Milliben

University Blogging

20th August 09

What a bizzare day! I have never been more nervous in my life than I was last night. I succeeded in getting a total of two hours sleep and four hours rolling about in a duvet before finally giving in and getting up.

I came downstairs at 6am to collect my French results that I could access online. For me, French was my worst nightmare, I was sure it was going to be the one to 'do me in'. Fortunately though, French was an A so I scampered upstairs to inform my sleepy and relatively uninterested parents. Eventually, I managed to rouse them from their stupor somewhat more and they became more enthusiastic but I went downstairs quite quickly to see if my french classmates had got the result they wanted.

Weirdly though by that point, ucas updated and I saw that I'd actually got into Cambridge! So I scampered back upstairs to re-awaken my, this time much more enthusiastic, parents.

The morning past in a daze of 'How did you dos?', 'Well Dones' but unfortunately some of my mates had missed their grades by a matter of 2 UMS points and were stuck in clearing, tryng desperately to figure out their future. It's sort of a horrible day. Some people are over the moon and some people are devastated. All you can do is think how thin the line is between them. My friend who missed out on her first choice uni this year was told that had it been last year she would have been accepted despite her grades, but due to oversubscription, they weren't prepared to accept her this year. I'm not sure why they told her that - it's not really much of a consolation is it?!

Generally though, I'm chuffed. I got into Cambridge, my family are happy, well, except for my mother who bursts into tears at odd intervals and I'm SO EXCITED!

Oxbridge (Oxford and Cambridge) Applications

The idea of these articles is to give potential Oxbridge candidates an idea of the genuine process that they'll go through during application time. I will try to relate my experiences as accurately as possible and to get rid of the many myths floating around these two supposedly mysterious and elitist universities, Cambridge at least, you can think what you like about Oxford!

To be honest, this is going to be very much Cambridge centred and will be of most use to Law students because that's where I'm going and what I'm doing. Having said that, my successful Oxford friend tells me her experience was much the same and she's studying French and German at "the other place".

Before applying:

Tip 1: Start early. You will find that Oxbridge set an earlier deadline by which all applications for degrees in ALL subjects have to have been submitted through UCAS. This deadline is often early to mid October so you actually won't have very much time at all if you only start writing your application in September when you start back at school. Note also that if you are planning to study Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Sciences then all universities set an earlier application deadline sometime in October. Basically, set yourself a timeline that starts just after your AS exams. By the end of July you will need to have attended the Oxbridge open days, by the end of August you should have your AS results and should have settled entirely on a course choice and university choice. By the end of September, at the very latest, your personal statement should be completed and checked over by as many people as you can find to do it. Don't panic. Lots of people will help you. Ask questions EVERYWHERE. Ask anything you want and make the most of Open Day opportunities, see everything or it'll bug you later.

Tip 2: Choose the right course. This might sound obvious and it probably is but it's also really important so I thought I'd include it anyway. You are not only going to have to study this subject for at least 3 years and possibly forge a career within it but you are also going to have to answer questions on it at interview, write an entire personal statement based around it and read an awful lot of books about it. If you don't like it now, don't choose it. If you do like it now, you think you'd enjoy a degree in it, but you're worried about a career, choose it. Just having a degree, let alone one from Oxbridge, opens up a huge range of possibilities that you might not have at first considered. Ideally, choose a subject that ticks all your boxes but don't worry if it doesn't quite. Just make sure that they are YOUR boxes you're ticking, not anyone else's and make sure that you do genuinely love your subject. That way, you'll already be ahead at interview.

Tip 3: Check out all universities. Ok, Oxford and Cambridge have got the name. They're pretty darn good universities and a place at either gives you a lot of kudos before you even start your career. Remember though, they might not actually be the best place for you. Everyone wants something different from their university, you might hate York and love Kent but your best friend will love York and hate Kent. You need to go and see for yourself. Oxford and Cambridge have got a lot of traditions and, as you might only find out later, a lot of rules. They'll work you hard, term is intensive and the workload is big, even for an Arts student! I will have Law Lectures on Saturdays during my first term! If you find the old buildings boring and cold and the traditions ridiculous then consider either choosing a more modern college within Oxbridge (we'll get to these later) or a different university altogether. Bristol and Durham are battling with Oxbridge regularly in the league tables. Visit The Times' Good University Guide online and find out which University is rated top for your subject, it might not be Oxford or Cambridge, particularly if you're planning to take a more 'new-fangled' subject. Oxbridge is not necessarily the be all and end all, it's worth remembering this a it later on in the application stage if your application isn't successful. Most people adore whichever uni they end up at and everyone chooses for their own reasons, no single university can be the best for everyone.

Tip 4: Choose your College carefully. After having scanned the Oxbridge websites briefly, you will discover that Oxbridge (and some other universities such as Durham) operate a 'collegiate' system. This means that when you apply, you will apply to a college of the university, not the university itself. For example, I applied to Magdalene College, Cambridge (the best one) not Cambridge University. Both university websites give you links to each individual college website - there are LOADS. Some colleges only take women, some only take graduates, some don't do certain smaller subjects and some are just plain weird (cough *St Johns* cough) but whichever college you choose, this will be your home, friend base and life for 3 years so choose wisely. It's worth having in your mind several things you'd like your college to be; old, small, big, modern, lively, quiet, in the centre of town, by the river etc. as well as things you'd like your college to have; a good bar, a gym, sports fields, rowing teams, a choir, a society for people who love star trek etcetc.

Once you've picked your college, that'll be where you go for interview and any future visits. As an alternative to this decision you can make an 'Open Application'. This is where you don't choose a college yourself but agree to the university allocating you a place at whichever college doesn't receive many applications for whatever reason. You'll be allocated a college before interview and then the process will be much the same as everyone else's. This might seem tempting at first, to be honest a lot of the colleges are lovely and seem just what you want, but I'd warn against it. If you make an open application, you really could end up at ANY college running your course within the university. Girls, if you don't want to go to a Ladies Only college then don't make an open application, because you could end up there. Also, there's a reason the college you got allocated didn't get a lot of applications first time round....

Anyway, that's the end of my first article/essay! Next up, The Application Process including the dreaded (but really not that bad) INTERVIEW. Sorry for the length, but there's a lot to type about! PM me with any questions. Mill x