Oxbridge Aspirants: Sep 2021

[funkysatsuma]

Not sure if it's too early to start this thread in Nov 2019 :)

DS would like Cambridge Economics as the first choice. Would like to know where can we get some help to prepare for the ECAA test - appreciate any pointers/links. Thanks in advance

[Vargas]

Yes, I was thinking that too, although another friend who did ML said it might be quite nice to reintegrate with friends doing other non-language subjects in third year, before they all leave after their 3 year courses.

[Hoghgyni]

www.ppe.ox.ac.uk/admissions-statistics

Oxford is beginning to publish its stats for the latest round of offers. Each subject will,publ8sh in due course. These are the ones for PPE, but they may give you a bit more insight into the process, especially with regard to personal statements, school references etc.

[Bakedpotatoandgin]

Vargas - good point. I suppose it just depends who you make friends with. As it happens my closest friends are other linguists and 4 year science students anyway!

[MidLifeCrisis007]

Thanks for posting those PPE stats. It's very clear from that how broad the academic church is at Oxford these days - particularly in the humanities. There seems to be very worryingly little correlation between good GCSE grades and predicted A level grades and acceptance rates.

[goodbyestranger]

I see a clear correlation. It doesn't seem worrying, simply that they're part of a whole. The aptitude tests quite often seem to bite applicants with perfect grades, and then people say if s/he doesn't get in , then who does? But there'll be a weak link somewhere (savage if they just had a bad day on the aptitude test day but that's how it goes).

[goodbyestranger]

But yes - really interesting Hoghgyni.

[sandybayley]

Agree with @goodbyestranger - applicants with 'perfect' GCSEs and predicted A Levels have simply met two if the entrance criteria. They need to meet the the others (entrance test, interview etc).

GCSEs are demanding but test something different to what Oxbridge tutors are looking for so I don't think there has to be a correlation between GCSE success and acceptances.

[Baaaahhhhh]

Also agree with goodbyestranger and sandybayley. It is often the case on MN and IRL that discussions center on how many excellent straight A* students get rejected for Oxbridge. No-one ever really looks at the strengths that the slightly, and I mean slightly, less perfect looking candidate may have demonstrated. I know several recent Oxbridge grads who on paper were not "perfect", but they do all have that certain "something" for their chosen subjects.

DD2 has less than perfect GCSE's, but is still applying. We live in hope .

[goodbyestranger]

Also those with offers are all concentrated in the 7 to 11 A* range at GCSE, on both graphs (raw and contextualised). So hardly 'worryingly little correlation'. Most applicants will be pre A level, so it's correct to treat the difference between predictions of one, two and three with a degree of caution.

[MidLifeCrisis007]

I have to admit that I disagree and continue to see a broad spread of abilities in the accepted candidates, on GCSE results, predicted A levels and TSA scores.

I'm struggling to see how some students with exceptionally high TSA scores (80+) were turned away in favour of others with scores of

[goodbyestranger]

They may have showed aptitude on one day and then been absolutely shockingly bad at interview another yes. They may have practised and practised and practised the TSA too, and that practising may have paid off.... up until they met tutors in real life who found nothing of particular merit beyond an aptitude to practise aptitude tests. If the tutors could rely solely on aptitude tests they would but they can't so they don't. You can see a clear grouping in all the graphs with a few 'oddities' either end - but there will be a good reason for those decisions at the extremities.

[IrmaFayLear]

I agree that what is the point of any of these aptitude tests if they are not used to cull those below a certain level. There was some murmuring on here (but extensive googling by me has failed to turn anything up...) that in the HAT test (I think it was the HAT) applicants were being docked marks for "privilege" - I'm not sure what that consisted of. If that is the case (and it is a big If) then that is ludicrous. We are then entering into some kind of handicapping system.

I agree that strings of As/9s don't necessarily translate into a desirable candidate. Some subjects are harder to do well in, and obviously not all pupils are taught equally well. Giving someone a pass on a rogue bad grade for an unconnected subject is absolutely right. I know that ds agonised for hours over whether 10As and a B was worse than 9A*s ...

But manipulating the tests which are supposed to identify the ability to think on the hoof when faced with (hopefully) unknown material is preposterous. Do they want the best or don't they?

[goodbyestranger]

Irma all these tests are capable of being 'taught' to some degree, unfortunately.

[IrmaFayLear]

I suppose so. I was looking at some essay competitions, and the winners were all from "top" schools and beautifully crafted. Not taking anything away from the winners, but not in a million years would my dcs' school be able to offer appropriate assistance with such essays. They wouldn't even know about the competitions in the first place!

[hobbema]

Essay competitions , a bit like coursework, are hardly the level playing field of an interview or aptitude test where you can be certain the only person crafting that answer is the candidate....

[FebruaryRainandSleet]

Oh, interesting -- DD would love to do an ab initio language but is only doing one language A-level. She's apparently entered her school's Linguistics Olympiad. Any experience of that? It looks like an interesting form of torture to the non-language-minded.


Oxford is a long shot (current predictions are A* A B, so she'd be hoping to up her actual grades and apply post results).

[strawberrieshortcake]

@IrmaFayLear.

You acknowledge that is is a rumour which you have absolutely no proof of saying that there are marks docked for privilege so I have no idea why it is even being brought into the conversation.

Maybe for prospective applicants parents it’s better to stick to the facts instead of gossip.

[IrmaFayLear]

It wasn't me who initially brought attention to the rumour . I thought it was "interesting" . I'm sure some disgruntled soul (or soul's parent) will make some kind of Freedom of Information request in order to uncover if there's any truth in the matter.

[Hoghgyni]

The applicants are sworn to secrecy over the content of their interviews, but I can assure you that the answers to questions my DD was asked could not be taught or prepped. They have become our favourite random conversation generator to be used over a pint or glass of something with friends. DD had a very high TSA, but applied with relatively ordinary GCSEs, including what is technically a fail disclosed on her UCAS form.

[goodbyestranger]

Hoghgyni wasn't that low grade in her FSMQ though? So it won't play any part in the GCSE calculation.

[goodbyestranger]

My understanding was that a poster's DS had a school friend whose written feedback included the fact that his HAT had been contextualised. That's pretty black and white by the sound of it

[HuaShan]

I looked at the feedback for maths decisions and they did not report on GCSE's or A level predication. There were clear upper and lower cuts offs for MAT scores - everyone over a particular score was automatically interviewed, everyone under a different score automatically rejected and then the scorers in the middle had other factors examined before being invited for interview or rejected. Similarly, a proportion of very high (80%+) scorers were NOT made an offer after interview and likewise a few lower scorers were offered. So the interview was a very important part of decision making process.

www.maths.ox.ac.uk/system/files/attachments/Feedback%202019.pdf if anyone is interested

[HuaShan]

Sorry wrong thread! Though might be interesting for any Maths applicants!

[whiteroseredrose]

Can I join you all? DD is now looking at Oxford for Earth Sciences.

She is being encouraged by DS who is already there doing Physics. I can't believe that we're going to be going through that roller-coaster again!

We had a lot of focus on the PAT for DS but there isn't an equivalent for Earth Sciences, it all rests on the interview.

We're a bit worried because DD can't do Geology at her school so the interview, if she gets one might be a bit of a challenge!

From our experience last time it's not necessarily the expected people who get the Oxbridge offers. There were some surprises at DS's school. Oxbridge seemed less bothered about A*s in every GCSE and more interested in passion for the subject.

[goodbyestranger]

whiteroseredrose a good friend of DD's has just got an offer from a fab college for Earth Sciences and Geology isn't offered at our school either.