Why you DON'T need PERFECT grades for

[@starryskyautumnwinds]

Hi! I just received a law offer two days ago and wanted to say thank you. I remember watching your videos many years ago, never anticipating that I would apply, but I did. Your videos are truly excellent and have helped so many students. Thanks again.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Fantastic - congratulations! Thanks for your kind comment.

[@LindaAndrews-ly1qf]

Hi. Please could you tell what A-level grades you got and what LNAT score you got!

[@faithful5470]

Love this! Please produce more videos interviewing people like her who didn’t achieve “perfect grades” and still have much potential.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thanks! Will do

[@anushar7223]

I would just like to say thank you so much for this channel it was what encouraged me to apply when I didn’t think I was good enough but now I have an offer at Regent’s Park college!!!!

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Fantastic! Congratulations! RPC is a lovely place. I've taught there many times.

[@albarazayani7201]

I’ve heard you say a couple times that you don’t need perfect grades to go to Oxford but having excellent grades, above the entry requirements would that give an upper hand to the applicant. Also your videos have helped me so much in my journey and I’ve seriously considered Jesus college for my application for next year due to all of your wonderful help and support. I really appreciate it!!

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thanks for your kind comment! No, having better than required grades will not necessarily yield a competitive advantage. We use lots of data to make a holistic judgement on all applicants. For UG studies, admissions tests are usually more important than grades. Provided someone is on course to meet the entry requirements, they don't need to exceed them, but do need to do well in the admissions tests. For PG studies, the statement of purpose is very important.

[@aryatripathi06]

The way I relate to her younger self is crazy I got ABB predicted and feel like a failure tho

[@user-pb5jt6xk2m]

It would be interesting to see a video about the new UCAS system where they are are scrapping personal statements and how that would potentially work when applying to Oxford especially for courses such as PPE. Although I know there isn't much information about it currently I would like to know your thoughts on it and advice to the first cohort as I believe it will start in 2025 for entry in 2026 which is my cohort. I'm really struggling as there will be no PS and no resources for us, as well as the first cohort this is tested on. Please let me know how I could make my application more competitive. Thanks!

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thanks for your comment. As I understand it, the PS will be broken down into separate segments, but will essentially remain the same. You will be given more specific guidance on what to write for each segment. So, rather than a long essay, you’ll be writing more focussed short answers. Much of the guidance on PSs out there will continue to be relevant, because unis will still want that information. It’s just that the PS structure will be different. Nothing to be concerned about. I think the change will make the PS better for everyone.

[@katherineschexneider585]

I was especially impressed with Cath's thoughtful answers to the interview questions, but my question is: Where can I get that cool sweater she's wearing? I love dinosaurs, and it's so colorful.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Great question!

[@barror1532]

It's a Run and Fly jumper (with a Run and Fly plant shirt underneath). It's a great combo 😉

[@aserahmed8471]

Hello Matt . I was a lazy student in my intial study in my home university . I have low grades in most of my courses and failed in some maths and physics courses more than twice . Before one year , i transferred to a university in USA and i have gotten excellent grades in most of my courses and my GPA now is 3.9 out of 4 . My question is can i be accepted to study masters at oxford or Am i have a chance to study ? . I asked this question because i am afraid i will be rejected due to my initial years of studying . Thanks in advance

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

It tends to be your more recent qualifications that count for the most in postgraduate applications. So, I certainly wouldn't rule out an application under your circumstances. The only way to guarantee not getting it is not applying!

[@_Addys.World_]

I have a question cause I'm really lost in the applying process. So I'm an international student from France and I wanted to know if I need to apply at the beginning of my last highschool year or the beginning of the first uni year? Cause it says October but I'm kind of confused

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Most UK applicants apply in the last high school year, before completing their high school qualifications. But it is also possible to apply after high school.

[@samihaali2424]

Would you encourage anyone who doesn't meet the minimum GPA requirement to apply if they have strong research/work experiences?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Yes! GPA is just one of several components that are considered. If there is a reason you feel the GPA does not represent your potential, it may be worth telling the admissions tutors in the statement of purpose. But, generally, a strong statement of purpose can make up for a marginally weaker GPA.

[@ankanabhowmik3677]

I have a question. I dont have the required grades but my grades aren't totally bad. Should I still apply for a phd program if i think i match the rest of the criteria?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

If you are close to the required grades, you could throw your hat in. The admissions tutors look at all admissions materials, and a strong statement of purpose and references could ameliorate the grades.

[@Chan-zn7wb]

How does one get research experience, if you didn't get an opportunity to do so at university?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Research experience is rarely required. Provided you comply with the published eligibility criteria, you will make a competitive application.

[@Sophist98]

Dear Mr Williams, I applied to Oxford and in my official transcript i had one failing grade that i had written 2 years ago and is unrelated to my studies. You might think that this will affect admission? It worries me a bit so i‘d be happy to hear your honest assumption! Thank you very much, if you see this and find the time to answer!

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

I think that should be fine. Provided you meet the entry requirements, one unrelated failing grade is unlikely to cause trouble.

[@Sophist98]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 thank you so much, i really appreciate it!

[@zarakhant4610]

Hi! Thank you for this video. I am applying to the MSc in Modern South Asian studies but apparently one of my profs says that personal statements don’t matter? Is this true? Thank you!

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

No, I’m afraid that’s not accurate. The statement of purpose is very important for postgrad applications.

[@Babs77777]

Hi! For graduate applications, what would you say the acceptance rate is for students coming from lower ranking universities? (Given the candidate has a upper first class degree and relevant experience for the chosen course) Does the university ranking play a factor on whether your application will be considered/ successful? Are students from higher ranking universities more likely to be accepted ?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

We accept applicants from a very wide range of universities. More important than the university ranking will be your course results, your letters of recommendation from tutors, and your statement of purpose.

[@foodforlifes399]

Dr. Williams, I love your videos and find them so helpful but the thing that is stressing me out is that I don't know if Oxford tutors look at personal circumstances that affected my GCSE grades, mine weren't terribly low but I did only score 1A* 6As 3Bs. I wanna apply for medicine and I know I could have gotten much higher if it wasn't for those circumstances, do you reckon they won't reject my application just cause of my GCSEs? I have told my teacher to put them in my reference. I am aiming for A*s in my a-levels and have lots of super-curricular stuff I'm doing like research projects and stuff and I am really passionate about medicine. But I really don't want my GCSEs to hold me back.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Hi there. Thanks for your message. Tutors will look at personal circumstances affecting GCSE performance. Just note that medicine is highly competitive, so be sure to have a Plan B university/course that you will be happy with. I'm not saying that you do not have a chance. With strong A-levels and a good admissions test performance, you can be competitive.

[@foodforlifes399]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Thank you so much. That has put my mind at ease and I do have back up universities. Thank you so much Dr. Williams.

[@krishnagopalsrivastava2084]

Hi! I have a question. On the Oxford website in the international qualifications page, it says that students from CBSC board in India will not be aware of their final grades before applying. I am from ICSE board, so can I still apply before my actual grades come out, if my teachers have predicted my grades?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Yes, that should be no problem. The vast majority of UK applicants to Oxford do not know their grades when they apply. The University will then make a conditional offer to them, stating that they can have a place if they get the required grades. I imagine the same arrangement could be made for you too.

[@krishnagopalsrivastava2084]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Thank you for the reply.

[@ramiellogarius4936]

Hi! I have a few questions about the admissions process given that my situation is very specific, I am brazilian so my high school diploma or my entrance exam is not accepted and my grades in high school were not to Oxford's standards. So what I did was: I applied to the university of Latvia and got on average 9 for all my computer science courses and now my first year of the university is almost year and I am also planning to take the A-levels, If i manage to achieve the necessary grades on the A-levels could I use my university grades and my A-levels to apply? or would they still look into my high school grades? would 90% on the A-levels, 90% in college + killer personal statement be enough? is there anything else that I could do?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Only eligible qualifications would be assessed, so A-levels and first year uni results. So, yes, it should be possible to apply under those circumstances. Just note that Oxford CS is one of the most competitive courses at undergraduate level, so you may want to think about postgraduate study as well.

[@ramiellogarius4936]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 but what else can I do to make my application competitive? When I was in High school I got a scholarship to study in Japan and studied there for one month, on top of that the entirety of my high school diploma I had CS classes and made lots of projects would that help?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

@@ramiellogarius4936 one of the key predictors of admissions success for CS is performance on the MAT admissions test. Tomrocksmaths is doing a series of videos on this for YT. So check him out, and find some past papers to practice on: www.maths.ox.ac.uk/study-here/undergraduate-study/maths-admissions-test

[@ramiellogarius4936]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Thanks so much professor taking your time to reply to me! I have been having lots of questions regarding this process. So on the university`s website it is stated that only applications with strong reasoning for changing coleges would be considered, Is my high school grades and national exam not being accepted a good enough of a reason? My plan is to apply to the undergraduate degree in Mathematics & Computer science and then later on apply to the MSc in Mathematical and Computational Finance, my question is if I don't get into the undergraduate degree and apply only to the masters would computer science be an eligible degree? on the website it is stated that you need a: a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in mathematics or a related discipline. Is computer science considered to be a related discipline? Sorry for the long text!

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

@@ramiellogarius4936 Changing colleges means switching between the colleges at Oxford after admission, so I don't think this applies to your case. I would describe CS as related to maths. You may need to explain how your undergrad degree helped prepare you perfectly for the MSc.

[@yzvzar]

I’m an 11 grade international student who’s planning to apply to oxford but apparently indonesian qualification isn’t accepted. i decided to sit for as level this year and a2 level for the next year despite from national curriculum but i’m confused with the application requirement. on the oxford website it said that students usually apply during their last year with predicted grades before the result came out so did they input their predicted grades during ucas application and how does predicted grades work? also my tutor said predicted grades are no more after covid. i’m very confused right now which one is right.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Hi there. Yes, UK students typically apply before they have attained their A2 results, with teachers suggesting a predicted final grade. The university then makes a conditional offer, which is conditional on the student getting the A2 grades required for their course. This has always been the situation, and has nothing to do with Covid. You can wait to attain your A2 grades, and then apply with the grades in hand. Then you would not be made a conditional offer, but just an offer of a place. But if you apply with predicted grades, it is all just a little quicker, as you can move from school to uni in the same year.

[@yzvzar]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 what if i sit the as level for oct/nov series & applying to oxford this year?? is it possible??

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Provided that will have your A-levels completed before you are due to start Oxford (October 2025), then it should be fine to apply this year.

[@yzvzar]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 hello i have another question, does oxford pay attention to high school reports from 1st to the last term? (especially for international students)

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

@@yzvzar No, we ask for a teacher reference, but do not analyse all high school reports.

[@kaibabannuocmia1936]

Hi Mr. Williams! I want to apply to Oxford but I’m kind of scared that my profile wouldn’t be competitive 🥹 I’ve got decent grades and my extra/super curricular are not too outstanding. Can I still be a competitive applicant for UG if I make it clear that those activities strengthen my passion and spark my curiosity for law? 🥹 Thank you in advance and I hope to receive a response as I’m starting my personal statement soon

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

It is very difficult to know how competitive you will be. Often, in my experience, the best candidates underestimate their strengths. To be really competitive for law, you need to focus on the LNAT. It weighs more heavily than other data.

[@kaibabannuocmia1936]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Hi. I was wondering if it’s still worth trying to apply for Oxford if i don’t have the perfect predicted grades at the moment 🥲 I just did my LNAT a few days ago and to be frank, I did quite decent. I really need advice because my personal statement is ready for submission, I did the LNAT, but I received my predicted grades today and I don’t think it looks too good for an application to Oxford.

[@kaibabannuocmia1936]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571Hi! I just received my predicted grades and they don’t look too good 🥲 I’ve done the LNAT a few days ago and to be frank, I think I did decent. I really need advice because my LNAT is done and my personal statement is ready for submission but my predicted grades are not really good 🥲 do you think it’s still worth a try to apply to Oxford?