Aspiring to Oxbridge

[TheLasrStraw]

Y8 DD's friends are aspiring to Oxbridge and DD has asked if she is good enough to get in.

I have no idea. She is predicted top end of 7-9 , reads around her subject of interest (science), is articulate and participates in class.

What do I tell her?

Tell her that she is fortunate to live in a country with many fine universities and “the best” will vary depending on which course she wants to do. For instance Oxbridge for some sciences won’t make sense; for natural sciences it is a good choice.

I’d be more concerned about the group of girls having such conversations in year 8. Is it a particularly pushy school or cohort?

It's a girls 'state school. Funnily enough the friends are bottom set for Maths and DD knows they aren't going to get in but she wonders if she would as she is at the top of her top sets.

It’s possible that they might develop later and become top set kids. The movement between sets in KS3 can be a lot.
That’s why it’s important not to push excessively nor to encourage fixed mind thinking on uni destinations or future careers at such a young age.

Have they all been watching Harry Potter/ Phillip Pullman? I think DD only started to show an interest in year 10 or 11. DD has less than perfect GCSEs and A levels, but she's having a whale of a time there now.

I would tell her if she continues to work hard then she has as good a chance as anybody but the numbers applying mean it is a chance not a given so keep an open mind.

Agree with a PP that it may not be the best for some. DS discussed with school and was all set to apply for natural sciences but then the online open taster session in the summer put him off because there is so much maths content (he is doing maths A level). He's applied for straight biology elsewhere instead.

It is too soon to know whether your DD is a realistic Oxbridge candidate, and that is exciting in itself. These are the years for dreams, and the time to encourage what I would call realistic dreams. From what little you have described Oxbridge may be a realistic dream.

Odds are that your DD like even most straight A pupils will have to modify her dreams, but so what? We all do that throughout life. And she may in fact be a good Oxbridge candidate. You can emphasise that if she is serious she will need to have a think about whether she is willing to do the necessary work.

I would only caution that being in a low Maths set isn’t necessarily significant: these girls could be gifted in other areas. And I agree with PPs that no uni is necessarily the best choice for all whom it admits

@poetryandwine
The DD in question is top of top sets.

Thd issue will be right fit when the time comes. Also GCSE results do count and 22.5% of all A level candidates are getting AAA or better. So the dreams of many could be Oxbridge. In reality it isn’t. If isn’t just exam results that make a successful candidate. She will need mostly 8-9 at Gcse. A few 7s won’t matter. Then absolutely ace the A levels. Then be able to demonstrate extra skills and attributes attached to the subject. Then pass any tests very well and interview well. Therefore don’t get hung up on it. Lots of hoops that most other universities don’t do. Plenty of successful people go elsewhere. So keep the ambition balanced and realistic.

How does anyone know what gcse results will be like in Y8? Predictions are never that good. Never mind A levels. Gcse results are a far better steer.

I wasn’t meaning to discourage the OP ‘s DD at all, @TizerorFizz. I think you and I are on the same page although your concrete points are much more useful.

Right now it is too early to know much, yes? Top of top set is great and a reason to encourage her dreams if she is willing to do put the work in. But for most students with top grades Oxbridge isn’t the destination. So robustness is required

Agree with you all.
I’ve seen too many friends’ kids struggle with having to “downgrade” their expectations for university when they’ve been top students all their lives. At age 13, it’s hard to know if they will achieve Oxbridge and you don’t want them thinking that Russell group universities are a notch down! Hence reinforcing how good all our options are in the UK is key.

@poetryandwine
Yes. Essentially I agree it’s too early to know. I think it’s a case of wait and see how everything develops.

An awful lot can change between year 8 and year 12.

I'd suggest that she concentrate on enjoying her subjects, read extra stuff that interests her, then take a view after GCSEs.

Up until Year 10 DS was set on Computer science as a degree but changed to Physics in Year 11.

He was always aiming for Oxford.

DD was more keen on the idea of a 'proper University experience' until the start of Y12 then decided to give Oxford a go too.

My DS got 9x9’s in his GCSE’s (and 2 x 8) and didn’t get an interview. The college he applied to at Oxford had 20 places for maths. As others have said I’d tell her that when she’s in year 12 she can look at applying if she’s still interested. There are plenty of excellent Uni’s in the U.K. DS has offers for Imperial, St Andrews and Warwick

I’d just say it’s hard to get into (so don’t plan ur future on it - not that it makes a huge difference to things) - but definitely worth a try. There’s no sure fire way of getting in and sometimes it just boils down to how the admissions test or interview goes on the day.

I think a lot is luck.DS chemistry interview was on some very obscure topic to see how the candidate copes with new information. It happened to be somethingbDS knew a lot about and had read extensively around. So good luck for him

It's not really about grades as SO many students get strings of 9s at GCSE and 3-4 A stars at A level.

It's about a passion for the subject and doing well in the interview and assessments.

But I agree it's WAY too early to say whether someone is 'good enough'!

@TheLasrStraw I think its about fit - DD has considered it in the past year and her grades are in the right mix but while it is stunning and full of history and has all the plus points it didn't have what she was looking for.