Am I Right or Wrong in this?

[janeeire244]

Am I justified or wrong in feeling p*ssed off when I see students at Oxford or Cambridge with relatively low A-level grades such as anything less than 3 A-Stars? This is as I did not apply as I was too nervous to thinking I would get rejected despite getting 13 9s at GCSE and ending up getting 4 A-Stars at A-Level. I suppose coming from an underprivileged background I did not have such confidence in myself.

I just wonder to myself how on Earth did they get in when a lot of them got lower grades than I did and lower admissions test scores (as they have revealed to me themselves either in person or on social media).

Now, I feel like I could have stood a chance to get in as my admissions test score (I used for other universities that i did apply to) was really high and if I had applied to Oxbridge, that score would have been factored in with my grades.

There are many thousands of students who apply to Oxbridge with 4 A* grades or predictions every year and don't get an offer.

Those with lower grades tend to be either on less competitive courses, or they were so spectacular at interview that the university just want them, or they have contextual offers.

Perhaps their parent died in the middle of their A levels, or they are a refugee who has only learnt English in the previous 2 years, or they went to a school were most people come out with a couple of passes at GCSE if they're lucky.

Or perhaps they just had the confidence to think this is the right course for me, I may not have stellar grades but I really badly want to study this subject with this tutor and could demonstrate that at interview. Academic grades are a helpful indicator but they are not the be all and end all, and all universities have ways to make it work if they particular want someone.

In the past it was common for Oxford to give very low offers if they just wanted you - my DH was asked for EE at A level... but got 4 A* anyway.

Why don't you think about applying there for a Masters if you feel you have massively missed out?

Stop being jealous of what others have or do, and make a plan to achieve whatever it is that you’re after. You can only affect yourself and moaning about what others did or didn’t do at A level is a waste of time.

Wrong , sorry. Oxbridge does not suit everyone even those with 4 A*. Even so you have to apply to be considered and you chose not to, even it seems after getting those grades. It is a ruthless process and there are other unis which offer good alternatives.

Sorry OP you would have had every right to have been annoyed if you had applied but since you didn’t you don’t have a keg to stand on.

Jealousy onky hurts you.

Are they getting contextual offers based on their circumstances eg postcode demographic, first person in family to go to uni, under represented group, care leaver, school with low attainment etc etc?

Wow, I have no idea why you are getting such a hammering here.

Pissed off at whom, probably not those students but your parents, teachers, career advisors who could and could have encouraged you to lift your expectations of yourself.
I too had criminally bad advice and know how you feel.
can you do anything about it?

Have you posted about this before? This is very familiar. You didn't apply so you need to move on. Maybe you would have got in maybe you wouldn't- plenty don't even with 4 Astars. Oxford put a lot of stock in the interview.

The requirements for getting into oxbridge aren’t just grades - they’re also interview and confidence and presentation of your academic ideas and ambitions.
You may have had the grades but you didn’t have the other elements. I have sympathy, I didn’t apply either because I didn’t know anyone who had been and my school had never had anyone apply so it was all a mystery to me.

Get a grip.

Move on. I’m guessing you’ve recently graduated? You’ve got your whole life ahead of you, presumably now have your degree. Focus on your yourself and your own future rather than other peoples pasts.

I thought the same after I’d responded so just did an advance search.

OP they only changed the GCSE grading system to numbers a few years ago, so if you have 13 9’s how do you have a son old enough to be retaking his a levels?

Well, you didn't apply!

Who are you annoyed with? Yourself?

Take it as a life lesson that you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, and that the only person responsible for your life direction is you.

Start now, by thinking about what you're missing/wanted from Oxbridge, and how you can get that. Have you already started another degree course, and if so is it 'good enough' to be worth finishing - or should you cut your losses apply for a better Uni and work in the meantime? If you're planning to go into academia, could you do your PhD at Oxbridge? What do you need to do now to make that happen?

It's annoying when we make mistakes, but this absolutely doesn't fall anywhere near the life-changing mistake category (eg having or causing a life-changing injury/death or prison time). Life is long: you have time to change things.

Oxbridge don't give contextual offers. Because of their process of tests and interviews etc they can make offers at eg. AAA because they have already assessed candidates. In reality most have all A*s anyway. They will however consider the context of the student when deciding whether to offer.

You didn't apply.

They don't care about your gcses very much. Eg It makes no difference you got a 9 in mfl or history if applying for maths.
Similarly things like STEP matter.

You didn't apply.

You didn't apply.

I understand. People like things to be handed out or earned in a fair and transparent manner, not according to some random indecipherable political agenda. It ends up discouraging people for trying if they have no idea what the goal posts are.

They don't. OP just keeps posting this sort of thing under various usernames, and sometimes the same but with a different story.

OP, you didn't even apply. That's your responsibility, no one else's. I think you need to take some time out to consider why this is so important to you. I went to Oxford for one of my postgraduate degrees; I didn't apply for my undergraduate. I'm not bitter about it...because I didn't apply! And, quite frankly, I didn't particularly enjoy my time at Oxford in comparison to the other universities I studied at.

Years on and a very good career later, no one even asks where I studied. I don't hire people based on where they went either (I work in publishing). It's really not that important.

A typo I suspect, but I rather like the phrase 'you don't have a keg to stand on'!

They would have interviewed very well, gone above and beyond extracurricularly, been incredibly dynamic people, had interesting backgrounds and just generally impressed.

You are wrong. You don't even apply and are now mad that others get in?

Nothing to add, but check the "L" key on your computer.

Yup thanks for pointing out the typo. 🤦‍♀️

And it would actually be the ‘l’ key.

There was another poster who was angry about Oxbridge but I think she’d underperformed in her A levels and was having to resit them and was cross that she’d missed the application deadline.
It would be pretty tedious if it’s the same OP who is now tweaking details to have another pity party. She had about 3 different threads going last time round!

1-9 only came in for all subjects in about 2018.

So to have a 13yo son she would have had to have him aged about 10yo.

@TheWrongBus same occurred to me. Op rarely returns to clarify.

Some people have elevated grades relative to their ability because they have been to a certain type of school or vice versa.
Oxbridge want clever people with great academic potential (rather than achievement). This might mean someone who has slightly lower A level grades gets a place over someone with slightly higher grades because the successful candidate is deemed to be better suited. Perhaps they interviewed better or got a higher result in their written submissions or admissions test.
The admissions tutors spend 20 hours per applicant assessing their suitability- they know exactly what they want in a candidate.
Have a look on YouTube at Dr Matthew Williams, Jesus College Oxford who is an Oxford admissions tutor and explains this much better than me!