@oxforduniversity academic explains how the University selects its students 00:00 Introduction 00:34 The Five Cs 00:52 Capability 02:24 Commitment 04:51 Critical Thinking 07:05 Creativity 10:34 Cooperation 13:50 Conclusion
Not applying to Oxford but am applying for Cambridge HOWEVER can I say that I just love LOVE these videos, its so insightful and the questions are so ambiguous I catch myself thinking about them quite often xD Edit: Hi guys, after making it to the interview stage, I got rejected. Thinking back Oxbridge for my undergrad would not have been the best decision either so where I ended up was exactly where I needed to be. I am still very grateful to learn these things as they help you prioritise and present yourself easy on paper. At the end of the day, not getting in is not the worst thing and I honestly look upto Matt’s philosophies haha. I hope to apply for post grad one day, only if I deem it to be right! To those who are now applying, best of luck!
Thanks Maisha! And best of luck in your application! Of course, we want to help people make the right choices for themselves. Cambridge is a wonderful university, and if our advice can help people get in there, then that will be a great result.
Perfect timing, just submitted my application today! As an American who has never met someone who applied to ANY uk uni, this RU-vid channel has been so helpful in getting a sense of what PPE is, what Oxford is, and what your looking for. Thanks so so much! Fingers crossed my TSA (and potentially interview) goes well and I'll be thanking you in person next year!
Hey!!! I'm also an American who applied this year, and I am pretty much exactly in the same boat as you with getting a sense of UK uni. But I really love the idea of getting to study my favorite subjects exclusively at undergraduate level. It's so nice to hear about someone else who is figuring all of this out solo, too. I am applying for history and politics, so we do have politics in common :) Good luck on the TSA, I'm taking the HAT! Let me know if you want to chat, I wouldn't mind us helping each other out if we can.
@@capitalb5889 Didn't get in, but I truly did enjoy the HAT and my interviews. So all in all, I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to apply, as regardless of the outcome I found the process itself intellectually gratifying :)
@@kaylascorner7464 well it's great to even get to the interviews. I'm sure you will go to a great school in the US and perhaps can go to Oxford for graduate studies.
Thank you so much for all your amazing videos! Thanks to all your help and de-mystifying of the process I'm going to be sending in my application to read law this Tuesday :)
Hello! Thank you so much for your explanations! They are really helpful. I'm applying for History of Art at Lincoln College at Oxford this year, and your video clarifies a lot of questions that I'm having:D
Thank you Dr Williams As always your videos are very interesting, engaging and informative Hopefully, someday I will get the opportunity to meet you in person at Oxford sir Absolutely adore your talks Thank you sir
Thank you so much for such a wonderful video - I am planing to apply in Oxford University for my Masters in 2023 and this video really helped me a lot to know these 5 most important points for selection 😀
Hi Matt - Thank you for your amazing posts , you have given my son the motivation and inspiration to follow his dreams. This January he got himself a conditional offer to study modern languages at The Queens Collage. 🙏😊
Thank you Dr Williams for these tremendously informative and helpful videos! As an independent international applicant I really appreciate the guidance! PPE application is going out in the coming week and I am felling much more relaxed and self-assured thanks to you!
Thank you so much Dr. Williams! I am applying for history and politics from the US this year. Of course getting an offer would be amazing, but whatever the outcome, this application process is so intellectually enriching in its own right. I am so grateful for the videos you put out on this channel, thank you so much!
Really great videos, particularly appreciate the Is Oxford Overrated one....my daughter has taken the plunge and applied for English Lit, and it's definitely been worth the process, whether she is accepted or not. There are some strange responses you get when I have shared that she is applying to Oxford with other parents , one said in a very flat tone "I suppose if she gets in , she'll be set for life" I said I don't think that's how it works , or indeed the point... Thanks for all this info.
Words cannot express how much grateful I am for finding your channel!! Thank you Dr. Williams! I am a student of English literature and I am genuinely willing to improve my critical thinking and creativity skills. Would you be kind enough to recommend anything/any advice that might be helpful for me?! I would really appreciate it.
Yesss, Thankyou i love these videos giving us such a detailed insight into which we rarely get from anywhere else ,Are 3 alevels ok for economics and management or are they not competitive enough? At the moment I’m doing A-level further maths/maths/psychology have i put myself at a disadvantage?
Thank you for your kind comment! Yes, three A-levels are absolutely enough for economics and management. And, your subject choices are fine. Best of luck! Please be sure to practice the TSA. Check out my videos on that test.
@@jonathanvanderlith8886 well my school did offers it but at the start I wasn’t 100% sure i wanted to do economics so I didn’t pick it but now my sixth form won’t allowe us to add it on
What about graduate students, masters or PhD students? Your videos are very resourceful. Even though I'm applying as a PhD student, I'm getting a lot of useful information out of your tips on the undergraduate admissions process. Thanks!
Thankyou for your continued advice! These videos help us more than you could imagine. I should admit though, I'm applying to Jesus College Cambridge, not Jesus College Oxford. Hopefully I get in and it is just as useful as Jesus Oxford's youtube channel
I want to apply to exactly because of the tutorial system and the degree, CS and Philosophy. The fact that I can study both of these together feels like a dream to me. BUT, I need to work on my 5 Cs. Hopefully next year I will be sitting in one of the interviews. 🌞
I would have totally chosen Jesus College when I applied this week for a Dphil in the History of Art, but sadly, it didn't take my course. :( Matt gives the best info!!
Hello, with the tremendous grade inflation regarding Scottish Higher results for 2021, does that devalue our grades? I'm from a state school which saw next to no inflation (the attainment was similar to 2019), but the nation as a whole saw a much larger proportion of A grades. Does Oxford look at the nation as a whole or our particular schools? (or potentially a cluster of schools in local authorities?)
Yes, that's right. We do have certain grade requirements for our courses, but when we ascertain your relative academic strength, it includes your performance relative to your school rather than relative to the whole country.
@@calebp6114 I thought it was okay but I don’t think I’ve done that great. I’ve never seen a question like the one we got it was so weird. What did you write about?
@@jiya1042 Yh, the source was unusual - a 19th century piece of folklore! I argued that it could reveal a substantial amount about the woman's moral views of the world (as it contained moral messages which she chose to pass on), and information concerning her views on parent-child relations, but that it couldn't tell us much about her specific life circumstances. It was very difficult tho- I only wrote three pages within the time limit as well.
My son went to it got accepted however because it was based on predictive grades and it up slightly lower and then ultimately refuse because of the grades, so mostly it’s to do with the grades even if they’re winning through the rest of the recruitment process.
Do you have any advice on how to answer more problem-solvey type questions (perhaps maths-based questions for E&M) at interview? Also, these videos are amazing! Thank you for making them :)
Thank you! For mathsy questions, you will be helped through the question step by step by the academics. If you practice the TSA and keep up to date with your school maths, you should be well prepared.
Firstly, thank you for these videos, I believe these themselves help people become the critical thinkers we are. Being the age I am, an access course was really my only choice. If all plans well and we manage to sit our tests accordingly (without Covid getting in the way), would the predicted A-Level grades that other students around the UK managed to use as final marks be looked at any different. In other words, might one be better off in this certain situation? Thank you in advance!
Thank you for your comment. We will contextualise grades to ensure we make the fairest possible assessment of your potential. This means we will ask for a certain standard, and then compare your performance against people from your school/background, rather than compare you to the whole country.
I've been watching all of your videos its been great help, so thank you! Though I have a few questions. How important is the TSA in the admissions process compared to the other aspects of it? Is it possible to be shortlisted for an interview and admitted with a TSA score in the low sixties? Are you able to practice it to prove or is it not really helpful? I'm applying for PPE and you've helped a lot, so thanks again!
Hi Uzair, thanks for your message. The TSA is one data point amongst several. It is important for building a picture of your academic ability and potential. But, we don't use it on its own, it is used in concert with other data. This means that there is no strict cut-off for the test, and it is possible to be shortlisted despite a relatively weak performance on the test. But, it's useful to perform as well as possible to maximise your competitiveness. Best of luck!
Thanks for another great video Dr. Williams! I was wondering how could these advices be applied to graduate applications specially in applying for a DPhil in an area which you didn’t study as an undergrad. For instance, in pursuing my master’s degree I have a lot of questions regarding methodological approaches to my subject and I’ve found answers to some of them in Political Science and Sociology although I’m originally trained in Social Communication. In terms of Commitment, I wonder if it’s ok to find an area about which you’re genuinely passionate “later in life”… how could one address that in the application? Thanks again!
It's a great question. I think it's fine to find passions later in life. Frankly, I'm not sure it matters when your passions emerge, but what you do when they do emerge! And, cross pollinating from different disciplines is what we all do at the graduate level, so there is no harm in migrating from one discipline to another, provided you can explain your suitability for the jump!
Hi Matt, I wanted to ask whether if I’d have a chance at Oxford if one of my grades was one grade below the entry requirements. (E&M) Would my application be read? And would I still be treated the same as someone who is predicted A*A*A*? Or do I still have a chance at the admissions test scores and interviews? As the deadline is soon approaching, and I wanted to know whether it is worth one of my options, as I think it’s work a try, but wanted your personal, unbiased opinion. Kind regards, Jacob :)
Hi Jacob, if you are not on course to meet the entry requirements then, regrettably, it is unlikely that you will be shortlisted for interview. If you meet the requirements, even if only just, then your application will be taken just as seriously as someone with more A-levels and more predicted A*s. Best wishes to you, Matt
Do you think I should apply next year ( currently in year 12)? For GCSEs I got 4,5,5,6-5,6,6,7,7 and my uni admissions teacher told me I shouldn’t bother even if I do get good enough predicted grades next year. I really want to do ppe at Oxford but I’ve always been a middle set student. I currently do Economics, Geography and Computer science
Thank you so much for these videos! I’m planning on applying for a masters course in maths for sept. 2023 entry, I was wondering if there’s any activities admissions tutors like to see in a candidate aside from 1st or strong 2.1?
Thank you! Admissions tutors like to see great academic potential as well as aptitude. A bit like applying for a job, you need to explain how you best fit the job description - so look at what the course entails and explain in your statement of purpose why you are the best fit for it.
all your videos are for undergrads, i want you to tell us about graduate studies too. what level you expect from them, how they should design their personal statements?
I am considering applying for an MBA at oxford. My grades during my undergraduate degree are straight A's or all 90% (I am from Canada). However I did do another four years at a university previously where my grades were not very good and I did not finish the degree. Will those grades be considered in my application?
This is a great video, thank you! I'm currently predicted A*A*A*AA with the As in maths and Fm. I want to study CS & Philosophy, in your opinion, does the fact my weakest subjects are maths negatively impact my application, considering CS is very mathematical?
According to this website, you need an A* in Maths for CS: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses-listing/computer-science Do you think you can push to that result? Have you seen this? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uupjxztr2q8.html
@@two697 I started with 4 and saw that oxford recommended further maths, so I thought I'd try it and see how far I got and just never ended up dropping one haha
Hi Dr Williams, just wanted to say thank you for these helpful videos and also the opportunity to see round Jesus College you gave me earlier this year. It has inspired me to at least try for an application to Oxford or Cambridge. Thanks again!
The guidance is very similar for graduate students, except for graduate degrees there is a greater reliance put on reference letters submitted by your undergraduate tutors.
Good Afternoon. I am thinking of applying to Oxford for history and politics. I was wondering if you could recommend any politics super/extra curriculars that I could do. Thank you.
Thanks for your comment. It's best if you start with a question about politics you'd like to answer, and then go and try and become a bit of an expert about it, by reading around the subject. Your question should be something that you would like an answer to, such as: "Why is world peace elusive?", or "Why aren't women's right better respected?" The next step will be to think deeply about the question, before reading anything. Try and work out your own thoughts on the topic. Then, go and find some books and articles that have been published by universities on these subjects. Google scholar is a good source for this.
Hey there, do u think there is a chance for me getting into Oxford if I get the requirement grades for their A level subjects however my gcse isn’t great(like having a couple of 4/5 gcse grade). Do they really care about GCSE grades tho?
It depends a bit on what you're applying for. If you're applying to study Maths and you got a 4 in GCSE Maths, that could be a problem. If, however, you got a 4 in English and you're applying for Maths, it would likely not matter much. For Medicine, there is an expectation of eight 8/9 grades, but no such expectation for other subjects. Also, GCSE performance is contextualised. Meaning that, if there are reasons why GCSEs don't reflect your academic potential (schooling, sickness etc) we can take these factors into consideration. In short, yes you can likely make a competitive application if you are on course to obtain the necessary A-levels.
Not much! They are both very good universities, both collegiate in structure (as in split up into colleges), both offer academic rather than vocational degrees, and, crucially, both teach in very small classes. There are some different courses offered, which is the most significant difference.
I have submitted an application for the biology course. As you mentioned the qualities you look for into a student. What if my personal statement is not extraordinary but the A level grades are better than the Olevel grades; do i have any chance of being called for an interview?
Yes, for sure. The admissions tutors will look at the whole application, and even if some aspects are stronger/weaker than others, that is not necessarily a problem.
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 There’s one more query, I am from Bangladesh and i belong to a middle class family. Being a overseas candidate, its very difficult for me to cover the tuition fees even with education loan. So, if I acquire an offer for admission to the college. How likely am i to get a full scholarship? What if I am unable to confirm a scholarship; what am I suppose to do ?
I’m on a gap year this year and applying to Oxford. I did my A levels this year so in 2021 where the results were teacher assessed. I got 3A* but because of the grade inflation do you think Oxford will take them seriously?
I think they will look at the grades relative to your school and may place more emphasis on the admission tests and interview. I'm also on a gap year but applying for Cambridge
How much Gpa matters for admission in Oxford? I am a last year Student of media studies in Pakistan and i want to take admission in Mphil Politics in Oxford. I have 3 gpa out of four but i have more than 3 year professional experience in the field of Media and politics
Hi, GPA is important, because the MPhil is so academically oriented. But the application will be considered holistically (i.e. inc your experiences, where these are academically relevant).
Hi I was going to ask do oxford accept BTECs for music course what happened was I was originally thinking of applying to oxford and sixth form put me on the A-level courses and I was predicted grade 7s and 8s but because I was mentally ill it affected all my grades and instead I got grade 4s but I study musical theatre music performance and applied psychology there is a lot of hand written units in the courses that I am doing so do you think it would be fine for me to apply to oxford next year or do you think that I should not apply to oxford
Thanks for your comment. The uni website says the following about BTECs: (www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/admission-requirements/uk-qualifications) Because of the academic nature of the undergraduate courses at Oxford, most Applied General qualifications (such as BTECs, Cambridge Technical Diplomas or UAL Diplomas) are unlikely to be suitable for making a competitive application by themselves, though they could be considered if taken alongside A-Levels, depending on the course applied for (see below for examples of the requirements of some courses that accept Applied General qualifications). When considering applications, tutors would want to see evidence of learning and assessment that would provide the skills and knowledge the candidate would need for the course they are applying for. Candidates are therefore advised to include in their UCAS personal statement information on how their qualification has prepared them for the course they are applying to. A D grade (distinction) in an Applied General qualification would be considered equivalent to an A at A-level, and a D* in a BTEC National would be considered equivalent to an A* at A-level.
You may find that Oxford is not well suited to your interests because it is so academically focussed. This is a clear instance where Oxford is not "better" or "worse", just different. Some people prefer the abstraction of an academic degree, whilst others crave a more concrete and practical education.
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 oh right thanks it’s just I did send oxford an email they said you are more then welcome to apply to oxford for the course that I want to do which is music and they said the BTEC level 3 musical theatre and performance we will accept but however an A-level is strongly recommended and they said if you don’t do any Alevel and just BTEC then you have to show a lot of strong easy writing and verbal reasoning skills which I can show because all 3 of my BTEC courses are easy writing and verbal skills and for music performance we do a lot of hand writing and verbal skills that’s why’s I was wondering and I do like the music course and what I read about it on the information they accept BTEC so I don’t know there are other Russell groups that I am interested in as well so if I do apply to oxford for music add least I have 4 more universities and they show the entry requirements for BTECS example Queen Mary Birmingham and others but I always did have my heart set on Oxford but I do have a backup plan if it does not go that way
Hello, how much is the average required for pharmacy and medicine as well? I graduated from the Department of Pathological Analysis and I want to transfer to pharmacy. I got a good grade at the university due to the circumstances I went through. Is there an opportunity to apply? What about medicine? Is it accepted as an honors degree from high school, given that we are from outside Britain?
Hi there, I'm afraid we don't have a pharmacy degree at Oxford. For medicine, please see here: www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/pre-clinical/applying/international
HI matt! I have 6.8 CGPA out of 10 in my 4 year UG Engineering degree from an institute of National Importance (India) (percentage = CGPA X 10 as per my UG collage), can I apply to University of Oxford for DPhile in Computer Science?
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Thanks Matt, But will committee consider my CGPA or converted percentage as per my UG collage, for minimum eligibility criteria?
@@scientificpublishingreview2809 I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know. It's most likely that the admissions tutors will look at your official transcript from university, so whatever format your qualifications are presented therein will be used.
Thank you for your response about personal statement grammar errors from earlier, if you recall it. Accidentally deleted my original comment instead of responding to you...oops, my bad!
Had someone poor GCSEs and A-levels, they went to university then dropped out, or had other indicators of poor performance, could they be admitted, accounting that, on retake, they got A,A,A? Would an individual who has visible potential and intellect, but for whatever reason hadn’t applied themselves in school, be considered, or would the case be difficult to argue? Is there still a place for mavericks/ outliers to be admitted, or has the culture, perhaps understandably, turned away from that?
We admit mature students (aged over 21) who often have "non-traditional" educational backgrounds for Oxford students. Many struggled at school for various reasons, but picked up their studies again in later life. In short, it is possible to be admitted under the scenario you've outlined.
@@jackmuir6249Don’t believe so little in yourself. There are always alternative paths you can take to higher education. If you want it you’ve got this!
