Oxbridge 2020

[GinWorksForMe]

Is it too early for an Oxbridge 2020 thread? I'm feeling in need of some hand holding through this process...

DS1 is going to apply to Cambridge for Maths. Doesn't know yet whether to name a college or put in an open application, so any tips gratefully received. We have visited two (very different) colleges and been to a Maths Open Day. It's unlikely we're going to have the opportunity to visit many more colleges as their open days seem to be on Saturdays and DS1 has a paid job Saturdays and Sundays.

Anyone else applying for Oxbridge for 2020 entry and want to share the journey?

I actually agree to an extent but it’s good to have differences in opinion! Law has admission tests outside of Oxbridge also, unlike say History or French.

Can someone explain why Cambridge puts entrance requirements as AAA in the prospectus for a subject then you look at the colleges accepting that subject and some want AAA others AAA then discrepancies in what subjects at A level, some saying for instance they insist on math and biology others don't ask for pacific subjects when it is the same degree in all of the colleges?

Sostenueto
This is how I understand it (I'm sure someone will correct me if it's wrong):

At Oxford, the admissions are coordinated by that subject department e.g. all Physics applicants are sifted using the same criteria by the Physics department admissions team. Those applicants who score high enough in the pre-interview test (e.g. PAT) are invited for interview at individual colleges, but a successful candidate would be given the same grade offer from one college as the next.

At Cambridge, the admissions are done by each individual college. Within one subject, all colleges use the same system for assessing applications, and the same scale for scoring interviews (so an applicant who is pooled can then be considered by a college with fewer applicants), but the requirements and grade offer can vary slightly between colleges.

Thanks ironoaks

That sounds about right. The colleges have a lot of autonomy and can have different requirements so the university web page will tend to say something like 'typical requirement' and advise checking the specific requirements of colleges. When DD was applying, there was a table for all the colleges for her subject which showed requirements and 'strongly desirable' or 'useful' subjects - something like that, anyway. So it wasn't too hard to navigate.

Would anyone advise an 'open' application rather than a pacific college?

Sost, as I understand it, at Oxford an open application means that you have the same chances of getting an offer, but less chance of getting an offer from a college that suits you more.

However, I don't know if that applies to Cambridge too. It depends on the system for sharing applicants around that the chosen college is going to reject but they are still very worthy candidates. What did they tell you/ your DD at the parent admissions talk?

oops.. I didn't see the replies until after I posted.

@Sostenueto - DS1 is applying to Oxford but I have just checked the Cambridge site for you. They explicitly say that making an open application does not impact on your chance of securing an offer - the odds seem about the same either way.

So if you can't decide on a college it's ok to go 'open'. TBH I think it's sensible not to get too hung up on any particular college anyway (I have told DS1 this) because of the chance of getting an offer elsewhere or being put in the 'pool' (a Cambridge thing) and fished out by a college.

While there's not meant to be any advantage or disadvantage to making an open application versus applying to a specific college in terms of getting an offer, it means you're more likely to be allocated to one of the less oversubscribed colleges.

You can use the interactive graph generator to see which colleges take more open candidates. It is apparent from this that there's quite a high probability that a female open student will be allocated to one of the women's colleges, and that the geographically awkward ones (Girton and Homerton) also take a lot of open applicants.

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

FWIW my DD was pooled to Murray Edwards and is very happy there (despite having been adamant she didn't want to go to a women's college when she applied!) but there's a downside in that the newer colleges tend to have the highest rents - the old massively well endowed colleges can subsidise their students, in effect.

So, I'd say it's generally best to make a specific application but accept you may be pooled.

Hi milliefiori. I can't imagine how tense you will be on 13 Aug next year, but I suppose you've been through that already with GCSEs.

Are they taking the same A levels? I know of a brother & sister (not twins) who have ended up taking the same exams at the same time. Their marks are usually 1-2% apart which is slightly unnerving.

Thank you all for advice

Hoghgyni of my six DC to have done Finals, their mark range was also 2% from highest to lowest which is quite weird (across three subjects too: one science (Medicine), two social science (Law) and three Arts (History).

And that's despite their being very different characters with completely different approaches to work and exams. I was sorting out my desk recently and hadn't realised just how close they all were until I put all their transcripts in order.

I suppose at GCSE and A levels it's weirder though, on reflection.

Sostenueto I'd say the same as Errol: probably best to go for a college which 'fits' with whatever your DGD wants from it, but be sanguine about the possibility of pooling.

Hi @Hoghgyni
They only overlap by one subject and they are pretty evenly matched on it. DS1 tends to do better but both do well in it.

Aug 13 next year will be tense. But the tension I'm dreading is: what if one gets invited to interview and the other doesn't? What if one is made an offer and the other rejected? I know how very difficult that will be for them. I feel slightly sick just thinking about it.

I suppose that there is so much focus on the application process for Oxford & Cambridge, that if one gets knocked out at an early stage, but the other doesn't, it's very difficult to avoid it whilst dealing with their own disappointment. Hopefully all of ours will get offers (it could happen!) and they will never know. Meanwhile they can all look forward to 4 alternative offers (again, hopefully).

Hi @milliefiori, I'm 100% here with Hugo about being realistic about Oxbridge probabilities. For ds (Maths) is a 1 in 10 shot. He's also happy about Plan B which will be either Warwickor Imperial and he is more than 90% sure to get a Warwick offer based on the UCAS calculator. It's plan C that might cause disapointment (Warwick and Imperial want the same grades as Oxford! )

@HugoSpritz - I totally agree about plan B. I told them both that it's a long shot and that they should only feel up to applying if their plan B feels as exciting. DT2 has taken this on board but DS1 just has no desire to go elsewhere. He's fixated. He stands a good chance, but every year the school says the people they thought would walk it are turned down, so you just never know.

DS2 really loves a course at Kings in London which he has a very good chance of getting accepted for. DS2 can just about face the thought of St Andrews but not really. He's just fallen in love with Oxford and I feel for him because I did too at his age. It's a bit like having a crush on someone.

@Kilash Hi. The grades baffle me. I'm not sure either of my DC has what you could really call an insurance choice (Kings, maybe, at a push, but just because they take a lot more students) But LSE, Durham, St Andrews, UCL etc all ask for Oxbridge grades and some stats say they are as hard to get into.

I don't know about your subjects millieriori but I do know that for Maths Warwick happily scoops up at the people that either don't get an offer or miss their Cambridge STEP. Imperial is a direct competitor with Oxbridge and they are for the grades because they can. Ds is putting 2 safe choices that he is likely to exceed but he had looked carefully at the courses and is happy with the content. He's ok about nor getting an Oxford offer but would be v upset if he missed a Warwick place because of A level grades. And no year out with Maths either so it's all on this year!

That should be they ask for the grades because they can!