Applying to Cambridge or Oxford is a lengthy process: it’s been a year since I first
seriously began making efforts to put my application in. In March 2008 I went to an
Oxbridge (the combined name of Oxford and Cambridge, usually used because there
are so many similarities between the two universities) Seminar in the Corn Exchange
in Edinburgh. When I went to this seminar I wanted to go to Oxford; I’d gone there
the previous year for an impromptu shopping trip which had evolved into a look
around the university, but when I left I had been converted to Cambridge. These are
the two best universities in Britain and although whichever one you go to, you will
be attending a top class institution, there are a few differences between how well an
individual department performs. Just check the university guides (I found The
Guardian’s and The Times’ particularly helpful) for your subject.
At the seminar we were given an oversight of what studying at Oxbridge was like,
finance information, subject information (Law for me) and most helpful for me,
interview information. Unlike most universities, who only interview for subjects such
as medicine, nursing, engineering or teaching, Oxford and Cambridge interview for
all subjects. For someone who had never previously had an interview for anything,
this was a very daunting prospect but speaking to some current students I was filled
with confidence, it’s not as bad as you think.
Another difference between Oxbridge and other universities is the collegiate system;
they are made up of what seem like little universities within the one, as you sleep,
eat, study and socialise within the college. This was another stressful issue for me, as
for the life of me I couldn’t decide which college I wanted to apply to. They say in the
prospectus that the colleges are more similar than different but I didn’t want to
make an open application (where the computers automatically allocate you to a
college) as there were a few colleges I definitely didn’t want to go to. The prospectus
should be your first port of call, as for many people a certain college jumps out at
them. Again, this didn’t happen for me and my advice would be to go down to the
cities and look for yourself. After a day of trailing around the many colleges, I
decided that I wanted to apply for King’s. Individual preference will come through
however, and you really need to see them for yourselves. At the door, tell the porter
you are a prospective student; he’ll let you in free, give you a prospectus and in
some even organise a tour for you.
I won’t go into detail on the UCAS applications, because this is the same for Oxbridge
as it is for all the other universities. The only difference is that the application has to
be in by the middle of October instead of January, so you need to be prepared. Other
advice would be to take time over your personal statement, get lots of people to
read it until it’s perfect- it’s the only thing they will have to convince them. Also,
especially if you want to study a vocational subject (law, medicine etc), you really
should get some relevant work experience because if you don’t, they will question
your dedication. For some subjects you have to send in some coursework but if you
look in the prospectus you can find out if this is you or not. Some courses, like law,
have admissions tests that you have to sit early on in sixth year- ask Mick if you are
not sure if this applies to you.
Once you have got through that process, you may be lucky enough to be asked to
visit for interview, held in December. These vary from subject to subject and college
to college, some involve an entrance exam, some have two interviews, some
fortunate people (myself included) only had the torture of one interview. It seems so
scary, and I’m probably terrifying you here, but honestly it’s not as bad as you think. I
had one interview, lasting 30 minutes with two Law professors, who were really nice
and really put me at ease. Prior to the interview I was given a passage to read and
think about and discuss at interview, and I was terrified about this because obviously
apart from a bit of work experience I haven’t studied Law in any way. That doesn’t
matter though, as they want to see the way you think and the way you can organise
your argument rather than your previous knowledge. I’m not sure about the subjects
such as History or English for example that you study in school, but I can’t imagine it
varies too much.
It was the quickest 30 minutes of my life and felt just like a normal discussion with a
teacher; the professors really seemed like they were interested in what I had to say
and this filled me with confidence. After that, it was a trip back up to North Berwick
and I played the waiting game over Christmas. Cambridge (and Oxford too, I imagine)
send a letter before they reply on UCAS, so it was a nervous wait on the postman.
Luckily, I was one of the few that were offered a place; however they had deferred
my entry. I had applied to enter in 2009, the same year I finished school, but they
had offered me a place in 2010- I’m imagining this is because I was a December baby
and therefore very young for my year. It did pose a dilemma at the start because I
was sure I wanted to go to university this year, but seeing how hard I am working to
get my AAB condition, I must say I am glad to have a year respite. I’m hoping to get a
job in a legal firm, such as a secretary, or something else law-related although there
are numerous things you can do in a gap year- see Mick for more details!
I decided to choose Cambridge as my ‘Firm’ choice, meaning if I get the grades I will
definitely be going there, because I truly can see myself studying there: the people
were so friendly and willing to help. For my ‘Insurance’- i.e. if I don’t get the grades, I
have chosen to accept Edinburgh and although on many occasions it’s so tempting
just to not bother working and take the unconditional, the thought of going to
Cambridge spurs you on! I’ll be honest, it’s been such a stressful process, from
personal statements to interview, and now to actually getting the grades, but I think
it’ll be worth it in the end. And all those rumours you hear about them, that they
look down on state school students are completely unfounded. I can’t say it’s ever
been an issue that I went to NBHS instead of a private school- it’s not about the
school, it’s about how hard you work. And finally, if you do have the grades to get in,
I would strongly advise you to consider Cambridge or Oxford, because even if I don’t
get the grades, it has been such a great experience and you can still say you gave it a
go!