Studying at Cambridge and Oxford
What we’ve got for you
And few facts and figures
• 18,000 full-time students
• from over 90 countries
• 29/30 undergraduate colleges
• male:female ratio about 1:1
• state:independent ratio about 6:4
• 5 applicants per place
Resources
• Over 100 libraries
• Over 11 million books, 80,000 magazine titles,
300 miles of bookshelves
• £2 billion of science facilities
• Museums in Art, History of Science, Natural
History, Anthropology, Zoology, Geology…
• World-class lecturers and researchers
• Fantastic students
The University and the Colleges
The University
The Colleges
• decides on course content
• admit undergraduate students
• organises lectures, seminars,
classes, practicals
• provide learning, teaching and
research at all levels
• sets and mark examinations
• organise supervisions
• awards degrees
• provide pastoral care
Welfare and support
• Academic and pastoral
• Students supporting students
• Director of Studies
• Personal Tutor
• University Counselling Service
• Disability Resource Centre
• Financial
• University bursaries
• College grants and hardship funds
• College prizes and awards
How courses work
• All courses are very broad basis
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most courses have few compulsory papers
require students to range widely
opportunity to specialise
dissertation/project
fast moving!
• Joint Honours?
• Cambridge courses in 3 parts
• combine 2 of 1 with 1 of another
• Joint honours at Oxford
From sixth-form to university
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no, or very few, re-sits
no bells, few collective timetables
integrating elements in linear courses
formative and summative assessment
learning “the wrong way round”
rapid progress
students do not work to a mark scheme
self-motivation and self-discipline
Cambridge, Oxford and careers
• The best way to get a good job is to get a good degree from a good
university
• Students do well at university in subjects that genuinely interest them:
they enjoy themselves, get good results, and tend not to drop out
• Apply to do a subject you will enjoy and do well in, whatever it is –
remember a good degree gets you a good job!
Degree choice and career prospects
• Some careers require a specific degree, e.g. Architecture;
Engineering; Medicine; Veterinary Medicine
• Some jobs in the commercial or business world (~5% of the total) also
require particular degree subjects: typically, Mathematics or
Languages
Banking and investment recruits
Legal training recruits
Graduate destinations of historians
Graduate destinations of engineers