Application

University: Oxford

College (if made an open application, allocated college): Exeter

Course: Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular

Year in (not for!) which you applied: 2005

Final outcome: offer made

Applicant

Qualification: A-levels

When did you apply in terms of your qualification? pre-qualification

Are you a home/EU/overseas applicant? home

What is your country of origin? United Kingdom

What type of school/college do/did you attend? Grammar School

state grammar

GCSE or a similar equivalent taken: yes (8 A*,3 A)

A-levels

AS: Critical Thinking (A at AS (243 UMS))

AS: General Studies (A at AS (272 UMS))

A2: Biology (A at AS (285 UMS); predicted A; gained A at A2)

A2: Chemistry (A at AS (282 UMS); predicted A; gained A at A2)

A2: History (A at AS (268 UMS); predicted A; gained A at A2)

A2: Mathematics (A at AS (264 UMS); predicted A; gained A at A2)

Details about the offer

Type of offer: conditional

Specific conditions: A in Chemistry

Other conditions: AAA, excludes general studies

Have you accepted the offer? yes

Have you applied to other universities you consider very close, ‘on par’ or even better than oxbridge? (Ivies, Sorbonne, LSE..others for different subjects) no

Have you met the offer? offer met

Decisions about the application

For what reasons did you apply to Oxbridge?

liked the course, especially the masters aspect (undergrad). like the city and the college system.

How did you decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

didn’t want to do natural sciences, so had to be ox!

Why did you choose this course?

fulfilled my interest in bio and chem.

Why did you choose this college/make an open application?

central position, medium size, seemed nice on open day.

Preparation

Did your school/college give you any extra tuition or help prior to your interview or application? yes

one practice interview with head of chemistry, talks from a couple of ex students currently at oxford.

Do you have any advice for future applicants in terms of preparation?

read around the subject, for science journals and magazines are more useful than books. know your alevel stuff, if you don’t you will suffer!

Interview

Did you have to sit any pre-interview exams (LNAT/BMAT/..)? no

Did you have to submit any written work prior to the interview? no

Did you have to take any exams as part of your interview(s)? no

How was/were in general your interview(s)?

one interview at my college with the tutor and then another at another college (st annes). second was more personal statement based. went well, interviews v friendly, not that formal.

Please comment further on any particular aspects/topics of your interview(s).

first interview had tutor and post grad student. more alevel based with a few qs extended beyond alevel. second more taken from any topics i’d said i was interested on in my personal statement.

What questions were you asked during your interview(s)?

first- amino acid structure, electronegativity of bonds, what coursework had you done? what was fav school subject? maths q on working out density, q on graph of rate of yeast reproduction-explain shape, why ecoli good for working on-what metabolic pathways are the same as humans, what direction do you see biochem going in?

second- mainly on immunology which id said i was interested on in my personal statement, why glycogen a better storage molecule than glucose?, what are steroids?, why insulin work better when injected rather than taken orally?

What did you wear to your interview(s), and why?

brown cord jacket, white blouse, dark navy blue trousers and dark shoes- smart/casual i.e. suits were a bit formal, trousers/skirt and jacket bit more rlaxed.

Impressions

What was your general impression of the college that you applied to/any others you visited?

exeter- other applicants v friendly, tutor extremely nice, food ok (most college seemed to have salmon), very convient for shopping.

st annes- v welcoming plenty of people aroung to talk to, more modern arcitecture, not much green space.

If seen, please describe the college accommodation eg. size of rooms, facilities.

room i was in was a shared living room with two bedrooms off it, and a shared toilet (between 2) also off the living room. living room good size with two desks, table and chairs. bedrooms smallish and bathroom small with a shower. good view of cental quad.

How was the food provided by the college?

breakfast in hall ok, mainly cereal and toast. dinner was quite good, salmon, new potatoes etc.

How did you find the tutors in the college?

v nice, couldn’t have been more friendly and informal. for interview wore old jumper etc.

Generally, what were the college students like (from what you saw of them)?

only saw a few seemed ok, didn’t really get to talk to them.

Final stage

Please describe your feelings during the time you waited for the decision.

not that nervous, wasn’t really set on oxford so didn’t mind too much.

Please describe what happened when you received the letter/the call telling you whether you had a place or not.

got a letter saying i had an offer. havn’t heard anythiong more yet.

Looking back

If you were to re-live that year of your life again, would you still apply?

wait until i go to decide that! probably, good experience.

What advice do you have for potential applicants based on your experiences?

don’t panic too much, nerves will hinder!