Page 9 | Oxford uni (and just unis in general)

law4569 · 2026-07-12T09:57:01+00:00

Hi all! Just wanted some advice. My daughter is applying for spanish + beginners German and wants to do a law conversion after. She's decided she wants to apply to Oxford, Edinburgh, ucl, durham and bristol or warwick. I wanted to know people's experiences with these unis as durham and Edinburgh are very far from where we live + warwick we're unsure if it's good for her degree. For anyone whose children went to Oxford, did they do well at gcse? She got 999888777 but she's worried because of the context of her skl (she did okay) then she'll be disadvantaged. if anyone has any sort of experience on any of this id appreciate it :)

VioletFig · Today 20:45

UhOhRatPoo · Today 20:44

It’s pretty ableist of you to assume that disabled or SEND students can’t last 8 weeks in a row at a university that offers them extensive support.

Most certainly did not say all can’t, some might not be able to though and they are clearly catered for and welcomed.

MeetMeOnTheCorner · Today 20:45

@ToffeeCrabApple Oxford expressly say they don’t evaluate extra curricular. They want effort put in around the subject. I do think drama, which gives confidence, is very useful but they very clearly aren’t expecting dc to be brilliant at non academics. I personally think it’s a shame but some kids don’t have the money for travelling to sport or learning instruments or in a school that take part in debating competitions and these dc should not be discriminated against and seen as lacking. I tend to think having a job is very good too.

What I think isn’t entirely fair is DD will be up against dc who are half Spanish. They will have been going to see relatives in Spain all their lives. They have a huge advantage and lots of cultural knowledge others cannot acquire and will be fluent steady. As a result I think they can find the tests relatively straightforward. It doesn’t mean they will interview well but they have had so much more input than dc who have barely been anywhere and done 1 MFL trip from school if they were lucky. I think there should be greater transparency around this. Most parents who write about dc doing MFLs on MN have duel nationality.

UhOhRatPoo · Today 20:49

VioletFig · Today 20:45

Most certainly did not say all can’t, some might not be able to though and they are clearly catered for and welcomed.

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I think that you will find that the bar for accommodating disability by allowing a student to opt out of College life is very high. The aim will be to integrate them.

VioletFig · Today 20:54

UhOhRatPoo · Today 20:49

I think that you will find that the bar for accommodating disability by allowing a student to opt out of College life is very high. The aim will be to integrate them.

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If their disability means they need to go home at weekends that’s what they will
accommodate. If you’re disabled you’re disabled, there is no bar to jump. In the same way they clearly accommodate young parents and carers. If a student has been offered a place and achieved the grades required they aren’t going to take said offer away. You apply to DAS after your offer and they bend over backwards to support students with their individual needs.

poetryandwine · Today 21:19

UhOhRatPoo · Today 19:28

They will clock very easily that the fit is not right. They have a duty to do so, actually. Not fair to let people in who will obviously struggle socially.

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There are plenty of ND students and, for that matter, staff, at Oxbridge. Admission is not based on social considerations. However it is always a valid question whether someone can do well, relative to their own potential, with the teaching modalities employed.

As with all students, the tutorial system will suit some ND students and not
others. The consequences of a poor fit for an ND student or one with MH problems may be more severe, however. Support levels are pretty good in theory but require a certain ability to be proactive.

Original poster

law4569 · Today 21:22

barnanabas · Today 19:11

No one can tell you if your daughter will get an offer or not. If she wants to go to Oxford, she should apply and put herself through the process and see what happens. All the stuff you and others have said - her (for Oxford!) lower GCSE scores in relevant subjects may count against her in a strong field; MFLs are one of the less competitive subjects to get offers for. No one can say how all of that will pan out, or how she will do in the interview if she gets one. As others have said, she could contact the college(s) she is interested in and ask if her GCSE results would likely mean she wouldn't make the cut. No one here can tell you anything other than the published previous admissions statistics and anecdotal experience.

As others have said, if you're applying to Oxbridge (or other competitive unis, especially for competitive courses), it is a good idea to have other options you are excited about and would be happy to go to.

As for relevant(ish) anecdotes, here are mine:
Nephew has an offer to do MFL at Oxford. He got 9s in all GCSEs apart from an 8 in History (state school). His best friend had slightly worse GSCEs (couple of 8s, one 7, I can't remember what in) and didn't get an offer.
DD is a second year medic at Oxford. (She is pretty exceptional academically, even in the exceptional academic field she is in now and got top scores in all her GCSEs and A Levels.) She works hard, but also has a lot of fun - plays sports, goes out drinking, goes to London for gigs and football. What she doesn't ever do is come home in term-time - we live on the south coast and my nieces who are at Glasgow and York come home more than she does. Having said that, one of her fellow medics goes home to Bristol every weekend, so it can be done. Her friends are a mixed bunch - some extrovert, some less so; some work extremely hard and live and breathe their subjects, others enjoy their subjects but not as much as they enjoy taking the afternoon off and sitting in the pub!
Finally, I did MFL at Oxford (obviously quite a few years ago, but having seen my nephew's reading list it hasn't changed all that much!). It is very heavy on literature and I would advise anyone considering MFL at Oxbridge to have an honest think about if the course is for them. I loved it, but there were definitely people who really didn't!

oh would you say her gcse's would act against her based on your experiences there? I thought since mml is less competitive it wouldn't be that much of a problem

OP posts:

Original poster

law4569 · Today 21:24

MeetMeOnTheCorner · Today 20:45

@ToffeeCrabApple Oxford expressly say they don’t evaluate extra curricular. They want effort put in around the subject. I do think drama, which gives confidence, is very useful but they very clearly aren’t expecting dc to be brilliant at non academics. I personally think it’s a shame but some kids don’t have the money for travelling to sport or learning instruments or in a school that take part in debating competitions and these dc should not be discriminated against and seen as lacking. I tend to think having a job is very good too.

What I think isn’t entirely fair is DD will be up against dc who are half Spanish. They will have been going to see relatives in Spain all their lives. They have a huge advantage and lots of cultural knowledge others cannot acquire and will be fluent steady. As a result I think they can find the tests relatively straightforward. It doesn’t mean they will interview well but they have had so much more input than dc who have barely been anywhere and done 1 MFL trip from school if they were lucky. I think there should be greater transparency around this. Most parents who write about dc doing MFLs on MN have duel nationality.

dual nationality doesn't necessarily mean you're native from both places. it just means u've experienced living there

OP posts:

Dff · Today 21:24

Why not just do law?

Not bad GCSEs at all btw.

poetryandwine · Today 21:27

MeetMeOnTheCorner · Today 20:45

@ToffeeCrabApple Oxford expressly say they don’t evaluate extra curricular. They want effort put in around the subject. I do think drama, which gives confidence, is very useful but they very clearly aren’t expecting dc to be brilliant at non academics. I personally think it’s a shame but some kids don’t have the money for travelling to sport or learning instruments or in a school that take part in debating competitions and these dc should not be discriminated against and seen as lacking. I tend to think having a job is very good too.

What I think isn’t entirely fair is DD will be up against dc who are half Spanish. They will have been going to see relatives in Spain all their lives. They have a huge advantage and lots of cultural knowledge others cannot acquire and will be fluent steady. As a result I think they can find the tests relatively straightforward. It doesn’t mean they will interview well but they have had so much more input than dc who have barely been anywhere and done 1 MFL trip from school if they were lucky. I think there should be greater transparency around this. Most parents who write about dc doing MFLs on MN have duel nationality.

I think you’ve made some good points but I think the admissions tutors may be able to discriminate. In my field background opportunities also vary and we adjust interviews accordingly.

Original poster

law4569 · Today 21:28

RosJ · Today 20:31

I would say don't give up because of gcse grades. My daughter got in with 988765333, so its not impossible. Good predicted grades and application as well as performance in the exam and interview are what mattered.

did she have contextual or any special consideration? I don't know what to think about her results at this point! who knew a 7 in English and history could be THAT bad

OP posts:

poetryandwine · Today 21:29

law4569 · Today 21:24

dual nationality doesn't necessarily mean you're native from both places. it just means u've experienced living there

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Dual nationality means you are a citizen of two countries. No inherent residency requirements.