Kids have just said they want to apply to Cambridge university, what do we do?

[frozendaisy]

Just as the title says really.

Bit of a bolt out of the blue. One us year 10, one year 8.

We have always said, one step at a time, so concentrate on GCSEs, or even just this week's homework.

Not private schooled, fairly bright with hard work top grades, rounded outside interests, part time jobs and volunteer work. Just as a background.

Do we start looking at entrance exam tutors?

Some good advice here OP. Just a word of caution - try not to let it become a 'thing'. Oxbridge is not for everyone and ultimately they may not be offered a place. Just having outstanding GCSE grades and superb predicted A level grades is not enough. I have had students devastated by a rejection because their hopes and dreams are dependent on getting a place. Some of them are carrying the weight of parental expectations too and that is doubly hard.
Ensure that both of them have a good knowledge of the range of universities that they can apply to and always visit if you can. Personally I would pick Exeter over Oxbridge any day but that's just my personal opinion! Good luck.

They need to love their subject and do a lot of extra stuff in/around it. Projects, clubs, extra courses, reading, etc.

Extracurriculars which are not related to their chosen subject are not valuable in this context. If they're applying to read Physics then nobody cares whether they can play the violin or did a Duke of Edinburgh's award. (Obviously unrelated extracurriculars can be valuable for enriching their lives! Just not for a Cambridge application.)

Kids say lots of things that they don’t really mean. The Y8 especially won’t be aware of what getting into Cambridge and going there actually entails. DD and lots of her friends (highly performing grammar school) used to say similar when they were younger, in reality when it came time to actually start properly thinking about universities Oxbridge didn’t even enter the equation

Carry on as normal and don’t make a big deal out of it

I’ve supported a lot of students applying to top universities, including Oxbridge, and one of the key things I can advise on is the personal statement. They’re not interested in how much they raised in a charity bake sale, or if they’ve worked every Saturday from the age of 5. They want to know how they’ve pursued their interest in their subject outside of just their academic studies. A simple starting place without going over the top would be to subscribe to relevant periodicals and get them to start scrap-booking the articles that interest them the most. Keep an eye out in the magazines for any events that might be relevant and if they go, get them to make some notes afterwards about what they learned, who their favourite speaker was, etc. They want to see that the student has an intellectual curiosity, and has started to explore a potential specialist interest within the subject (so just everything related to Physics would be too general - showing their interest in following the development of the James Webb telescope would show they have a “scientific personality”).

I hope that’s useful!

Great that they're aiming high!

If they are state educated then have a look for the outreach and widening participation programmes. Some activities are restricted to or give preference to particular groups (disadvantaged postcode areas, BAME students, students from non-selective schools etc) but lots don't. There's a mailing list you can join, and most stuff is for Y12s. My elder DC recently got invited to a two day taster event with an overnight stay, and the according to her the main take home message to was read widely around the subject you want to study, and try to think critically about what you've read.

As of next academic year personal statements no longer exist for UCAS applications

When you look at what they’re being replaced with, the students will still need to be able to explain things such as why they’re picking that course etc, it’s just a more structured way of doing it.

@frozendaisy DS is doing Physics via Natural Sciences (coming to the end of MSci / 4th year).

He was initially aiming for Imperial, then Oxford. He didn't consider Cambridge until Y12.

Things which I believe helped his application:

1. High GCSE grades, especially in Maths & sciences.
2. Appropriate A-level subjects: Maths, Further Maths, Physics & Chemistry, and being on track for high grades in these.
3. Strong mathematical ability and problem-solving skills, boosted by doing Isaac Physics regularly throughout Y12.
4. Serious interest in physics / science e.g. spending lunchtimes analysing data for a research project.

Having listed the above, there are plenty of applicants who have all of those yet don't get an offer. I would advise not fixing hopes solely on one place, particularly if it's a very competitive course / institution. DS liked several other universities and managed to balance giving the Cambridge application his best shot with a pragmatic view of his chances and the approach that he could be happy studying anywhere.

Thanks again everyone you are all super.

In response, yes they are quite clever, the year 10 does already read in greater depth around physics, along the lines of his dad's old PhD quantum mechanics text books and such like it's not a fad. We talk physics far too much but I will look at the more directed websites indicated. The general interest in current discoveries, exploration and general international development with physics at the heart of it all, even I know Higgs passed away recently.

And the year 8 is on accelerated everything at school, reading, drama, maths, science, debating, national this that and the other. He's quite odd in a good way. H and I are at a loss

I know Oxbridge isn't the be all of university life I just thought I would enquire as if it could be possible, without getting too frenzied about it all it would be a shame if they could go but didn't, not saying they can buy any means.

I am not sure where it came from. But definitely from them. Happy to encourage and support but not insist. Still need to get through end of year exams first. One step at a time.

Seconding both of these.

DS found Isaac Physics so beneficial. He was in a weekly group with an online mentor for most of Y12, entered their Senior Physics Challenge and did well enough to be invited to the (free) residential summer school. When it came to his application, the problem-solving practice was helpful for both the NSAA (pre-interview assessment) and the interviews, which consisted of using the maths he knew to solve increasingly difficult problems he hadn't seen before.

He was a STEM SMART student mentor in his second year.

Please do not start engaging tutors. Do not ruin their secondary education with huge academic pressure, when that is by no means the only thing that Oxbridge looks at.
I know people who were int he top 5 in their subject, As predicted in their other subjects (days before the A* grade and new system), offer of a choral scholarship too, only to not be offered a place 'because their face doesn't fit'. Let them enjoy school and what will be will be.
And remind them that there are hundred of excellent universities out there and Oxbridge isn't the only option.

At Oxford, for many subjects (I can't speak for all), the personal statement carries very little weight. Close to zero in my own subject. I believe some other Universities probably pay more attention to it.

I have a great deal of experience in making admissions decisions at Oxford.

You really don't need to do anything right now. Just continue to encourage a love of learning and good work habits. Also encourage them to consider a wide range of possibilities out there and don't let them set their heart on Cambridge.

Why not?
Have a look at widening participation schemes summer schools etc
It is one out of five ucas choices

It's a lottery! Choosing the right combination of college and course plus inner confidence in oneself gives one the best chance of success. The kids applying are all high fliers and those who get in or not would be different people each year so don't let them get fixated on it. They are still bright and very capable if they end up at a "lesser" university,

The only thing it might be worth thinking about before too long for the Yr 10 is A level choices for subjects they are potentially interested in. That choice can come round surprisingly quickly!

My DD said all through Y10-11 she wanted to go to Oxbridge. She is now in Y12 and has decided against applying.

She just feels it's too stressful. The offer rate for the course she was interested in was something like 1 in 8.

@BubbleTheTea your posting with confidence but havant told us what's your information source, are you oxbridge, are you a parent, staff...

@OxfordAcademicMum

Can you explain the college system to me please I can't understand it?
If my dd wanted to read it history or biology what colleges affect that?

Best GCSE's possible then study hard for a level to get predictions of A*'s. Never heard of anyone getting a tutor for the entrance exams, but plenty do for a levels. I'd also see if they are eligible for a summer camp between year 12&13 at one of the colleges

Thanks again everyone. All advice being noted.

And just one more thing, you can game the entry system just a little (still need excellent grades) by having an extra curricular or sport that college is particularly interested in or by choosing one of the less famous colleges. The people I know who got in were ex choristers and an organist

Tell them that they need to want to know at least twice as much about their subject as they'll study for A level - so read very widely, not just the syllabus - popular science books as well as New Scientist, or all the other Shakespeare tragedies or problem plays to contextualise and compare with the one they are studying one for A level. Maybe also some academic papers on their specialist interest areas. Watch documentaries and good quality online lectures and really think widely about their subject.

Give them a broad interest in the world generally - take them to museums, talks, galleries etc. Buy them books or use the library a lot. But mainly - get them to practise critical, logical and lateral thinking. How they approach a problem will matter more than what they know.

Take them for a visit too, so they can see what kind of college appeals to them.

One of my dc did maths at Cambridge. They need to have read around yhe subject and have a genuine interest.There are 3 STEP papers but they only need the hardest two step 2 and step 3.They are hard!

Former Oxford student here - it was really incredibly tough going whilst I was there, a lot of people end up on antidepressants or similar but it has opened a huge number of doors for me. No idea why I got in and others who seemed much smarter didn’t get in though, so I would try and encourage them to keep an open mind, look at other unis, and if they get in, great, but if not, it’s not a big deal (and they’ll definitely enjoy uni more!!)