1. education
2. school

UNIQ summer schools 2015
TEACHERS’ GUIDE
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WHAT IS UNIQ?
UNIQ is a programme of free summer
schools, hosted by Oxford University.
uniq.ox.ac.uk
Who: Y ear 12 students studying at UK
state schools and colleges
What: A cademically challenging week-long
course and social programme
Where: Oxford
When: From early July through to August
Cost: Free of charge
Places available: 850
Why: So that academically able students
can make informed decisions about
applying to Oxford and other similar
universities
The week is designed to give students an accurate and
impartial insight into undergraduate life at Oxford. It is
intensive; the academic work pushes them beyond the
school curriculum and encourages them to think critically
and to work independently. The social programme is
varied and the admissions workshops are in-depth and
interactive. Undergraduate mentors work with the
students throughout the week and give them an honest
and often candid view of what it is like to live and study at
Oxford. The aim is to allow the participants to experience
student life at a top research-led university so they are
able to make their own decisions and are fully prepared for
the application process.
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ACADEMIC PROGRAMME
Each academic programme challenges its students to work at
the level of a first year undergraduate. Students attend lectures,
undertake independent research, and take part in an Oxford
tutorial. The summer schools help to develop students’ interest
in a particular subject, and encourage them to think more deeply
about the issues surrounding their subject.
I really enjoyed experiencing a tutorial on the last day.
When I was preparing for it earlier in the week, I was
unsure if I had done the right thing, and was slightly
anxious about discussing it with a tutor. However, the
tutorial was nowhere near as daunting as I thought it
would be, and I found it really interesting! It was such
a good insight into the system at Oxford.”
SOCIAL PROGRAMME
The week is intensive. Students have some time to explore the
city and the colleges for themselves. Evening activities are varied and
include comedy shows, sports, formal dinners and the infamous BOP.
I really enjoyed the social side of the week, and it made
me think that Oxford, and Cambridge, would
be really stimulating, fun places to be. In particular
I enjoyed the bop and the Oxford Imps, but also just
in-college activities and getting to know everyone.”
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ADMISSIONS INFORMATION
On UNIQ participants attend workshops
and presentations which give them a clear
understanding of what the admissions
process entails. They practice interview
questions, consider what makes a good
personal statement and work through
admissions tests with undergraduate mentors.
They also find out about funding and the
generous bursary schemes on offer at Oxford.
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When it came to writing my [UCAS] personal statement
I already had my UNIQ one, and I ended up using most of
that, so that was really good. ”
What can a UNIQ summer school do
for your student?
By applying to UNIQ students:
■start to think about university at an earlier stage
have a trial run at a UCAS form
■start writing a personal statement earlier
■gain access to online learning resources
■
By attending UNIQ participants:
■gain confidence: in their own abilities; in travelling
and meeting other people; talking about their
subject and making applications to competitive
universities
■are motivated to work harder for final year exams
■have a structured approach to super-curricular
activities
■can share their knowledge with other students in school
■are able make informed decisions about their
university choices
■are able to submit strong applications to
competitive courses and universities
I would just like to thank you for an amazing
experience. The idea of applying to Oxford/
Cambridge never crossed my mind until I gained a
place on the summer school, and although I’m not
planning on applying to Oxford, I feel the summer
school showed me I am capable of working at the
high standards of Oxford.”
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UNIQ allows students to gain a greater understanding
of life as an undergraduate. Whilst in Oxford, students
will be accommodated in one of the Oxford colleges,
spend time with current Oxford students, and take part in
a wide range of social activities. Primarily, UNIQ is about
allowing students to gain an accurate and informed picture
of life at Oxford University, and encouraging them to think
of themselves as potential Oxford applicants.
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SELECTION CRITERIA
The aim of the summer schools is to award places to those
who would benefit the most from the aspiration raising
activities which are at the heart of the summer school
experience. Therefore, we give preference to applicants
who come from schools with little or no history of successful
application to Oxford, and to applicants who live in postcode
areas in which we would expect fewer young people to go
on to higher education.
Our selection criteria look at applicants’ A* count at
*GCSE in the context of:
performance of the student’s GCSE school
■progression and performance of the student’s
A level school
■
ACORN and POLAR 3 postcode data
■
We also consider each application from a Looked After Child
on an individual basis.
The personal statement also helps us to determine a student’s
passion for a subject and, all other factors being equal, a student
who is able to demonstrate a true enthusiasm for their subject
will be much more likely to be awarded a place.
Thank you so much for a
wonderful week in Oxford!
It was definitely one of the best
experiences I have ever had,
and has really motivated me to
work even harder and apply
in the Autumn.”
* For Scottish students we look at corresponding top grades in Standards and
Intermediates
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THE APPLICATION PROCESS
■Students apply online via our website at www.uniq.ox.ac.uk
■
Applications open on at 10am on 6 January 2015 and close
at 5pm on 12 February 2015. The deadline is absolute.
■
The application form is modelled on the UCAS Apply form.
Students need to record their qualifications and educational
details. They also need to submit a 2000 character personal
statement and nominate a teacher to act as a referee.
■
We contact the nominated teacher if the student is offered
a place (or a reserve place) to verify the educational details.
■Applicants apply for a specific subject, and are considered
alongside other applicants for that subject.
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SUPPORTING YOUR STUDENTS
1. Students who apply to UNIQ
We give advice and tips on applying to the summer school
on the UNIQ website. There is also a short video on how to
complete the form. Please direct your students to these pages
www.uniq.ox.ac/prospective-students
Unlike the UCAS form the UNIQ form cannot be saved, so we
advise students to have their exam qualifications, teacher’s
contact details and personal statement prepared before starting
on the application form.
Please make sure your students are aware of the deadlines. The
closing date is final. We do not accept any late applications for any
reason (including technical reasons). We advise applicants not to
leave their application to the last day.
Some courses are more competitive than others. We find that students
often overlook courses that they don’t study at school, so it is worth
suggesting that they look at all of our courses.
For language students: Beginners’ languages, Classics, Modern
Middle Eastern Studies, Egyptology, Sanskrit, Theology
For students interested in medicine or medical research:
Oncology and Biomedical Sciences
For students interested in Maths and Science: Earth Sciences,
Psychology, Human Sciences
For students interested in Physics or Engineering: Materials Science
For history students: History of Art, Classical Archaeology,
Ancient and Modern History, Classics
For biologists, social scientists or good all-rounders:
Human Sciences
We have an active and eclectic twitter feed which gives information
about the summer school, but also retweets links to all sorts of
articles, exhibitions, and TV programmes that are of interest to students.
https://twitter.com/oxforduniq
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2. Students who are not offered a place on UNIQ
Competition for places on UNIQ summer schools is fierce, and
therefore there are many incredibly gifted students to whom
we can’t offer a place.
It is crucial that unsuccessful applicants to UNIQ do not see
rejection as the end of the line in their Oxford journey. Contextual
data is used for both UNIQ and for Oxford Undergraduate
admissions.
At undergraduate level, decisions are based on a wide range of
information (exam results, admissions tests, teacher’s references
and interviews). For the summer school however, we can only
base our decisions on GCSE (or equivalent) achievement in the
context of school and home postcode data.
All applicants to UNIQ will have access to online learning resources
from April onwards. As well as admissions support resources,
there will be links, articles, reading suggestions and videos to
encourage students to develop interest in their subject area.
There are a great number of outreach events that are organised
by Oxford colleges and departments. Each of these events is
targeted at specific students e.g. Students interested in a
particular subject, or students living in a particular area etc. All
applicants to UNIQ will be eligible to be invited to relevant events.
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Whilst I was talking to my fellow students, it
became clear that the vast majority of us come
from families with no practical experience of
further education, and whilst the internet is full
of resources, the UNIQ summer school was by
far the most important resource for understanding
the application process; the student mentors
were always incredibly helpful and answered any
questions that we had, no matter how insignificant
our questions sometimes seemed!”
3. Students who have the potential to apply to Oxford
Teachers are integral in encouraging students to consider an
Oxford application. Therefore, we have a range of resources to
help you give your students clear, accurate advice and guidance in
their application. We run teachers’ conferences, school visits, and
a range of outreach events. In addition there are podcasts, links
to admissions, bursary and open day information, all of which are
available via the UNIQ website at www.uniq.ox.ac.uk/teachers.
You are also very welcome to contact the Access Team in
Undergraduate Admissions. We’ll be happy to help answer your
questions. Our email address is uniq@admin.ox.ac.uk and our
phone number is 01865 280413 or 270322.
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www.uniq.ox.ac.uk
Email: uniq@admin.ox.ac.uk
Tel: 01865 280413 or 270322
K40852
Photographs by John Cairns, Rob Judges and Martin Handley