10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Applied to Oxbridge

1. You Never Know Which Tutor You Will Get

Of course, regardless of your college or tutors you are getting the same Oxford or Cambridge degree and have access to all the same incredible facilities, resources, and syllabuses. However, the reality of the situation is that your personal academic experience is very much connected to your tutors; you should be prepared for this.

Whilst all tutors are undoubtedly experts in their academic field, they can differ in their approach to teaching and pastoral care. This means that you may end up with an incredibly enthusiastic tutors who makes seminars, tutorials, and lectures exciting and engaging, or one who is less engaged in their teaching and prefers to engage on an academic level only.

There is nothing you can really do to change this, especially not ahead of time, but it’s good to be aware of it so that you don’t take a dispassionate tutor personally!

2. You Can Join a Society for Almost Anything

There are an enormous number of societies and social groups that you can join at university! You may assume that, given the academic intensity of the courses, Oxbridge students just stay in their room and study; this couldn’t be further from the case!

Whatever your interests, there will be a society for you to meet like-minded individuals. Likewise, it’s worth exploring the freshers fair at the start of your course to see if there are any new activities that interest you; university is the perfect place to take up a new hobby!

One of our advisors even pointed out the fascinating Trinity College Mallard Society – read more about this whacky group here!

Another word of advice from our team is that university-wide sports teams can get quite competitive, both externally when playing other university teams, and internally when it comes to making the first team.

If you’re keen to just have some fun with a sport, rather than kill yourself in the gym or at training to get into the firsts, we recommend considering the college team or a lesser-known sport. For the more popular sports such as rugby, netball, football, etc., colleges will often have their own team, which are much less competitive than the university-wide teams. Sports like rowing sometimes separate into competitive teams (for inter-college tournaments) and ‘fun’ teams (there is even something called a ‘beer boat’ during university rowing tournaments!) which are a lot more casual.

Alternatively, rarer sports can be easier-going due to their being fewer competitions and more first-time players.

3. Ward Off Imposter Syndrome

You may never have heard of the phrase ‘imposter syndrome’, but get used to it because it gets thrown around a lot at Oxford and Cambridge. The phrase refers to the feeling of being an imposter; essentially, feeling as if you snuck your way onto your course and shouldn’t be there as you are less smart or skilled as the others in your class.

Oxford and Cambridge operate at an incredibly high academic level, and most applicants are used to being one of, if not the most, impressive student in their school.  Going from being a ‘big fish in a small pond’ to a ‘small fish in a big pond’ can leave a lot of new Oxbridge students questioning their abilities and feeling imposter syndrome.

Our advisors don’t want to scare you with this tip, but rather to advise you that it is completely normal and natural to feel this way. We absolutely do not recommend giving into these feelings and letting them damage you, but it can be comforting to know that we have all felt this way at some point in our Oxbridge careers.

4. Different Colleges Have Different Finances

One thing to remember, either when picking a college to apply to or just in preparation for attending Oxford or Cambridge, is that colleges operate relatively independently when it comes to financial matters such as prices they charge, bursaries they give, and other matters of funding.

For example, one of our advisors attended a college which offered a grant specifically for ‘non-academic travel’, which allowed them to travel cheaply with some friends during the summer! Other colleges often have bursaries and grants for sports equipment or society subscriptions, as well as book grants for academic and non-academic reading material.

If you’re still selecting a college, and you’re interested in finding a college with plentiful funding options, look through the various college websites to investigate the funds they offer. Not everything will necessarily be available online, but it will give you some indication of what you could expect from the college you’re applying to.

5. Prepare to Move (A Lot!)

The majority of colleges at Oxford and Cambridge use their accommodation during the vacations to house business conferences, school trips, summer schools, weddings, and various other events. This means that students, especially undergrads and those in on-site halls, are usually required to completely move out of their room for every university vacation.

This can be pretty irritating. If you’re an international student, there can sometimes be dispensation such as a storage room (so you don’t have to fly with huge suitcases), but it’s rare that UK-based students can leave anything at college over the holidays. We recommend packing relatively light so that it’s not a nightmare to move, and that if at all possible you ask a friend or family member to pick you up/drop you off by car.

Additionally, you often may not bring a car to university. Colleges have very little parking space, and city councils do not usually offer residents’ permits to students living in college accommodation. Off-street parking can be very expensive in Oxford and Cambridge, so we recommend that you don’t try to bring one, even sneakily.

6. Get Used to Riding a Bike

A recommendation for new starters at Oxbridge that comes up again and again in our team is: learn to ride a bike! Several of us turned up to Oxford or Cambridge having rarely ridden a bike and realise quite swiftly that we would need to.

Oxford and Cambridge are both relatively small cities, but (especially if you’re in a college or department nearer the outskirts of town) commuting exclusively by foot can really eat into your studying, socialising, and precious sleeping time!

Our tutors also recommend that you don’t splash out on a fancy brand-new bike when you get to university. Cycling is so common in both cities that bike theft can be rampant; instead, get yourself a second hand bike and a good-quality bike lock. That way you’re minimising both the chances of having your bike stolen, and the costs you’ll incur in the event that it is robbed.

7. Be Careful Using Your College Card

Many colleges will issue you with a card, separate to your university ID, which acts like a debit card for buying things around college. This is mostly used for the college canteen or paying for formal dinners in the dining hall, and some colleges mandate that you charge it with a certain amount of money each term.

We recommend that you check the balance you have remaining regularly, since these cards can feel like ‘fake money’ and you can blow through cash in pretty short order. We’re not saying that you should never use it at all – in fact, college dining halls can be pretty tasty, and certainly cheaper than eating out at restaurants – but just to check up on your balance regularly so you don’t get a shock!

8. Know The Difference Between Lectures and Tutorials/Supervisions

Oxford and Cambridge are known for their tutorial (Oxford) or supervision (Cambridge) teaching style. Essentially, tutorials/supervisions are sessions where one professor and between one and three students sit down to discuss a topic or issue they are learning about on the course. Often, students will be set an essay or a problem sheet to complete prior to the session (effectively teaching themselves the basics of the subject) before discussing what they learned, and the professor’s feedback, in the session itself.

This small-group teaching is relatively unique at universities and is entirely different from lectures, where one professor speaks for between one to two hours to a large group of students, who listen and take notes.

Our tutors recommend knowing the difference between these sessions and preparing yourself accordingly. Whilst ideally you should be prepared and actively engaging with both types of teaching, tutorials/supervisions are much more intense and will require you to offer your own ideas or knowledge, whereas lectures can be listened to passively on those days where you are a bit more tired than usual. Additionally, whilst lectures can sometimes be missed (only when you really need to!), missing a tutorial/supervision, especially without informing the professor, is a big no-no and is certain to get you in your professors’ bad books.

9. Consider Joining the Oxford Union

For those applying to Oxford, you may have heard of the Oxford Union. On the surface of it, this is a very old Oxford society centred around a debating chamber. Members pay a joining fee (currently £333, with lower means-assessed access rates) followed by an annual subscription fee (currently £10.96 per year), for which they gain access to the building and can attend talks and debates.

Whilst most think of it as a debating chamber, many students instead use it as a place to see interesting speakers giving standalone talks, use the subsidised bar and old library, or attend balls and other events such as pub quizzes.

Joining the union is by no means mandatory, but if you’ve got the money to spare and would like the option of attending talks or a historic space in which to work and socialise, consider getting a membership! One word of warning: if you leave Oxford for good after your degree, consider cancelling your membership or be prepared to be debited annually for life!

10. Formal Employment is Not Allowed During Term-Time

Both Oxford and Cambridge state that undergraduate students are not permitted to undertake paid employment during term time. This reflects the serious academic commitment that an Oxbridge degree requires which, coupled with the short terms of eight weeks at a time, means students theoretically will not have enough time during the term to work as well as study and engage in university social life. Therefore, you should not count on being able to earn significant money through paid employment during the term time.

One exception to this rule, however, is working in the university or college. Some colleges employ students in roles such as serving at the college bar, preparing snacks in the buttery, waiting tables during formal hall dining, or watching the desk at the library (although this last role is often reserved for postgraduate students). Additionally, some colleges offer holiday work, such as housekeeping or serving in the canteen for school trips or business conferences hosted at the university (this usually also allows you to stay in your room over the vacation!).