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Guide to Oxbridge
Part 2: Personal Statement
Personal Statement
Many pupils spend a lot of time worrying about their Personal
Statement. And, while it's true to a certain extent that a good Personal
Statement can enhance an application to Oxbridge, it's important to remember
it's only one part of a portfolio of evidence that tutors will use. In addition
to the statement, the actual and predicted grades, the submitted work, the reference, the admissions tests (if
applicable) and the interview
all play an important part.
Our top three Personal Statement tips are:
1) Be honest
2) Don't be pretentious
3) Be YOU!
We've heard stories of Personal Statements that have opened with ostentatious quotes that
can come across as pretentious! From our experience, we recommend
it's best to be business-like, concise and precise. And make sure you have read
any books which you say you have.
You can see some example of real
Personal Statements here,
and can see which ones have been written by Oxbridge applicants (and whether
they've been successful or not).
Deadlines
Once you've chosen your course and college, you'll need to
prepare your application. Remember, you can't apply to both Oxford and Cambridge
in the same year (unless you are applying for an Organ Scholarship or for a
second undergraduate degree). Information on how to apply can be found below,
and watch out for the deadlines - they are earlier than for other universities.
Cambridge
application process
Cambridge deadlines
Oxford application process (includes list of deadlines)
Click here to go to the next section of the Oxbridge Interviews' Guide