HAT- Oxford - anyone else going though this ? (and where else)

[Thewhomesovermachine]

Well I've said it all

Anyone else's DC applying for history at Oxford this year and will need to do HAT ? Also which other colleges (by which I mean other universities ) do said Dc's favour ?

Would appreciate another view as ours is limited .

Thank you
TWSEM

Yes - unfortunately my dd2 is applying (her comprehensive school put her in their Oxford / Cambridge group and it has grown from there).

I don't have any experience to draw from (so can't help you much there) and feel nervous about the whole business. I do know that the school has to register them for the test, to be taken under exam conditions. She is applying to Lincoln College, on the basis that is the one her school took her to look round and she liked the fact that it is small. However I think lots of the colleges recruit History students. She is looking at the past papers online, but will get no extra help.

No knowledge of the interviews either I'm afraid (but I'm not sure she will get that far).

Someone recommended this to help with choosing colleges.
ousu.org/applying/undergraduate/alternative-prospectus/

Also, there is an Oxford thread....
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/2173636-Oxbridge-Entry-2015?pg=1

Actually Lincoln is not that small. It has around 590 students. Others are smaller and a few are larger. Why is the school not helping your DD Littleham? No wonder state pupils find it so difficult to get there! Have you been to a History Subject Day at Oxford? Some Colleges are more pro state schools we discovered when looking.

I'm a bit bemused that a school has a special group for Oxbridge, took her on a visit to a college... but then will give her no extra help. Are you sure there's none? Has she asked?

They're just universities. The people there are just people. They really, REALLY don't care whether your kid is at a state school - even with all the much-publicised issues of bias, over half the kids they take are from state schools!

Wishing both your DDs luck - from a former state school student who went to Oxford.

The special group was for doing the personal statements and getting them in early. They did one trip to a college. There isn't time for anything else.

She hasn't been to a History Subject Day, but I expect that she will experience some of this if she gets as far as an interview.

DS has to go it alone with the HAT too, but I'm not sure that's so bad.

590 at Lincoln! Not undergrads. Lincoln isn't big. It's very strong for History I think, but not outrageously big.

Just checked: 299 undergrads at Lincoln, tie with Merton, Corpus is maller by 50 or so and Trinity has 297. The rest are all bigger.

smaller not maller.

Good luck to your DS Molio. Why is going it alone with the test not so bad?

I'm asking because I spoke to someone from a local private school & they have been preparing for the HAT test for weeks. I'm worried that there is something I should have done to help. Apart from reading and past papers, is there anything she should be doing?

There's not a lot else you can do apart from getting one of the history teachers (or another friendly historian if school won't help) to look over the answers and suggest how they could be improved both style and content wise. Make sure s/he has done loads of reading as they are supposed to tst knowledge beyond the a level syllabus. Good luck!

Lincoln is small--physically, if in no other way. History is very good there and it is friendly and incredibly central and convenient.

Thanks for the good wishes Yangsun and Abra1d. That is really useful reassuring information.

She is reading everything she can lay her hands on. Tbh this is a complete long shot / wild card, although it would be lovely if she got to interview stage. She has also fallen in love with York (& one or two others) and I suspect it is more likely she will go to one of these. Also she loves continuous assessment, so I think York might suit her better. Preparing for another roller coaster year!

Hello , sorry to have been off radar since my question.

So my DC is applying to Oxford for history ( hence question re HAT etc) - All I can gather is that you cannot prepare for the HAT (in the sense of revising etc . )He is reading and is keen on history and has looked at past papers but was just interested where other DCs wanted to go if not Oxford. We have UCL some other London colleges , also Exeter . The shortlist in this house was Warwick , York , Durham (the latter cut from list because apparently their offer is higher than Oxford )

Anyway Littleham - good luck with the HAT for DD

Also thanks all who have given advice

TWSEM

History at Lincoln - wonderful! Susan Brigden is FABULOUS.