Applying from Pakistan - Wish I'd Known (Expert Oxford & Cambridge Application Advice)
While applying to Oxford or Cambridge is a daunting task for students all over the world, there are some factors that may make it even more challenging for Pakistani students.
First, Pakistani students admittedly make a very small proportion of Oxbridge acceptances each year. However, this becomes a circular issue when low Pakistani representation in one year dissuades school students from applying in later years. At times, academic counsellors at schools may also advise students to choose their five UCAS choices ‘wisely’ by not applying to universities that offer relatively lower chances of admission. It is of utmost importance then for you to not let mere numbers discourage you from taking the very first step that is to make an application. The most dreaded scenario may be that of not getting in but that’s guaranteed to happen if you do not apply at all!
Second, due to the large number of Pakistani students applying to American universities, and to local universities that follow American admissions procedures, guidance from academic counsellors at schools tends to revolve around college essays rather than personal statements. As a result, Pakistani students often tend to assume that the personal statement follows the same format as college essays. However, this is certainly not the case; personal statements tend to focus on the applicants’ academic credentials and passion for their chosen courses whereas college essays tend to require creative writing in response to particular set topics or accounts involving extracurricular activities. Since the personal statement forms one of the hurdles of an Oxbridge application, it is crucial to seek out accurate guidance regarding writing strong personal statements.
Another aspect to be wary of is application deadlines. While this is seemingly obvious, many Pakistani students miss out on deadlines for two reasons: one, they are surrounded primarily by students and academic counsellors who focus on American universities and local universities with deadlines set as late as March and two, they often overlook the fact that Oxbridge has an even earlier deadline (mid-October) than the standard UCAS application deadline (mid-January). It is therefore important that you do your research and set your own deadlines rather than going by what classmates around you may be doing.
Test Arrangements
Once the UCAS application for Oxbridge has been submitted, the next step is to complete any pre-interview admissions tests required. It is important to remember that the registration deadlines for these tests overlap with the UCAS application deadline for Oxbridge so this must be ensured alongside the personal statement work. Registration is usually done through schools and academic counsellors. Most tests do not require additional fees and are held at designated school campuses. While some tests are common for Oxford and Cambridge, such as the Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) for medicine, others are specific to each university, such as the Mathematics Aptitude Test (MAT) for mathematics at Oxford and the Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP) for mathematics at Cambridge. Therefore, it is crucial to check details of the tests required by the particular course and university that you are applying to.
A slight hurdle for Pakistani applicants is the fact that, due to the relative dearth of applicants for Oxbridge, preparation help for Oxbridge tests is not as readily available as, say, preparation assistance for popular tests like the SAT and SAT subject tests required by American universities and some Pakistani universities such as LUMS. However, the tried and tested way around this is to use the instructions, tips, recommended textbooks, practice papers and mark schemes available for these assessments on the Oxford and Cambridge websites. An effective way to utilise these resources is to create mock exam conditions for yourself, such as being in a quiet room without your phone or other distractions and attempt strictly timed past papers. This exercise requires self-discipline but is bound to help.
Interviews
Based on the applicants’ academic records such as GCSE grades, personal statements and test scores, they may receive interview invitations. Interviews are usually conducted in December and candidates are advised to make the trip if possible. However, many international students request Skype or telephone interviews as travelling to England can be expensive and may not always be possible at short notice.
Skype interviews are usually supposed to be conducted at the candidates’ schools, with the arrangements supervised by appointed members of staff, as instructed by the university. Sometimes an additional stressor for Pakistani candidates being interviewed over Skype can be that of interruption due to power outages or Internet disruptions. Since these issues are unpredictable, it is best to make independent backup arrangements such as taking along a mobile Internet device and a personal laptop.
Cambridge also conducts overseas interviews, which can be applied for. Therefore, in recent years, Pakistani applicants have been interviewed at selected centres in Lahore, Karachi or Islamabad. However, these may not necessarily be conducted in Pakistan every year, in which case online interviews would be the only alternative. Oxford does not conduct interviews overseas.
Entrance Requirements
Successful interviews result in candidates receiving much-awaited offers in January. In order to confirm conditional offers, candidates are required to attain grades to meet certain entrance requirements. Since most Pakistani applicants follow the GCE A-Level system, the relevant entrance requirements are in the form of specified A-Level grades – usually, at least A*AA. In addition, some courses may also require that the A* grade is in a specified subject. Students who already have their A-Level grades and receive offers usually receive unconditional offers.
It may be worth considering that some schools in Pakistan do not allow their students to sit AS Level exams. This may build pressure on students who are expected to meet the required grades for their conditional offers as they sit all their A-Level papers in one go. If you struggle to perform well under high pressure, this may be something you could plan ahead for by choosing a manageable number of subjects or sitting exams privately.
When A-Level grades are released, universities automatically receive these through UCAS and confirm conditional offers wherever the required grades are met. Once this is done, offers become official acceptances!
Fees and Funding
Pakistanis students hold an overseas status and are expected to pay international fees. For 2019, the annual course fees for full-time international students at Oxbridge range roughly between £24,000 and £28,000. These annual fees include university tuition fees and college fees. This figure may differ by your choice of course and college.
In light of the lack of government student loan schemes, many Pakistanis struggle with funding. While there are generally fewer funding sources for Pakistani students going to universities in the UK than in the US, there are still many awards and scholarships available. Some of these are the:
• Simone and June Li Undergraduate Scholarship (for Oxford)
• The Ioan & Rosemary James Undergraduate Scholarship (for Oxford)
• Amy Li Cambridge Scholarship
• Rowan Williams Cambridge Scholarship
Most Oxbridge scholarships require candidates to secure offers before pursuing funding. Some of these require separate applications while others are run through the universities. Therefore, it is important to read up on potential funding sources in advance and pursue them accordingly.
Visa Applications
The final step, after receiving a confirmed acceptance, is to apply for a Tier 4 student visa. This can only be done once the university has sent you a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number. The visa application is made through VFS Global and the CAS number is used as a sponsorship reference throughout the visa application.
It is important to note that a university acceptance does not guarantee a successful visa application. Therefore, care must be taken to work through all the requirements diligently and to attach all necessary documents with your visa application. It may be a good idea to seek assistance from parents or older siblings since the required supporting documents such as family financial records may be difficult to acquire independently. Both Oxford and Cambridge also offer compiled elaborate guidelines to assist students with the visa application process.
Language Requirements
For the purpose of admission to Oxbridge, academic records showing secondary education that has been completed in English and/or a good GCSE/O’Level grade in the English Language usually meet the English proficiency requirements. For the purpose of acquiring a Tier 4 student visa, Pakistani students headed to Oxbridge are usually exempt from English proficiency tests such as the IELTS. However, please bear in mind that student visas sponsored by other UK universities such as UCL do require students to sit such English proficiency tests.
Life at Oxford
Beyond the inevitable initial homesickness, Oxford quickly becomes your home. The collegiate system helps to form close bonds as you get used to living with your friends and make them family. However, moving countries can be stressful and students may find themselves missing certain aspects of their home countries such as food, sports or festivals. Luckily, Oxford admits students from all over the world who are able to share such feelings and help each other up.
Both Oxford and Cambridge also have Pakistani societies, which can help students feel more at home when need be. For example, the Oxford Pakistani Society hosts a range of events including outings featuring halwa puri and biryani, cricket screenings for crucial matches and Eid celebrations. The Oxbridge Pakistani societies also collaborate with PakSocs at other UK universities to arrange joint events like boat cruises in London, which can also be a great way to meet new people.
Somewhere between the unparalleled quality of education, the cosy alleyways, the beautiful architecture, and the incredible people that you meet along the way, you soon begin to have the time of your life. So as daunting as the application process may seem, it is well worth it!
Let us know if you have any questions about this article or anything related to applying from Pakistan.
This article was written by Ashfa (PPL - Oxford).
If you find this content useful, please visit Ashfa's profile for further information on applying to Oxbridge.
Author: Ashfa - Oxford
BA Philosophy, Psychology & Linguistics
My specialist streams included Psychology and Philosophy and Statistics. Since graduating, I have completed a Masters degree in Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources at the London School of Economics.
