to not understand why young girls are told to aspire to be like michelle obama

[HRHShoesytwoesy]

have I missed something? if so what?

I would like to aspire to be like Michelle Obama! Not mind my daughters....

Jajas :o

She's fabulous. An excellent role model and comes across as genuine also. I wish we had her!!

lawyer schmawyer, her dress sense is not brilliant and her arms are not great - she looks like a prop forward

YANBU

Someone I think it would be better to aspire to be was the trauma consultant from last night's 24 hours in A & E, she was amazing, compassionate, knowledgeable and saving lives constantly

Just a niggly point: our first lady is the QUeen. Cherie, Sarah and Samantha have never and will never be first ladies of the UK.

Cherie B is a QC. Doesn't mean I "want to be like her when I grow up".

Same goes for Obama.

I like her, but she's selling the lie that if you work hard enough you can achieve anything - not true - my friend's son worked very hard, got all A* at A-level, but couldn't get into his chosen university Oxford because he didn't go to private school. Your fate is pretty much decided for you from a young age, and increasingly so. It annoys me when people say all you have to do is work hard enough, it takes much more than that.

but couldn't get into his chosen university Oxford because he didn't go to private school

I went to Oxford, with loads of people from state schools.

DH went to Cambridge and he went to a state school.

How would you explain him having perfect grades but getting a place then? This was last year, not decades ago. I'm sure each year is different and that I'm pretty certain it's getting harder for children from working-class backgrounds to get in.

Another . Just about everyone on my course at Oxbridge was from a state school. They have so much competition, even really bright people get rejected, whether they're from a state or private school.

I too heart Michelle Obama. She's a GREAT role model. And it doesn't matter to me if she's here because of who she married. It's not like someone like Anna Nicole Smith marrying someone for money. As a couple they are equals. It isn't the same as someone blonde and young and wanting to be rich marrying a footballer and so becoming famous.

DH and I both went to Oxford from state schools and so did many of our friends.

Happy, how did he do with his submissions and interview? May not have gone as well as it could have?

Pretty much every applicant will have perfect grades

happy having perfect grades will not necessarily mean you will get in

There are lots of other factors. Did he go for an interview? Maybe they didn't like something he said or did in person. And, soooo many other kids apply with perfect grades but something even more than that such as exceptional extra curricular activities or skills they want to utilise. Sorry, just being blunt, they cannot take everyone with perfect grades.

I do think Oxbridge is elitist, but I don't understand your assumption that that is exactly why your child didn't get in.

Perfectly possible to get in to Oxford without going to a private school - I know because I did! And I was at the interviews with plenty of people from private schools who didn't get in. There is a lot more involved in the entrance decisions than which school you went to.

Do you have any idea how many people, with perfect grades, apply for each place at Oxford?! Maybe you should have a look at that. I can't remember the exact figures for the year I applied but there were ten times as many people interviewed as places. And many don't get interviews.

So if they all have perfect grades then it all rests with the interview does it? You don't think they look at which school they went to? Nowadays I think they can afford to rule out the 'riff raff' straight away. There will always be a small number of exceptions - just to make it appear fair.

Not my child LDN - a friend of mine.

I do think Oxbridge is elitist

Well yes, it's supposed to be elitist, but based on your ability not on what school you went to or who your parents know.

"If you work hard enough you can achieve anything" is not true, good luck and innate ability count for a lot as well as just hard work. But if you work hard you can achieve more than you would if you didn't work hard.