Oxbridge Applicants for 2017

[HamletsSister]

DS has done his exam (Oxford, History) and written his essay. Now, the waiting begins.......

Anyone else?

Apparently they heard before Xmas.

Surprising indeed if that was right re hearing before Christmas with an offer - an invite to interview or a rejection pre interview certainly but not an offer for an undergraduate place.

I don't believe anyone has heard already, unless they are an organ scholar or some such. Both Oxford and Cambridge (on TSR ) have stated in no uncertain terms that they tell no one before the official date.

Good luck to all those waiting to hear... this is the second time around for me with ds2 - and feels worse if anything!
Ds2 did get an offer yesterday from his second choice Durham yesterday which he's really pleased about and which hopefully will take the sting out of any bad news next week...

Ds has yet to hear from Durham. I hope he doesn't get binned by both

What subject Giddy? It's not Physics is it?

Rhoda mine didn't hear until late Jan/ Feb for Durham History.

He's applied to do History with a Modern Language - his mates who have applied for straight History are yet to hear from Durham he says...

Does anyone really understand how the Cambridge pool works?

I think so - what's your ?

DD's BF is at Cambridge, and was told by the school a few days before he got his official letter from the college. But not as early as before Christmas.

I would imagine that the young person were told that they were going to get an offer, rather than receiving the official one.

Jeanne - no, but just now DD said that people are being notified now if they have been pooled and need reinterviewing. She also said that it was the case that if you had over 93 UMS you had to be put in the pool if the college you applied to hadn't accepted you, below that it was discretionary- but unclear how that works now as ums would only be applicable to the A levels which are still modular. Would be good to hear from an insider! But we'll all know soon enough.

If you look on the Cambridge section of The Student Room forum there is a very helpful post with info about how the winter pool works at Cambridge. The number of applicants who are called back for another interview is apparently very small. Most pool decisions are made on the basis of info that Cambridge has already.

I would imagine that the young person were told that they were going to get an offer, rather than receiving the official one.

Or simply not telling the truth. There is no informal procedure telling people that they are going to get offers.

User......3615, I think a lie would be risky, very easy to get caught out if offer doesn't materialise.

Having worked, donkeys years ago, in public schools, a story about someone who gets information before you are supposed to makes me think old boy network. Someone on the inside at a college who knows someone at the school.

Nowadays, it just pisses me off that it might still exist despite all the efforts to make the system fair.

so if someone is called back for a second interview, is that good or bad? Are the top candidates in the pool simply given a place without a second interview?

Colleges that have not filled all their places pick up and examine the files of pooled applicants, and make their own judgements about whether they can make an offer based on everything in the file (which includes interview notes)... or whether they would want to call the candidate back for another interview. So it could be argued that the outstanding pool candidates could get a place without more interviews, but it may also depend on the policy of the picking-up college quite a bit.

Shockthemonkey. So if a college at Cambridge calls a candidate for a second interview, do you know how many candidates they will be competing against? Just trying to get a feel for how likely someone is to be offered a place following a second interview from the pool.

Jeanne summary stats from last year's winter pool here

www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/publications/guide_to_the_winter_pool_for_applicants.pdf

 29 undergraduate Colleges pooled applicants.
 3,804 applications were pooled in total.
 221 pooled applicants were invited for a January interview.
 1,073 pooled applicants were made offers, and of these:
o 974 received an offer without being re-interviewed
o 99 received offers following a January interview
 220 pooled applicants received offers from the College that pooled them

Thanks boys3. Do you know why some candidates are reinterviewed while others are simply offered from the pool?

so 91% of pooled candidates who received an offer did so without need for a further interview, and of the 9% who were called back for a further interview not too far from half (45% to be exact) received an offer

Jeanne - x post with the follow up stats

Not sure if lower level stats as to why a small % get a further interview are available. Borderline candidates maybe, or could be certain college / subject combos. Sorry can't help on that.

User......3615, I think a lie would be risky, very easy to get caught out if offer doesn't materialise.

I have known people to pretend that they had offers and then pretend they were declining them.

do we know if oxford send a letter or an email?