What is the Oxbridge Mentoring Scheme

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What we do
Why we are unique
What we hope to achieve

What we do

The Oxbridge Mentoring Scheme OMS, which is independent of Oxford and Cambridge universities, seeks to increase equality of opportunity by offering potential Oxbridge applicants one-to-one advice and mentoring.

The OMS takes a holistic approach when it comes to preparing students. We try to instil confidence, as well as broaden subject knowledge and improve self-presentation. This approach can be invaluable in the growing competition for an Oxbridge place, caused by the fact that more and more students achieve top A-level grades.

Why we are unique

The OMS helps students to grasp the point of applying to Oxford or Cambridge. While a visit to an Oxbridge college/faculty open day can provide some answers to their questions, a highly effective way of combating “fear of the unknown” is through first-hand experience of Oxbridge education and social life. This creates greater student confidence, in turn creating willingness to put more effort into Oxbridge preparation.. By using our knowledge of the two universities, we can facilitate bookings onto a variety of Oxbridge-run schemes which introduce students to relevant aspects of academic, recreational and social life.

Our network of Oxbridge-educated Tutors and E-mentors enable us to provide one-to-one support at the pre-application, application and pre-interview stages.When it comes to the application stage, the OMS candidates benefit from our wide experience of (i) Oxbridge colleges (ii) the application procedure and (iii) the interview process.

We further pride ourselves on being different from other services focusing on Oxbridge admissions in that we encourage student initiative within a longer time-frame of preparation. This approach enables students to carry out their own focused research into course and college choice. By using our knowledge of the two universities, we can highlight a variety of Oxbridge-run schemes by which students are introduced to the academic, recreational and social life of the two universities.

What we hope to achieve

By first facilitating access to information, then offering individually focused advice and mentoring, we help students to achieve the best possible preparation for the Oxbridge admissions process.

We also hope to foster self-reliance by encouraging students:

- to further investigate the courses and colleges recommended to them

- to write and revise their UCAS application and Oxbridge statements, guided by our advice and suggestions

- to fully prepare themselves for interviews with our assistance, which includes a mock interview and a written debrief of their performance.

The OMS also has a broader aim. By building a relationship with schools and individual students from the state sector and guiding their research into student life at Oxbridge, we hope to increase the appeal of the two universities to state school applicants. While the Oxbridge intake of students from the independent and state school sectors is near even, a disproportionately high percentage of applicants continue to come from the independent sector. The OMS is committed to improving this imbalance.

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