Oxford and Cambridge Universities</p>
<p>A number of our students study at Oxford and Cambridge, and a larger number express interest in doing so. If you think you may be interested in studying at Oxford and Cambridge, please attend closely to the following information: </p>
<p>1) The only instructional format is the tutorial. Learn about tutorials and how they work. If you don’t think that this is your cup of tea, then Oxford and Cambridge is not for you.</p>
<p>2) The best way to go to Oxford and Cambridge is for the full junior year. If you plan to go this way, you are more likely to be admitted, and your experience with Oxford or Cambridge- academics and the rest of it - is likely to be much better. </p>
<p>3) Swarthmore will not approve applications for the full sophomore year. Nor will we approve applications just for our Fall semester, because Oxford and Cambridge are three term universities and this would give you only one third of an academic year. </p>
<p>4) Oxford and Cambridge colleges have stricter admissions standards for visiting students than almost any other university in the British Isles. A GPA of 3.4 - 3.5 will make you competitive, and higher than this for Cambridge but will by no means make admissions a sure thing. Don’t expect special allowances to be made, regarding GPA, for Swarthmore students.</p>
<p>5) Normally, you may do academic work at Oxford and Cambridge only in subjects in which you have already completed courses.</p>
<p>6) As regards prospects for admission: best if you plan to go for the full junior year; next best if you plan to go Spring semester of junior year; poorest if you plan to go Spring of your sophomore year (and poorest is very poor). We discourage, but do not disallow, attending Oxford and Cambridge in Spring of sophomore year. If you are thinking about Spring sophomore year, you must have a very strong GPA and you must plan to do work at Oxford and Cambridge only in subjects in which you will have completed two or three courses at Swarthmore. </p>
<p>7) Please have an advising session with Prof. Hans Oberdiek of the Philosophy Department. And please be sure to talk with students who have studied at Oxford and Cambridge. </p>
<p>8) Oxford and Cambridge Universities are actually federations of several colleges. At Oxford, you will be a member of one of these colleges.</p>
<p>9) There are five recommended ways for Swarthmore students to study at Oxford: 1) The Sarah Lawrence Program at Wadham College , just for the full junior year; 2) Mansfield College is a direct enrollment; 3) Greyfriars Hall which is a direct enrollment; 4) St. Edmund Hall which is a direct enrollment and, 5) The Institute for Study Abroad, Butler University Program which has places at a number of Oxford Colleges, all of which except St. Catherine’s College are OK for Swarthmore students. For Cambridge, Pembroke College which is a direct entry.</p>
<p>10) If you may be interested in applying to an Oxford and Cambridge programs, please see the Foreign Study Coordinator regarding program deadlines and application procedures. For Spring semester Junior Year, application time will often be winter break sophomore year. For full junior year it varies.