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!

Coleoptera is DT1 the Oxford or the Cambridge twin?

Any bulk beyond a single piece of paper is always going to be positive (the opposite is not true, and single pieces of paper can also carry glad tidings).

Exciting news Coleoptera, let us know.

Thanks for the info re Keble, I'm finding the lack of specific dates not good for my organised nature. Knowing Track updates on 9th January is fine for me, sometime until 30th November, possibly by mail or possibly via email etc, to hear about interview less so...

Ah. Well very good luck to both twins! I almost completely understand the need/ hope for parity between twins (all singletons here, but mostly in consecutive school years). I know little about English at Cambridge but much more about History at Oxford. Fingers crossed for DT2 esp assuming good news for DT1!

Meh, no news.

No news here either. Had parents evening last night and there's a lot of work to be done in the next 6 months. Really not looking forward to them as A level grades matter so much!

Good luck to DT1 Coleoptera. We are still waiting here for news from Cambridge. So nerve wracking!

Yay ! Congrats ‘coly ‘ . Exciting !!

Lilili - Google cambridge application stats, there's a graph calculator. Type in college and subject and it will tell you the stats you want for previous 5 years.

Congratulations to your DT1 - the first hurdle jumped!

www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/statistics

The graph generator doesn't show data on how many interviewed, but it does give applications and acceptances. You can also see who takes the open applications, and pool offers - eg for English Churchill takes a lot from the pool, whereas a lot of Jesus applicants get pool offers from other colleges.

Great news, well done indeed!

The slightly bulky rule is never wrong! Congrats to DT1 Coleoptera. I wonder if those called for interview at Cambridge has declined though, since the advent of the aptitude tests?

History invites for Oxford shouldn't be too long now although DS2 and DS3 both got less than a week's notice and both were asked to come a full 24 hrs earlier than the date on the published interview schedule. Both were also sent a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge long source (thirty pages or so?) a few hours before the interview too.

I'm rather hoping both twins will prove their school wrong :)

By which I mean I wonder if the numbers of those called for interview has declined.

stranger, did your last DC feel any additional pressure when applying, given the success of their siblings? I can see how it could be so, similar to a twin scenario.

News here too, the day after dd 18th birthday. She has HSPS Cambridge interview on 4/12.
2 weeks notice exactly.
We live a long way up north so need to make some plans.

Fantastic news. I rather hope school is proved wrong re your twins too!

Fantastic news about the Cambridge app interviews!
@Coleoptera - I hope DT2 hears similar good news from Oxford!

Justanothermile I assume the twin situation is in a peculiar class of its own but I think the answer has to be yes, very definitely - especially since everyone else around them always tends to say 'No pressure then'! Very good to hear of DT2's text. Mine have their moments about stuff like draining the hot water/ 'borrowing' charging leads etc but when it comes to Oxford applications they've always been hugely supportive and pleased when interview invites roll in etc. I'm quite lucky that there's been no rivalry other than good natured teasing.

WE just heard here too - interview for ds for maths, Emmanuel college Cambridge. I think I am more excited than him!

I wonder if (the number of) those called for interview at Cambridge has declined though, since the advent of the aptitude tests?

I'm not sure there's any data on that. I'd have thought not necessarily, since essentially the tests replaced looking at AS grades.

Errol I think it's likely that the numbers haven't declined either but on the one hand yes, the aptitude tests are making up for the loss of AS grades (very high ums in particular), on the other the Cambridge system is now mimicking the Oxford process, where far fewer applicants are interviewed on the whole (some exceptions eg Classics I know). So it would be logical for interview numbers to decline. Cambridge will probably wait to review their own data over a number of years before copying the Oxford approach though.

Well done to your ds wiifitmama Exciting!

I think oxford applications are less stressful .