US student thinking about applying to OXFORD...

<p>so i was looking at the entrance requirements for oxford and i was thinking about applying for the heck of it. I probably wont get in but i just want to apply just to see what happens.
For their requirements they have a 700score min on the SATs in CR, W, M
and scores of 5 on AP. but since im in the IB program they ask for predicted scores of 6 and 7.
they dont mention GPA or extra curriculars and i hear that they dont look at them.
But say if i do get scores higher than 700s on the SAT and predicted scores of 6 and 7 that makes me a contender in admissions office.
then do they look at my GPA and extra curriculars?</p>

<p>because my gpa is about a 3.5 UW and 4.2 W. not awesome. but im working on getting it higher.
and i have pretty good extra curriculars...</p>

<p>please help!
i know admission is very competitive! but i just wanted to give it a shot</p>

<p>btw im only a junior. thinking ahead tho. =)</p>

<p>What course are you applying for? I’m British so I will explain the admissions process a bit. We apply through UCAS which is a system similar to CAP but we are limited to 5 university applications ( 4 if applying for medicine ) and we’re only able to apply to one of Oxford and Cambridge, not both. It is free. (Don’t know if this is how international students apply). Universities in Britain don’t care if you are a charity worker or president of your student council. They only care for academics, so to get into universities you need to show depth, not breadth. Extra curriculars similar to your course like research experience or writing for a local newspaper will help, but not hugely. </p>

<p>When you apply, chances are you will be interviewed ( not sure if you have to come over here to do that ) which is basically meeting a lecturer there and going over some work, so depending on your course e.g. it could be solving maths problems/ discussing the effects of the second world war on civil rights/ a philosophical discussion e.t.c. In addition you will have to do an extra exam depending on what course you apply for. If you manage to impress your tutor then you will given a conditional place whereby you have to get certain marks at the end of your exams to get in. </p>

<p>You might as well apply to some other universities in Britain, because it is free and requires no extra effort. If you are doing science then Imperial College London is good ( third best in Britain ), or if you are doing social science like politics/international relations/ economics then the London School of Economics is very good (sometimes considered better then Oxford or Cambridge for economics but about on par, if you want to be a banker go there). UCL is also very good. Then there is Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Warwick, Edinburgh, King’s College London, Durham who are all considered to be good. </p>

<p>(Also I don’t think they care about GPA so just email them about it )</p>

<p>If you have any other questions just ask :)</p>