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I want to do Physics at Oxford University and I have to get A*AA at A2 Level which I reckon I could do, I've got to apply to Oxford by October 15th but I was wondering if anyone knows what kind of stuff they like/don't like and what I could say to appeal to them? Thanks.
Take a look at this website, pretty much sum it up:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12308121
Oh and some people said you need to 'truly beast your personal statement and especially your interview' - that'll increase the chance. :P
Just sell yourself loads and loads. Go into so much detail as you can on your personal statement and CV. And I mean every little detail. When you did it, what you did. How you did it. Would you do it again? etc
I am applying to cambridge and my school has links with both school and we've have admissions tutors from both unis in to talk to the oxbridge group. They both said we don't care about what you do outside of school that much we want you to be en expert in your subject so in your personal statement really emphasize why you are passionate about physics and give evidence of all the extra work you have done to show you are passionate and can become a leader in your chosen area. Basically they don't want to know you're football captain they want to see you wrote an additional essay on Fission or have done some extra reading of Newtons books or something like that.
Also in interview the questions aren't "what can you bring to this uni" they're designed so you have an intellectual conversation with the person who is interviewing you so an example question which came from the oxford tutor was "if i have grains of sand in my hand and drop them how long will i have to drop them before the become a heap?" Obviously questions will change on which course you are applying for.
:-)
Get your application in ASAP, they do look at the first ones first. Also try to wow with your personal statement - I've had a super-clever friend rejected from Cambridge because of her personal statement - don't forget extra-curricular activities (she has none, and I don't think they liked that). Also at the interview, try to be calm.
You have to show them that you're passionate.
Do a lot of extra curricular activities that you can mention in your personal statement, sell yourself in your personal statement and make sure you get really good references from your teacher. I know people who have got into Oxford because 1)They're amazingly clever, 2)They're extremely passionate about what they want to do and they do stuff outside of school for example a guy I know who applied for law was involved in a lot of debating competitions which he won and a girl I know who applied for maths entered competitions and won..you need to find something like that you can do for physics :)
I agree with Fire-Girl, try and get your personal statement written over the summer, get a teacher to once over it as soon as you get back in september, then send it off. You don't want to be one of 1000 who send it in the last few days.