Oxbridge Applications 2019 (Part Three)

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Today is a big day for many... time for a new thread too

Pallando. Your offer is very much appreciated.

I wonder if the difference you are starting to see is that bright state school applicants are now believing they might have a tiny chance of acceptance so are a bit more willing to try. This is probably down to the Access information, hard working teachers and a trickle down effect.

I wonder if the difference you are starting to see is that bright state school applicants are now believing they might have a tiny chance of acceptance so are a bit more willing to try. This is probably down to the Access information, hard working teachers and a trickle down effect.

I do hope so.
Oxbridge have been castigated for years for their demographics, and for years have been saying, in essence, that they can only select from those who actually apply. There's been too much misinformation in the past, I think, among teachers and parents. It's one of the reason I'm still around on these boards (and I'd guess the same goes for most of the others who don't have kids still going through the process) - trying to help redress myths such as the number of A* GCSEs needed, that sort of stuff.

Re whether students are 'judgemental'... the adjective DD most often uses of her peers is 'lovely'. The majority of students are not arseholes, the few that might be can be avoided.

LittleSpace no problem! There is a lot of information on the Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing website as well (dates/costs etc).

The "state/private" distinction is rather a blunt instrument - there are several state schools which offer lots of Oxbridge/STEP preparation and some private schools that don't.

The resources on maths.org/step are freely available to everyone, as is the discussion forum - it's only the state school offer holders day which is restricted to state school students.

Judgmental was imputed by another poster without any reason Errol.

My son's Scottish non-selective state school offered:

no interview advice/practice
no help with personal statement except a cursory read
did not advise on subject specific open days/interview workshops which he could have attended
did not speak about uni applications until end September (too late to make any difference for Oxbridge application deadlines)
did not expect anyone to apply from Scotland.

Yet he received a law offer.

In his favour, he had two sets of exams results - Nat 5s and Highers, showed huge interest in his subject and had done all super curricular activities of his own initiative (organised his own work experience, visited court in his spare time, ran a successful debating society without teacher involvement, entered essay competitions, etc)

He was uncoached and must have shown some promise.

www.newstatesman.com/politics/education/2019/01/here-s-how-cambridge-admissions-process-looks-inside

Good article oneteen. Certainly there was a political intervention at an apposite time this year. I doubt that will have done any harm.

And to Aurea's point, not all state schools are equally supportive, so interviewers and assessors have to take that into account too. Her son obviously received next to no support, whereas a sixth form college local to me, which has a very good Oxbridge track record, has a two year scheme for potential applicants, and the website of Peter Symonds (where I know children who have been successful Oxbridge candidates) gives loads of details about its very thorough programme, actually including the words 'intensive interview preparation'. The grammar school to which I believe (from other threads) goodbye's own children go/have gone is ranked as top co-ed school for Oxbridge applications by The Times Parent Power thingy and provides 'expert support' for children applying for courses with 'specialised application processes'.

Thanks oneteen, an interesting read.
I can’t remember who it was whose daughter was applying for HSPS at Cambridge too and asked me questions about it? Just wondering how you got on? (I can’t manage an advanced search which might have helped with this!)
Also was a little worried when I read that some students see HSPS as being a bit of a doss. I had thought it was a difficult course to get on to and quite challenging, maybe not Oxford’s PPE, but getting there.

Lililili , it was me and we had disappointing news yesterday. Need to settle and regroup. Finding it quite hard to read this thread now so might stop (soon)

Coleoptera A child in my DS's year did not get in to Oxford the first time, but had their heart absolutely set on a place. They got excellent A-level results, applied the following year for Cambridge, for a slightly different course, and did an additional A-level. They got in. It might be worth trying again, just to feel your DS had given it his best shot, and had something to aim for, perhaps. There're so many great candidates, and it's such a brutal process.

Hi Olliepolly - I’m sorry. I know we would have found a rejection difficult too. What is her first or second choice now? Was your DD most interested in social anthropology?

Keep posting! We can all support each other and find out information.

My niece applied a second time with her results in hand (from a fee paying school) and was successful. She is a very strong character though and was realistic about her chances. I had a little nosy on the Student Room earlier and there were some posts from successful reapplicants.
I think anyone who wants to should stay on this thread if it is interesting or useful.

Ds got in second time, so I'm hardly the best person to counsel against having another go, but...

I was seriously worried about ds. There is so much more hanging on it on the second go. He had spent every second of the autumn focusing on his application, and if it had been bad news in January he would have been at a very loose and aimless end. He didn't want to go anywhere his friends had gone the previous year, as he would have effectively been in the "year below". I didn't know how to play it and was concerned he would have fallen into a real trough.

So, next time around (noooooooo!!!) I think I might well go with the "you did your best but put that behind you. You'll have much more fun at Durham/Southampton Solent!"

The thing that caught my eye in that link from oneteen was the plan to introduce a 'transition year' - when DD was home this Xmas we were discussing 'access' issues and reckoned something of that sort was needed. Though the model we were thinking of with was more like a 3rd 6th form year provided free, more locally but under the aegis of the top unis - a foundation year to develop the potential of kids who'd not had the best opportunities.

Something to also remember is that passing a levels are different to passing Oxbridge exams. The skillset isn’t completely the same, so just because you have good a levels, doesn’t mean you’ll do well naturally.

But it probably does

I was just going to post a link to Roger Mosey's article in the New Statesman, but see that Oneteen beat me to it. He is the Master at DD1's college, and a really nice chap (bumped into him in the Co-op when stocking DD up with provisions last year).

DD2 is absolutely fine. One of her best friends was also rejected so they have consoled one another. However, someone who has been really awful to them over the last 3 years did get an offer, albeit from Newnham, when they applied elsewhere. However, this person identifies as gender fluid, so DD2 is gleefully anticipating what might transpire.

One thing that not getting an offer has done is to take the pressure off DD2. She has mocks coming up and was getting herself all stressed about Further Maths. She has an unconditional if firmed offer from one (non RG but still decent) place and a very "gettable" offer from Warwick for which she doesn't need FM. She has realised that the Cambridge door closing is not the end of the world, but is an opportunity to explore elsewhere. She and I are both more optimistic about life than DH - stands her in good stead.

I'm happy to join in a "mums of those who didn't make it" thread, but equally having one DD at Cambridge, also willing to pass on anything useful if people need it. Best of luck to all our DC (and lots of and as we're going to need it!)

I just wonder whether there has been a little bit of a shift towards encouraging DC's to take a year out and apply once they have their A Level results ...will be interested if any stats are published because I seem to be getting the impression that there were more offers to DC's who had taken a gap year....perhaps mental health issues is now a big consideration with some of the Uni's....not all DC's are ready for Uni at 18 but thrive given a year out to mature.

Ontopofthesunset you're marvellously susceptible to marketing bumph.
For context, on the personal point you raise, since you raised it: while I accept that my DC have a very advantaged state school experience on the whole, they each wrote their personal statements entirely on their own (as indeed all applicants should), not a single one of them had even a tiny ounce of help or advice for their aptitude tests and they each had a single interview with a teacher - once an interview invite had come through - consisting of questions such as 'So why do you want to come to Oxford?' or 'Describe a book that you've read'. There was absolutely nothing in the twenty or so minute interview which replicated the real thing, such as going through a source paper for history or a legal problem or a graph about kidney function etc. Any such claim on the website is aspirational moving forward: the school has suddenly seen the gulf between the numbers which do get in and the numbers which should, given the ability of the students. This is largely due to a strong push by the new HT. So in effect I'd say my DC had almost zero prep but I can see signs that the youngest may well be better positioned next year. It's precisely this lack of Oxbridge preparation and the frustration felt by recent alumni from the school which led to one very bright young man (no relation but a friend of two of my DC) contacting the HT a year or so ago and asking if he would please support a group of them helping current students at school since they all felt that far, far more students should be getting places than actually do. Ok, admittedly the plan was formulated by him in my kitchen but hey. Just context, since the clear implication is that our school has always done heaps, which it hasn't, despite a fabulous Ho6 who works tirelessly for the students but didn't ever replicate the package given by top indies for the same ability students. To be fair, resources have been a significant issue and no past students ever put themselves forward in the same way before. Once you scratch the surface....

I'm not at all susceptible, but just assume basic honesty on a school's website. It's a good policy. A lot of the children I know at various high achieving sixth form colleges get a lot more support than you describe.

I was just trying to point out that the levels of support given to students vary significantly even within the same sector. A small non selective private school won't have anywhere near the tailored resources of Peter Symonds, for example.

And in fact, having just read your post out to DD4, we both think you might well have the school incorrectly identified because on the Oxbridge results of the past few years we absolutely can't see how on earth it could qualify as "top co-ed school for Oxbridge applications by The Times Parent Power thingy" - the numbers have nose-dived over about the past four to five years.

Cross post. Yes absolutely it varies. It's seems absurd to me that top state grammars have such able DC, easily the equal of those at top indies, and yet have such different provision when it comes to Oxbridge. It's been a hobby horse of mine together with the issue of widening access to grammars in the first place. The whole thing needs to be one seamless whole if social mobility is to work. The Oxford and Cambridge blueprint for widening access addresses just the same issues as grammars face but all the moves in this direction are positive. So that's very good too.