Hi! I am an American student looking to apply to top U.K. Universities. Oxford and Cambridge are my top choices. However, I am confused about whether or not the two schools look at your high school grades. Since they are not very clear regarding high school grading information for American applicants. Can someone please help me out? Thanks!
There is a lot of information on CC about Oxbridge applications, and even more on their websites. Note that you can only apply to one or the other.
The short answer is that your GPA is not an important part of your application (Cambridge just says they want a ‘strong’ GPA). Both want APs in subjects relevant to the subject that you are applying to study, both have admissions tests for most subjects, and both have subject-specific interviews that you have to be invited to.
You mention CS on another thread: there is simply no way that you will be competitive for Oxbridge w/o a 5 in Calc BC. You also say that your math ‘isn’t great’ which does not bode well for CS at Oxbridge (the aptitude test for CS at Oxford is a Math Aptitude Test). You also mention Business as a possible subject: neither Ox nor bridge offer Business (there is a Management sub-option at Cambridge and Economics + Management at Oxford, that requires math).
You are Freshman, so you have time to work out what you really want to do, but in real life Oxbridge best suits students who really, really love their subject and are happy to work their hearts out in it.
Fwiw, you are in grade 9, and your threads seem to all be about how you can get into top schools. Put your focus on doing your best in your current class, and developing your genuine interests. There are many, many great colleges and universities, and obsessing about 20 of them is not going to be helpful.