Ever dreamed about studying at Oxford, Cambridge or top tier universities but thought you didn't stand a chance? Project Access Austria tells an Off Alpbach-Forum how to overcome your doubts.

"The lack of awareness as well as the lack of knowledge about the application process are the biggest barriers especially for young Austrian students to get into elite universities," said Raphael Eder, member of the Project Access Austria. During the meeting the UCL-graduate, together with lecturers Julia Dür and Amin Oueslati gave useful tips on how to access top universities.

"Our long-term mission is to help people who come from working class families," said Mr Eder, noting that whether or not you graduate from university still depends a lot on your socio-economic status. Project Access, a global NGO operating in 20 countries worldwide, aims to reduce inequality of education and encouraging students to apply to top universities such as Oxford or Harvard.

A global peer-to-peer mentor network connects talented applicants with current students at high ranked universities. These mentors tell students how to prepare themselves and what to prepare for in the application process. When Mr Eder applied for Cambridge he could answer three out of ten questions properly, he admitted to the audience. Project Access offers regular boot camps where future students learn to write the right motivational letters and CVs.

Studying in the Anglo-American countries can be very expensive, peer-pressure at elite universities is often high, and the structure of the study programme may be less flexible than at Austrian universities, but many of these cons can be countered, Mr Oueslati said. The following guidelines presented by the lecturers show how:

"Take care of your eggs": Raise your chances and always apply to several universities and programs at the same time.
"David vs. Goliath": Don't just base your decision on online rankings but ask your professors which university serves your interests best.
"Trump vs. China": Bypass any Cold War barriers by avoiding politics and send an email telling academics you have read their recent papers and liked them.
"Don't talk like Donald Tusk": Make sure you spend time improving your English skills.
"Know your enemies": Try to find out who is going to interview you during the application and learn everything about that person.
"Ask the Queen for help": In the U.K. study loans are quite common. In Austria taking out a loan is quite odd. It is certainly a risk but an investment which pays off.