What should you study at school?

St Anne’s usually admits four chemists per year. All applicants must offer chemistry at A-level or equivalent. Maths is not an absolute requirement, but is very strongly recommended, so if you are not taking maths to A2 level, you will need to be able to demonstrate exceptional all-round ability. Physics, biology or further maths are ideal choices for a third A2-level, but we are happy also to consider applications from candidates taking non-science A-levels.

Candidates studying IB, Advanced Highers or other qualifications are welcome to apply; such candidates are treated on an equal basis with A-level students.

Interviews

If you have good GCSE grades and a strong UCAS report from your school, you will probably be asked to come to Oxford in December for an interview. The College will cover the costs of food and accommodation for the two or three days you will be here. We are interested in you as a person and in your academic achievements, but the main purpose of the interview is to assess your potential to do well in the degree course, so interviews usually focus on academic topics. You will of course need to know some chemistry (!), but we do not expect an encyclopaedic understanding. Some candidates prepare in advance for the interviews, but don’t worry if you don’t have the time to do that – in interview we concentrate on what you can deduce rather than what you know.

While advance preparation for interview is not essential, enthusiasm for the subject definitely is. We want you to convince us that you have a strong interest in chemistry and are really keen to study it; we also expect you to be determined to work hard and succeed.

In making our decisions, we take into account all the information available; this will include your personal statement, the school reference, examination grades achieved, predicted grades, and the interview itself. Consequently, you could well receive an offer even if the interview did not run perfectly. Equally, modest GCSE or AS grades may not be the deciding factor if you impress at interview.

Once the interviews are over, we will contact you by post, informing you of our decision and, if you have done well, this letter will contain the terms of any offer. You can then start planning your time at University!

Working at Oxford University

Having achieved your grades, what will it be like to study at St Anne’s?

Lectures and practical work take place in the University Science Area. Each week, you will also have two or three College-based tutorials, which will cover all areas of the chemistry syllabus. Tutorials usually last an hour and involve a pair of students with one tutor. The College’s own chemistry tutors, who you will get to know well during your four years at Oxford, give most tutorials, but we also draw on the expertise of tutors from other Colleges to cover specialized topics.

The College expects high academic achievement and your tutors will encourage you to do well; strong performances in University exams may be rewarded by College scholarships or prizes.

As well as our involvement in teaching, St Anne’s tutors run active research groups, focusing on studies of coordination chemistry in catalysis and biomedicine, and the application of Artificial Intelligence in the solution of scientific problems. In the fourth year of the course, which is devoted to pure research, you could work with one of your College tutors, but you are free to choose from among the 70 research groups within chemistry. Or you might select a different area, such as biochemistry, physics, or the history and philosophy of science, or even work in the Ashmolean Museum or at the University Teaching Hospital.

After University

Chemistry graduates from Oxford choose a wide variety of careers. Roughly half of each year’s graduating school move into research, studying for a doctorate at Oxford or at another university. Many move directly into industry, consulting, teaching, the media or financial services. Graduates from science courses at Oxford are academically strong, numerate and benefit from the rigour of the tutorial system; they are highly sought-after by employers.

The College

St Anne’s has a reputation as one of the friendliest and most relaxed Colleges in Oxford. We also boast one of the best college libraries in the University for Chemistry, with multiple copies of all the standard texts. There is also extensive computer provision for access to online databases.

There are strong links in chemistry between St Anne’s College and Oriel College, and through shared tutorials and social events, our chemists are closely involved both academically and socially with Oriel students.

If you have questions which are not answered by this short introduction, please email one of the chemistry tutors, Andrew Goodwin or Hugh Cartwright.

Follow this link for a student's view of Chemistry at St Anne's.