The deadline for early application to UK universities through UCAS fell one week ago. Thankfully, by this time I had already submitted my final application, to which my references had been added and the progressions team at my college had looked over. Still, the oppressive feeling of doubt hung over me like a gloomy cloud. What if my personal statement wasn’t good enough? Had I included all the necessary details? What if my tutors had missed something?
I applied for a deferred place at five different UK universities as follows: Oxford (English Language and Literature), Manchester (English Literature) and Cardiff, Newcastle and University of East Anglia for English Literature and Creative Writing. While I can sit here today, satisfied with my choices and lucky enough to already bear offers from both Manchester and Cardiff, it has been a long and arduous road to get here. It was not until around May of this year that I realised I could realistically apply for Oxford. Indeed, I was nearly certain that I would have no chance at all for a long while, but after visiting the university itself, I became convinced that early application was something I had to try.
I may have misjudged what I was getting myself into.
The pressure that comes with applying to either Oxford or Cambridge, the two best universities in the country, is more than I would have imagined. Firstly, I was expected to know my choices very early, and be set on applying to five different universities. I already broke from the norm by applying to study both English Literature and English Literature and Creative Writing courses, ones which look for very different qualities in students. Secondly, the pressure for academic excellence goes without saying. I never thought about applying to Oxbridge originally, because I viewed it as this far off, untouchable prospect. However, it was during a tutor with my English teacher, when he remarked how well I was doing and asked me if I was considering applying to Oxbridge. I instantly scoffed and made it clear I had no such intention, before pulling open a tab of the Oxford undergraduate courses the instant I left the room. Thirdly, academic excellence will only take you so far. This is what gave me the confidence to apply, realistically. I had left secondary school with only three GCSEs, but I was confident that the complexity of the Oxford application process meant that I could make up for academic failings, both at GCSE and in my IB predicted grades, in other areas. This takes me to my fourth point, the application process itself. Oxbridge look for Personal Statements that are a league above the norm, as well as asking for an admissions test and some sample written work for nearly every course, and that is before invitations for interview are even considered. In my eyes, there are 5 factors which determine your chances of getting an offer.
- The UCAS application itself (including teacher’s references, predicted grades, past qualifications etc.)
- Personal Statement
- Performance in the admissions test for the course
- Quality of Written Work
- Performance in interviews
After this has all been completed successfully, one may feel confident in the knowledge that now they can sit back, relax, and cruise into University the following October.
BUT, you still need the grades.
This is what sets early application apart from normal application, yes, you get your application sent of earlier, allowing for more focus on coursework and revision, but the extra steps to the application require a significant amount of stress, worry and effort, before you even have a chance of receiving an offer. An offer which may well be far outside the reach of your academic prowess.
So, my verdict:
Do I regret applying to Oxford? I am certainly not confident that I will secure a place. But despite the added pressure and stress, I am inclined to say no. Even if I receive a heavily disappointing email next January, telling me to look elsewhere, it will still have been a worthwhile experience. Firstly, it makes your application look good to other universities. Your personal statement will be of significantly higher quality, due to the added support from tutors and teachers. For me, it resulted in being given an offer from Manchester the day after the deadline (16th). Secondly, even the slightest of hopes that you may get in will keep you pushing yourself to achieve greatness, and ultimately result in better quality of work throughout the second year of college.
My Tips for Early Application:
I am referring purely to Oxbridge applications in this section, as I have little knowledge of what the medicine application requires (work-experience etc.)
- Reading
- Make sure that if you are intending to apply to Oxbridge you have a good deal of extra-curricular reading around your subject. Do this as early as possible. They aren’t looking for any specific books, so don’t just Google “best books for a geography degree”, but they are looking for someone who is interested enough in the subject that they have pursued their own independent research.
- Extra Curricular Experience
- This is also very important, but it will vary depending on your course. For example, applying for something like politics, Oxbridge will be looking out for those taking part in debating society or MUN etc. Again, they aren’t looking for anything specific, just that you have showed commitment by broadening your knowledge of the subject in your own time outside of college. Also, it is important that hobbies and other activities unrelated to your degree are merely mentioned. Oxbridge do not want to know about your weekly tennis sessions unless they directly contributed to your academic progress.
- Grades
- This is normally the first port of call for students in the first year of college, as while it does not make all the difference, if your predicted grades do not meet the entry requirements you have little to no chance. While you are not reading up on your subject of choice, or carrying out relevant work experience, focus on your first year of college and ensure that by the end of the year, you have worked hard enough to come away with a good set of AS results or predicted grades which will make the first step in your application.
- Personal Statement
- This is very important, and I can honestly say that my personal statement was one of the hardest things I have ever written. Make sure you look up samples for your course online, and work closely with a supervisor/tutor/teacher to help you. You want to be thinking about getting a draft in before the summer holidays arrive, and if you get some feedback of your first draft, that will give you something to be working on over the break.
- Admissions Tests
- Not all courses at Oxbridge have admissions tests, but MOST DO! Make sure you check by looking at the course website for your university, depending on your course, you may need to revise quite a lot. For my English application, I have to take the English Language Admissions Test, which requires little revision or preparation, but they are all very different. Make sure you try past papers to know what you are up against.
As I have not yet submitted any written work, nor have I been invited to an interview, there is little advice that I can give, but I intend to edit this later to make sure it is up to date.
Here you can find my Personal Statement as an example, bearing in mind all the courses I applied for:
Finlay Porter Final Personal Statement
Until next time,
Stay Hydrated.