University Admissions in a Pandemic

The annual admissions cycle is a well-known process here at Oxford Tutors, and we are proud to support our students when making successful university applications, particularly to Oxford and Cambridge. However, these are uncertain and unprecedented times, and the current global pandemic will certainly see changes and disruptions to the well-oiled machine that is the university application process.

While many universities are putting plans in place for their current students – in the form of virtual lectures and seminars, social distancing in labs, and ‘bubbles’ for Oxford tutorials and Cambridge supervisions – what can we expect to see for those applying in 2020/21?

Virtual Open Days

Open Days are a great way to see a university in person, meet the tutors and students, and see where you could potentially be living and studying for 3 or more years. How do you make those decisions when you can’t visit?

With the need to go online, universities are producing vast amounts of content; filming sample lectures, setting up video chat rooms, getting creative with how they present themselves. Students who under normal circumstances would not be able to travel to open days are getting far more than they ever had, and we hope that this continues in proceeding years in some form.

Register your interest for these events via the university websites and keep an eye on social media streams to get the most out these offerings. For Oxford that’s @OxOutreach, and Cambridge is @Cambridge_Uni on Twitter.

Oxford and Cambridge’s Virtual Open Days will take place between 1^st and 3^rd of July 2020.

Socially distanced admissions tests

For most applicants, taking the admissions tests this year will be the first formal assessment undertaken with social distancing measures in place.

Cambridge Admissions Assessment Testing – who administer the majority of pre-interview assessments for Oxford and Cambridge, as well as national tests like the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT), STEP Mathematics, and Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) – are busy making arrangements to keep all candidates safe and within regulations. All updates are being posted here: www.admissionstesting.org. Follow them on Twitter for tips and updates: @admissionstests.

Pearson Vue – who run the National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT) – have opened some of their test centres and are currently asking all test candidates to wear face masks, as well as observing the regulations of the country in which they’re based. If you will be taking the LNAT our advice is to:

• Book early! Test centres can take less candidates due to social distancing so slots will book up fast.

• As per our normal advice, complete some practice tests under assessment conditions. This now means you should do this with a mask on that covers your nose and face. The LNAT is a 2¼ hour test and you will not be allowed to remove it when in the test centre.

Our tutors are all recent graduates, or current students, at Oxford and Cambridge so have experience of admissions tests. Our mock test programme will help you prepare for these assessments.

Interviews via video call?

Every year thousands of hopeful candidates descend on Oxford and Cambridge, for a day or three of intense admissions interviews. Oxford interviews around 10,000 applicants, at Cambridge it’s 20,000. Plans are still being discussed at both institutions but given the numbers, and the distances some candidates will be travelling, it is likely that in-person interviews will look a lot different in December 2020.

Our prediction is that many students will only be interviewed by video call, particularly those students overseas. Oxford Tutors are well versed in preparing students for interview – 75% of our 2019/20 programme achieved an offer – and our tutors’ experience of online teaching means that we are well placed to prepare students for realistic interviews in whichever format they are offered.

— Sophie Hurden, Admissions Specialist, sophie.hurden@oxfordtutors.com

The Rise of Oxbridge Admissions Specialists

An increasing number of schools are employing admissions specialists to guide their students through their applications to Oxbridge and other competitive universities according to a report by the Centre for Social Justice. With competition for the top university places becoming more fierce, these specialists are being sought after to give applicants an edge by preparing them for all parts of the process, from the UCAS application up to the entrance exam and interview in the case of Oxbridge or Medicine.

For example, Brampton Manor Academy in East Ham employs a university access team consisting of five full-time Oxbridge graduates whose sole focus is supporting university applications. Their students received 51 Oxbridge offers this year, making it comparable to top independent schools. This is made even more impressive by the fact that Brampton Manor is a state comprehensive with a highly selective sixth form which has achieved their success without support from top independent schools or strong links to Oxbridge colleges like other similar schools.

The report suggests that individual Oxbridge colleges should use their access budgets to employ these admissions specialists to work at schools in the most disadvantaged areas. Each Oxford and Cambridge college is assigned certain regions of the country for which they are responsible for increasing Oxbridge access to the students from those regions. They each employ an outreach officer to oversee trips to schools in their regions to host practice interviews for potential Oxbridge candidates and to generally encourage students to apply (including myself). This effort could be extended further if disadvantaged students were given access to a more regular mentor to help guide them through their application and build a more personal relationship with.

Other research indicates that many secondary school teachers do not push their top students in the direction of Oxbridge, with 43% responding saying they “rarely or never” advised gifted pupils to apply to Oxbridge. The three main reasons they cited were that they did not think such pupils would be happy there, they did not think those pupils would perform well academically there or they believed they would not get in. Having this staunch attitude towards Oxbridge results in many students not being presented with the option, which means many hear about it too late to apply or inherit their teachers’ lack of confidence and do not see it as a possibility. A dedicated admissions specialist could build these potential candidates up and give them the confidence to apply to Oxbridge if that is what they want.

If you or your students will be applying for university this October and could benefit from working with such a specialist, take a look at our Admissions page. Whether you are looking for admissions test preparation or would like advice on how to go about the whole application process, click here to book a free twenty-minute consultation over the phone to discuss what the best option may be.

— James Roper, Maths Specialist, james.roper@oxfordtutors.com

Oxbridge Success

At Oxford Tutors, we support a number of students applying to study at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. We are delighted to report that 2019-20 has been our most successful year yet!

Oxbridge applicants who were supported by Oxford Tutors this year were more than 4 times as likely to be offered a place at Oxford or Cambridge universities than the average.

75% of students who accessed our services for admissions test preparation, and had at least two mock interviews, achieved an offer from either Oxford or Cambridge. In fact, those students who had more than two mock interviews with us were almost twice as likely to get an offer as those who didn’t.

Students who attended our Oxbridge Interview Preparation Day, held in Oxford on the weekend before the interviews, were three times more likely to get an offer than the average.

Oxford Tutors also works with schools to offer Oxbridge admissions preparation. Of those schools we visited in 2019, all Cambridge applicants were invited to attend an interview, and students attending were more than 50% likely to be offered a place.

We are aiming to do even better in the next admissions cycle, so if you will be applying for university this October take a look at our Admissions page! Whether you are looking for admissions test preparation or would like advice on how to go about the whole application process, click here to book a free twenty-minute consultation over the phone to discuss what the best option may be.

— Sophie Hurden, Universities Advisor, sophie.hurden@oxfordtutors.com