Frequently Asked Questions

What does Getting In offer in terms of support for applicants?

Personal Statement Services

We are the UK’s leading service when it comes to Personal Statement services. We have some of the best writers in the country to ensure you the best chances of a sucsesful application. Please visit the services section here: Personal Statement Services

Oxbridge Premier Service

Our Oxbridge Premier Service offers a one-to-one personal statement consultation meeting with your assigned mentor and a tailored review of your statement with an experienced Admissions Tutor. Successful applicants will receive initial advice on writing a Personal Statement with one of our consultants, as well as telephone and email support throughout the redrafting process. We are one of the worlds leading Oxbridge consultants.

Private Consultation

Our Private Consultation includes a one-to-one discussion with a mentor where we cover careers, your personal statement, and ascertain the level of help required to support you in the application process. Following on from this initial consultation, our experts will craft for you a hand-tailored programme and support you every step of the way.

Admissions Tests/Mock Interviews

Our team of experts are highly familiar with the Admissions Tests that some students are required to complete. You can enhance your chances of success by practicing in our services, and the earlier you do this, the better. We can help you with this by arranging tests to take place under exam conditions, and provide you with an experienced Tutor in your subject area who can help you with any difficulties and discuss what you can expect from your test.

Joining our Oxbridge Premier Service will grant you access to one-to-one tutorials with our team of Admission test tutors and full access to Mock Admissions Tests. This preparation is vital and planning ahead in this way will best prepare you for this stressful element of the application process.

Interview & Preparatory Courses

During your actual interview, tutors are searching for candidates that will make a positive addition to the cohort during their period of study. As such, the successful candidate should be knowledgeable about their subject and able to discuss areas of interest. To be able to do this, candidates must be adequately prepared and this will involve reading widely, practicing interview technique,s and improving your communication skills. We offer further interview practice on our interview courses and on our Oxbridge Preparation weekend.

It is not necessary to commit to the full Oxford and Cambridge Premier Service and applicants can instead select an individual place on our Oxbridge Preparation weekend on a limited basis.

Do I need the support of Getting In, over and above that provided by my school?

Ultimately, this is a personal decision and entirely dependent on the level of help that you feel you require. Should you work with us, we will provide support with your personal statement, admissions tests, and interview practice, all of which is designed to enhance your confidence throughout the process. Please call us to discuss your options and we will be happy to help you. We also offer a Schools Consultancy where we work alongside schools and their Oxbridge applicants.

What makes a successful Oxbridge applicant?

• A successful candidate will have the following:

• Good predicted grades & module marks

• Outstanding marks in any admissions tests

• Advanced communication skills/interview technique

• Submitted work (where applicable) of a very high standard

• An exemplary personal statement

Over and above this, strong candidates will be able to articulate themselves well and possess the innate ability to apply critical thinking to the discipline of their choice. Having an in-depth knowledge of the course you are applying for is also essential, as this will provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your suitability with reference to specific skill-sets and characteristics.

Will Getting In be frank with me about my chances of success?

Yes. We offer transparent and impartial advice to every applicant who enlists our services – or simply asks a question. We want students to perform to the best of their ability and understand the intricacies of the admissions process, and are in a position to provide you with a bespoke programme based on your specific requirements, designed to strengthen your application at every stage. We aim to have an honest and open dialogue with applicants and families from the first point of contact. This process can be stressful but we are truly committed to ensuring that students feel supported, and we aim to provide them with the best service that we can.

Do you only provide support to Oxbridge applicants?

Not at all - we offer Personal Statement advice to applicants irrespective of your chosen course. Our Admissions Test services covers LNAT, UKCAT and BMAT and we are ideally placed to advise applicants who are required to take these tests and we offer Tuition services in this respect. In addition to this, we can support applicants in need of interview practice, particularly in vocational courses.

Will admissions tutors be aware that I have used the services of Getting In?

Getting In has no official ties with either Oxford or Cambridge. We provide an independent service regarding the application processes of these institutions and we do not pass on the details of any of the applicants that we work with. Individuality is at the very heart of our company and this is reflected in the bespoke nature of our service — no two students will receive the same support from us.

English is not my first language – will I be required to take an extra qualification?

Virtually all British universities will ask for evidence of your aptitude in English. This is done in order to ensure you can thrive in an environment where the teaching is delivered in English. The following qualifications are accepted by Oxford and Cambridge:

• IELTS: overall grade of 7.0. 7.0 in each element is often required.

• International Baccalaureate Standard Level (SL): score of 5 in English

• GCSE in English Language/IGCSE in English as a Foreign Language: B or above for Oxford, and grade C or above for Cambridge,

• European Baccalaureate: 70% in English

• For from the EU, a high grade in English taken as part of an end-of-school examination such as Abitur, the European Baccalaureate, or the French Baccalaureate

• Oxford only – TOEFL (paper-based): overall score of 600, with a Test of Written English score of 5.5

• Oxford only – TOEFL (internet-based): overall score of 100

• Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE): grade A

• Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): minimum grade B

Please check the ‘English Language Requirements for International Students’ for more information specific to your chosen course. All qualifications must be met by August of the year you are due to start your course.

What level of knowledge am I expected to have on my chosen subject in advance of the interview, especially if I did not study this subject at AS or A-level?

In the event that your chosen subject is taught at your current school or college, your will be required to demonstrate a keen familiarity with the topic, as well as your other A-level subjects.

If the A-level is not available at your school – for example Philosophy or Law - you will not be expected to demonstrate the same level of knowledge as your other subjects. Instead, you should spend time engaging with reading around the subject, and weave this into your personal statement. This will demonstrate your enthusiasm for the discipline and convince your interviewers that the subject was not selected at random. Being able to communicate the reasons why you have chosen your subject and express enthusiasm is vital – and we can help you prepare for this.

What can I do to make sure I am applying to the correct course or institution?

There are many things that you can do as fact-checking exercises in order to feel secure in your decision:

• Spend time looking through your prospectus and find out which colleges offer the course that most interests you.

• Have a look on any student feedback forums to find some genuine opinions of the prospective institution.

• Browse university websites where summaries of the courses are provided as well as a breakdown of class options.

• We would encourage you to go to an Open Day (or several) because it is not wise to decide on a college until you have visited the university and city in person. Seeing the university for yourself often makes you think about the right location for you, as well as the differences between universities in terms of campus life.

• Research the profiles of tutors in different faculties – you may feel more inclined to pursue study at an institution based on their specialist interests.

Call Getting In for further inquiries.

Will my school background (independent or state school) negatively or positively impact my application?

Applicants are offered a place based purely on their academic ability and potential. The GCSE results of your school may be taken into consideration but it is important to remember that you are applying as an individual and on the strength of your academic results and achievements, and this is the most important aspect of any decision.

When can I expect to hear if I have been successful in my application from Oxford or Cambridge?

Oxford typically notifies applicants just before Christmas and Cambridge is usually before the New Year.

Do Oxbridge universities mind gap years?

University policy on this is likely to vary from one candidate to another. Some guidelines are available – with fears in particular surrounding technical subjects such as Mathematics, Medicine, and Physics, where tutors are concerned that a period of time away from study could mean that the student finds it harder to keep up to speed. Arts subjects, on the other hand, can supplement their time away with outside reading to alleviate this problem. Engineering is one subject where this rule does not apply; some Cambridge colleges encourage a gap year (check what colleges says on this).

There are two approaches to taking a gap year and each have benefits and disadvantages.

Apply for deferred entry (e.g. apply in 2020 for entry in 2022)

• When you apply for deferred entry, you are essentially asking the admissions tutors to keep a place for you, even if the next round of applicants are outstanding. If you’re not allowed deferred entry, however, you can simply reapply through UCAS after your A-Level results for the next academic year and finally go on your gap year.2. Apply after A-level results (e.g. apply in 2021 for entry in 2022)

• If you apply after you have received your A-Level results, you will be applying with real grades, rather than predicted ones, so you will be given unconditional rather than conditional offers. However, applying at this stage does mean that if you don’t get in where you want, you would have to wait another year to reapply.

Or…

• You could ask the college if you can take a gap year if and when you receive your offer – they may not say yes and should not consider this a given, but in some cases it could be accepted.

• Wait to take a post-uni gap year.