Slightly unusual case!

My son left school at 16 as he was offered a football professional contract with a championship club. He also plays for Wales at u19.

He was at a (good) state school until 16, but missed one day a week for football on day release. He was selected to play in the u19 Euros - so 2 qualifying rounds and the finals round - all 3 weeks out of school at a time. The finals coincided with his GCSE exams so he sat most of them in a hotel in Cyprus! He did well considering 999999875 (5 was PE as he missed the coursework deadline- don’t ask!) He sat some of them straight after a game..

Football scholarships normally do a level 3 BTEC. We advocated (fought) hard for him and asked the club to support A levels with a tutor. First time they have done A levels in 20 years. So he did maths and economics in his one day off a week, plus BTEC level 1 and the other compulsory (pointless) education which all football scholars had to do.

He got AA. He was on for A* but had a couple of disasters, one was a career threatening ACL injury which required an operation and long rehab. He was very down. He was just starting to get time with the 1st team and make his championship debut. There was another issue in the middle of exams which I won’t go into now but will be relevant.

This year he is doing further maths with a tutor in the evenings alongside full time football. All issues resolved so should be online for A* if continues how he has started. He’s very committed now.

Would Oxford PPE even look at him with this very unusual route, taking 3 A levels over 4 years alongside a full time job as a footballer. If he gets an A* and does well in TARA?? Is it worth contacting some colleges for advice?

I know of one example of a similar case, Han Willhoft-King who did 3 A levels over 4 years and is doing Law at Brasenose after he got fed up with football. Otherwise professional footballers don’t really go to uni…

Football is still the plan at the moment, and he is back training with the first team post injury and doing well. But he is getting FOMO from his friends at uni and is wondering about a different route… He would be applying to start at 21.

Grateful for any advice and insight. I was at Cambridge 30+ years ago and husband at Oxford but very different then.

Does anyone know which section(s) will matter the most in the admissions test? I feel as though I had very good Writing Task and CT sections, but not so for the PS.

I scored a 1510 on the SAT, but I took the test five times in total. When completing my UCAS application, I entered only my highest score because I wasn’t aware that Oxford required all SAT sittings to be disclosed.

My school has no experience with Oxbridge applications, so I unfortunately overlooked this requirement.

I’ve drafted an email to Oxford’s Undergraduate Admissions Team explaining the oversight and listing all five of my SAT scores. However, I’m unsure whether I should also submit the UCAS Qualification Amendment Form to add the missing scores to my application, or whether emailing Oxford directly with my complete testing history would be sufficient (since no other schools require this).

can someone send countdown timer for deadline of application?

I know this is unfashionably late, but I still havent finalized what course I should apply to at oxford. Im an ellison scholar semi-finalist and receiving an oxford offer would advance me to the finalist round. I have 3 top courses that im equally passionate about, but not sure which one would give me the highest chance of receiving an offer. I know asking strangers on the internet isn't ideal, but ive deliberated a long time with family and advisors who have all given me different perspectives so I thought it'd be worth a shot!

Top 3 courses:

Medicine, biomedical sciences, biochemistry

Stats/context:

International applicant

97.5/100 grade 12 average

790/800 math SAT and 780/800 reading/writing SAT

Currently already a first year uni student in biomedical engineering** smth important to consider

2400 b1 ucat

Esat score pending, but likely 8+ bio, 6-7 chem, ~5.5 maths 1

Supercurriculars:

As of right now, my personal statement is heavily focused on biomedical research and i talked about supercurriculars like competing at isef (international science fair) and various other neuroscience related competitions that i received national results in. However, if I were to switch to applying to med at the last minute, I also have done a lot of volunteering, hospital internships, clinical shadowing, etc. that i could talk about.

Im equally passionate about both med and biomedical research and all 3 courses have aspects that im drawn to.

Im drawn to medicine because im interested in radiology in particular and I feel like being able to help diagnose patients as a radiologist would be a super fulfilling career. The accelerated 6 year program is also something that is not available in america as it would take at least 8 years in America. Con is that ive been told my ucat score may be too low for oxford, so im not sure if it's worth the risk.

Im drawn to biomedical science because I love infectious disease and im also drawn to the neuroscience track offered in the program. Most of my past research experience has been in the field of neuroscience/parasitology and the pathogen program at the ellison Institute is also the reseaech area im most interested in if i were to be selected as an ellison scholar. Con is that i have no idea what my esat score actually is, so my.prediction may be way off which is kind of a risk.

I'm drawn to biochemistry because pharmacology is also super cool to me. My past research has intersected with computational chemistry/drug discovery and I also worked in a pharmacy for a little bit, which i enjoyed. Im also interested in horomes and their role in various psychiatric conditions, as well as how they interact with medication. Another plus is that the esat isn't considered, which i feel like is a fair consideration because my esat score def could be better. Con is that they would focus more on my school grades, which aren't top-tier in comparison to other people from my area who've gotten into oxford with 99/100 averages (my area is kind of inflated in terms of grades).

So to summarize, every course has its pros and cons. I truly love every option so ig now it comes down to which course would give me the highest chance of an offer. I'd love to study in the uk but tuition is crazy high so receiving an ellison scholarship would be kind of a big deal. Pls help if you have any insight at all!!!

First in my family going to uni, so I don't have anyone to ask. Please tell me honestly.

Profile:

- A-levels: Maths, FM, Econ (all predicted A*) + a 4th TBC

- GCSEs: six 9s (Maths, Combined Sci 9-9, RS, Eng Lit, Geography), 8 Econ, 6 Eng Lang, 6 German

- Eng Lang 6 was 98/160. Marking review upheld it, teacher says appeal

- Aiming for TMUA 7+, plus work experience and outreach programmes

- Targets: LSE, UCL, Warwick, Imperial EFDS, Cambridge. Wanting IB / trading long term

Questions:

1. Has anyone with two 6s at GCSE got Economics offers from these? Which ones?

2. Resit English Lang or just focus on A-levels and the TMUA?

3. LSE Economics (TMUA required) vs Economics & Data Science (TMUA optional) - any experience?

4. Is Imperial EFDS good for IB / S&T? Should Durham replace Cambridge as a safer fifth choice?

5. Is this list of five sensible?

TL;DR: strong A-levels and mostly 9s, but two 6s. Would they hurt me at these unis, and should I resit?

And if you got accepted into any of these unis for econ please kindly say , your GCSEs and predictions, and the result (rejections too). Thanks!

I went on a gap year to retake and I’m not sure how a second retake would appear due to me being absent from one paper. I am really passionate about sociology and my dream would be to study HSPS at Cambridge. I got rejected from the Cambridge foundation year this February due to an issue with my reference and was able to resit 2 A-levels this year and got an A in psychology and A star in sociology. For sociology I didn’t have teacher support and this is something I prepared for independently. I was absent from an Alevel paper and ended up having to go to an and e after exams so I am preparing to retake this subject because my grade was a C.

I am not sure if I have a realistic chance of being able to receive an offer and was wondering if anyone has been in a similar scenario and what the outcome was.

I am on a gap year applying to HSPS and have to submit written work. last year i applied for law at my unis so had an exam, but later decided that I didn’t want to do law and am travelling on my year out. nevertheless, my school has locked my microsoft account (I’ve enquired, but there’s not much that can be done anymore) so i cannot get access to the best work that would increase my Cambridge chances. i am not applying to a big or popular college, and my alevels and GCSEs supersede the requirements, its just this im worried about.

I’ve always been fairly competitive. I am a Dutch 5VWO student (16), born in London (British & Dutch passport) and go to school in the Netherlands. I intend to apply to Cambridge undergraduate Law next year when I am in my final year of secondary school.

My grades have always averaged around an 8/10. Sometimes less, sometimes more.
But today I made an economics test, and it went so incredibly horrible I’m actually in shock. I’m definitely failing — and horribly at that. Like a 2/10 (passing grade is 5,5 or 55%). I feel like I’ve actually screwed up all my hopes of ever getting into Cambridge with this, and it’s really hard to get averages up when you get a bad grade. I’ll probably only just pass the class this year.

I’m now wondering if this test has genuinely screwed up all my chances? I know Cambridge looks at the whole picture, but even this is so horribly low that I think Cambridge would immediately reject me if I saw this.

Are there alternatives? Can I do international A-levels alongside doing my dutch end-exams, so I can send my A-levels instead of my highschool transcript?

I’m literally at a loss for words and have no idea what to do.
Thanks to anyone who answers lol

Does anyone have n idea what a 7.0 would be in raw marks for CT and PS? thanks

For internationals who got an offer from Cambridge or study there now, did you get a condition that’s higher than the stated minimum requirement in your offer? Like did colleges ask you for a 7.5 minimum across IELTS modules instead of 7.0 etc.

I’m applying to NatSci by the way and my overall score’s not bad but my speaking barely satisfied the 7.0 minimum. Panicking rn if they ask for an 8.0 in that idk if that’ll be doable or not

Hey! How did the TARA go!? Did you manage to finish problem solving, if not how many questions did you guess / skip!? Remember to abide by the T and Cs you signed (don’t leak any questions etc). I’d love to hear how everyone’s went.

Im currently a first year uni student at a canadian uni but was selected as an ellison scholar semi finalist so im hoping to transfer to Oxford. Im aware that id have to restart from first year next year, which im completely fine with. However, right now im confused about how to fill out the education section. I dont have any grades yet from my uni since I literally just started, so should I just put nothing under "qualifications" for my uni in the education section? Should i even put my uni if i have no grades yet? Am I supposed to provide predicted uni grades or will they just base their decision off of my final grade 12 high school grades?

How much is esat weighed in decisions for biomedical sciences? Their website states it will be "considered", which is kind of vague. Also, what score should I be aiming for? Do they mainly care about my bio module score or is maths 1 equally important?

For additional context, i have a ~97.5/100 average (canadian applicant). Im an ellison scholar semi-finalist and im fairly confident that id be able to do well in the interview, but im mainly worried right now that I won't even get an interview offer. Ive consistently scored 8+ in bio esat mocks but have been scoring in the ~5 range for maths 1.

I'm taking English Literature, Politics, and Film Studies at A-level and would love to study English Lit & Lang at Oxford. My original A-level choices were English Literature, History, and Film, however Film Studies and History clashed on my college timetable and my college would not attempt to accommodate me (despite insistence that they would earlier in the year). I chose to do Film Studies, fully aware that it is widely disregarded and disrespected by Russel Group universities. However, I also understand that students commonly take two "academic" A-levels and leave one "fun" A-level (that is less academic/relevant to the academic course that they would like to take but still of interest to the student) to balance their interests.

English Literature and Politics would be my two "academic" subjects, but since Politics is not considered a "core" subject, some would say it's not academic at all, or at least disregarded similarly to Film Studies.

Would my A-level combinations work for an English Lit & Lang application at Oxford? If I were to achieve very high grades, and write a persuasive personal statement using my option choices to my advantage, would my subjects matter as much as I've been told that they have? Does anyone on/that has been on the English course at Oxford have similar A-levels? Thanks :)

I'm in year 12 rn, I'm doing bio, chem, maths and physics. I'm planning on doing physics, engeneering or astrophysics. I got all 9s in my maths and sciences. I'm just scared I won't be able to get in because I'm not doing FM. what do I do now

(ya'll they're not lettin me switch, is self studying too hard?)

I'm hoping to apply to Cambridge to study Philosophy but I'm struggling to decide which application route to follow for 2027 entry.

Im predicted A\A\A\*A in A level Philosophy, A level History, A level business and an EPQ. But my GCSE grades are 665554433, including a 4 in English Language and Mathematics.

I had mental and physical health issues during my GCSEs, I am also on FSM and have a few other pieces of contextual information.

Im considering two routes:

Standard philosophy BA (applying to Gonville & Caius): My current grades meet the offer but Im worried my GCSEs could lead to a fast rejection

Foundation year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cambridge: I am eligible for this route but I do not know if it is worth pursuing.

My questions are:

How will my GCSEs be viewed in context of my circumstances and my A level predicted grades?

Is there any reliable evidence about how Cambridge views applicants with significantly weaker GCSE profiles?

What considerations should I make when deviding between the BA and the FY?

Has anyone got any experience with either routeand can share relative experience?

The deadline is really close so I am trying to make an informed decision with limited time.

Thank you for any advice.

Hey guys, so bascially im applyign for Product design and Architecture courses in the UK and one of the unis ive applied to is Cambridge Design BA. They require a six page A4 portfolio before they even call you for interviews? I see a lot of stuff about portfolios for the interview but I have no idea what to put on this initial one? Do i just add drawings? Do i write explainign what ive done? what kind of peices do I include since its only A4 and i have a lot of huge artworks??

Any help or advice is apreciated. Id also love to hear form or get in touch with anyone who have/are applying to the same course. Thanks!

I am a yr12 student currently doing Biology,Chemistry and Geology. I know that there are a handful of colleges that don’t require Maths/Physics however has anyone actually been successful getting in without those subjects? Will people studying Maths/Physics still hold a distinct advantage?

Hey, does anyone know what happens if you exceed the TARA word limit? I exceeded it by about 30 words today but the software didn’t notify me or cut me off. Will the entire essay still be sent to Oxford? could this lead to a rejection? I felt CT and PS went pretty well so I would hate for this tiny thing to provide a road block..

Ok so I'm in yr 12 right now and I'm taking Fine Art, Religious Studies, and Sociology. I really want to be a lawyer but I've been told that I shouldn't take law at uni as it limits my options if I change my mind. I'm going to try apply for Oxford and thinking to maybeee do a Japanese ba and then do a law conversion later on. I've studied Japanese with a tutor since I was 11 but I am by no means fluent!! I took a Japanese GCSE out of school and got a 9. Is it a waste of time to do a Japanese degree or could it be helpful. I'd really love to train in Japanese law and potentially study in the country one day, idk if Oxford is worth it... But similarly idk if another degree would be more beneficial!!!

For reference I don't have my predicted grades yet but my GCSEs were 999988876

choose a nice pic for your mycambridge application. if not, you get stuck with an ugly pic with no way of changing it.

all the best for your application!!!

Hi!

I am a trainee clinical psychologist studying at Newcastle University. My research is looking into what is important to students in how they identify themselves, and how this relates to mental health and social belongingness. This research will inform student mental health support at UK universities. I would be very grateful if any current university students could take 5-10 minutes to complete an anonymous online questionnaire. 

Please visit the below link to access the information sheet and consent form (once consent is given you will be given the link to the anonymous study survey) 😄

https://nclpsych.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_79bI93MIMcNgl14

Hello, has anyone here applied for law as an affiliated student at either Oxford or Cambridge? Do they judge you at the same standard as school leavers? When did you find out about your interview and what was that like/what'd they ask you?

How was your LNAT, and how did you think you did compared to how you actually performed? Lowkey think I tanked it as the questions could've been variously interpreted which is counterintuitive for a multiple choice exam?? 

I've just finished my Music undergrad at Oxford and am looking to apply for Affiliated Law at St. Edmund's College, Cambridge, so any advice would be amazing!

this is kinda random, but i've recently started uni and i've been thinking back to my time last year... i literally hated life from sept - december (tmua + interviews etc) but i think one thing i wish someone told me earlier is that somethings aren't meant to be, and some things are. don't define your self worth by a singular university or a singular grade. these things are often so subjective (especially w interviews) and just because you're not exactly what cambridge is looking for does not make you bad at your subject.

also take time to realise whether you would actually want to go to that university, or whether you want it just to say you go to that university (prestige etc)... don't compare your UCAS and uni and even just life path with others, you have to form your own path. i really wish i knew that this time last year. think about what unis you would actually enjoy going to. obviously give everything your all, but remember there's more to life than QS rankings and tmua scores lmao... yeah. also if someone else gets an interview but you didnt/ gets in but you didnt - that also doesn't define you - everyone has different circumstances and different strengths... you've been working on this subject for presumably at least a year now or so, so don't let a 30 minute interview with 1 person make you doubt yourself. sometimes things will work out in the strangest ways that we can never predict. :) i don't think anyone would have questions but feel free

also good luck for anyone doing the esat/tmua/tara any admission test this week - same thing don't let it define you - i worked so hard for the tmua and i was so disappointed with your score - but are you really gonna let a 2 hour test tell you if you're good at maths or not? like come on now !!