Oxford or Cambridge University?

How to get into cambridge or oxford university?

• I plan on applying to study at cambridge or oxford university, what should I be doing now in order for my application to stand out

• Answer:

  All of the people who answered top grades and great recommendations are right but it's not what's going to make you get into Oxford. You don't need a 4.0, although that's nice and you don't need a perfect SAT, of course it would help. I was not a perfect student but I was still able to get into the school, New College in fact, one of the more competitive colleges at Oxford. Demonstrating Thought Leadership Oxford only cares about one thing: educating future thought leaders. They claim they have been doing this for 800 years and that tradition will not be going away anytime soon. It is the university's wish that every graduate will come out and not only want to change the world for the better, but it actually is our responsibility. Whether it's influencing politics, science, business or divinity, an Oxford graduate is a leader amongst peers. You must demonstrate this in your application. Sometimes a perfect SAT score demonstrates this, but participating in the Page Program (I don't know if this even exists anymore) or attending a university JSA program in the summer might do the same job. Stand out from the rest The challenge for young people (18 or younger) is that we are all funneled through a very similar channel. We go to school and get good grades, we get decent test scores, we probably play an instrument or sport and we do tons of community service. There's not much that differentiates you from other candidates. However, have you considered other things that massively interest you that may also interest university's? Winning a gold medal or being a professional athlete will certainly help, but it's not practical. Nevertheless, you will be competing with these students. So how do you sound like an Olympian without being one? Have you thought about starting a micro-nation and writing up a constitution? Perhaps you can obtain a pilot's license or start up your own company? Try writing a column for a newspaper or magazine (not your school's, I mean a professional one). These types of activities are those that are quite unique and will certainly get you noticed. Tell a great story This is a pretty simple concept but very hard to execute. Universities in general get so many applications and most of them are boooring. I used to get advice such as writing a good essay will help you get into a great university. What does that mean? Make sure you can tell a story, and this takes tons of practice. Storytelling keeps people engaged and really paints a picture of who you are. They'll want to meet you and that's your key to getting in. My brother, who is a Northwestern Alum, decided to write a storybook script about various creatures of the night at Costco rather than write a normal essay; however, the essay topic was quite funky too, so maybe don't go to that extreme with Oxford, we are after all a bit conservative :). If you can't write a good story, you shouldn't consider attending Oxford. It's the bread and butter of any great influencer and a skill that will repeatedly get tested when your in your course here. We write so many essays it's not even funny. Choosing the college There's actually no building or campus called Oxford University. In fact, there are over three dozen member colleges that constitute the university, most people may not realize this. There is a league table called the Norrington Table and this lists the ranking of each Oxford college amongst themselves. Perhaps if you only care about getting into "Oxford" choose a lesser ranked college. With all due respect to all colleges, generally it is perceived "easier" to get into St. Hugh's and St. Peter's, but do you your homework on this. League tables change annually and different colleges are known for different subjects. At a master's degree level, it's much easier to get into Templeton Green than it would be for New College if you're attending for business school (there's 50+ spots for the former and only three for the latter). I'm very happy you are considering Oxford and Cambridge as a choice for university study. They are both tremendous places to study each school with its own charm. Cambridge in many ways is more beautiful and Oxford has slightly deeper tradition. Cambridge is better known for sciences and Oxford for politics. Of course these stereotypes are a bit silly, I don't think a Chemist from Oxford is any better or worse than a MP from Cambridge. Make sure you visit these schools as well before applying. England was a huge surprise for me, an suspecting American unused to a new culture and way of life. I arrived in England one week before my course started and it took me the entire first Michaelmas term to adjust to the lifestyle. All the best and I with you good luck.