How important is EPQ for Oxbridge?

[BiancaBlank]

DD3 did start an EPQ, then stopped because she wanted to keep all four A-levels instead (most kids at her school go down to three after Y12), but now she’s dropped an A-level after all, so she’s worried her application lacks ‘weight’. Would it count against her to have just three A-levels and nothing extra, as she doesn’t do anything particular extra-curricularly, or is it worth trying to resume the EPQ (not sure the school would even allow this at this stage), especially as she’s at private school and the unis may not unreasonably expect something more? Or is it the admission test/interview that really count?

The application has to be submitted imminently so she may just have to take her chances at this point! (I had a look at the Discover Uni info data for her course and 45% of the successful applicants seem to have 200+ UCAS points, and not even three A*s and an EPQ would give you that anyway!)

If she’s y13 now she should just focus on her three A-levels and getting the best possible grades there. It’s a bit late to start an EPQ and get the most from it.

As an aside the high ucas points will also include things like music grades so don’t panic too much on that front

I thought it depended on the degree subject. Essay based, yes, science, no.

As long as her ps evidences her passion for the subject, meeting the offer grades having passed the admissions test and interview stage are key.

She can't do an EPQ now. They are a serious amount of work.
Oxbridge offers on three A levels (some courses might be four, especially if Further Math is expected). What she needs to do to add 'weight' to her application is not extracurriculars (Oxbridge don't care about those, but other unis might), is show evidence of enthusiasm for her subject. Books she has read outside of the curriculum, podcasts, lectures and any directly related work experience, all as part of her PS. But as the deadline is days away, she's probably finished her PS?
They say they look at each applicant holistically: predicted grades, her PS, reference, any submitted work, any assessment, interview. I don't think not having done an EPQ will affect her negatively.

Generally for competitive courses and applicant expecting to get top grades, a EPQ is a waste of time in so much that it does not form part of the offer and the time and effort spent could have used to sure up a number of different supracurriculars to write about, rather than just one ( assuming the EPQ is related to the course being applied for), and revising for a higher grade.
There are other courses which will give a lower offer if an EPQ is offered.

Whilst DD did an EPQ she did most of the prep and the concept building end of Y12 and reading and writing the summer between Y12 and Y13 and finalised it and submitted well before her UCAS form went in. She was asked about it at her Oxbridge interview but offer was based on 3 A levels.

As others have said it is a lot of work and so best now to concentrate on A levels,

If the EPQ topic is something your DD is really pationate about, the work that goes in may be beneficial in deepening her knowledge and the way she thinks/talks about her subject. It does require a substantial amount of work, as others have already pointed out so it depends how this will affect exam preparation. Dropping one A Level may feel like a lot of time has been freed up but yr 13 is intense even with 'just' 3 A level subjects.

My DC did something very similar to what your DD plans to do, started off with 4 subjects, did AS in one at the end of yr 12, continued with three subjects and added an EPQ in yr 13. Although the EPQ was not part of the offer and wasn't completed by the time the application was submitted, it proved useful in the interview and probably played a positive role that way.

I agree that to look at UCAS points is misleading and unhelpful in the Oxbridge context, because they don't consider them that way and there are several ways to accumulate them. I was just working out that one of mine could have claimed 69 ucas points before even starting GCSEs, from advanced music exams. Points calculations will be skewed by those who have done 4 A levels (more commonly those who are doing further maths for example), and small numbers with grossly excessive accumulation of points.

When my eldest was applying the talk was all about "supracurricular" not "extracurricular"- your daughter's personal statement should be leveraging her knowledge and interests relevant to the subject she is applying for, and yes she needs to do well in the admission tests and interview. Focus on that first then knuckle down and do fabulously in her A levels, and she'll do well. The EPQ she started may contribute things she can discuss, as may the subject she has decided to drop - but only bring them up if relevant to her potential course. Good luck to her!

Thank you Grass. I wouldn’t have suggested the EPQ to her if she didn’t already have a substantial amount written (so not starting from scratch). It’s on a history topic she’s interested in and talks about in her personal statement. Hopefully that will be good enough, as she’s now decided she doesn’t want to pursue the EPQ option anyway!

She’s also informed me she actually prefers St Andrews to Oxford, which is absolutely fine, but that seems to be almost as hard to get into and with no test or interview to back up your application, so the PS is doing a lot of heavy lifting!

Hopefully she will be successful at St. Andrews. In general though the EPQ is useful because it demonstrates the student can work independently on a topic of their own choosing, also because the student has to submit the planning alongside completed project. lot of Universities like to see this.