whose dc has got into Cambridge from state school?

The state school my DCs attend/attended, albeit a grammar school, gets quite a few into Cambridge every year. BoffinMums advice is more or less what the school recommends for our pupils too. Go for it, nothing to lose!

Summerlightening, the thing about the booklet is good advice. Also good is to see which subject is relatively unfashionable and which colleges as well. This improves your odds.

Unsure about Oxbridge, but I think my 9 year old has an outstanding chance of getting in here

hiya, I did maths at cambridge (from a state school). Haven't really got much to add on the state/private debate, but I don't know if it's the same now as when I applied, but the interviews for maths are really difficult and I think your daughter would be struggling to get in without Further Maths (I did this and I think when I applied it was pretty much a pre-requisite). Perhaps if her school does not offer further maths they may consider her application, but if it does, I think they would ask "Why do you want to study Maths if you don't like it enough to have done Further Maths". They also made me do extra exam papers (called STEP then) to get in. These were pretty hard and would also be difficult to pass without Further Maths.
So not trying to put off her applying, but do some investigating on what they generally look for for Maths applicants. I'd also advise as well, that if she's not sure on Maths then it may not be the course for her. I was a maths geek at school, could not do enough maths (oh dear) etc etc, but even I found studying mind-hurty maths for 6 hours a day for 3 years a bit much!! HOWEVER, it was really easy to change courses at Cambridge, so if she did get in for Maths, and didn't like it it would probably be easy to change to economics, etc, if it's the same as when I was there.

Oh another thing I did as well, was get a little booklet from Cambridge and look at the stats of how many people get in to each college per applicant, and how many state school applicants each college takes. I then applied to a college (Robinson) that took quite a high proportion of state school applicants. I am not sure of the admissions procedures these days (i.e. whether you still apply to a college, I expect you do) but I imagine all these stats are available online these days.

Just as well she still has a year to decide really. A year's a long time at 16 too.

I changed my mind loads in the couple of years before applying, from Medicine age 16 to a brief and unwise flirtation with Engineering (Yuk, what was I thinking? I blame all that emphasis on Women into Engineering/business/science at school) to PPE to Philosophy and Psychology.

DH went to Cambridge from a good state school. Good advice from BoffinMum. My question would be why does she want to go there?

Isn't is the case that the same proportion of state school applicants get into Oxbridge as private school applicants? But many of the good state school applicants don't apply.

I went from a bog standard state school (not a grammar). Lots of people did and still do.

But your dd really needs to know exactly what she wants to study, and why. And if she wants to go to Cambridge, why? It's not necessarily the best place for someone who wants something applied and business-oriented.

My neighbours son has just started at Oxford from a S London state school.

I went. Lots of my friends did too. From state schools.

my best mate got into Oxford from a state school

I am an admissions interview for a top Cambridge college. This is how to get in if you go to a state school:

1. Get considerably better GCSE grades than the average for your school. If only 25% at your school get 5 A-C grades, and you get 6 A or A* grades, you will look amazing to us.

1. Make sure you're predicted AAA or AAB at A level, with a couple of good grades at AS level as well if you can.

1. Consider sitting an Advanced Extension Award, even if you have to teach yourself.

1. Mix with as many other bright Year 12s and Year 13s as you can, and practise having lots of cut throat debates about the subjects you are studying and intellectual matters in general. Get yourself used to the rough and tumble of academic debate (this is where most people fall down).

1. Go to one of the college Open Days and practise talking to other bright people there as well.

1. Make sure you actually apply. You have nothing to lose because our admissions system interviews everyone, which will level the playing field for you a lot.

1. Remember a lot of academics are quite left wing and will bend over backwards to encourage people from state schools to get on in life.

1. We are not that interested in what hobbies you have, unless you have done something amazing like circumnavigated the globe single handedly. Everyone has loads of hobbies down in their personal statement and they look very formulaic to us as a result. Having said that, we do like seeing things like Grade 8 instruments and playing sport at county level though, because that takes masses of graft over a very long period of time, which is a good indication someone will work hard at university.

Hope that helps - other admissions tutors might have bit and pieces to add as well.

Message withdrawn

Suggest you look carefully at the Colleges - the mix between state and independent schools varies by College. There is a lot of info available on the net - including details of all the Open Days for subjects and colleges. My son started in October - we did a lot of research to choose the right College etc. He is doing Maths and I have quite a bit of info about offers per place for each college, etc etc. He is loving it - good luck!!

DH read maths at Cambridge from a state school. Only thing I would say is he is very bright and breezed through 4 A levels gaining A's without much study (I know - we were dating then) but found the jump to Maths at Cambridge where he had to work fo rthe first time a huge adjustment. He did make the change, but I will never forget how hard he had to work - lectures 6 days a week and studying for much longer hours than I did.

That said, he had a fab time and would do it again, and no, being form a state school should not make a difference.

my cousin went to Cambridge from state school and he was only 15. But it was yaers ago. And his impressive achievemant was somwhat sullied by happening in the year that Ruth Lawrence was accepted.

Not bad from a bog irish family though

My best friend went to Oxford from our bog standard state school. Three others went to Cambridge around the same time (one of them was the writer, Zadie Smith ).

She has nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Quite a few go from the local comps around here.

DD is applying to Cambridge this month - just completing her personal statement etc etc.

She preferred Oxford as a city, but Cambridge has a moew modern course. It's tough, but if you don't apply you will never know!

I noticed that DD's state comp only mentioned one girl that got into Cambridge this year .

If DD is predicted top grades at A level then I don't see any reason why she shouldn't apply. She wants to study medicine. But there are plently of other choices so we won't be too dissapointed if not.

do encourage her if she is very able in maths
They are specially wanting natural gifted maths students to do maths degree

DS 1 was told this He is 14
Although he does not now want to do maths degree
thhis is from boys state grammar
8 students last yr went to Oxbridge
5 from the girls grammar

Google millenium maths project at cambridge
And sign up to the site as they have seminars and publications etc

2 pupils from my DS's school last year.

I think the stats are 50/50 for state versus independent students. That said I think the majority of those state students are from grammar schools.
However, I am a firm beliver that you have to be in it to win it. Your DD should go for it. Why not? The worst that could happen is she ends up another great Uni.

My friend went to a rough comprehensive. She studied maths at Cambridge. And now teaches at Harrow.

Oxford and Cambridge have stopped the separate application forms this year. The applications all go through UCAS now and the forms are filled in online. There should be no disadvantage at all applying from a state school. Go on the Oxford and Cambridge websites, they are very helpful and give lots of advice. They are trying really hard to help those pupils with no experience with family/friends of the Oxbridge system to apply. But your daughter does need to realise how stiff the competition is, e.g needs lots/probably all As/A*s at GCSE to start with and definitely 3 As at A2. The state school to which my DC go/went has 20+ students gaining places at Oxford or Cambridge every year so it is more than possible (is a grammar school, though). Good luck!