1 Applying to University in the UKCovered in presentation: What we have to offer/why you might want to study in the UK Application process overview Information used to assess applications What are we looking for? Advice on preparing your application FAQ Dr Emily Tomlinson, Christ’s College, Cambridge April 2017

2 UK universities – a world class educationInternationally ranked institutions & expert teaching staff: Cambridge & Oxford both consistently rated in top 5, internationally, Imperial & UCL not far behind. Superb facilities: Cambridge & Oxford among most generously endowed universities in the world; Edinburgh, Manchester & many others also known for facilities. Fantastic locations: Great cities, historic University towns, & most are easy to get to from Denmark Personalised approach: Tutor/Director of Studies oversees academic progress & welfare; small-group teaching in tutorials/supervisions. Information to cover within talk Courses regularly top numerous league tables Expert teaching staff – many national and world subject leaders Have lectures, classes, practicals (where relevant) as would at any other university Oxbridge: Tutorials/supervisions – one tutor/supervisor (expert in subject area being looked at) and typically one, two or three students; frequency varies from course to course but on average at least one per week; get feedback on every piece of work you do for the tutorials/supervisions but not formally assessed so opportunity to take risks with ideas, delve deeper into areas of subject of most interest to you and clear up anything from department teaching unsure of; additional, high quality contact time Students responsible for own learning – going to lectures, classes, tutorials/supervisions not enough to pass, won’t be reminded to do your homework, you’re expected to be doing own reading and study Extensive facilities and resources available – labs, equipment, computer suites, lots of libraries; all help keep course/study costs low (some Colleges/departments may also have grants/funds etc available to help students with particular course costs, check relevant websites for information) Plenty of academic guidance and support available – eg Tutor/DoS keeps an eye on your academic progress and will advise and support you throughout. Also, Universities’ disability services – information, guidance and support for disabled students/those with a health condition/specific learning difficulty, contact for advice regarding particular circumstances and College to discuss any specific needs/requirements Assessment – predominantly written exams, some courses may offer long essays/dissertations, where relevant (eg science subjects) there may be some practical assessment. Should consider how courses looking at/thinking about are assessed and factor this in during decision-making process

3 Why Cambridge (or Oxford!)?Cambridge University: Decides course content Organises lectures and practicals Sets and marks exams Awards degrees Cambridge Colleges: Admit students Organise supervisions Provide student accommodation, and library and other facilities Pastoral and individual academic support Students are members of both their College and the University Colleges responsible for admitting undergraduate students – apply to the University through a College. (Graduates apply through the University). College decides whether or not to make you an offer and, if so, what that offer will be but it’s the University that awards degrees at the end of studies Colleges: are students’ primary community provide accommodation (halls of residence) are centres of social life (‘mini campus’) – lots of social activities and facilities to use at very low cost/free; JCR – both common room and College students’ union (elected, looking out for students interests and welfare, provide range of services and activities/entertainment for student body within each College) are responsible for organising tutorials/supervisions (not always with tutors/supervisors at own College – where a relevant subject specialist is based at another College, will go to them for some tutorials/supervisions) 31 Colleges at Cambridge, 29 of which admit undergraduates Colleges provide additional academic support (DoS/Tutor) as well as lots of pastoral support – eg personal Tutors, College nurse, counsellor, chaplain, College students’ union (eg welfare officers) Most Colleges also have a range of grants/funds/bursaries to support students’ study and living costs – in addition to the financial support (Bursaries) for living costs offered by the Universities (see College websites for information) Colleges differ in terms of subjects offered, size / number of students, location, specific facilities, appearance, ambiance – but more alike than they are different. Almost all of this is true of Oxford as well as Cambridge (though terminology used can vary). Key difference are: Oxford colleges are smaller, don’t offer exactly the same courses (PPE vs HSPS, for example), Cambridge tends to offer broad courses and then ask students to specialize, there is more frequent “high stakes” assessment in Cambridge.

4 The application processChoose course (& College) UCAS application (Cambridge Extenuating Circumstances Form) Submit by 15 October (Oxbridge) OR 15 January Complete online SAQ (Cambridge) NOTE: Students who will be age 21 or over when they start University can apply for most courses at Cambridge until March 1. All medical schools use the October 15 deadline, along with Oxbridge. Extenuating Circumstances Form: Form that can be completed in addition to the reference, if an applicant’s education has been significantly disrupted or disadvantaged through health or personal problems, disability or difficulties with schooling. SAQ: provides the option for applicants to Cambridge to provide a Cambridge-specific personal statement, don’t have to complete it, but can be useful if the course applying for at Cambridge is slightly different from those applying for elsewhere. A number of top universities will ask you to submit examples of your written work, or to take a test in school. Tests are most widely used by Oxford, but Cambridge is also about to begin piloting tests in around half its subjects, Imperial uses the Mathematics Aptitude Test, and both Imperial and University College London use the Biomedical Aptitude Test. If a test is required for the course for which you are applying, UCAS will prompt you to register for it when you submit your application, and you can find sample papers for all the major tests, online. You may then be invited to interview either in the UK or by Skype. Cambridge interviews 80-90% of its applicants, regardless of subject, & Oxford interviews around 60%; Imperial interviews applicants for most courses, UCL interviews applicants for some courses, & almost all UK universities will interview applicants for courses related to Medicine. You can apply for up to five courses at UK Universities in any given year (though note that you can’t apply to both Oxford & Cambridge, & you can’t apply for more than one course at either of those universities). Once you know the result of all your applications, you will be asked to make a “firm” or first choice & an “insurance” choice – a course you’d be prepared to accept if you didn’t make the grades for your “firm” choice. And hopefully, once you have all your results, you’ll start at one of them… Written work / tests Result of application Interview Choose ‘firm’ and ‘insurance’ choices Exam results/ confirmation Start university! 4

5 Information used to assess applicationsWe treat each applicant as an individual Information considered: Academic record Personal statement School or college reference Submitted written work, if requested Test results, if required Interview, if required Contextual data Admission highly competitive so to fairly assess our applicants we look at all available aspects of each application; and all available elements considered together/collectively/holistically, nothing considered in isolation Admissions test results/written work – if required (prior to or at interview, if interviewed) The interview not ‘final hurdle’ – interview performance considered in conjunction with all other elements of application before final decisions made (i.e performance at interview alone does not determine the outcome of an application). 5

6 What are we looking for? Academic ability and potential to succeedWill you achieve the entry requirements? Self-motivation, commitment and enthusiasm for the chosen course Do we offer a course you really want to study? Ability to think independently and critically Will you enjoy the challenging teaching environment we offer? Information to cover within talk If you can answer ‘yes’ to these three questions, we want you to apply We are looking for students who: have wider engagement in the subject, expressed through an interest in new ideas and an enthusiasm for reading round the subject enjoy a challenge and will most benefit from what we have to offer have self-discipline, self-motivation and commitment are academically able – have a sound knowledge base and range of skills, with the potential to go beyond the syllabus and use this knowledge in unfamiliar situations

7 Typical Offers Studentereksamen or Højere ForberedelseseksamenUniversity of Cambridge overall with 12 in relevant level A subjects University of Oxford overall with 12 in relevant level A subjects Imperial College London overall with similar scores in relevant subjects University College London 10 overall with in relevant level A subjects University of Edinburgh 10 overall with in level A subjects Cambridge offers for Mathematics also include STEP & this may be used at ICL Note that these are typical offers: successful applicants usually exceed these requirements. At Cambridge, most students who have come through the Danish system have at least 11.3 overall. Outside Oxford & Cambridge, offers may vary significantly by degree course & some science departments do not consider Danish qualifications to be adequate preparation, at all: UCL, for example, will accept only applicants with A-levels or the International Baccalaureate to study Medicine, & many departments at Imperial encourage applicants from outside UK to contact them to discuss entry requirements directly. For anyone with the IB, the equivalent typical offers are Cambridge overall with 776 at Higher Level, Oxford overall, Imperial with 7/6 in relevant subjects, UCL 34+ with combined score of 16 in three Higher Level subjects, Edinburgh varies by course. Again, successful applicants usually exceed these requirements; at Cambridge the median level of achievement of undergraduates in the IB is 42 with 776 or 777 at Higher Level. Always a good idea to get in touch with the Admissions Office and ask.

8 Success Rates All undergraduate applicants:Cambridge 21.3%, Oxford 18.5% Undergraduate applicants from the EU/EEA: Cambridge 13.4%, Oxford 10% Undergraduate applicants from Denmark: Cambridge 22.8%, Oxford 14% Oxford and Cambridge subject to much greater scrutiny than other UK universities, so application statistics more readily available. Should bear in mind (1) numbers involved are small – these are (135 applicants to Oxford, 105 to Cambridge, though latter is starting to see a significant increase – 60 in 2015, c.70 this year) and (2) success rates can vary widely by course: you currently have a 1/10 chance of getting into Cambridge to read Architecture, for example, but 1/1.8 chance of getting in to read Theology and Religious Studies.

9 What should you include in your personal statement?1. Wider reading 2. Study beyond school: University Taster Courses, Olympiads, Essay competitions, Writing for Student Paper, Debating, Extended Projects… 3. Work & research experience: especially for more vocational courses: Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Law, Engineering, Architecture 4. A clear and compelling account of your commitment to and motivation for your chosen subject 5. A brief account (up to 25% of the total content, depending on your other University choices) of any major non-academic interests and achievements What you should not include in your personal statement... 1. Lengthy accounts of minor extra-curricular achievements 2. Declarations of keen interest in ‘hot’ topics of which your knowledge is in fact superficial 3. Quotations from Oscar Wilde; Simon Singh’s Fermat’s Last Theorem; Dubner & Levitt’s Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics Tip for Danish students in particular, would be to describe the intellectual journey you have been on. It is not enough to say, “I took x classes”: you should also explain where taking those classes took you (“in the course of my project on x, I became interested in y, and this led me to read/start a blog on/join a discussion group on/set up a student society on z”). You can find lots of tips on personal statements online, and they may “tip the balance” at other universities, so it is important not to be too self-deprecating. However, they are only one part of your application, and if you’re applying to a University that interviews most of its applicants, you will probably get the chance to explain yourself further, in person!

10 How else can you improve your application?Make sure you demonstrate that you can meet the subject requirements Ensure that you & your referee provide relevant contextual information Check sample tests & practise writing under timed conditions Prepare for interview And if you’re not sure about something – ask! Don’t assume that someone reading your application will necessarily have detailed knowledge of the Danish curriculum… Subject requirements can be especially important in Sciences. Start by looking at the A-level equivalent offer. Any that requires A-level Further Mathematics is likely to expect applicants to have a more advanced knowledge of mathematics than they can acquire simply by completing Mathematics ‘A’ in the Danish system. If you are applying for one of these courses, you should ensure that you familiarise yourself with a Further Mathematics syllabus (for example and mention the fact that you are “topping up” your mathematics, in your personal statement. Some online resources are available to non UK students via the Further Maths Support Programme (http://www.furthermaths.org.uk/) and Mark Warner and Anson Cheung's book, A Cavendish Quantum Mechanics Primer is especially helpful for those considering Engineering and Physical Natural Sciences. Admissions Tutors do not have access to detailed information about Danish schools, so if you come from a school context associated with weaker academic outcomes, or low levels of progression to university, you should ensure that you or your referee mention this fact in your UCAS form. If your performance in education has been affected by other factors (such as ill health, familial or personal disruption), should also be mentioned (or go into an ECF, at Cambridge). Danish referees are, reputedly, cautious in their predictions for prospective undergraduates. Should be honest and accurate in their appraisal, but if they believe in you, then they do need to “sell you” to the assessor, and is important that they are aware of your major academic achievements outside school as well as in the classroom. Helpful if they tell us how your performance compares to others (are you in top 5%? 10%? etc.) Sample papers available on line. May also be set a short test at interview, and this will usually involve writing by hand for at least an hour – so practise before you come. If you are applying for an essay-based subject, it is worth researching and considering how you might structure an essay answer (see for example). There are lots of useful tips on how to prepare for interview on University and College websites. Danish students tend to perform solidly at interview, simply because they are used to oral assessment (which is not in fact as common in the UK system). It is worth bearing in mind, however, that the interview is not a straightforward academic “examination” of what you know: it is a way of finding out how you handle and apply new information, and whether you would thrive within the supervision (tutorial) system.

11 Frequently asked questions (i)Can I apply to both Oxford and Cambridge? Can I apply for more than one course at the same university? What’s the most important part of an application? What do you think about gap years? Would it matter if I’d already spent a year at university in Denmark?

12 Frequently asked questions (ii)Can I re-apply? Will my weaker marks in Danish/ History/ Physical Education count against me? Are scientists assessed differently from linguists/historians/architects? Are Danish students asked for proof of proficiency in English?

13 Finding out more University ProspectusesCollege and “alternative” prospectuses University websites Open days and events Contact the central Oxford or Cambridge Admissions Office, or any College Admissions Office The Student Room Main Oxford Open Days: end June Main Cambridge Open Days: early July Also department and College open days, and other events/activities throughout the year

14 https://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/international-and-eu-students