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Oxford or Cambridge - which is easier to get in to?

Tek

Of the two universities, which one would you consider easier to get into? I would suppose it varies from subject to subject, but does anyone have a rough idea overall?
Thanks.

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Reply 1

It'sPhil...

Tek

Of the two universities, which one would you consider easier to get into? I would suppose it varies from subject to subject, but does anyone have a rough idea overall?
Thanks.

Cambridge is better across the board so I'd say Oxford. Oxford has a good reputation but is clearly second best

Reply 2

Unregistered

They're both very similar, I think. I got in to Cambridge to do natural sciences - I would like to think I would have got in to Oxford as well (but that may not be the case). They are treated as Oxbridge - which surely emphasises some similarity!

Reply 3

Tek

Based on that statistics they list for successful applicants (eg http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/courses/hist.shtml ) it would seem that Oxford has a higher successful applications percentage than Cambridge ( http://www.cam.ac.uk/cambuniv/ugprospectus/applying/applying02f.html ).

Reply 4

onlywee

HMMMM!!!

Oxford is most definitely not easier to get into than cambridge!!! dear oh dear.

They are both the same, it depends who interviews you etc. The stats are skewed as there may not be the same number of applicants to each institution etc.

You shouldn't be wanting to make your choice on which is 'easier' to get into anyway, go for the one offering your course and better options.

Getting into either is a great achievement.

Reply 5

PHIL

onlywee

I gotta agree with what you're saying. I think though that there is a lower applicant/place ratio at cambridge.

Phil

Reply 6

Bumblebee3

It depends. Cambridge generally requires 30 ucas points whereas Oxford ask for 29 (according to The Student Guide) and Cambridge are at the top of the league tables. However, when I was deciding between Cam and Ox to read Arch and Anth I found that the Oxford entry proceedure seemed biased towards those who'd had lots of previous experince, testing the knowledge of applicants rather than the way they thought. So I went for Cam and haven't looked back since. :biggrin:

Reply 7

Pencil

They're both easy to get into. After I got my BCDE grades for A-level, Oxford and Cambridge were begging me to join them. I however thought "naaa" and decided to go with Essex, who are by far the best. :wink:

Reply 8

Surfing Hamster

Pencil

LOL, there's nowt wrong with Essex! Dr Nick Baylis who now teaches at Cambridge University in Positive Psychology attended Essex!!

Reply 9

PHIL

Pencil

Im guessing you also turned down LSE, Harvard,and Yale!

Phil

Reply 10

emom100

every year 1 person has got into cambridge from my school usually for law but no-one has got into oxford for years

Reply 11

Bumblebee3

emom100

every year 1 person has got into cambridge from my school usually for law but no-one has got into oxford for years

What kind of school is yours? (She asks cynically)

Reply 12

Unregistered

emom100

every year 1 person has got into cambridge from my school usually for law but no-one has got into oxford for years

Hey, true for my school as well.

Hardly anyone gets into Oxford. In fact, nobody got into Oxford this year, from my year, although 3 people got into Cambridge.

Reply 13

Bumblebee3

Vin

Hey, true for my school as well.

Hardly anyone gets into Oxford. In fact, nobody got into Oxford this year, from my year, although 3 people got into Cambridge.

I think Cam tends to go more on the way student thinks and their potential to better themselves and Oxford likes a student to have had plenty of experience/further training. If people from your year are good thinkers but have had little opportunity to develop practically that could explain it. According to the league tables Cam is harder to get into!

Reply 14

Unregistered

I would say that it probably depends from subject to subject, for for maths (the one that I have experience of) Oxford definately has lower requirements for grades.
In my further maths class there were two of us, one applied to Oxford and I applied to Cambridge. We both got offers of similiar difficulty for A levels but cambridge wanted much more on the STEP papers.
When it comes to the results neither of us made our offers, but he got into Oxford with lower grades (in A level and STEP) than I did and was rejected from Cambridge (though this may have summat with me gettin a U in STEP 2). I'm at Bath anyway, so that can't be bad

Hope this is of some use

Reply 15

Egan1

Haz

I think Cam tends to go more on the way student thinks and their potential to better themselves and Oxford likes a student to have had plenty of experience/further training.

Why do you consider this the case?

Reply 16

Bumblebee3

Egan1

Why do you consider this the case?

When I was deciding whether to apply to Oxford or Cambridge to read Arch and Anth I looked at admissions proceedures and interview profiles. Oxford seemed to be interested in experience and facts whereas Cambridge seemed to be (and were!) more interested in the candidate's potential to develop rather than what opportunities they'd had already. For someone such as me who was not given the option to study archaeology A'level but was keenly interested in both subjects from back ground reading, this was ideal.

Friends who have applied to both Oxford and Cambridge agree that this seems to be a common feature and may account for the fact that Oxford takes a higher proportion of students from the private sector.

Reply 17

Egan1

Haz

Hmmm...well it probably depends but I'd say both unis would be interested in both- Obviously they're going to want to know about past work etc but also in future potential -if they (Oxford) weren't they wouldn't need to bother with the interview system because they could just determin things from past grades etc...

Reply 18

Adhsur

emom100

every year 1 person has got into cambridge from my school usually for law but no-one has got into oxford for years

It's the opposite at my school...my school is very oxfordy with many going there and hardly any to cambridge. I'm applying to Cambridge though.

Reply 19

Bigcnee

Unregistered

Cool!!!! I'm going to Bath to do Maths this year (and got rejected from cambridge after my results!). are you in your second year, or starting this year, like me?