Oxbridge applicants 2018

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I've hesitated before making this thread as I don't really like the whole making Oxbridge out as a special case when there are lots of amazing universities that are just as good for individual courses. However, it is a different application process with a lot happening by January should they get that far and irl I don't know anyone else's dc applying to talk to them about it. I expect most of us are in that situation. At the moment I rely on dd and the occasional foray into student room to learn what happens next.

So welcome all parents of Oxbridge candidates - a thread to chat over what's to come and to support if our kids find they have to steer in a different direction.

Application forms due in in a few weeks

Thank you whiterose that’s really kind of you. Good luck to your DS, I hope it’s good news, I think we have to assume things are fine and going well until proved definitively otherwise!

spreadsheet of cambridge interview date invitations 2016

Wow IYBBK! Do you know if there is an oxford equivalent? Where did you find that?

are the interview days of Cambridge earlier than Oxford and therefore their invitations come out earlier? interview dates of the course that DS applied to iS Dec 11-13, do i wonder we would have to wait a bit longer than the others?!

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Yippee, DS applied for Materials Science and Engineering at Imperial.
No worry, from TSR i saw a high proportion of applicants are still waiting for interview invites, and Imperial is known for doing interviews in many batches grom Oct/Nov to Feb/Mar!

Anecdote alert ! DS had an Oxford offer and was rejected out of hand by LSE - Of course Oxbridge is aspirational but so are many other places. At which point I will put my apple pie and motherhood ( such as it is ) to bed

Good luck to all - it is a stressful time ( in the Basilisk house probably more so for me than my DS )

My contact in admissions here in Cambridge had told me that they are deciding this week and emails and letters will go out next week!

I found it on Student Room Inchy. The Oxford applicants tried to do a similar thing, but seemed to have an accident part way through their spreadsheet and the reconstruction didn’t look very complete. I’ll try and see if they have a 2015 equivalent.

Risotto, I think Cambridge interviews start on 4th December.

Which is this week and which is next week Str4ngedays?

Thanks Risotto, I’ll stop flapping about Imperial now! And OYBBK that’s brilliant thank you, I’ll start worrying about an interview or a not an interview situation at the end of next week instead...

Thank you for the spreadsheet OYBBK. DD had been quite up and down lately, her friends are currently holding 4 offers for different courses and DD has 2, she's taking it as an unofficial rejection.
It doesn't help that she's waiting on Durham and last year DS got an offer from them within a week, again, although DD is English and DS was Computer Science.

Lots of reassurance here and a reminder that her course is very over subscribed.

Yippee, good! fingers crossed and best of luck!

Ooh, there’s a 2018 Official Cambridge Stalking Sheet on Student Room but I don’t know to link it for you. A few international students already getting interview dates.

Hi all - especially potential Oxford and physics posters.
I was where you were last year, DS had just completed his PAT, passed it and invited to interview. Enjoyed the process but didn't get accepted.
Like some on here Imperial, Manchester & Birmingham were also in the mix and he interviewed for all. (In his experience, Imperial was an actual interview - sort of Oxford "lite"! The others more of get to see if this is going to suit you type of thing.)
He was accepted at Imperial and started last month and absolutely loves it.
Imperial interviewees - took about 4 weeks to find out the result.
Regards the "rejects" comments, DS found this to be the subject of banter. First days in halls comments were along the lines of "so which one rejected you!" (Said ironically as requirements were AAA versus A*AA)
The point of my post is that I understand the worries but ultimately, you have DCs that are bright enough to have Oxbridge potential. They'll be grand however things turnout.

It is lovely to hear people from other years reassuring people applying this year. Much appreciated.

Next week is from Monday!

Thanks LoveVelo, that is reasssing!

Stra4nge, seems to tally in with last year then :)

What a lovely post LoveVelo, thank you!

Yippee DS had an interview at Imperial two weeks ago for the MPhys, we're still waiting.

LoveVelo, thats very kind and thoughtful of u to pamper the mums here! thanks!

A bit late to this thread (sorry) but I have a DD who is in her 1st term at Cambridge studying NatSci and loving it. She applied to one college and without her knowledge was pooled to another which offered her a place. She dithered, so we went to look at the offer college in February half term. Luckily a lad from school was there and showed us his room. Everyone we met from the cleaners to the catering manager was so lovely that she accepted the offer, then made the grades.

Her interview was at 9am so as we live >200 miles away, she was given free accommodation the night before. She had 2 interviews that morning then was free to leave by 11.30 am. She was asked various questions, mostly about processes; one asked her to write out the periodic table, then quizzed her about why she did it the way she did. She managed to get into that discussion that her younger sister knew the periodic table song off by heart and one of them googled it in front of her!

If I can be of any help, please let me know

Thank you Malbec, it’s really good to hear about your dd. When she stayed over the night before the interview, how did she find that?

Thank you Lovelo and Malbec, very kind of you to share your stories. And fingers crossed for your DS Stephanotis.

Thank you for the stories and reassurance from last year.

DS has an interview at Imperial next week for physics. Not heard anything significant from Durham or St Andrews yet. He has had a personalised letter from Birmingham though encouraging him to go there, it directly refers to how their course can develop the special interest he wrote about in his PS.

DN also offered overnight accommodation at Cambridge prior to her interview and her mum stayed with her. She was completely overawed by Cambridge (she's from a very deprived area). However, the university did all they could to put her at ease and make the experience enjoyable. Now she has started, she's been to several formal matriculation dinners and enjoyed them. We had to show her what order to use the cutlery in though and which glasses were for wine and water! These dinners aren't compulsory however but she has enjoyed seeing how the other half live! We've visited and there are a lovely mixture of people in her College, many from the North.

Good luck to your ds this week Heybells!