It's honestly so annoying to have one more exam to take when you're already busy with so much school work, application deadlines, and admission tests.

Which is why its super imp to plan IELTS in a way that doesn't affect anything. It's a good idea to get it out of the way before the rush hour when you have too much work.

If you're bilingual and comfortable with English, it anyway wouldn't require TOO much prep but just enough to help you get through. For those who require more extensive prep, it's a good idea to give the IELTS by the end of the summer before you're putting your application in.

I got a 9/9 overall in my IELTS and one thing I'd change is the timing- I took it in September when I was due to put in my UCAS + Early Action in October/Nov and had way too much work.

Plan your IELTS better and also make sure you check whether you actually need it. A lot of times, even if you're international, it might not be required as much by your university if you fulfil certain other conditions. Might still be a good idea to take it to be competitive but good idea to check what is needed so that you know what you're aiming for early in the process.

Got a lot of questions about whether or not you should take the SAT and/or AP to be competitive as an international student applying to Oxbridge type universities in the UK.

This is super subjective and SAT/AP are more focused on US applications. If it might help you depends on your personal profile.

I have this free video guide that could help you. Just comment or DM me if you'd like the link:)

I know a bunch of students who decide later than the Jan deadline whether they want to apply for university or not.

honestly it’s completely fine- sometimes things do take time.

PLUS you might still be able to apply and go this September!!

UCAS Clearing is literally opening on July 2 and I’ve prepared a short guide to help ppl out step by step with how to approach it (just the important information).

If you’d like the guide, either comment on this post or dm me directly and I’ll send it across:)

Most students waste the summer before applications doing nothing and then panic in September when UCAS opens.

Here's what I think you should do:

Sort your personal statement early. Don't wait until September. Use the summer to draft it, sit on it, redraft it. You'll have something atleast.

Read around your subject. Real books, papers, podcasts, documentaries related to your course. This is what gives you something real to say in your personal statement and in interviews. Also one book you genuinely engaged with beats a list of ten you skimmed.

Research your universities properly. Not rankings!!! Look at module lists, professor research areas, course structures, timetables. You need to know why their programme specifically suits you — especially for Oxbridge.

If you're sitting admissions tests, start now. LNAT, MAT, TMUA, UCAT — past papers exist for a reason.

Rest too. Seriously. Year 13 is brutal and burnout is real. A summer where you do focused work AND actually take time off is better than grinding every day and hitting October exhausted.

The students who have a strong September aren't naturally smarter. They just used June, July and August better.

Ask any questions you may have.

Hey guys, I'm an international student and my high school didn't offer AP classes, but I decided to self-study and take AP Biology and AP Chemistry from scratch to add academic rigor to my profile (eventually got into Oxford/Cambridge/UCL/Imperial for undergrad and/or masters).

Because I was on a strict 20-25 day deadline, I practically lived on a bunch of resources and made extensive notes covering literally every single unit and video for both subjects. They focus heavily on high-yield concepts and breaking down the complex stuff fast.

Now that I'm done, they're just sitting on my hard drive. Do you guys think these would be genuinely useful for people self-studying or struggling with the current curriculum?

If there's enough interest, I was thinking about cleaning up the formatting and putting them online. Let me know if you’d actually find a complete unit-by-unit breakdown helpful or what the best way to distribute them would be!

r/OxbridgeAndBeyond

Hey, I'm a recent UCL graduate (studied an engineering subject at undergrad) and have received masters offers from Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, and Imperial, and also received an offer to study Medicine at Edinburgh on my first attempt.

I've been through multiple UK admissions processes myself and know how confusing university applications can feel—especially when there's so much conflicting advice online.

No matter where you're from and how small your question is, ask away. I'll try to answer all and even try to give you resources.

Some topics I'd be happy to chat about are:

• University life
• UCAS personal statement
• Oxbridge interviews
• Profile and supercurricular recommendations
• MMI and medicine interviews
• Research Proposals, Statements, PhD applications
• Admission tests like UCAT, LNAT
• Your 5 UCAS choices
• Internships in university
• Funding and scholarships
• International student qualifications
• Anything else

Hey, I'm a recent UCL graduate (studied an engineering subject at undergrad) and have received masters offers from Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, and Imperial, and also received an offer to study Medicine at Edinburgh on my first attempt.

I've been through multiple UK admissions processes myself and know how confusing university applications can feel—especially when there's so much conflicting advice online.

No matter where you're from and how small your question is, ask away. I'll try to answer all and even try to give you resources.

Some topics I'd be happy to chat about are:

• University life
• UCAS personal statement
• Oxbridge interviews
• Profile and supercurricular recommendations
• MMI and medicine interviews
• Research Proposals, Statements, PhD applications
• Admission tests like UCAT, LNAT
• Your 5 UCAS choices
• Internships in university
• Funding and scholarships
• International student qualifications
• Anything else

Hey, I'm a recent UCL graduate (studied an engineering subject at undergrad) and have received masters offers from Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, and Imperial, and also received an offer to study Medicine at Edinburgh on my first attempt.

I've been through multiple UK admissions processes myself and know how confusing university applications can feel—especially when there's so much conflicting advice online.

No matter where you're from and how small your question is, ask away. I'll try to answer all and even try to give you resources.

Some topics I'd be happy to chat about are:

• University life
• UCAS personal statement
• Oxbridge interviews
• Profile and supercurricular recommendations
• MMI and medicine interviews
• Research Proposals, Statements, PhD applications
• Admission tests like UCAT, LNAT
• Your 5 UCAS choices
• Internships in university
• Funding and scholarships
• International student qualifications
• Anything else

Every year students put enormous pressure on their personal statement trying to sound impressive and intelligent. The irony is that in trying to achieve that, most end up making the same few mistakes.

The personal statement isn't a creative writing exercise or a CV. It's an academic document. Its job is to show admissions tutors you're prepared for and genuinely interested in the subject.

1. Starting with a quote

Einstein. Marie Curie. Stephen Hawking. Admissions tutors have seen them all.

Quotes rarely tell the reader anything about you. They just delay the moment your own thinking appears on the page. A stronger opening is just specific — a moment your interest deepened, a question you couldn't stop thinking about. No drama needed.

2. Listing activities instead of reflecting on them

UCAS has no separate activities section, so students compress their CV into the statement. Paragraphs become lists: courses, books, competitions, work experience.

Admissions tutors aren't counting what you've done. They want to know what it reveals about how you think. One activity explained thoughtfully beats a list of ten every time.

Instead of "what have I done?" ask:

• What did I actually learn from this?
• How did it change how I think about the subject?
• How does it prepare me for studying it at university?

3. Naming specific universities

Your personal statement goes to all five of your choices. Calling one your "dream university" immediately makes your statement less relevant to the other four reading it.

Keep it subject-focused, not institution-focused.

Most personal statements don't fail because of weak achievements. They fail because students try to sound impressive instead of being clear.

Happy to give feedback on anyone's opening paragraph in the comments.

One of the biggest mistakes I see applicants make is using rankings to choose universities.

Rankings can be useful.

But they're a terrible final decision-maker.

Here's why.

A lot of students assume that if University A is ranked higher than University B, then it's automatically the better choice.

In reality, rankings measure very different things.

Some rankings heavily reward research output and citations.

Others focus more on academic reputation or employer reputation.

As a result, the same university can be ranked very differently depending on which league table you're looking at.

More importantly, overall university rankings often hide course-level strengths.

For example, a university that's ranked lower overall may have an outstanding department for your specific subject.

If you're studying engineering, economics, medicine, psychology or computer science, the quality of your department often matters far more than a university's overall position.

Rankings also don't tell you:

• How a course is taught
• How accessible the faculty are
• Whether the university is research-heavy or teaching-focused
• What the student experience is like
• Whether you'd actually enjoy living there

And perhaps most importantly:

They don't tell you whether you'll thrive there.

Two students can attend the same highly ranked university and have completely different experiences.

One loves it.

One transfers out.

The ranking didn't predict either outcome.

Personally, I think rankings are best used as a starting point rather than a filter.

Use them to discover universities.

Then look at:

• Course content
• Assessment methods
• Department strengths
• Industry links
• Location
• Student experience

before making decisions.

I'm curious:

How much did rankings influence your university choices?

And looking back, would you make the same decision again?

Every year I see students spend months obsessing over rankings and prestige, only to end up with a UCAS list that doesn't actually fit them.

A strong UCAS list isn't about choosing the "best" universities. It's about choosing the right universities.

Before looking at universities, I'd start with three questions:

1. What subject are you actually applying for?

This sounds obvious, but many students haven't thought deeply about it.

Remember that you're submitting one personal statement, so your choices should make academic sense together.

2. What matters most academically?

Different universities offer very different experiences.

Some are heavily research-focused.

Some have strong industry links.

Some offer more flexibility and interdisciplinary study.

There isn't a universally correct answer.

3. What kind of environment do you thrive in?

A university experience isn't just a course.

Think about:

• Large city vs smaller town
• Campus vs collegiate system
• Structured support vs independence
• Competitive vs collaborative culture

Once you've figured those things out, create a longlist of around 10 universities.

At this stage I'd completely ignore rankings.

Instead focus on:

• Course content
• Teaching style
• Entry requirements
• Assessment methods
• Location

Then narrow down to five.

A framework I like is:

1 match option (you comfortably exceed requirements)

2 target options (you meet requirements)

2 ambitious options (highly competitive but realistic)

This gives you room to be ambitious without turning your entire UCAS application into a gamble.

Curious how everyone else chose their five universities.

Did rankings play a big role, or was there something else that influenced your decisions?

Whether you're applying to Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, LSE, Warwick, Durham, Edinburgh or any other UK university, feel free to ask your questions below.

Common topics include:

• GCSEs, IGCSEs, A-levels, IB, CBSE and ISC qualifications
• Subject choices and entry requirements
• Personal statements and supercurriculars
• Admissions tests (TMUA, ESAT, UCAT, LNAT, PAT and more)
• SATs, APs and international qualifications
• Interviews and application strategy
• Scholarships and funding
• Undergraduate and postgraduate applications

When asking a question, it can be helpful to include:

1. Country

2. Intended course

3. Universities you're considering

4. Current qualifications and predicted grades

Let's keep this thread helpful, supportive and evidence-based.

No question is too small—everyone starts somewhere.

This community is for students and parents navigating applications to Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Imperial and other leading UK universities.

Whether you're:

• Choosing GCSEs, IGCSEs, A-levels or IB subjects
• Exploring Medicine, Law, Engineering, Economics or other courses
• Preparing for admissions tests and interviews
• Building your supercurricular profile
• Writing your personal statement
• Applying as an international student
• Looking for scholarships and funding

you're in the right place.

The goal is simple: cut through the noise and share practical, evidence-based admissions advice.

Feel free to introduce yourself below or on the megathread:

📍 Where are you applying from?

🎓 What course(s) are you considering?

🏛️ Which universities are on your list?

🚧 What's your biggest challenge or question right now?

Looking forward to building a helpful community together.

📍 Where are you from?

🎓 What course are you applying for?

🏛️ Which universities are on your list?