6 Reasons to apply to Oxbridge (Expert Oxford & Cambridge Application Advice)
1) You love your subject
You may not know exactly why you love your subject, or which parts interest you the most; but you love your subject nonetheless. It will be what gets you through the inevitable essay crisis and the never-ending mountain of work.
2) You want to have a rich student experience
Oxbridge has so much to see and your peers there will be extremely interesting. Depth of the experience is inevitable, even if you try to hide in your room (by the way don’t do this). If you want a more low key or less overwhelming experience Oxbridge is probably not going to the place for you.
3) You want a rich extra-curricular experience
Oxbridge has some of the most influential and impressive societies in the world. They cover all areas of life, stretching from the prestigious Oxford Union to wonderful Doctor Who related Societies. See full lists here for Oxford and Cambridge. If you want to truly explore your passions and interests, Oxbridge is the place to be.
4) You want to go to a campus university
Oxbridge is made up of colleges; these institutions maintain a lot of autonomy and power. You will likely live in college for some time and when you don’t you will continue to live in the university city. If you want to live where you learn, apply to Oxbridge.
5) You like challenging your own views
Tutors will help you see the world in a completely different way; it’s part of the way in which you learn in Oxbridge. A key component of this is being willing to question what you believe. If you believe it’s impossible that you’re not right, then Oxbridge isn’t going to work out well. However if you are open to new views, be prepared for some of the best intellectual experiences you can have.
6) You like to defend your own views
Supervisions and tutorials will place you in uncomfortable intellectual positions to expand your ability to think. If you don’t like standing up for your own views or prefer not to have your own views, then Oxbridge’s system of teaching may not be matched to your strengths. If you do like holding opinions and defending them, then you experience of intellectual debate will be second to none.
This article was written by Kes (Oxford - PPE).
If you find this content useful, please visit Kes' profile for further information on applying to Oxbridge. Alternatively, book support now with Kes, using the form below.
Author: Kes - Oxford
BA Philosophy, Politics & Economics
In my mentoring, I like to focus on building critical thinking and communication skills, which are fundamental to both PPE. In my experience, the best way to build these skills is through understanding argument structure and then applying it to different scenarios.
