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My politics interview with you was one of the most enjoyable parts of the application process

Thanks for sharing the Personal Statement preparation.

I would try to transfer there, so sad that they don't accept transfers

That was fascinating Matthew. I had no idea Ngaire

Oxford, i'll be there!

thanks Mrs. Williams' for so much, watch your videos is a combustible to be better and help me to believe more in myself and in society

In the essay would it be considered inconsistent if your first body paragraph talks about an opposing argument but then points out the problem with this argument and then you argue your main points or should you keep counter arguments to the end?

clearly, the west has no idea about iit entrance in India. Also, I would like to know if this is the world’s toughest exam for the top college in the world, why don’t we have microsoft, ibm and google being led by the graduates from this college, and why still indian colleges are producing the top ceos? “Its an art to maintain a low profile so that the West doesn’t panic about the Indians”. Sometimes we learnt and mastered during 250 years of British Raj in India.

Is Cambridge the same?

Thank you! As a privately educated student who has been scared by a bunch of recent news articles, it’s great to see that I have as good a shot as others

Hey, thanks so much for this! It's really helpful to get some clarification on the matter. I know of quite a few people from private schools who move to state schools for 6th form to try and increase their chances of getting in. Is it true that you've started looking at Y11 school instead of Y13 to see if anyone's tried to do this?

I read an article in the FT sometime ago that showed there were more 1st class degrees from state school undergrads than private students at Russell group universities. The reason is for someone to get high A levels from some state schools may require more determination and self study. Ie they may have more drive and higher IQ than someone from a private school who is spoon fed the answers. Then at university many lack the independent study ability. Although unlike maths, other stem, medicine, dentistry etc that see and wide variety of candidates from state school with high grades, classics degrees are often seen as upper class and many in private schools. Simply because its not an obvious career choice and A levels such as greek and latin are not usually taught at state schools. Languages like A level Mandarin would be more useful in the modern world.

Once again a well thought out and beautifully presented video

Thank you boss

Thank you for your service sir!

Omg that library is amazing ❤

I've never met an "original" thinker from Oxford. Your interviewees come gift-wrapped. If not carefully dressed, then you won't strike. And if they progress up the academic ladder they won't get published unless they parrot what everyone else is a generally saying but from within their own suitably detailed research niche. Genius is always slightly beyond us. Derrida's differing deferring idea nicely captures our attempts to define Shakespeare; library shelves keep filling on the topic. The main problem are limiting beliefs. I would propose that Darwin and Marx constitute severely limiting blocks on contemporary thought. On a good day, I would throw in Nietzsche as well. Meditate on Coleridge's maxim on the symbol; there is wisdom there. It's just unfortunate the idea of organic unity he borrowed from German contemporaries leads in a craniometric direction. Weirdly, Shakespeare and Coleridge are used by you chaps to instil a sense of national unity. My own thoughts take us in an entirely different direction. Can't put it better than Walt, whose poems are not organic per se: Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged, Missing me one place search another, I stop somewhere waiting for you.

Coleridge and Wordsworth invented the organic metaphor of seeing and hearing -my favourite example being in Keats who cannot see what perfumed flowers lie at his feet. All individual things are pervaded by the One; hence Coleridge writes: "a Symbol is characterized by a translucence of the Special in the Individual or of the General in the Especial or of the Universal in the General. . . . It always partakes of the Reality which it renders intelligible; and while it enunciates the whole, abides itself as a living part in that Unity, of which it is the representative." As children experience is undifferentiated insofar as by regaining this amalgamating confusion poets can creatively recapture the wonder of childhood for the object world. As a child Wordsworth felt closer to God. Drugs cut Coleridge off from his feelings for nature.

Another intriguing example would seem the Kabbalah of Isaac Luria, which drew heavily upon his reading of Proclus. You might think the description of God's throne in the Bible as being sapphire blue as relating to a precious stone called sapphire. But it is actually a poor English translation of lapis lazuli. And hence Lurianic sephirah or the stages of God's emanatory presence derives in the same mineral Renaissance painters employed to depict a translucent nitrogenous magnitude.

Originality happens when two cultures clash or perhaps two geniuses. A recursive example would be Jewish Deity meeting Greek Zeus, or Genesis versus Timaeus. Because this example led to the philosophy of Plotinian Neo-Platonism. When Wordsworth met Coleridge he appropriated his friend's reading of Iamblichus and Proclus and the aforesaid, together with the rest of Coleridge's damaged archangel reading and abstruse musings. The result was "Tintern Abbey" and "The Prelude", etc. Not that Wordsworth wasn't a strong reader for himself, but Coleridge's greatest creation was in fact his brother poet William.

you should read my book: "The Anatomy of Bloom" Bloomsbury 2014

all words toil to weariness...

I just wanna say thank you so much for your videos. You inspired me and gave me the courage to apply and then helped me attain success in my admissions test through your other videos. You are doing great work, thanks to you I have received an unconditional offer for the new year (: exited to start in October (not for Jesus but it’ll be great nevertheless) 😊 keep on posting!

Thank you, as a mature student at Oxford I’m always being asked what am I going to “do “with my degree, it’s difficult sometimes because I’m doing because I love studying Theology

Lol, with a class size of 3 or less in politics, are there any guardrails against group think or coersion from the tutor? After all, one's grades or recommendation letters are controlled by the tutor.

Jesus collage

Thankyou for motivating the struggling students. This means a lot.

Matt, I sincerely thank you for all your videos, which have been incredibly helpful as I return to graduate education after 35 years. Recently, I applied to Oxford, likely for all the wrong "brand" reasons. I worked really hard on the application and supporting statement and made it through to the interview stage. However, it was evident that although I knew my subject matter, I struggled to articulate why I wanted the specific course and why Oxford. Consequently, I was unsuccessful. After the initial disappointment, I took the time to reflect on what truly mattered to me, what I genuinely loved about the subject, where I wanted to study, and, most importantly, why. As a result, I have now been accepted onto an MSt programme at Cambridge, starting in October 2024. I applied all the points you mentioned in your videos, so thank you immensely. The key lesson I learned is to be clear on why you want to study at a particular place. For my Cambridge application, it was the unique teaching style of the faculty and the hands-on nature of the course that made it stand out in the UK. My advice to others is to be yourself and don’t be discouraged by the myths surrounding Oxbridge. Yes, it’s competitive, but entirely possible. I gained valuable insights from my Oxford rejection and turned it into a learning opportunity .

Thank you for the lecture. I would suggest answering the title questing at the end of the video. :)

Hey Dr. Matt! I'm a year off applying to uni but your output has really convinced me that even just for the fun of it, I should apply to Oxford. Given that no other college produces (to my knowledge) such a wealth of resources, Jesus seems like the obvious choice when it comes to it, but I have one concern... the colours! Light green does not work well with my skin tone, and I worry that in the unlikely situation I am accepted, I wouldn't be able to confidently represent Jesus! Is this a valid concern, or are there more important factors to consider, facilities aside?!

Does the UK have scholarships dedicated towards American citizens? Or better yet, are you familiar with American scholarships that are international and work in the UK? Thanks for the video and your response.

I love your videos Matt and will be applying soon! FGS from Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Hi, Thankyou so much for making this video. I wanted to apply to an engineering course and I was just wondering, I haven't won any laurels, such as the science olympiad or competed in such competitions, so I don't have much tangible evidence to prove if I'm intelligent enough, but I have read books related to science, seen multiple lectures and feel that I am curious about it however I dont have any awards. Would that put someone such as myself at a disadvantage?

this guy is awesome ❤️

Do any of the Questions in the interview of this examination fit under other academic subjects?

Thanos so much for these videos, just wondering is it worth applying still with an average gcse grade of 7 and a few eights

can I reflect on the mathematical interest I gained from a murder mystery book? does it have to be a book or research paper strictly related to the subject?

IQ scores give good general estimation of someones capabilities, they are useless maybe in your dreams... However, I do understand why they are not used to get accepted to the University.

Thank you so much, both this and other videos this channel provides help sooo much. I am currently in my first year of the IB diploma and Oxford is my dream target uni - however, due to naturally high expectations, stress certainly proves to be a problem! Both this video and many others on this channel help me prepare and feel confident that I'm "doing the right thing" to be competitive in applications Thank you and keep doing what you're doing!

There is something very admirable about a decent person doing something good with their life.

The most important factor!! Passion and enthusiasm indeed 😁

My smart habit is watching your wonderful channel ❤

I have a question with your example of learning a court case at 9:54, what do you do with it once you’re done? Do you mention it in your application or do you show them?

A robot can’t have a gender without chromosomes

Im geography bsc student at Calcutta University in India, i really want to do master degree in Oxford.

so for the cooperation aspect, would asking questions during the interview demonstrate this?

Sir i have studied commerce without maths , but i want to study law

Years ago, I was made an offer to read Physics at the University of Oxford, Jesus College. At that time, I was not a British citizen. I didn't have the money or other means to offer a financial guarantee, so I couldn't take up the offer. I had worked so hard, studying totally on my own (no preparatory courses, no private classes, no private tutors or any other kind of classes, private or otherwise, taught by anyone else) to get into Oxford. Not having the money to read Physics of Oxford, in spite of being made an offer, was probably the biggest blow of my life. I am not going to write what happened in the years that followed, or since then. It would have been so good if Oxford had had funds (or funding arrangements etc) to guarantee tuition fee and maintenance money for all students who were made an offer (in case they don't have funds from other sources), irrespective of what country they come from or of any other circumstances. No one should be put in the situation, like I was, of being made an offer but not having the money to take up the offer.

A number of years ago, I was offered a place to read Physics at Jesus College, Oxford. However, I couldn't take up the offer because I did not have the money. Not having the money to take up the offer was probably the biggest blow of my life. I am not going to describe here what I have been through in the years that followed, and since then. I am afraid I cannot agree that other places are as good as Oxford (or even close). The architecture, the amount of culture and history you have around you at Oxford inspires you intellectually - even in areas (physics and other sciences) that are arguably not "arts". This alone cannot is not paralleled by other universities, not to mention other aspects.

Wow Matt, this was incredibly helpful (and hit close to home lol)... My dream in highschool was to do undergrad law at Oxford, but like you said, that's what i THOUGHT i wanted to do. I ended up doing econ, hating it, then switching to IR. I fell in love with Chinese politics and IR in my second year after taking a module on it, and i even started learning Chinese as my fourth language lol. I see a lot of your own research focusses on legislation in UK gov and parliament, but as someone from the Politics and IR Department at Oxford, do you have any advice for me? A lot of the relevant experience listed on the website for my course is described as "may be an advantage"... To what extent is it truly an advantage? My third year dissertation will answer 'what role does the Korean Peninsula play in the new Cold War between the US and China", and hopefully have my HSK 2 qualification by the time i apply. I am also going to have completed one, if not two (interview next week!!), research internships in collaboration with my uni. However, the site mentions study or working experience in China, which i probably won't have. I just don't know what i'm up against because it's a super niche course, but the calibre of applications is surely higher... Any advice will be appreciated!