Oxbridge Entry 2015

[Roisin]

Do we have a thread already?
ds1 has decided to definitely apply to Oxford to do Biochemistry. He will probably apply to St John's.

The conversations I have had with people at Oxford that interview candidates for my subject is that they are strictly instructed to ensure that no special advantage is given to candiates that have paid for their education.

The cover sheet for the written work is instructive: the school referee is asked to specify what help was given to the student and how long was taken to do the work. This can still make it hard to compare, say, an applicant that sends a 1,500 essay that is written as a n essay especially written for Oxbridge "school summer project" that has taken two months and is very polished with an in-class essay, handwritten, that took 45 minutes.

What I think is that the set of written work - together with PS, School Reference, test results and predicted grades - is used to decide who should be invited for interview. In that way, the written work serves as a reassurance that this will be a good candidate. Does that make sense?

I would have thought that submitting a normal A level essay that you just wrote for homework that shows the ability to put together a coherent argument and a bit of flair and originality would be much better than something "fancy" written with Oxbridge in mind. That's just my take on it though its not based on any knowledge!

I have the impression submitting a "normal A level essay" is exactly what the universites are trying to encourage, webwiz, when they say, "You should send something that you have produced as part of your normal school or college work, which has been marked by a teacher."

They ask for ordinary A2 work for a reason. Anyone who tries to be too clever may be missing the point.

DS's piece is straight A2 anyhow, no frills. My own view is that the written work won't break or break it tbh. It's safe though, so won't rock the boat.

Yesterday DD heard from her college that she had to send written work. The original email, sent mid-October, had gone into her spam folder.

Luckily I'd already got the date for submission of written work, thanks to this thread. And luckily for DDs subject there was no test, otherwise she could have missed it.

The email also contains links to the dates for interviews, as well as one that I hadn't seen before which explains what to do if you are taken ill during the interview .

DD1 threw up right through the night before her first interview and then again immediately before the 10am start. She was as white as a sheet when I dropped her off - she didn't say anything to the college though. It was really tough but she felt saying something would just sound weak. At least she didn't throw up again in front of the tutors, but she said it was a close run thing!

Molio that must have been horrible for her. Was it nerves? Did she get an offer despite that?

Apparently, this is what she could have done.

I was a bit worried for DD as she will have to sing, and won't be able to do that if she has a sore throat or something.

It was more likely nerves than food poisoning we decided, though nothing similar had happened previously with exams or similar situations, so we were taken completely unawares.

Yes she did get an offer at the college, so all turned out ok. At least it was only law involved, no singing :)

Well at the moment I'm worrying about how long will it take DS's English teacher to sign the cover sheet for his written work but I can add worrying about being ill at the interview if he gets to that stage

I think just add every possible contingency webwiz, then you're covered :)

carambalache.wordpress.com/2014/11/07/oxford-interviews-for-modern-languages/
Here's a helpful blog someone has put on this year's student room thread. The stuff about taking pens and highlighters etc is useful!

The fact that there is a large paragraph on what to do if you are taken ill during the interview implies they are used to stressed-out students throwing up/passing out right in front of them!

Could also be to make it clear that pleas of illness during the interview but not logged then and there are far too frequent!

I wrote that extremely badly: is the notice intended to make it very clear to those rejected that no subsequent claim of illness during the interview period is worth making (not that it ever was, but maybe they're tired of having to respond to that sort of plea).

I read the page on "what to do if you are ill or taken ill during the interview to mean:

1. If you are ill in advance and think you are going to underperform because of illness, don't do the interview.

1. If you become ill during the interview, tell someone immediately rather than waiting.

The blog is very interesting. One thing that I hadn't thought of was

– wear comfortable clothes that won’t make you look and feel silly on a sofa or in a huge armchair.

Regarding whether it is a good idea to go in prepared to admire the books is a different matter. The blog writer did well, but hers was a genuine expression of something that she felt in the situation. I think the point is more general: feel free to express something that you feel.

Although there was the useful comment about highlighting the piece to appreciate, I'm afraid otherwise the blog sounded a little smug. The writer is clearly a very confident girl tossing out comments like "the interviewer told me I was in the minute I walked in the door" (because of the books comment) and asking if the professor found it boring doing loads of interviews. That sort of thing may have gone down ok from someone attractive and sparky but I can see interviewers groaning at the umpteenth person trying to ingratiate themselves or being extremely irritated by a student suggesting what might or might not bore them.

Morning!

I thought the blog sounded very genuine and that there were quite a few useful points in it. For example, there is the point that she totally mis-guessed the period of the German poem. I can imagine that the poem was chosen to be one that people could easily mistake the time of writing, so that candidates could be asked why they thought it was that period.

Also, "be ready for alternative interpretations and don’t panic if they suddenly reveal a fact that disproves your entire analysis" is a useful, general tip. I am thinking that tutorials are an exchange of ideas and the interview is a practice-tutorial.

Offspring has just had an email to say she'll be called for interview at the college she has applied to.

Woohoo! Our first interview!

Is that Oxford or Cambridge?

Dd managed to finally email her written work just before half four. (Oxford deadline today.) And had an acknowledgement, so at least she got in in time! We had a panic at about 11 pm last night because she found a St Hilda's written work troubleshooting page that said it had to be in by midnight on the 9th! But everywhere else says 10th so decided that couldn't be right.

Cambridge. I think she's quite dubious about the course there but applied anyway, and it'll be a chance for her to have a nose round/get a better flavour of the place. (She has been there for an overnight stay for an educational/residential event just over a year back.)

Great news! Which college?

Dd has just sent her essays off today - at least that is done now and I can stop nagging

Clare

Ooh! how exciting: feels very real now! I didn't realise anything went out this early.
Well done your offspring.

Well done to your DD Marianne

We are having a palaver with the written work. Both of DS's English teachers seem to think the other one has the marked version of the essay he wants to send in Hopefully it will be resolved tomorrow.