Oxbridge (Oxford & Cambridge universities)

A talk to students, staff & parents IV Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Emilii Sczanieckiej

Łódź, Poland

Studying at university in UKBritish universities differ from Polish ones, typically:• Away from home• Beautiful environment (gardens, architecture, …)• Small group teaching & practical + lectures• Emphasis on individual thought (not just learning

facts)• Personal Tutor support• Expense: ~£3,300 fees + ~£6,700 living expenses

= £10,000/year (PLN ~50,000/year)• For details on all courses & universities

www.ucas.ac.uk• All UK university applications are through UCAS

UCAS Application• Choose course/university www.ucas.ac.uk, www.ukuniadvisor.com,

http://unistats.direct.gov.uk • Complete UCAS Application online: 15/10 Oxbridge, medics, dentists, vets

15/1 all other courses (except 24/3 art & design courses)30/6 late submission (only those who still have places)

1. Registration on ‘Apply’ system2. Personal details, education, employment3. 5 choices of course/university4. Personal statement5. School reference with predicted grades6. Pay UCAS fee

• Attend interviews, take entry tests• Use ‘Track’ to manage your application:

receive offers by 31/3: conditional, unconditional, unsuccessful if no offers, use ‘Extra’ (28/2 – 6/7) send decision on all offers by 5/5: firm acceptance, insurance acceptance, decline 19/8 no successful offers, enter ‘Clearing’

What makes Oxbridge different?

• In top 10 world universities• Exceptional students, staff, facilities, environment• Highly selective entry• College system• Individual teaching• Traditional and beautiful environment• Facilities for students• 3 terms/year of only 8 weeks• Financial support• Personal support• www.ox.ac.uk www.cam.ac.uk• http://www.oxbridgepoland.org/•

Oxford Cambridge

Foundation year 1096 - 1167 1209

Undergraduates 11,765 11,607

Undergrad colleges 30 29 (3 only women)

Course structure 3 year courseSome combined courses

Part 1(1 year),Part 2 (2 years)

Nobel laureates 57 67

City population 165,000 130,000

Prime ministers 25 (including Cameron, Blair, Thatcher, Heath, Wilson)

15

Famous students Schrodinger, TS Eliot, Tolkien, CS Lewis, Lewis Carroll, Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Bill Clinton, Radosław Sikorski, Hugh Grant, Rowan Atkinson, Oscar Wilde, Rupert Murdoch

Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Baron-Cohen, Crick & Watson, David Attenborough, Stephen Hawking, AA Milne, Paul Dirac, Cambridge spies, Joe Stiglitz, Monty Python team, Keynes

Living costs £6,800 – 8,000 £6,000 - £7,500

Oxford versus Cambridge

Oxford versus Cambridge

•Most things the same, few differences•Different courses: choose the course you like

•Oxford maybe slightly more political & frivolous, Cambridge maybe slightly more scientific & serious•Cambridge bursary scheme open to EU students (up to £3,400/year)

Oxbridge Application process• Visit: Open Days (end June, September) or guided tours or contact:

http://oxpolsoc.org/ polsoc@cusu.cam.ac.uk • Brief your teachers on requirements• Choose a course, check entrance requirements• Choose a college (or open application)• [Choral/organ scholarship? Oxford by 1/9, Cambridge by 4/9]• Complete UCAS application form online www.ucas.ac.uk

1/9 – 15/10• [Cambridge: complete SAQ online by 22/10]• Submit any special requirements (essays, tests, …)• Interviews by college 5-17/12• Offers by college ?/1• Exam results & college confirms place 19/8• Start as a ‘fresher’ 1/10

Finances• ~£3,300/year tuition fees (UK government loan

for EU students)• living costs £6,800 – 8,000/year Oxford,

£6,000 - 7,500/year Cambridge• no loan for living costs for EU students• but Cambridge bursary up to £3,400/year• Extra income: family, company sponsorships,

organ & choral scholarships, holiday jobs (26 weeks), part-time jobs, college prizes

Dziękuję za uwagę

• Czy są jakieś pytania?

Action by teachers• Students can apply directly through UCAS www.ucas.ac.uk using online ‘Apply’ system. • Or school can become a Centre and students can apply through Centre. Ask

internationalenquiries@ucas.ac.uk There is workshop 15/10/10 for ‘international agents’• UCAS needs Teacher Reference (up to 47 lines or 4,000 characters + Predicted grades) in English

www.ucas.ac.uk/advisers/online/references • Predicted grades are the main basis for university offers• Provide an informed academic assessment of suitability for further study:

– their academic performance in post-16 education– their potential for academic success in higher education– why the course they have chosen is suited to them– personal qualities which will benefit them at university: skills, aptitude, enthusiasm– what they bring to the university: extra-curricular activities & interests.– comment on their ability to write /speak in English, say if they were taught in English.– give details & describe how they compare with others in their class.

• Read student’s application to understand intended career direction, chosen courses & universities. Do not repeat any of the student’s information, unless you want to comment on it.

• Do not name any particular university, because at this stage UCAS does not allow them to see the identity of the other institutions to which an applicant has applied - they will all read your reference.

• brief details about the school (size, type of school, number of students in student's year group and/or class sizes, proportion typically progressing to HE, typical qualifications achieved by students, school policy on predicted grades, school ‘catchment area’). “Reference should focus mainly on the student”