Our friends at St Peter’s College, Oxford have put together this really useful and comprehensive video for Year 12s considering competitive universities and applications – we really recommend watching this.
Below, we have an introduction to, and top tips for, personal statements, more information about Admissions Tests, as well as some more personal advice from some of our current students who helped with interviews this year.
The personal statement is your opportunity to tell us about why you are particularly interested in your course, what questions you have about it, and how you have pursued that interest for yourself. It’s also a good way of checking for yourself that you actually want to study your subject! At Oxford, the personal statement can also be used at interview to start a discussion, for example about a book you have mentioned, and it’s then a chance for you to show your own thoughts and ideas about a subject or topic.
Our current students have very kindly given us permission to publish some of their unammended personal statements to help give you some suggestions as to how to structure your personal statement. Click here for the Personal Statements Bank.
If you are a current student and want to share your personal statement as a way to guide prospective applicants toward a more successful application, please submit your personal statement (anonymously) here.
Before applying, make sure you know whether your subject requires you to sit an Admissions Test. Follow this link to check what is required by your subject.
Click on the test(s) required for your subject – there are past papers, solutions and webinars for the different papers that you can use to practice. Although the admissions test format has changed this year, many of the materials from previous years will still be relevant. There are also a number of useful resources from across the Oxford Colleges and Departments you can use, for example:
The testing process has changed for 2024 – you will now need to register with a Pearson VUE test centre free of charge between 15th August and 4th October. Admissions Tests will take place at a Pearson VUE centre between 21st-31st October. When registering, candidates will be able to request the access arrangements normally available to them in school. For more information please visit https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/admissions-tests
Applicants will typically be informed whether they have been shortlisted for interview by late November/early December. You can find out more about what to expect from the interview process here.
Different subjects interview on different days during December – you can find the timetable for this year here.
Some of our current students at St Anne’s College who helped with the interview process this year have the following advice and tips: