Application

University: Oxford

College (if made an open application, allocated college): Lady Margaret Hall (open application, allocated college)

Course: Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)

Year in (not for!) which you applied: 2009

Final outcome: offer made

Applicant

Qualification: Other qualifications

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

Are you a home/EU/overseas applicant? overseas

What is your country of origin? USA

What type of school/college do/did you attend? Independent – selective

GCSE or a similar equivalent taken: yes

Other qualifications

US SAT – 740 Critical Reading, 730 Math, 720 Writing
US SAT Subject Tests – 700 Literature, 770 Physics, 760 Advanced Mathematics

Details about the offer

Type of offer: unconditional

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

Preparation

Did your school/college give you any extra tuition or help prior to your interview or application? no

Interview

Did you have to sit any pre-interview exams (LNAT/BMAT/..)? yes

TSA

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

Impressions

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

Gorgeous grounds, tight-knit.

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

huge rooms

How was the food provided by the college?

decent food, not much selection but I’m attributing that to the fact that interviews were held after the end of the term

How did you find the tutors in the college?

Very knowledgeable. Not intimidating

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

Open, friendly.

Final stage

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

I received an e-mail, weeks after everyone else had found out.

Looking back

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

Yes.

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

If you’re going to apply, spend less time ruminating on your application’s weaknesses and keep your strengths well in mind during interviews.