Oxbridge Applicants 2019

[evenstrangerthings]

The 2018 Oxbridge Applicants Thread was started at the end of August last year, but with many students now sitting internal school exams rather than public AS exams, many will have Year 12 results in hand and some will be starting to prepare for applications to Oxford or Cambridge University.

Let's support each other in supporting our kids through this process, which may involve extra exams, multi-day interviews and extra application statements.

Do feel free to join the thread, even if your DC is on the fence about making an Oxbridge application. It would also be great to hear from those who have been through the Oxbridge process before!

TheFrendo with regards to the interview the process depends on which college. If it's one with an exam and even if it's not, your ds should get really good at sketching graphs before hand. You can get sample interview style questions from one of the colleges (forget which, I'll check)

In terms of STEP it's just a lot of practice. There are some really good resources out there.
maths.org/step/welcome
www.physicsandmathstutor.com/step/
He shouldn't shy away from the applied questions, they aren't as bad as they seem. If he goes to a state school he should get an offer to go to a step support weekend (or something like that) after he gets an offer. It's well worth attending, even if for the reassurance.

I agree, always adding in but they like xx uni too does help. dd loved Warwick, which did help.

Thank you.

State school sixth form, not a big record of Oxbridge success. Will suggest/follow what you said.

He could look at the introductory material and STEP 1 at this point which will help him get used to the style.
It's normal for the material to seem really hard at first. He mustn't be afraid to put in an hour or two into a question at first while he gets his head into it.

Joining this thread from the 2018 one - elder DC just arrived in Oxford to read Biochemistry & I'm really happy to share experiences of process.

Younger just sent off UCAS incl Cambridge for Geography. Here we go again!! Any words of wisdom for Geog in particular much appreciated....

Good luck to everyone's DCs xx

Dd happy cos PS almost done and it's only taken one draft (tutor liked it so just to tweak it to fit in the word count now) she's enjoyed doing it , hope she enjoys the HAT as much!

Checking back in again...

DD1 is back in her Cambridge college for year 2. DD2's UCAS has gone in and she has received email confirmation from them. Also Cambridge & Leicester have emailed to say they have received it so she is very excited. Now spending all her spare time preparing for the NSAA (I hope I got the title right). It's all going very fast...

To the people asking about interviews, Oxford seems to be less definite about timings than Cambridge. DD1 had 9am and 11 am interviews at her chosen Cambridge college (not the one she is now at). She stayed over the night before in college. Due to our location, I drove her there straight after school and she arrived around 8.30pm. I stayed in a B&B. The next morning I texted her to wish her well then mooched around the city centre for an hour or so. She called and said she had finished so we had a coffee in the college bar and hit the road again.

Even though it can be bitter there in December, I managed to find enough to do (Bravissimo is quite good there and there isn't one anywhere near home!)

UCAS form for DS ready for submission tomorrow. He's pleased that he won't have to take part in the "Oxbridge lock in." Apparently his school will make the Oxbridge candidates who don't submit their UCAS tomorrow, stay at school until it's finished. He said that last year, the teachers weren't happy as some had to stay until 9:30pm to supervise/support the process!

He's also switched colleges from Keble to a small not so popular one due to a soft clash. DD is a maths applicant and another student in his school is applying for Maths and Comp Sci and chose Keble too. Their Head Teacher said they could apply to the same college at their own risk. DD is highly risk averse and also accepted that the other student had fewer college choices for his course.

I know that choice of college is supposed to have little bearing on chance of success but his new choice takes half its maths students from applicants to other colleges and also has a high rate of state school students. He's never visited it but has done lots of research and chosen it from a shortlist of 7 or so colleges suggested by his Head.

Let's see....

even Ds's school also advised not to apply to the same college for the same subject. He and his friend ended up flipping a coin for it. Both very happy where they ended up

School didn't advise not to clash for dd, but we did discuss it as she found someone else was considering her option for same subject. She was very pleased when they chose another.

At our school we've seen the reverse situation not too many years ago where two students applied to two different colleges for a very popular subject, both were pooled to the same college and both got offers.

@goodbyestranger @Witchend @BasiliskStare Thanks for sharing your experience on this! It's reassuring that others have been in the same situation.

DS has told his classmate that he'd (the classmate) better get into Keble now! It would be funny if DS and his classmate ended up at the same smaller college though!

"It's a weird process, having to put so much time and energy into the applications and be very engaged in the process but at the same time, remain as calm and indifferent as possible about the outcome, given the chances of even an interview are so low."

This! Thanks for verbalising it so well @Coleoptera

Also, I'm curious to hear the answers to your question:

"I wonder - from those with DCs who've already been through this process once before - whether it gets harder and harder each step of the way, if you get an interview but then no further than that - or get an interview and also an offer but then don't get your predicted grades? The investment in the process becomes more intense, yet you still have to remain completely nonchalant about the outcome and equally happy to go to a different uni."

My DD is in her 2nd year at University but she didn't apply to Oxbridge.

I reckon it's really important to have a good second choice (and third as well if they don't get an offer). I'm not just being nice when I say (ad nauseam, possibly) that the U.K. is lucky to have so many excellent universities. In nearly all cases there are pros and cons.

Back in the day of the 7th term entrance exam which neither my or DHs school catered for, but you could have a shot based on predicted A levels - I tried and failed, and have no regrets. He didn't try, and does regret it.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And trying but failing will teach you more than not trying.

This is vicarious ( necessarily so as it was DS )

1. The only sure way of not getting an offer or a place from a University is not to apply
2. If you ( one , DC ) applies for Oxbridge it is hugely oversubscribed , so some won't get an offer. Just common sense. DS did not get an offer from a very very well regarded London University.
3. Oxford ( not so sure Cambridge from DS's experience but this was before removal of AS ) tend to make an achievable offer for those applying ( i.e. 3 A s - but in his case , humanities )
4. There are so many universities as Errol says - which are so good. So - stick your courage to the sticking post and put other good ones down on the list. I suspect the likes of LSE , UCL , Imperial , Durham , Edinburgh , Manchester ( not a complete list ) will not be a hindrance in future life But many of them ask higher A level results than Oxford.

Sent as a previous student and a parent - NOT as a university entrance expert.

All best to all DCs

I've been lurking, not much to say...

Coleoptera - so sorry to read about DT2; I hope all goes well.

DD finally decided on St Hugh's; she said she felt most at home there, despite really liking LMH too. Her UCAS form was submitted on Wednesday - four of the universities acknowledged receipt within 24 hours, and the fifth (a well-regarded RG for English) has already thrown a spanner into the works by giving her an unconditional if firm (and I desperately need to tell someone outside the family how proud I am of her without resorting to FB bragging so I'm doing it here!)

Congratulations Spiral I did English ( back in the day ) so very many congratulations for her. DS's friend ended up being pooled at St Hughs and went there and very much liked it. I dare not ask about the other options.

Very many congratulations and I hope she enjoys wherever she ends up. You are right to be proud of her.

It's a weird process, having to put so much time and energy into the applications and be very engaged in the process but at the same time, remain as calm and indifferent as possible about the outcome, given the chances of even an interview are so low.

Yes, I remember referring to it as doublethink when dd1 was going through it.

I wonder - from those with DCs who've already been through this process once before - whether it gets harder and harder each step of the way, if you get an interview but then no further than that - or get an interview and also an offer but then don't get your predicted grades?

When I applied, I would have been upset not to have got an interview, but after my interview I felt quite ok with whatever happened - I'd been myself, and presented myself as well as possible in my interviews, if other people were better, then that was beyond my control!

Think dd1 felt similar, except as her subject interviews 90+% of candidates, she would have been even more gutted not to have got an interview! But she really enjoyed the interview process and felt she had done her best.

I think not achieving your offer would be painful. Very glad I've had no Cambridge maths applicants!

the fifth (a well-regarded RG for English) has already thrown a spanner into the works by giving her an unconditional if firm

Why is it a spanner? Sounds like a nice safety net! My dd2 was very happy to get an unconditional from her favourite. I wouldn't advise being swayed by it if it's not already somewhere she likes though. Fortunately there's over 6 months before they have to firm anywhere!

Atia yes this "Very glad I've had no Cambridge maths applicants!"

Once DS had been through the aptitude tests and interviews the grades required were not dreadful , in context ( Oxford) . But some of his peers had more tests ( so , maths ) and higher , more onerous grades to get ( cambridge. ) Not sure how that has changed now AS s no longer the norm.

Yes, an Oxford arts offer is very reasonable

I think not achieving your offer would be painful. Very glad I've had no Cambridge maths applicants!

Stop it! ;)

Why is it a spanner? Sounds like a nice safety net!

It's a spanner rather than a safety net if it's not their true favourite. If it's their next favourite after Oxbridge and they don't get an offer then fine!

The grades at Cambridge are high for some subjects, but those grades should be achievable by the students they give offers to. I think from the stats I've seen most who get an offer make (or exceed) the grade. The exception is maths with its STEP.

He is trying to explain that exception to friends.

It is a bit like being offered a sparkly unicorn.