Maths Puzzle: A Game Of ChessA chess board is 8 squares by 8 squares. How many squares are there on a chessboard?
(We’ll give you a clue… it’s not 64!)
Economics Puzzle: Ticket ToutsYour favourite performer is play a concert but it is sold out. On the night of the concert, you go anyway to try and find a ticket tout. You find one who has her last ticket to sell but lots of people want to buy it.
She says she will sell it to the highest bidder, for the price of the second highest bid (and all buyers must bid secretly in a sealed envelope). You think the ticket is worth £60. Should you bid less than £60, £60 or more than £60?
Medicine Puzzle: Experimenting With MiceMice are used in many important experiments for human medical health, but one of the main challenges is working out if they experience non-visible side effects.
How would you design an experiment to see if mice experience tinnitus in response to aspirin?
This resource points out many alternative options to the ‘orthodox’ Oxford and Cambridge courses, and explains how the disciplines in them overlap with the ‘Big Six’ most popular degree choices.
I have wanted to study this subject since before I was born….
These words (or ones like them) have cropped up on the first drafts of thousands of personal statements up and down the country, year after year, written with complete honesty by students that may have been determined to study their subject long before UCAS appeared on the horizon.
I should know – when I made my application to study English Literature at Oxford, I was at the last hurdle of a dream ten years in the making. Why English? Because I had always been good at it, from whizzing through reading schemes in primary school to essay prizes and writing novels throughout my teens. Maths was not for me, the sciences were not for me; I wavered briefly towards History at the urging of one particularly inspiring AS-Level teacher, but by the time prospectuses came around I was flipping straight to the ‘English Literature’ page with only a cursory glance at the index. My interviews and acceptance to Oxford went without a hitch, everything seemed predestined.
I was re-interviewing at the faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology (and having many conversations with confused tutors!), determined to change courses and leave my old dream behind. I was not the only student within my time at Oxford who wanted to change subjects, though I was among a minority that were successful- at an institution that expects you to love the subject that you are studying, it is a worrying sign to be flighty with your choices. Changing subjects internally is not easy, yet I have never once regretted doing so. I simply wish that I had done it sooner, that I had taken the time as a Sixth Former to really reflect on what I wanted from my university experience.
…that gives the impression that its own courses are similarly orthodox. This belief is reflected year after year in the application statistics; whilst Medicine, Economics, PPE, Engineering, Law and Maths have the most daunting ratios of applications to places, many other fantastic courses, often with surprising amounts of topic overlap, go unnoticed.
The range of possible combinations available within Oxbridge goes very far beyond the six options above and can offer, crucially, a better fit for a prospective student- not only strengthening their application but, should that application be successful, guarantees a more productive, fascinating and altogether academically happier undergraduate experience. I ignored the archaeological digs that I had been on during my school holidays, the National Geographics and documentaries that I read and watched religiously, and my fascination with ancient history and the origins of today’s traditions and technologies, to my detriment – a few minutes with a student before that crucial UCAS deadline can avert all of that.
Economics (Cambridge)/E&M (Oxford):12.9% Cambridge/7% Oxford
Medicine: 16.9% Cambridge/10.1% Oxford,
Engineering: 15.3% Cambridge/21.8% Oxford
Law: 22.7% Cambridge/15.1% Oxford
HSPS (Cambridge)/PPE (Oxford): 22.6% Cambridge/14.1% Oxford
Maths: 17.2% Cambridge/17.6% Oxford
These subjects are not necessarily the most competitive. For example, at Cambridge, Architecture is one of the most competitive subjects at 10.4%. However, this is skewed due to there being a relatively small number of places available.
Are you caught between Law and Economics? Land Economy at Cambridge offers a fascinating mix of both. Maybe you’re set on applying to Medicine at Oxford- despite its 10% success rate – but the reason behind your interest has more to do with the intricacies of molecular biology and neuroscience than talking to patients: consider Biomedical Sciences (Oxford) or Biological Natural Sciences (Cambridge). Are you a linguist looking for a new challenge outside of Europe, or a Historian wanting to reach beyond a rather Euro-centric curriculum? Try Oriental Studies at Oxford which offers courses in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Turkish, Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Ancient Near Eastern Studies (including Akkadian and Sumerian), Egyptology and Sanskrit. Many of these can be combined with a modern European language in the European and Middle Eastern Languages course, also offered by the faculty. Of course, I would be amiss not to add Archaeology and Anthropology (Oxford), which offers an incredible blend of History, Sociology, Theology, Oriental Studies, Pathology and more, and there is also HSPS for the more politically-minded at Cambridge, CAAH for those with a Classical leaning, or Anglo-Saxon Norse and Celtic for those with a passion for the origins of the English language.
All this choice may seem a daunting prospect, but as I learnt the hard way, it’s really worth thinking about this now. The potential impact on your academic future is as limitless as it is valuable.
Our Oxbridge consultants can give you detailed advice and talk you through the statistics and the individual courses to help you make a decision. Meet us for a Private Consultation over Skype, or in our Central London offices.
A census-taker knocks on a door, and asks the woman inside how many children she has and how old they are.
“I have three daughters, their ages are whole numbers, and the product of the ages is 36,” says the mother.
“That’s not enough information,” responds the census-taker.
“I’d tell you the sum of their ages, but you’d still be stumped.”
“I wish you’d tell me something more.”
“Okay, my oldest daughter Annie likes dogs.”
What are the ages of the three daughters?
The product of the ages is 36, and the ages are whole numbers. We can write down all the combinations of factors of 36 that could occur:
1 x 1 x 36
1 x 2 x 18
1 x 3 x 12
1 x 4 x 9
1 x 6 x 6
2 x 2 x 9
2 x 3 x 6
3 x 3 x 4
Whichever way you choose to do it, some thought leads us to the conclusion that these are the only unique combinations of ages. Now the second clue is ‘if you knew the sum of their ages, you’d still be stumped’. This means that there are at least two with the same sum:
1, 1, 36 sum = 38
1, 2, 18 sum = 21
1, 3, 12 sum = 16
1, 4, 9 sum = 14
1, 6, 6 sum = 13
2, 2, 9 sum = 13
2, 3, 6 sum = 11
3, 3, 4 sum = 10
We’ve narrowed it down to the two possibilities it could be.
Now, the final clue, which didn’t appear to be a clue at all, emerges: ‘my oldest daughter Annie…’ By the fact that the woman can say the phrase ‘my oldest daughter’ at all, she cannot have an oldest pair of twins, which would be the combination 6, 6, 1. She has to have the combination 9, 2, 2, which is the only combination with a unique oldest daughter.
A chess board is 8 squares by 8 squares. How many squares are there on a chessboard?
(We’ll give you a clue… it’s not 64!)
Download the Oxford and Cambridge 2013 admissions stats and analysis report by us at Oxbridge Applications.
Use this to learn more about the Oxbridge Admission process. To download the Oxbridge Analysis Report for 2013 , just click on the image to the right.
Mice are used in many important experiments for human medical health, but one of the main challenges is working out if they experience non-visible side effects.
How would you design an experiment to see if mice experience tinnitus in response to aspirin?
With so many undergraduate courses on offer, settling on just one course to read for three or four years is often a daunting task.
While some applicants know exactly what they want to study at university, for others, the choice is more difficult; particularly if they are strong in several areas or their A-level or IB subjects offer no immediate direction. Another issue for consideration is the desire to go to Oxbridge rather than any other university – sometimes applicants are tempted to pick the course which they think will give them the best chance of being offered a place, rather than the course that speaks most directly to what it is they desire to study and become immersed in.
To ensure applicants make the right choice, we’ve put together a list of questions every applicant should consider when selecting their course.
What do I have an inherent interest in? Recent trends show that vocational and traditionally lucrative subjects (e.g. Medicine/Law/Economics) are increasing in popularity every year – what must be prioritised by any applicant, however, is an enjoyment for the subject.
Importantly, the subject applicants enjoy the most will not necessarily be the subject they have studied in secondary school – a student excelling in Mathematics, for example, may find that they enjoy applying those skills elsewhere, such as in PPE or Economics. Ensuring that course choice builds on not only strengths but wider interests is important to making the most of the Oxbridge experience.
Should I apply for a subject I have never studied?Students should also feel confident in applying for subjects which they have not previously studied in.
Admissions Tutors do not expect Archaeology & Anthropology applicants or PPE students to have a wealth of knowledge about their subject from secondary school; on the contrary, Admissions Tutors at interview measure applicants’ potential to excel in that subject, rather than how much they already know from previous study.
Applicants should read materials relating to their prospective course choice to demonstrate engagement with their subject, and a familiarity with the basic principles of the course, but should not worry about having not studied their course choice prior to university.
What do I want to do after university? Many applicants select their course based on their long-term career goals.
Recent statistics show that 35% of state school applications were for the five most oversubscribed subjects at Oxford, and the least applied-for subjects were all but neglected with only 13% of state school applicants going for Chemistry, Modern Languages, Classics, Biological Sciences and Biochemistry.
Statistics such as this show that particularly with state school students, there is a drive towards taking vocational and practical subjects, and while this is an important consideration, applicants should be urged to study courses which they will enjoy immersing themselves in for three or four years before considering post-university options.
It is useful to remember that vocational subjects such as Law and Medicine have conversion courses, which allow students to study a subject they enjoy for university and later convert this into a vocational degree for their career needs.
Students can find a full list with individual course overviews on the university websites for Oxford and Cambridge. The majority of courses at both universities will be designed to give students a comprehensive overview of their subject for the first two years, allowing specialisation in the third year of the course.
Specialist Support for SchoolsSchools can kick-start their students’ Oxbridge preparation early on our intensive, one-day courses.
An Oxbridge Preparation Day covers the whole process of applying to Oxbridge, from university and college choice, to interviews and admissions tests. These dayss are run as ‘hub-events’ where students from the local area are invited to attend. If you would like to host your own event for 50 students or more, please contact our Schools Team on +44 (0) 207 499 2394 or email [email protected]. To find out more, visit our Oxbridge Preparation Day page.
Our Oxbridge-graduate consultants are available between 9.00 am – 5.00 pm from Monday to Friday, with additional evening availability when requested.
Oxbridge Applications, 58 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AJ
