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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Oxbridge 2020

999 replies

GinWorksForMe · 02/05/2019 14:15

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?

OP posts:
milliefiori · 26/08/2019 12:14

affect? effect? I always get this wrong.

Ironoaks · 26/08/2019 13:46

The 2000-2003 dip in the UK birth rate affects / has an effect on (examples of each for milliefiori) university applications at all levels in the rankings.

It's less noticeable at the top end because (a) those universities are still oversubscribed even when there are fewer 17-18 year olds and (b) those universities attract more applicants from overseas.

HugoSpritz · 26/08/2019 13:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pepermintea · 26/08/2019 14:41

Joining in after our holiday. DS is applying for maths - probably Oxford, Warwick, Durham, Nottingham and Bath.

milliefiori · 26/08/2019 15:13

Thanks Hugo. I put affect then changed it. Grin

DS2 has explained his weird strategy. He's applying for HSPS which doesn't exist elsewhere. The nearest is Durham's Combined Hons in Social Sciences. DS claims almost everyone applying for HSPS applies for this too and has been told 'it would look a bit odd if you didn't', so he's applying to Durham mainly to look 'right' for Cambridge, not because it's his second choice - that's LSE (harder to get into than Cambridge) or Kings (closest thing he has to insurance.) Doesn't sound entirely practical, but he's very specific about where he wants to live and anything other than Cambridge or London just doesn't interest him, even though he knows and loves Manchester and Newcastle as cities to visit.

Ironoaks · 26/08/2019 15:17

DS claims almost everyone applying for HSPS applies for this too and has been told 'it would look a bit odd if you didn't', so he's applying to Durham mainly to look 'right' for Cambridge

Cambridge will be able to read his personal statement, but will not be able to see where else he has applied. If he likes the Social Sciences course at Durham then he should apply, but Cambridge won't know whether he has applied to it or not.

milliefiori · 26/08/2019 15:21

Good point @Ironoaks. I'm going to ask him about this. He seems to have zero interest in Durham. He's refused to go to either of the open days because they clashed with parties. I think he'd be better off applying elsewhere to a safer bet uni like Newcastle.

Cleopatrai · 26/08/2019 15:33

Cambridge will have no clue where your son has applied.

HugoSpritz · 26/08/2019 16:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Kilash · 26/08/2019 16:24

Snap Pepermintea but swap Durham for Imperial!

Coleoptera · 26/08/2019 16:29

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bpisok · 26/08/2019 16:57

Thanks for that Coleoptera- if one got an offer with less than a full hand of A* then it's not 100% due to GCSEs.

Do you mind me asking what supra curricula and extra curricular they had on their applications?

bpisok · 26/08/2019 16:59

.....I am trying to work out whether Durham would be a wasted slot for DD

hobbema · 26/08/2019 17:36

Confidence wobble here.. long time since term ended for us at the end of June, lots of supracurricular done in the summer but awareness of so much more to do once term starts.. my lovely DD couldn't be more engaged but getting spooked by super high grade boundaries in some of her A level subjects. It's a bit of a marathon test of nerve for what is, essentially, a long shot isn't it? Hoping once term starts it will roll on through. Anyone else?

bpisok · 26/08/2019 17:58

Hobemma- I think the way to treat it is as a long shot even if you have grades, PS, great references and bags of supra.
From what I can tell there's often surprises.
I guess trick is to not make a big thing of it and to make sure that they have a great alternative lined up

I rarely discuss it with DD for this very reason - which is why this MN thread is so useful!!!

milliefiori · 26/08/2019 18:03

I agree with @bpisok, @hobbema. It's good to let DC know that whether they get in or not, the extra work they do, the standards they are setting themselves will really pay off. DS2 has done nothing but work all summer (his choice not mine!) I can see a massive improvement not only in his ability but his attitude. He used to be very resistant to new ideas. He's become much more open-minded.

milliefiori · 26/08/2019 18:05

Sorry, meant to add that I've told him how brilliant this is in itself. Whether or not it gets him to Cambridge, he's now better equipped to write well at A level, and to do well in his first year at uni, wherever he goes.

Bowbridge · 26/08/2019 20:54

@Coleoptera I have sent you a pm.

Coleoptera · 27/08/2019 06:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

milliefiori · 27/08/2019 06:53

I think I also read on MN or Student Room about at least a couple of Durham applicants for History or English (can't remember which), who had something like 11 As at GCSE and already achieved 4 As at A level, didn't get an offer either last year.

That's utterly baffling. Either their personal statements and school reports were really poor (and why/how would they be?) or they applied at the Oxbridge cut-off point and Durham assumed they were sure bets for Oxbridge. Can applicants ask for feedback under circumstances like this? It must be so demoralising for a teenager to think they have done absolutely everything they could to get into a top uni and still be rejected.

milliefiori · 27/08/2019 06:57

It was all supercurricular, referring to extra reading/ essay competitions/ lectures etc that they'd experienced and then weaving these into a narrative exploring ideas and interests that they developed and that had then led to further reading and ideas - a bit like an essay on and personal educational journey.

@Coleoptera Do think Durham takes one look at a PS tilted in that way and thinks: Oxbridge? Perhaps they are getting aggressive about not wanting to be second choice.

MarchingFrogs · 27/08/2019 07:33

The History Dept back in 2010 or so had a note on the website to say 7A at GCSE including an A in History was the minimum requirement but they took that down because it was so clearly anti access.

Requiring that was anti-access (they took it down because they no longer required that as a minimum), or having that in public view (though actually retaining it as a requirement) didn't look good, given that universities were (are) meant to be finding ways to improve access?

CaravaggioLover · 27/08/2019 08:05

Morning all; I'm joining this thread as a bit of a newbie, although I've been on MN for many years! I have namechanged as well to avoid identifying details.

DD is just about to enter Y13 and is most likely applying to do French and History at Cambridge. She went to an open day and also a master class earlier in the year and really liked them, and she's pretty much narrowed it down to two specific colleges she prefers. She goes to a grammar school and got very good GCSEs last year ( 10 x 9/8, , 1x7 ) and is being predicted 3 x A* for History, French and English Lit - although the French may end up being an A prediction as the teacher is notorious for his harshness.

My dd is very bright and really loves history - she's been a bit of a boffin/geeky type about it since early childhood - but what concerns me is that she is quite a quiet type, and definitely not a super-confident, animated 'dazzler', which many of her friends are IFSWIM. She has friends who are quite 'polished' ( sorry if my terminology is a bit naff) and she doesn't push herself forward in the way other people might. This makes me nervous about the applications process - if she did get an interview, I'm not sure how she would deal with it. She's at a state school which is grammar yes, but they don't have much time for Oxbridge coaching. I work in education and know for a fact that many of the public schools around here have a very high faluting bells and whistles Oxbridge machine involving load of mock interviews and visiting 'experts' etc.

My other concern is that until the end of Y12 she was doing a 4th 'A' level which she has dropped now - a lot of the students drop their 4th - and wondered if this would work against her? she was doing well in it, but in order to really thrive in the 3 others, and to allow her to continue with her extra/super curric stuff ( she works/writes for a small museum, among other things) she felt 3 would be a more sensible choice which her dad and I fully support her in. Would this reflect negatively on her? can it be turned into a positive if it was brought up at an interview?

Thanks very much for any comments you may have - it's a very informative and helpful thread. Smile.

Ironoaks · 27/08/2019 08:14

CaravaggioLover
I'm not sure they would know that she dropped an A-level subject (unless the school mentions it).

ErrolTheDragon · 27/08/2019 08:37

CaravaggioLover - your DD sounds quite like mine (except different field) - boffin/geeky rather than a polished 'dazzler', state GS which didn't really 'coach' (she had one well-meant but quite useless practice interview, no help with the aptitude test but tbh none was needed). And she dropped her 4th subject to focus on the other 3 though being 3 years ago she was able to do the AS, it's a shame they can't do that now ... but heck, the point of education is to learn not to get grades. I don't think she was asked to justify that choice but it's a rational one that can be positively defended.

Your DD sounds like a great fit as a Cambridge candidate. The brains and love of subject are more important than 'polish' and pushiness (I'm not sure those are necessarily positives at all, especially if they edge over into an appearance of arrogance!)