Answers are provided by Libra Education CEO, Oscar Hardy. Oscar Hardy attended Eton College on a full scholarship studying Economics, Maths, Geography, and Physics. He then went on to study Land Economy (Law and Economics) at the University of Cambridge before launching a career helping students around the world to study at the best universities in the UK. He has since been awarded a fully funded scholarship place on the University of Oxford MBA course.

1. Is it worth it to do a self-funded PhD at Oxbridge in 2021?

   I always say that any studies at Oxbridge are worthwhile. It doesn’t matter where the funding comes from, a place at Oxbridge will stand you in good stead for future research or work as it’s something that all institutions are looking for. My advice would be to go for it!

2. Can I still apply for Cambridge with ILETS 5?

   Sadly you can’t. You need to secure a really strong IELTS grade with a score of around 7 to attend Cambridge. The good news is that you don’t need to secure this until just before you start. So you can apply now with a 5, but later on you’ll still need to get a 7.

3. Would it help with the Oxbridge application if I did more A-Levels subjects?

   Definitely. Applications for Oxbridge are highly competitive with the vast majority of students securing grades well above the minimum required. For example, students getting 4A* grades have an acceptance rate of around 50 - 40%. In comparison students getting A*AA have an acceptance rate for the sciences of only around 5%. Taking more A Levels, up to a maximum of 5, will be very helpful as long as you can maintain your grades at the same time.

4. It's been 4 months since I applied for a master's course at Cambridge, still no news. Is that normal?

   It can sometimes take a long time for Cambridge and other universities to sort through their applications. It depends on a number of factors like the popularity of the course, the time of year and of course Covid has an effect as well. Normally we would expect to hear back within 2 to 3 months so, if you still haven’t heard it’s worth contacting the university. It shows you are still keen and it makes sure that your application hasn’t been missed. The university will likely tell you that they are still considering it but it’s better for you to know that then to sit at home without knowing.

5. What is it like to be invited to interview at Cambridge?

   It’s an amazing feeling to be invited but that’s when the hard work really starts. You may only have a week or two between your invite and the interview date so I would recommend starting your preparation in early November, if not before.

   Think about your PS and create an ‘extra layer’ of knowledge around the topics you have discussed. This gives you additional content to discuss come the interview.