If you plan to study English in historic England rather than cosmopolitan London, then we recommend going to Oxford or Cambridge. Both cities are famous for their universities, impeccable English and ancient architecture. But here's how they differ - in the StudyLab material.

“Students on bicycles loaded with books overtake groups of tourists. There are magnificent old buildings everywhere, next to it is a lively market square. - Such a description would fit both Oxford and Cambridge. Whether you're going to England to study a language, or dreaming of going to a top university, here are a few things to consider before you travel to England.

Academic reputation

In 2016, the Times Higher Education ranking included Oxford and Cambridge in the top 5 university brands on the planet. In the English rankings, Oxford and Cambridge are constant rivals, and the distribution of first place depends on the specific specialty. In addition to universities, Oxford and Cambridge have quite a few elite schools and language centers.

Going to Cambridge, go to the Bell International Language Center, its feature is a combination of tradition and innovation. Outwardly - a historical atmosphere, inside - new equipment and interactive. The most popular course at Bell combines conversation lessons with skills, business or art classes, and in free time- join clubs, workshops and excursions.

In Oxford, St. Clare's College. It operates as an international school during the year and during the holidays as a language center for students and adults. English courses here last, as a rule, 2-3 weeks. During this time, you will have time to refresh the knowledge that you already have, replenish your vocabulary and increase the speed of speech.

Teaching Methods at Oxford and Cambridge

Both universities - Oxford and Cambridge - use individual consultations as an alternative to lectures, only they are called differently - tutorials in Oxford and supervision in Cambridge. University students meet for an hour every week in a group of 1-3 people with a professor and discuss the completed assignment. There may be three or four such classes per week.

Language schools followed the university model: at Bell International, you can take individual lessons and supplement them with group ones. A big plus of the one-on-one format is the personalized content of the lesson, that is, you will communicate on those topics that are of interest to you. In addition, you yourself will identify skills that need to be worked on - whether it be pronunciation, vocabulary, listening comprehension, grammar or writing.

At Oxford St. Clare's College can develop not only spoken English, but also ask the tutor to focus on a narrower area - for example, business, finance or medicine. Students usually focus on academic skills and exam preparation.

Dictionaries and exams

The Oxford English Dictionary is more authoritative and referenced more frequently than the Cambridge Dictionary. In addition, the Oxford English Dictionary is historical and contains words and expressions that are no longer in use. The Cambridge Dictionary focuses more on modern word usage and related meanings. While Oxford is more authoritative in terms of vocabulary, Cambridge has given its name to a huge number of exams (from A-Levels and IELTS to CAE - Certificate in Advanced English).

IELTS is international test on English language for those entering foreign universities. At Bell International Cambridge, you can prepare for it in a period of one week to several months. The course is aimed at students with a language level of at least intermediate. In the morning, the emphasis is on preparing for the exam (skills oral speech, writing, reading, grammar, listening comprehension), and in the afternoon you can take a module of your choice - business, skills, interest clubs, master classes.

As for Cambridge exams, then they are no less in demand for work or study. Unlike IELTS, which is valid for 2 years, FCE and CAE results are quoted for life. At Bell International, you can prepare for the FCE (First Certificate) exam intensively in 5 weeks, or in a more relaxed mode - in 10 weeks. To do this, you need to know the language at a level not lower than the average. For those who count on CAE ( Advanced Certificate) you need an advanced level and one or two months in reserve.

Oxford is more traditional

Both Oxford and Cambridge have solemn ceremonies in Latin, students put on robes for lunch and play outdated sports - rounders and fives. The dress uniform (white shirt, black gown, black tie for boys and black ribbon for girls) is worn by students both at Oxford and Cambridge, while at Oxford it is customary to wear it not only on holidays, but also for exams.

Don't worry on language course No one is forcing you to wear a uniform. Instead, Bell prepared other Cambridge entertainment - panting (rafting on the River Kem), debates, tea parties and pubs. On courses at Oxford St. Clare's College promises to host a welcome dinner at one of the colleges Oxford University.

Oxford is bigger, Cambridge is cozier

Compared to London of 8 million, Oxford and Cambridge are small towns. On a bicycle you can cross them in half an hour. However, the population of Oxford is still 30% larger than that of Cambridge, and it is historically more industrial and developed. Oxford is often associated with the automotive industry - BMW makes its Minis here. Cambridge is called the "Silicon Swamp" - because of its location in the swamp and high concentration technology companies Microsoft, Apple, Amazon.

As for architecture, in Oxford it is rather monotonous - all the buildings in the city are built mainly of Headington stone, while in Cambridge there is no stone of its own (it was imported from other counties), therefore the buildings here are different.

The Bell International campus is located not far from the historic center of Cambridge. It is easily recognizable by its picturesque gardens and training center. When the weather is nice, you can dine outside, and when it rains, you can play table tennis in the lounge. For accommodation, Bell offers comfortable student residences, with a separate room and bathroom, or English family- for more practice.

If you are still tuned to Oxford, then from the city center to St. Clare's College is a 20 minute walk. Thanks to this location, every topic covered - whether it's travel, food, politics or business - is complemented by excursions. The Pitt Rivers Museum, the Oxford University Farm and the BMW Factory are popular this season.

Location

Cambridge is located in East Anglia and is surrounded by marshland. Oxford, on the other hand, lies to the east of the Cotswolds, a hilly region dotted with small villages. So if you love the hills, go to Oxford. In Cambridge, the landscape is more even, and the city is in principle ideal for cyclists.

Both cities are close to London - from Cambridge to London King's Cross station the train travels 45 minutes, from Oxford to Paddington station - 58 minutes. At the same time, the distance to other cities varies. For example, if you want to visit the birthplace of Shakespeare - Stratford-upon-Avon, then go closer from Oxford, while Cambridge is ideal for trips to the coast.

This year Oxford Language school St. Clare's College has scheduled weekend trips to London, Bath and Stonehenge. The Cambridge Bell International Center will delight you with excursions to Brighton, London, Windsor, Oxford and Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill.

Oxford and Cambridge have a lot in common, and chances are you'll enjoy either of these historic cities.

Published: March 22, 2013 at 01:13 pm

As you know, Samuel Johnson once said: Who is tired of London is tired of life».

But if you, nevertheless, are tired of the British capital or you are just interested in seeing what else is interesting in the vicinity of London, then you should definitely go on a day trip from London.

And it is not at all necessary to order it at the tourist office. It is possible to organize interesting trip and independently.

So, from London there are several popular destinations for day trips. Today I will talk about two of them - Oxford and Cambridge.

Universities in England are known all over the world as a real standard higher education. Not only students, but also many tourists dream of visiting Oxford or Cambridge.

It is understandable. Where else in the world will you have a chance to plunge headlong into the real world for a day? student life the oldest and most prestigious university cities in Europe.

Just an hour by train from Paddington station and you - in the heart of world science and education - in Oxford. Just forty-five minutes by train to KingsCross Station and you are in Cambridge. This trip will leave indelible impressions.

Arriving right on the spot, you can go to the travel agency at the station and take a free guide, including in Russian.

In Oxford you can visit Bodleian Library, probably the oldest in the world, and also worth paying attention to the tower Carfax and church bell tower St. Mary located in the very center of the city. They offer a picturesque panorama of Oxford, the Thames and the surrounding villages. Also very interesting Botanical Garden founded back in 1621. It is not only a historical place for medical and botanical science, but also very beautiful.

In addition, there are several world famous pubs in Oxford. In them in different years many future great writers, big businessmen and even US presidents had fun, and sometimes got drunk.

Of particular note is the pub The Eagleland Child. This literary place is known for the fact that it was there that the meetings of the literary circle "Inklings" (eng. Inklings), whose members were the great Tolkien and Lewis, were held.

The main rival of Oxford - Cambridge is famous, first of all, for its museums. From them you can learn everything about the history of Great Britain from Roman times to the present day. Also in Cambridge, you should definitely take a walk along the cozy medieval streets.

The old buildings house state-of-the-art universities and colleges. You should definitely drink a cup of coffee in one of the many coffee houses and quietly observe the real English student life.

I highly recommend the coffee shop. Fitzbillies, whose delicious pastries have been enjoyed by Cambridge students and teachers for almost a hundred years. Incidentally, Cambridge stands on the River Cam and, as you might guess from its name, has always been famous for its bridges.

There is even a bridge of sighs, as in Venice, and you can also swim in a boat or gondola along the local river. And there is math bridge, as well as elizabeth bridge, victoria bridge and even kitchen bridge. All of them are remarkable, unusual and attract many tourists.

Educational hack:

enroll in the best universities in the UK

Higher education institutions in the UK are considered to be among the best in the world. In this regard, there is an opinion that studying at Cambridge or Oxford is available only to the elite. However, this is not the case: every student has a chance to enter an elite British university. We give an educational life hack on how to do it most effectively and optimally.

Where: a closer look at the TOP-3

The world-famous newspaper The Guardian has published a ranking of universities in Britain for 2016. This list is an indispensable tool for students who want to get prestigious education at a British university. The top ranking includes about a hundred of the best universities in the country, which were carefully selected according to criteria such as average student grades for academic performance, tuition fees, career after graduation, student reviews, as well as the ratio of the number of staff to the number of students. Compared to 2015, there have been minor changes in the ranking. However, the top three - Cambridge, Oxford and St. Andrews - remained the same. These three universities are the leaders of the university tops not only in the UK, but also in the world.

One of the oldest and largest universities in the UK and even the world. The university belongs to the institutions of a privileged charitable type, financed by the state, as well as from its own income, charitable contributions, student contributions. The university consists of thirty-one colleges, which, in turn, are divided into fifteen new and sixteen old. It is noteworthy that the Cambridge University Board of Examiners (CIE) has developed its own special program with an examination system called Pre-U. The new program does not replace the traditional A-level (we will talk about it in detail later). However, it provides significant advantages for admission. After graduating from the program with honors, you automatically fall into the ranks of bestofthebest.

The oldest English-speaking university in the world, it consists of thirty-eight colleges and six closed educational institutions belonging to religious organizations. About twenty thousand students study at Oxford every year, a quarter of which are foreigners. There are about four thousand teachers in the staff, many of them are world famous. The university has an original education system, where each student has his own teacher. Main study areas at the university - social, humanitarian, physical, mathematics and medicine. Oxford is also a major research center with its own laboratories, museums and publishing house.

One of the three oldest universities after Oxford and Cambridge. Seventeen thousand students study at the university. Among which 64% are British. The university is divided into four colleges specializing in medicine, theology, science and arts. University of St. Andrews is considered the most conservative of the universities, where many traditions have been preserved. It is also one of the most expensive universities.

However, not Oxford alone. There are many other excellent universities in the UK that are considered the best in one direction or another. Some specialize in medicine, others in chemistry or languages. If you have already decided on your future specialty, we advise you to consider those universities that are considered No. 1 in this industry. The specialized rating of universities by subject, which is also published by The Guardian, will be of great help here. You can get acquainted with it on the website by selecting the specialty you are interested in in the Subject area column.

TOP-3 best universities in the most popular specialties in The versions Guardian looks like this:

Finance(Accounting & finance): Warwick, Surrey, Heriot-Watt.

ruralandforesteconomy, foodindustry(Agriculture, forestry & food): Nottingham, Reading, Leeds.

Anatomyandphysiology(Anatomy & physiology): Liverpool, Glasgow Caledonian, Leicester.

Architecture(Architecture): UCL, Cardiff, Kent.

Art(Art): UCL, Oxford, Newcastle.

Business, managementandmarketing(Business, management & marketing): Oxford, Warwick, Bath.

ComputerSciences(Computer science & information systems): St Andrews, Oxford, Cambridge.

Chemistry(Chemistry): Sussex, St. Andrews, Oxford.

The medicine(Medicine): Cambridge, Oxford, UCL.

Physics(Physics): Oxford, Lancaster, St. Andrews.

Languagesandlinguistics(Modern languages ​​& linguistics): Cambridge, Oxford, Leicester.

Right (law): Cambridge, Oxford, Queen Mary.

Design(Design & crafts): Goldsmiths, Edinburgh, Glasgow.

Increasing chances of admission

Getting into the ranks of students of an elite British university is not so easy. And these difficulties are connected not only with academic knowledge, but also with special psychological preparation. This is where specialized companies enter the arena, which help to understand the specifics of admission, select the necessary items, and prepare for tests and interviews. An applicant who has passed such a school significantly increases his chances of admission. It also does not hurt to know in advance the list of requirements, compliance with which makes you the best candidate in the eyes of the admissions committee and gives you significant advantages over other applicants.

Be an excellent student. Your academic performance is the main factor influencing the possibility of admission . It is extremely important to get a high school diploma with honors.

Finish good university at home. If you do not have the financial ability to pay for the entire period of study at a British university, we advise you to work hard and graduate with honors from a ranking university in your home country. After that, you can enter the desired British university for a master's degree. Do better on natural Sciences- they are more in demand both at universities and in the subsequent job search.

Gain experience. If you have experience in the subject area of ​​study, you will greatly increase your chances of admission. by the most in a simple way to get the desired work background will be the passage of a free internship.

Win awards. An important role is played by your personal achievements in science, education and sports, which are marked by awards, medals, certificates of honor. If you have such, then you should definitely mention them during the interview. Don't be afraid to sound overconfident and boastful - present yourself in the right light!

Pass all possible tests. The results of such tests as GRE and GMAT are not required when applying to the university. However, they will be an additional argument in favor of your knowledge. Especially if your A-Level test results are not the most outstanding.

Stages of admission: fromA- Levelbefore the interview

A- Level

First of all, you need to decide on the subjects that you want to study and pass an exam on them - the so-called A-Level. This is a two-year preparation program for further admission to the university through passing tests and interviews, with in-depth study four subjects that are related to the specifics of the chosen university. For the top universities in Britain, it is desirable to get not just a high A score, but the highest A +, thereby initially proving that they belong to the best candidates. This first step is perhaps the most important. Almost every university in Britain publishes a list of more and less preferred subjects, forcing students to take the topic of choice very seriously.

The correct selection of objects is a whole science. The difficulty lies in choosing the optimal set of subjects for training that will meet the requirements of the university and the chosen specialty. In addition, properly selected subjects will help in planning a future career. For example, work in the financial sector will require knowledge of mathematics, banking, tax legislation, in architecture - physics, mathematics, and a career in the medical field requires, in addition to the A-Level, passing a special medical test. It is worth noting that for such a specialty as health care (medicine), it is extremely difficult to independently select subjects. Therefore, when planning to enroll in this and other specialties, you should contact professionals who will make a selection of subjects especially for you.

For those who have not yet decided on their future specialty, we recommend choosing two subjects from radically different directions, which are most often found in the lists required for admission to the university. Thus, you will expand the possibility of choosing a specialty upon admission.

The choice of items for A-Level is not the best simple task for a 16-year-old applicant, given that this decision may affect the rest of his life. Therefore, the choice of items must be approached with all seriousness, and we will help you with this with our advice and advice.

AEA(AdvancedExtensionAward)

When submitting entrance documents, one exam can be replaced by a certificate of excellent knowledge of the subject Advanced Extention Award-AEA. This document is issued by an authorized organization and confirms the student's deep knowledge of the subject. It also indicates that his knowledge has been verified by an independent body. Some universities in Britain tend to give preference to applicants who have an Advanced Extention Award in one or another subject.

STEP (Six Tern Examination Papers in Mathematics)

Applicants who decide to enter the natural and mathematical direction, it is preferable to pass the additional Six Tern Examination Papers in Mathematics - STEP exam. At many universities, entrance committees consider STEP results to be more significant than A-Level.

So, the first stage has been successfully completed! After submitting the documents, you need to write an essay or pass additional tests. And also pass a mandatory interview (interview). Its goal is not to test academic knowledge, but to clarify the personal qualities of the applicant, his character traits, life aspirations and attitudes. Keep in mind that interview questions can be very versatile and even provocative. It is also possible (and necessary!) to prepare for the interview and its most unexpected turns in advance, in which we, as professionals, will also definitely help you.

So, set yourself a goal, make a plan to achieve it, confidently move towards realization, do not be afraid of obstacles. And most importantly - enlist the help of a reliable partner who will be an excellent support for you and conquer the highest educational peaks. Well, friends, perhaps Oxford is waiting for you!

Oxford and Cambridge - eternal rivals (December 2006)

British Style Magazine December 2006

Text: Polina Khimshiashvili

On April 7, 2007, when the Christian world will celebrate the Annunciation, the inhabitants of two small English towns will be waiting for their good news. On this day, for the 153rd time, one of the two largest universities in the UK and around the world will have the opportunity, without fear of offending anyone and without citing the ratings of the world's leading publications as arguments, with good reason to say: "I - better than cambridge or "I'm better than Oxford."

On this day, the next regatta between the teams of Oxford and Cambridge will take place. In the London suburb of Putney, teams of 8 people will have to fight for the honor of their university. The TV broadcast of the race is one of the five most popular sports events in the British Isles; in total, about 400 million people follow the regatta, each of whom wants to find out for himself "who is better" in order to put an end to the 800-year history of rivalry at least for a brief moment.

In 2009 Cambridge university will celebrate 800 years since its founding. Throughout these eight centuries, there has been a constant, everyday comparison of the two abodes of knowledge, the two citadels of science. Everyone is trying to compare, in everyone historical fact they try to find some sign or at least a hint of possible superiority, but sometimes they find amazing historical parallels.

So, the history of Cambridge began with the flight of Oxford students from their native walls. The reasons and details of what happened are unknown, but in 1209 two Oxford students were hanged for killing or raping a woman. The verdict was approved by the king himself, but the students and teachers of the university found it unacceptable and suspended classes. Many have made the decision to leave the city and the college walls. The fugitives found shelter on the banks of the Cam River, the bridge across which, which existed since 875, gave the city its name. In 1223, a decree by Pope Gregory IX approved the status of Cambridge as a university.

The history of Oxford University, surprisingly, also began with flight. After all foreigners were expelled from the University of Paris (Sorbonne) at the end of the 12th century, English students returned to their homeland. In fairness, we add that according to another version, the students returned to their homeland by decree of Henry II. Having settled in Oxford, they were divided geographically into people from the north and from the south, which marked the beginning of separate education and residence, which was later reflected in the college system (today Oxford University consists of 39 colleges, and Cambridge - from 31). Exact date the founding of Oxford is unknown, one thing is known - this oldest university the English speaking world.

For five years in a row, the influential Times University Guide has placed Oxford at the top of its ranking of higher education institutions. While in the Sunday Times from 1997 to 2005, Cambridge was in first place.

In the discipline comparison table, Oxford leads in anatomy and physiology, art and design, economic sciences, technology, oriental and African studies, music, philosophy, political science, and also shares first place with Cambridge in pedagogical and linguistic subjects. Who is in the lead in the remaining seventeen areas? - Cambridge!

Stubborn numbers say Cambridge gave the world 81 Nobel laureate and eight owners

Fields Medal for outstanding mathematical achievement. But how could it be otherwise, if Isaac Newton studied at Cambridge, and until the middle of the 19th century, every university student was required to attend classes in mathematics, and it was impossible to get a bachelor's degree without an exam in this subject.

Oxford has 47 Nobel Prizes and only three Fields medals. But what do these figures mean for the British, if seven of the last eleven prime ministers of England are Oxford graduates? And what do these figures mean for the Christian world if Oxford issued diplomas to three saints and one to the Pope? In addition, eight foreign kings and twenty-eight presidents, including Bill Clinton, have studied at Oxford. Stars Hugh Grant and Kate Beckinsale are also Oxford graduates.

In short, it's not the numbers that matter, but the people. If with the help of a time machine it was possible to collect the best graduates in the history of universities, then Roger Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, Isaiah Berlin, Jonathan Swift,

Robert Southey, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lewis Carroll, Oscar Wilde, John R. R. Tolkien, Thomas Stearns Eliot, Evelyn Waugh, Wisten Auden, Indira Gandhi and Bill Clinton. The Cambridge team would include the philosopher Francis Bacon, Lord Byron, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Charles Darwin, John Maynard Keynes, A.A. Milne, Jawaharlal Nehru, Isaac Newton, Ernst Rutherford.

The Russians would also have someone to bet on in this race. In the boat of Oxford sits the heir to a vast fortune, a representative of the oldest family - Prince Felix Yusupov, who spent two years in Oxford, who fully experienced the "hated cold shower" and "monstrously suffered from the cold." Like all first-year students, he was forced to huddle in a dormitory, but, having passed to the second year and having received the right to move to a private apartment, he amazed everyone with the luxury of his home. In the Oxford team, you can easily recognize an aged woman who has turned gray from what she experienced in her homeland and finally received belated recognition in England. This is Anna Akhmatova, who was awarded an honorary doctorate from Oxford. In the team of rivals stands out the student of Cambridge Vladimir Nabokov. Strings of mother's pearls went to pay for his education. Thus, the young man's old Petersburg dream came true - to put on "a thinly woven blue-black cloak of a medieval cut and a black square headdress with a tassel." By the way, it was Nabokov who somehow noticed that both universities were worth each other in terms of cold: “out of all the cracks, the barrel blew ... ice accumulated in the jug overnight,” he wrote in The True Life of Sebastian Knight. In addition, among the Russian graduates of Cambridge is Pyotr Kapitsa, who, like Nabokov, was at Trinity College. Outstanding physicist, laureate Nobel Prize, founder of the Cambridge Physics Seminar, now known as the Kapitsa Club, received his PhD from the university.

But they are not the only Russians in Oxbridge boats. A place of honor next to them rightfully belongs to today's Russian students who have managed to achieve a well-deserved reward for their many years of work and enter one of the famous universities.

This year, another Russian woman became a student at Oxford - nineteen-year-old Katya Pogudina. She graduated from the British private school Repton and became an economics student at St. Peter "s of Oxford University. We decided to ask her a few questions ...

"British Style": Did you decide to go to the UK to study? Or did the parents come up with this idea?

Katya Pogudina: At first, my parents just wanted me to know the language, and from the age of 10, every summer I went to British private schools for English courses for a month, and I really liked it. And at the end of the 8th grade - I was 15 years old then - my father suggested that I study in England next year in private school- they say, in Russia I am clearly underloaded. I immediately agreed, but at first my mother objected - how would this child be for almost half a year without a family, without parents? But I convinced her that she was no longer a child, and we went to the Albion agency to choose a school

B.S.: And on what basis?

K.P.: It was in May. In the top schools, those that occupy the first hundred lines of the ratings, there were no more empty places. I was offered to take tests (in mathematics and English) in three schools - from the second and third hundred rankings. Considering that there are more than two thousand private schools in the country (and this is only 7% of total number British schools), it is easy to understand that schools from the third hundred of the rating are by no means outsiders. Two of the three schools, based on the results of the tests, agreed to accept me, and my mother and I went to watch them. In Repton, I somehow immediately felt at home, and the hostess of the school boarding house where I was to live was very pretty, so the problem of choice was solved simply.

B.S.: How many years did you study there? And what?

K.P.: Four years. For the first two years, I had many subjects, although fewer than in Russia. And then

I chose four: mathematics, economics, business,

German. I studied these subjects in the last two, graduating classes, I passed the A-level exams on them. And just in case, I passed the exam in Russian - an extra high score upon admission

University doesn't hurt.

B.S.: What determined the choice of subjects? Personal sympathies?

K.P.: Firstly, as a future specialty - I was going to enter the Faculty of Economics.

Secondly, it was necessary to choose such subjects for which there was a real chance to get a high score. To get into Oxford or Cambridge, you need at least an "A" in three subjects. I was lucky that everything coincided: mathematics, economics, business are my favorite subjects

B.S.: How do they get into Oxford and Cambridge? Are there any differences with other British universities?

K.P.: Formally, there are almost no differences, but in reality there are many. At the beginning school year graduate students of the school apply to a single national center - UCAS. It includes a list of universities in which the applicant would like to study, essays, recommendations of teachers and, most importantly, marks that are planned to be obtained in the final exams. Further, for most students, a relatively calm life begins: study, preparation for exams. Three perfect "A" scores in the final exams gives almost 100% chance of getting into any university except Oxford and Cambridge. Another thing is the applicants of these two universities. Cambridge and Oxford receive hundreds of times more applications than they are willing to accept, and all have top marks. To select the best, additional state exams, entrance exams

to the university, interviews - specifically, everything depends on the university and the specialty. For example, I was offered to write two essays - on economics and on business, pass tests and go through several interviews.

The difficulty is that you have to prepare for all these events without starting your studies at school - after all, regardless of the results of additional tests and interviews, the main condition - the highest score in the final exams - must be met.

B.S.: Did you immediately decide that you would go to Oxford?

K.P.: No, not right away. When I went to England, of course, I dreamed of a top British university, but I was not at all sure that I would succeed. After two years of study, I did very well in the GCSE exams, and my self-confidence immediately increased. The results of the exams for the first year of study at the A-level were even better: in mathematics, economics, business and Russian - "A", and only in German "B".

I could well apply for admission to one of the top universities. And my school tutor - a teacher who patronized me, helped me complete the documents for entering the university - advised me to include Oxford in the application.

"BS": What was the most difficult?

K.P.: Probably an interview. The questions were the most unexpected, far from always within school curriculum. I think that there it was necessary to demonstrate not so much an excellent academic background, but the ability and desire to think, discuss the topic with different points vision.

B.S.: You were accepted to Oxford, so you did brilliantly. What helped you?

K.P.: I think communication and activity.

I love interacting with people and I love learning, and not just for grades, I love learning. In the summer, during the holidays, I read books on economics, on the history of economic doctrines. But only studying is not enough for me, and when the Times and the Bank of England in Nottingham announced a competition among schoolchildren, I immediately applied for participation. It was necessary to propose a project to change the banking system, which would lead to economic growth in the country. The fact that I was among the winners of the competition helped me a lot in the interview.

B.S.: In 3 years you will become a bachelor. What are you thinking of doing next?

K.P.: For starters, work in the City of London.

And then, perhaps, I will try to enter a business school - an MBA program.

Well, history continues, and our compatriots (and compatriots), we hope, will write many more bright pages in the annals of two outstanding universities. We wish them good luck and victory in the regatta!

Everyone knows about Oxbridge, as Oxford and Cambridge are often called jointly. study at these universities unique history and an impeccable reputation are the dreams of many, but only the most gifted, persevering and well-prepared act.

The first question every candidate should ask himself is whether Oxford and Cambridge are right for him, as a student and as a person? If, after weighing all the pros and cons, the answer turns out to be yes, it should be borne in mind that getting into Oxbridge is more difficult than any other university. UK Study Center experts explain key differences.

Many people try to get into Oxford and Cambridge. In 2017, for example, 19,938 people applied to Oxford, of which 3,771 received proposals. Obviously, the selection process is very thorough and very difficult.

The first criterion is very high marks. Specific requirements depend on the chosen specialty, but usually it is within AAA-A*A*A* at A-Levels and 7-9 grades A-A* at the GCSE level (or their international equivalent). Compliance with these requirements is only the beginning of a potential student's journey: one high academic achievement not enough to enroll in Oxbridge.

The teaching methods at universities differ significantly from other universities and are not suitable for all students. The basis of education here are academic discussions and seminars. Topics are discussed in groups consisting of several students and a professor. At such a seminar it is impossible to "sit out in silence", hiding behind the backs of others - any shortcomings will be noticed immediately. However, careful preparation for seminars does not replace the rest. teaching load, which usually takes about 60 hours of work per week.

“In order to succeed at Oxbridge, it is not enough intelligence and even talent. It is extremely important to show a sincere interest in the subject of study, to be inquisitive and hardworking, to have analytical thinking and stress tolerance, and demonstrate time management skills.

Equally important is the ability to not be shy and boldly discuss, even if your opponent is the author of a book you have just read or an internationally recognized expert in a particular field. If a student truly loves his chosen field of study and wants to develop in it, hard work will be easier for him.

Not everyone knows that documents can only be submitted to one of the two universities, but not to both at the same time. In this regard, the applicant needs to study what each university offers in the discipline of his choice and whether the content of the program suits him. Worth a day visit open doors when everything you read about comes to life, it will give you the opportunity to make a more informed choice.

Deadline for submission of documents British universities- January 15 of the year in which training begins. At Oxbridge, due to a longer selection process, the last date for admission is October 15, that is, one year before the start of studies. Applications are accepted through the centralized filing system in British universities UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

Oxford and Cambridge are so-called collegiate universities. Unlike other consolidated universities, they consist of colleges: 38 in Oxford and 31 in Cambridge. University as educational institution responsible for most teaching, student assessment, library resources, laboratories; colleges, in addition to the educational component, are also responsible for the social life of students, their accommodation and comfort.

Each college is both an independent structure with its own budget, and a whole world in which a student will live and study. Given the important role college plays in students' lives, it is best for them to decide on their own during the application process.

In addition to the standard set of documents and the UCAS questionnaire (one more questionnaire is added to this list in Cambridge), for admission to most specialties, it is necessary to pass tests and / or written works. They help the selection committee decide whether to invite a candidate for an interview.

Candidates who have passed two initial stages, have a real chance of entering the university, so they receive an invitation for an interview. Difficult and unusual matters are legendary at Oxford and Cambridge. There are no right or wrong answers to some questions at all - the main task of the selection committee is to determine the intellectual potential, flexibility of the mind of the applicant, and analyze the course of his thinking.

Teachers also determine the applicant's ability to independent work and additional reading. Excellent knowledge of the school curriculum is not the main indicator during the interview and is perceived as a mandatory, self-evident and unconditional fact: selection committee wants to find out what the candidate has learned and studied beyond the school curriculum, in addition to it.

Remember that each teacher passionately loves his subject and dedicated his life to it, so he expects the same enthusiasm from his students.