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Higher education

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

Original poster

Oxbridge Aspirants 2022

997 replies

TangoWhiskyAlphaTango · 26/03/2021 07:35

Hi not too sure if there is another thread started as could not see one. May be waaaaaay too early but wondered if any other parents out there who have a child applying for next year?

Dd would like to apply to Cambridge to study History and Politics in 2022. She is at a state A-level college doing History, Politics and English Literature. I have never had to push her towards studying she is a very motivated child and wants to give Cambridge a shot (a very long shot as we know!). Her GCSE results were good but not top notch (9s in History, English Language and literature and the rest 7s and 6s) so not sure how much this will affect her. So far her A-level essays are coming out at As and A* and those are her predicted grades so if she continues on track that should meet the criteria.

She reads a lot of extra curricular stuff and has a genuine passion for politics, has joined the local Labour party youth group. She has applied for the summer programme at Cambridge & is part of an Oxbridge group that the college puts together.

It feels like a such a long shot and the stats of actually getting in are very low only 18% of applicants successful in 2019 so I am trying to tell her not to get her hopes up whilst actually supporting her!

She is my first born so I have never been through this before. Anybody else out there? Would be lovely to hear from you.

OP posts:
IrmaFayLear · 19/04/2021 08:29

That’s automatic pool if you get to interview stage . Even a full-house applicant might blow the entrance exam badly.

Also, things change. Given this year’s grade-award system, there may possibly be too many applicants holding top grades so automatically pooling them would disadvantage pre-A Level people.

aashna · 19/04/2021 10:29

Thanks I didn’t realise this. So is it 2xA and an A achieved for guaranteed pooling at Cambridge (assuming interview)? I would have thought it would need to be three A achieved?

IrmaFayLear · 19/04/2021 12:21

I thought it was all As myself. Perhaps it depends on the subject. The main thing for a post A Level application is to exceed the standard offer, which at Cambridge is generally high. I don’t think a lot of people realise this (judging by a few on earth the student room) particularly for Oxford, where 3As is the offer but not* what successful applicants (barring considerations) actually achieve.

PacificState · 19/04/2021 19:28

@LondonMischief DS (maths) is only doing three A Levels, but that's all his school ever does (he also did an AS). His school has a decent Oxbridge hit-rate so I guess the admissions tutors know this and don't mark them down for it.

His school did say very firmly though that if you don't have three A stars predicted, in their experience you were unlikely to get an interview. Maybe there's a bit of wiggle room if you're taking 4, I don't know.

On colleges (Oxford) - DS literally stood on broad street, pointed at one and said 'that one'. He'd already eliminated the 'biggies' (Christchurch, Magdalen, Balliol etc) as adding a pointless level of difficulty, and was basically looking at the middle of the Norrington table which is the academic ranking for undergraduate colleges. The only advice from his school was that their applicants should all try to apply to different colleges from each other to maximise their chances. He wasn't pooled and got an offer from his first choice. As others have said, don't sweat it too much - eliminate the impossibles (eg don't do the right course), do a bit of research, but there's so much pooling etc that anything can happen really.

SeasonFinale · 19/04/2021 21:48

Cambridge are also dropping aptitude tests for some of their subjects now too.

goodbyestranger · 19/04/2021 22:08

On colleges (Oxford) - DS literally stood on broad street, pointed at one and said 'that one'. He'd already eliminated the 'biggies' (Christchurch, Magdalen, Balliol etc) as adding a pointless level of difficulty, and was basically looking at the middle of the Norrington table which is the academic ranking for undergraduate colleges.

I'm sorry, but that really is faintly ridiculous.

ClarasZoo · 19/04/2021 22:41

I checked auto pool and it is now 3 a stars. Pretty sure it used to be 2 but I think this is due to the CAGs from 2020...

PacificState · 19/04/2021 22:49

Oh it is @goodbyestranger and a bit galling even for me given that I'm an Oxford reject who tried to game my college choice 30 years ago and didn't get in. He had a shortlist of 6 or so based on Norrington, and he knew he wanted a central-ish one, but as college tours were off the agenda and none of us have very up to date knowledge he really did just pick his first choice like that in the end. I'm not advocating it as a strategy - just saying that in his case at least, college cluelessness turned out not to matter. As ever luck will have played a part - we'll just probably never know how.

goodbyestranger · 19/04/2021 23:08

I may have expressed myself badly PacificState. It just sounds incredibly pretentious to actually go physically to Broad St and wave in the direction of Trinity or Exeter having scoured the Norrington Table. Just pick a pretty college or an ugly one or a central one or anything really, but there's a mismatch between the calculations from the Norrington Table and the nonchalant waving having taken up a special waving position in Broad St.

DahliaMacNamara · 20/04/2021 00:15

I'd never heard of the Norrington table before this evening. Don't tell me that's another layer of snobbery. If successful, DD'S college is distinctly mid-table. Dearie me, the shame.

sandybayley · 20/04/2021 07:20

I don't even know where DS1's Oxford college sits on the norrington. I'm much more interested in the notorious alumni. That probably tells you a lot about me.

FoolsAssassin · 20/04/2021 07:24

DS’s college have said 3 A levels fine and I know one of this year’s students who has an Oxford offer (STEM) is doing 3 so I figure they know what they are talking about.

DS seems to want to stick with 4 as far as I can tell which is hard as he is not saying a lot at the moment. Think we’ll see how end of year exams go and then review.

chitchattery · 20/04/2021 08:17

DD was advised against doing four a levels for a Cambridge application as they can then make the offer based on four. She did three for physical NatSci (not including FM) even though many at her school do go ahead and do four. She is in fourth year now so did sit aptitude tests and was not impacted by Covid grading problems. Perhaps that makes a difference.

BigWoollyJumpers · 20/04/2021 10:47

He'd already eliminated the 'biggies' (Christchurch, Magdalen, Balliol etc) as adding a pointless level of difficulty

DD1 was allocated, and got an offer from Magdalen, having set her heart on Univ. Most of DD's friends didn't get their first choice, so it's a wonder anyone ever does! They must do I suppose, but we only personally knew one.

goodbyestranger · 20/04/2021 11:06

What subject did/ does your DD do BWJ?

Five out of seven of mine have been their given offers by their first choice, and the other two interviewed at their college of choice but were given offers by colleges which for particular reasons (vibe mainly/ also tutors' particular interests) suited them far better than their original choice.

I think to some extent it's subject dependent.

goodbyestranger · 20/04/2021 11:09

All their colleges were old and central and included 'biggies'. The 'biggies' named aren't actually the most applied to anyhow. DD4 is at a non biggie (I wouldn't call it a smallie) but it happens to be the most applied to. So take care about your criteria for choice!

goodbyestranger · 20/04/2021 11:50

If you're trying to game it that is.

carlinwife · 20/04/2021 16:45

Does anyone have any views/experience of Queen’s College Oxford? DS is thinking of applying there. Grateful for any opinions here or via DM.

ClarasZoo · 20/04/2021 16:53

@chitchattery

DD was advised against doing four a levels for a Cambridge application as they can then make the offer based on four. She did three for physical NatSci (not including FM) even though many at her school do go ahead and do four. She is in fourth year now so did sit aptitude tests and was not impacted by Covid grading problems. Perhaps that makes a difference.
She must have done well on the admission tests and at interview then, and her ability in maths must be up to FM even though she did not take it. Because the admissions talks I went to said that they want Maths, Maths, Maths and more Maths!
goodbyestranger · 20/04/2021 17:38

carlinwife one of my DC read History at Queen's recently. College is fab but I'd have misgivings about the accommodation on offer now which is different from when DC was there. There's a squeeze on accommodation because of the Florey building being closed, and now second and subsequent years live out/ in not very lovely annexes.

carlinwife · 20/04/2021 17:55

Thank you @goodbyestranger. He wants to apply for a choral scholarship and his teachers are very keen on Queen’s (they have links there maybe?) but that accommodation issue sounds a bit worrying.

chitchattery · 20/04/2021 18:03

@ClarasZoo. She had a chemistry interview and a maths interview and aptitude tests in both. Presumably she did well enough. There was certainly no chat about her personal statement. Just a white board and pen! She found the first year extremely maths heavy which she expected but was still surprised. A friends DS in first year bio NatSci has complained that if he’d wanted to do a maths degree he would have applied to do maths. There is much more than he expected, so I think you are right that it is important, not just to get in but to keep up once there.

Twisique · 20/04/2021 19:24

Anyone have any luck with Uniq?

goodbyestranger · 20/04/2021 19:34

DC's partner was a choral scholar at Queen's and had an amazing experience on the choral front. Queen's choir has a reputation for being the strongest in Oxford. But I'd be very wary about living out for second as well as third year. DC's room in third year was magnificent - it was be grim to go from that in first year to grotty annexes. I think most second and third years will live in privately rented accommodation. It may be a perk of the choir that you get to live in for all three years - but then you're socially isolated to an extent.

goodbyestranger · 20/04/2021 19:37

I will put in a good word for the quality of drink and cake and sandwich at graduation though - completely and utterly delicious :)