 average GPA.</p>
<p>When my chances used to be slim are now diminished? Correct me if I’m wrong, be brutally honest, as I really would like to know how I fare.</p>
<p>Assessing your chances would require me to predict, among other factors, the incoming class selectivity. However, unlike most colleges, Oxford’s admissions playing field appears to have changed significantly each of the past few years–we can assume that next year will be more competitive, but we just won’t know by how much. Honestly, though, a 3.57 when the average is a 3.79 is not a huge roadblock in my opinion. </p>
<p>Remember that, by definition, half the class had below a 3.79 unweighted and that these GPAs represent a variety of rigor and kinds of classes. Remember also that a (comparatively) significant portion of incoming students receive merit aid. Those students receiving significant merit-based financial aid will distort the statistics (3.79 is the average, not the median).</p>
<p>I’m not certain how many scholarships are distributed, but I would postulate that we would see something resembling a bimodal effect in Oxford’s small environment. That might mean, to share one example, the number of students with GPAs around 3.79 is actually low, with significant numbers at or close to a 4.0 and significant numbers around a 3.59 or so.</p>
<p>ED will help, but a lot of this is about crafting a compelling essay on why Oxford is the right place for you.</p>
<p>A 3.79 average GPA school is about top ranking, why isn’t the ACT average at least a 30 and higher? This GPA rise just doesn’t make any sense at all to me.</p>
<p>In my most on the previous page, I described an example of a school with a high average GPA and low test scores. You may come from a grade-deflated high school, but many students are graduating from high school with near-perfect grades and far lower than a 30 ACT.</p>
<p>Grade inflation at my school’s rampant… I know many students who have maintained a 4.0 GPA (in non-AP classes, of course) and made 1400s on the SAT… That’s the three-part score, ahah. </p>
<p>What I’m saying here is that due to grade inflation/deflation at many schools, a certain GPA doesn’t necessarily respond with a certain SAT/ACT score.</p>
<p>So what does it tell you if my ACT is over their average of 26-30, but my GPA is below their average of 3.79? </p>
<p>Are my chances shot because of my GPA? Or do I still have hope due to demonstrated interest? I’ve visited there and going to apply early, but still have yet to write their supplement essays.</p>
<p>elladue,</p>
<p>Based on the limited information you have supplied - and the limited information Oxford publishes - my guess is you are likely a viable candidate for Oxford.</p>
<p>Bear in mind that course load, extracurriculars, recommendations and essay (personal statement) are also going to be important.</p>
<p>Any decision to check that ED box should be carefully thought out. You’re agreeing to go (subject to financial aid) if you get in. You wouldn’t want to regret making that commitment.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you. I understand the ED and financial aspect, but only if my parents were to lose their job, I wouldn’t qualify for any need based aid; so regardless of ED or not, I don’t think it’ll make that much of a difference. None the less, thank you for your warning.</p>
<p>As for AP’s, I’ll have taken 5 total once I graduate, along with 3 or 4, maybe 5, cannot remember adv courses which is equivalent of honors course. My GPA puts me in the top quarter of my grade by graduation if that’ll help at all.</p>
<p>Currently working on my supplement essays right now and I’ll see how that goes along.</p>
<p>I will actually have taken 6 total adv courses with 5 aps. As for extracurriculars, i have 100 hrs volunteer service, 3 years debate, 12 years chinese school plus tons of volunteering, 1 year deca, 1 year drawing, 2 ywars chess, moboysstate, etc.</p>
<p>Do I seem competetive enough for Oxford?</p>
<p>elladue,</p>
<p>Go for it!</p>
<p>Do you have a good shot? Yes. But we’re not really in a position to tell you with any certainty whether you’ll get in or not. Just try your hardest and hope for the best.</p>
<p>Honest words. Thanks to both of you, appreciate your feedback!</p>
<p>Hey guys, I figured I’d revive a dead thread because it’s Thanksgiving and I’m bored. If you guys have any questions about Oxford, I’m a current freshman here so I’d be more than happy to answer any questions about the school. Please no chance me posts. I don’t admit people, so I have no idea what your chances are. With that being said, here’s the Oxford GPA calculator: [Oxford</a> College - GPA Calculator](<a href=“http://oxford.emory.edu/admission/gpa_calculator/]Oxford”>http://oxford.emory.edu/admission/gpa_calculator/) and here are the stats for admitted students in 2012: [Oxford</a> College - 2012 Admission Statistics](<a href=“http://oxford.emory.edu/admission/admission-statistics/]Oxford”>http://oxford.emory.edu/admission/admission-statistics/) If you fall within the middle range or higher, you’ve got a decent shot at getting admitted. If not, well I can’t tell you.</p>
<p>But anyways, feel free to ask questions, and me and aigiqnf will respond</p>
<p>@Whenhen</p>
<p>Hey! Since you’re currently a student at Oxford, I thought I’d ask you some questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>How does the course selection at Oxford differ from that at Emory?</li>
<li>Can you describe the atmosphere at Oxford? What at the students like? Professors? Extracurriculars? Campus life? Academimc Rigor?</li>
<li>How does Oxford stand out to you and why did you choose Oxford?</li>
</ol>
<p>I spent considerable time researching my assumptions on Oxford, some of which were wrong. Two present facts appear to be that, first, Oxford J.C. is a better school than ever. Much better than 30 yrs ago. Second, Oxford is very clearly inferior to Emory regarding selective-ness in admissions. While unqualified sis &'daughters of Alum still make up part of the student body, increasingly Oxford is being used by families who are willing to sit their kids through two years of Oxford & then get an Emory degree, rather than send their children to Tulane, Villanova, Hofstra, SUNY-Albany, etc. Rather than attending a college their qualifications merit, families are using the Oxford back door to an Emory degree. If I was at Emory now, I would almost think of Oxford as remedial in nature.</p>
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<p>It should be noted that Oxford isn’t conducive to majoring in certain things. It’s hard to major in computer science with starting at Oxford (there’s only one CS course here), and most of the area/“xyz” studies majors aren’t offered. Also, less popular languages are next to impossible to major in unless you come in with a high level of proficiency.</p>
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<p>I think this is a fair assessment. In fact, I think that just a few years ago, people were more or less wandering into Oxford. There’s a professor at Oxford who attended in the 80’s, and she said that 40% of the freshman class would fail out back then (she could have been exaggerating, but I can see a lot of students back then not making it).</p>
<p>Also, Oxford has really only begun to become selective in recent years. In my year, we admitted something around 64% of applicants and the school announced it could begin “shaping a class” for the first time. This last year, we admitted 41% of applicants. We’ve also just implemented early decision, which can be reasonable predicted to push selectivity further.</p>
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<p>The selectivity may be different, but the difference between the students who enroll may not be as huge as you expect. If you check the website, they only provide data for admitted students. The common data set provides the following data for those who enrolled at the College of Arts and Sciences as freshmen:</p>
<p>CR: 620-710
M: 660-760
W: 640-730
ACT: 29-32</p>
<p>While the enrolled students data is no longer available on the Oxford site (they changed to copy the College of Arts and Sciences policy of only having enrolled students data) and has never been included in the Common Data Set, the admitted students data are as follows:</p>
<p>CR: 600-700
M: 620-750
W: 610-720
ACT: 27-31</p>
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<p>Oxford is certainly not remedial in that word’s denotation: there are no educational interventions provided to “prepare you academically” for the Atlanta campus and, if anything, the data suggest that grading is more difficult at Oxford than at the Atlanta campus. At the same time, I think there are more students like me from rural backgrounds who wouldn’t have been comfortable attending a huge research university that has far more students than my city than you give them credit for. While there are some big city types just “putting up with” being in Oxford for an Emory degree, there’s really a lot more going on than that.</p>
<p>“If I was at Emory right now, I would view Oxford as almost remedial in nature”</p>
<p>Yes, that’s because main campus has some (just some, perhaps, if you were there, you would be included) entitled elitists among its student body who don’t actually know what a good SAT score is. 1270 puts you like at the top 15% for example (yet I had a friend who thought 1370 is low which is funny since it puts you at like the middle of Emory enrollees), yet many at these elite schools would consider it a poor score because they live in a bubble where mommy and daddy can simply buy them the SAT score they need through tutoring services, classes, etc. It’s amazing how despite this, they still look down upon people. In addition, what is ironic is that many Emory students would not consider the students at some of the big name public schools remedial even though Oxford’s scores are essentially on par with them. Some of the seemingly elitist attitudes are based on a mix of pure snobbery and misunderstandings about what is considered the threshold of “high achievement”.</p>
<p>I’m not even going to bother debating Loridians, because that’s just a waste of my time
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<p>Well hey! Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been catching up with some old high school friends. Any who, here are my attempts at answering your questions.</p>
<p>1) It’s important to remember that Oxford is a two year LAC with less than a thousand kids. As such course selection will be much more limited than Main which has over 13 times the number of students (grads and undergrads). As Aigiqinf noted, our physics, comp sci, and some of our less common languages are lacking, which should be fixed in the future with the new science facility, but any current senior considering Oxford probably won’t be there to see its completion. So if you’re considering a hard science major, don’t come to Oxford (or Emory but that’s a different post). </p>
<p>I’ve never had a problem with getting the courses I need, but other students have. It’s important to note that this issue is also found at the Main campus, and many freshmen, and some sophomores, bitterly complain about not getting the classes they wanted. </p>
<p>2) Students at Oxford are usually fairly intelligent and hard working. The typical student probably came from a suburban public or private school, in Georgia, California (woo!), the Southeast, China, Korea, or the Northeast, in that order. Oxford is one of the most racially diverse LACs out there, and the races and classes integrate quite well. The only exceptions, and this is true at most schools, are the internationals, especially Koreans and Chinese, who tend to stick to themselves. </p>
<p>Professors are generally good. I’ve only had four “real” classes so far, and 3/4 were good. The one that wasn’t was an interim professor who filled in for a full time sociology professor on sabbatical. Because class sizes are so small, professors truly care about how well you’re doing. This semester I struggled in my Precalc/Calc class, and the professor, noticing that I earned a low grade on one of the quizzes, sent me an email asking if I’d go to her office hours for some one on one tutoring. </p>
<p>Sorry, I need to eat lunch now, I’ll respond to the other parts of your questions when I return.</p>