Would I be able to get into Oxford?

Question

I'm an American student, but I have a 4.3 GPA and I haven't taken my SAT yet. However, my dream is to get accepted to Oxford University in England. Any advice?

emp04, what do you mean by "grade inflation"? I know that in my high school is extremely competetive.

Oh, that's fantastic advice. I really appreciate all that and I would choose you as best answer but I have to wait four hours.

Answer 1

Come up with a fallback plan.

Answer 2

Well Oxford would laugh at a 4.3 GPA. They hate American grade inflation with a passion. Second of all, you are worried about the wrong things for Oxford. SATs are no where near as important your writing (you better be able to write and submit several kick-butt research papers) and your recommendations. If they feel you are worthy for an interview, then you have to ace that.

I just got back from a semester over there and plan to return for graduate school. Everything is about what your professors think about you and how well you write. It isn't enough to be smart, you have to be incredible and show that you are a top student. Your teachers need to believe in you. And you need to show Oxford that you can write a solid, strong research paper. I know nothing I wrote in high school would have gotten me a second look from Oxford, so you need to work with your teachers to get strong papers. Book reports and 3-4 page essays won't due. They are looking for 7-13 page papers where you prove a thesis through your outside work.

Then is the interview. They want to know if they can stand you enough to work with you for 3 years. Be prepared to be grilled (because that is what they do best) and know who you are going to be talking to.

If you don't get in as a freshmen, don't be surprised, you can always reapply as a sophomore in college for a junior year abroad program (at least you can for St. Catz-- the most fun school in Oxford) and study that way.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Don't just limit your options just to that one college. You might want to apply and get accepted into several other schools as backup in case Oxford turns you down. I hear Harvard is as good as Oxford, so why not apply there and some other Ivy League schools as well if you're really all about prestige. You could check out usnews.com for rankings of top 50 national universities in the US. You could also Google around to see what other universities are top-notch globally besides Harvard and Oxford if you really insist on studying for 4+ years abroad. My 2 cents. Best of luck to you.