Super-Curricular Activities
Top UK universities want to see that you have explored your subject beyond the classroom — what Cambridge calls super-curricular activity, as distinct from extra-curricular hobbies. When almost every applicant already has top grades, it is one of the main ways Oxbridge and G5 admissions tutors tell strong candidates apart, and it gives you the specific evidence a convincing personal statement needs. Our programmes — degree subject reading, olympiads and essay competitions, and work experience — help you build that depth in a focused, subject-relevant way.
Degree Subject Reading
Reading beyond your syllabus — university first- and second-year texts and journals in your subject — shows genuine intellectual curiosity and gives you specific material to write about in your personal statement.
Essay Competition
Essay competitions let serious applicants show real academic ability and independent thinking. Winning or being shortlisted is a strong plus point, and researching and writing the entry is valuable preparation in itself.
Olympiad
Subject olympiads in maths, physics, chemistry, biology, economics and more are a recognised way to prove genuine problem-solving ability. A strong result stands out and sharpens the skills tested at interview.
Work Experience
Relevant work experience helps you confirm your passion for subjects such as medicine, engineering or law, and gives you concrete, first-hand insight to draw on throughout your application and interview.
Your Application
Alongside your grades, the personal statement, admissions test and interview are the required, assessed parts of an Oxbridge or G5 application. The personal statement and admissions test usually come first and decide whether you are shortlisted for interview, and it is the combination of all three that determines the final offer. Because each stage builds on the last, our programmes cover all three — so you go into each one knowing exactly what admissions tutors are looking for.
Personal Statement
UK personal statement’s purpose and required contents are very clear. It is all about answering the following based on the student’s 1st and 2nd high school years: “Why do I want to study this subject?” “How have I been preparing so far to study this subject?”
Admissions Test
Given that there is a set syllabus for the admissions tests, the most efficient preparation is to work through in topic-specific and question style specific manner instead of working through yearly papers and conduct timed mock tests
Interview
The Oxbridge interview is not an assessment that can be prepared like a curriculum test according to a fixed syllabus. Schools may give a few mock interviews which, for most applicants, is not enough.
