Oxbridge Applicants for 2017

[HamletsSister]

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

Anyone else?

[roundandroundthehouses]

Yup, the interview is for CompSci at Worcester. Friend is very pleased!

[shockthemonkey]

Heard just now for Chinese Studies at Catz - got a date for 7th December.

Sofa, hope you hear VERY soon as the waiting is quite hard on us mums!

[doglover]

Dd is waiting to hear about English at Oxford ..... reading threads on TSR, we assume it will be Friday. It's going to be a l-o-n-g week!

[toothgenie]

Doglover fingers crossed for your daughter. My daughter seems very philosophical about her chances. She's got an offer from Cardiff of AAB which she's very happy with. She's got her driving test tomorrow so that seems to be the main focus at the moment.

[doglover]

Thanks, TG. Dd has had offers from Bristol, Royal Holloway and Swansea - still waiting to hear from Exeter - so she's pretty happy. Who am I kidding, she's very tense!

Good luck to your daughter tomorrow!

[Onthesofa1]

Thanks shockthemonkey - i didn't tell my dc that you had heard before we went to the supermarket but we've just got back and she's got an email offering her interview on 6th December. So very pleased and now planning interview outfit! Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear.

[WorkingItOutAsIGo]

My DD and her friends have received interview invitations for Physical Natsci at Cambridge - various colleges - on Friday and today. Phew!!! So pleased.

[shockthemonkey]

Yay!

Here's hoping that very soon everyone else is put out of their misery.

Of course then there's the NEXT waiting period, after interviews... with a much lower likelihood of good news. But, I am convinced that the interview experience in itself is a good thing, and not wasted even if no offer comes through.

[asianmom]

For Oxford, it won't be that mush lower. If I recall rightly, general acceptance rate for Oxford is around 14-15 %. They interview 3 for each place, hence percentage to be called up for interview should be about 45%; that vs 33%.

[goodbyestranger]

asianmom you're not taking quality of competition into account.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Sure she is... if the selection for interview takes a relatively small proportion, that means if your kid gets one they are part of that 'quality competition'.

It really does depend on the course - eg according to DD the camb. general eng interviews about 80% of the people based on the test result, and the graph thing I linked to upthread suggests about a fifth of applicants get offers, so in that case the second stage does have a lower likelihood of good news than the first.

[goodbyestranger]

I look at it a different way then Errol! In normal person speak it's tougher to get an offer than an interview.

[roundandroundthehouses]

I think dd1 told me the stats for the course she applied for (Physics at Oxford) has an acceptance percentage in the late teens. The PAT takes out very approximately half of all applicants, and then approximately a third of those get offers. So in that case there's a 1 in 3 chance of getting through interview as opposed to a 1 in 2 chance of getting past the PAT. But I think it varies between state and private schools as well.

[asianmom]

Goodbye, you are right, of course it is harder to get an offer than an interview. But Errol is right too, it is much tougher for Cambridge than Oxford.
Regarding the 'quality' of competition, my take is that, well, the cream doesn't get thicker, ie it's not a creme le creme scenario. Because Oxbridge takes a holistic approach, each stage of the competition measures a different aspect of the candidate: first, you get the grades, so it is the academic abilities that is measured, then they are sieved by their 'aptitude', last , teachability, enthusiasm etc etc. So you see, for purpose of argument, the quality should start out from zero each time.

[goodbyestranger]

Yes asianmom. I take a very simple view which is that I'm always cautious, then delighted to have a DC get an interview, then very cautious, then very delighted indeed if an offer comes through :) Assume the worst and it can only be better!

[goodbyestranger]

Also, are Cambridge using the new tests to do an Oxford type 'sieve' this year or are they doing the same as in previous years and interviewing the same numbers to test the new tests?

[user1469682920]

Hi
We have been told that as the tests are new, they are not being allowed to make a decision whether to interview or accept/reject purely based on the test. They will just add to the overall picture. At least for this year anyway. Presume they will re assess after this year.

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

DD1 has her Maths interview at Cambridge in a fortnight.

Bitter-sweet really as my mom died 3 weeks ago, she was so invested in my children's lives, she would have been so very proud.

Just wish I could have told mom. I guess this is what life will be like now.

DD's boyfriend and 2 closest friends still waiting to hear from Oxbridge.

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

Apologies for the emotion. Very raw.

[RhodaBull]

Sorry to hear that, Chaos. I wish my dc had had my parents around to share in their triumphs and - probably even more importantly - their disappointments.

Ds tried for other Oxbridge last year and was told at the reception with admissions officer that out of 40 there for interview, at least 32 would not receive an offer. That sobering thought fired up some of them and sent others into a tailspin of hopelessness. But at least they were told straight.

[WorkingItOutAsIGo]

Chaos you dont know me, but I have seen you posting here a long time. Huge sympathy to you on your loss. Well done to your DD too.

[goodbyestranger]

Chaos and Rhoda same boat on the parent front. My father was taken in during the war from abroad by Eastbourne College, Eastbourne was then evacuated to Radley and that started my father's lifelong fondness for Oxford. It makes a huge difference to know how thrilled he would have been to see grandchildren at Oxford - I often suspect he cheers them on from wherever he is.

[goodbyestranger]

And please please don't apologise Chaos - it's a very tough time.

[goodbyestranger]

And actually Chaos none of mine have yet fulfilled my dad's ultimate dream which would have been one doing Maths, which was his thing (largely because he couldn't speak decent English when he arrived in England so Maths was the natural option!). A very big well done to your DD.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Chaos. No need to apologise for emotion on a support-type thread.