Oxbridge Aspirants 2022

[TangoWhiskyAlphaTango]

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.

[Piggywaspushed]

Just checked. He has til the 22nd: I am guessing that is set for everyone at a week after the deadline.

[Chilldonaldchill]

Last year DD - history - had a test that would normally have been part of her interview (I think?) but was a few days earlier online (reading an extract and then writing about it. I think they had an hour but it could have been slightly less). That was then looked at alongside the results of her interview I assume (it's not like the Oxford one though; they didn't receive results for it).
By the way she did not complete the SAQ at all - I know it's important if students are applying for different subjects at O/C than the rest of their unis but if they're not it doesn't seem to be important/necessary.

[ofteninaspin]

Completing an SAQ was optional when DS applied (for 2020 entry). He completed it because it was an opportunity to submit a mini PS tailored to his Cambridge subject. Durham also allowed a separate PS but I don't know if this is still possible.

[Chilldonaldchill]

@ofteninaspin

Completing an SAQ was optional when DS applied (for 2020 entry). He completed it because it was an opportunity to submit a mini PS tailored to his Cambridge subject. Durham also allowed a separate PS but I don't know if this is still possible.

It was last year. DD didn't do that either. She didn't get an offer from Durham though so I don't know if her not completing it was detrimental to her application.

[Horace123]

Hoping those with DC doing or interested in classics at Oxford can help. DS has applied and did a practice CAT at school yesterday and has been given two marks - one mark out of 50 for verse and one mark out of 50 for prose (because he is doing Latin he only has to do the Latin CAT - no need to do the Greek stuff or the aptitude test). They will be doing a few more of these I think before the actual test in November.

I'm obviously interested to know what a "good" score is. I found this Freedom of Information Request reply which links to a spreadseet (see link below). But I'm confused because the scores all look to be out of 100. Is that because the actual scores (out of 50) are shown as a percentage? I would have thought they'd put the actual scores.

Anyone got any idea what mark out of 50 for both prose and verse would be considered ok?

www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiM0ey07rfzAhUIB2MBHcm4AiIQFnoECAIQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatdotheyknow.com%2Frequest%2Fcat_scores_of_classics_1_applica&usg=AOvVaw1HXk08T6rN4p04kKPHjvvl

[estherfrewen]

We had issues uploading photo for the SAQ - however we tried we couldn't get the pixels or the sizing right. There is a button to email if you have issues and you can just do the rest of the form. They got back to DS really quickly and were very helpful. Ended up emailing photo and they did the upload

[doubleshotcappuccino]

@estherfrewen that's great to know as DDs is quite stretched out at the moment ! We were just going to send it anyway ..

[Horace123]

@ProggyMat and @pantjog meant to tag you in my earlier post re CAT scores in case you are also interested.

[estherfrewen]

@doubleshotcappuccino - 45 minutes we spent trying to sort the photo - we had scanned versions, iPad versions, phone versions and none of them fit the criteria!

[doubleshotcappuccino]

@estherfrewen so glad to have this thread and shared experience ! Literally would feel like the only ones doing this otherwise - resolving to keep a sense of humour so seeing DDs stretched photo where it wasn't loading properly gave us both a laugh ..

[goodbyestranger]

I have a Classics DD at Oxford, took her aptitude test two sessions ago. But she's on the Classics II course, so may not be relevant.

[doubleshotcappuccino]

@Horace123 sorry I can't help as Dd is Cambridge applicant.. and you probably know about this already but here is the url for the student room Oxford chat just in case you don't get an answer here:

www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6822050&p=95986368&page=86&highlight=Oxford+2022#post95986368

[Horace123]

@doubleshotcappuccino thank you!

[goodbyestranger]

Given how many they interview for Classics Horace, the aptitude test is of less relevance than it is for say History, where it determines the interview invite to a far, far greater extent. It's clear from the stats a tutor posted for the Classics ii course that a really low score can be upended at interview and an offer secured. The reverse also seemed to hold true.

[ProggyMat]

@Horace123 DD has just received her UCAS predicted grades and just about tamed the beast that is her PS- her application is being submitted tomorrow.
I know she’s done some practice CATs but she hasn’t mentioned anything about marks, only how she’s found them.
I’ll ask her tonight if anything has been said about ‘good’ scores.

[Toobuktim]

I’ve been following this thread for a few days now, DS is looking at Oxford for 2022 entry, so we are a bit off yet. I like to be organised in my head and know what to expect, so this thread is really helpful! He’s looking to do Physics and hopefully will get quite a bit of help with applications via school as they do tend to have 6-10 a year getting into Oxbridge.

[SandyBayley]

DD's application has been 'acknowledged' by Oxford 😊 Next thing for a BMAT on 3 November...

[Toobuktim]

Ooops! 2023 entry

[Gizmo98765]

@Toobuktim my DS is looking at Nat Sci at Cambridge but so wish he had chosen Physics @ Oxford.

As he didn’t study chemistry or biology at A so his options will be restricted with Nat Sci. But he is worried he wouldn’t get into O as he fell fowl of the schools additional algorithm when doing his GCSE’s and doesn’t feel they are good enough for O (see photo). His predicted A grades are A*s in Maths, FM, Physics & EPQ and an A in another subject not relevant to his interests and UG choices.

[Piggywaspushed]

There is quite a big myth online that the CAGs inflated a lot of GCSE grades. A lot of state schools basically used their own algorihtms so even when it was abandoned , students at the top end, for example, were hampered by only two students being 'allowed' , say, a 9 in Spanish because of prior data. If you were third in rank order, even if assessments were all 9, hard cheddar. The abandonment of the algorithm certainly helped lots of students, especially at A level and at certain grade boundaries, but by no means all.

I would like to think Oxbridge is aware of this. there is fairly robust research around this.

[Toobuktim]

@Gizmo98765 I really think that the predicted results from the last two years are not going to be as heavily relied upon as in previous years. If their personal statement stands out a little bit more and their performance in whatever test set by the department they are applying for is good then I think that will go a long way in the chance for them to be called for interview.
My DS really just wants to do Physics and didn’t want to run the risk at Cambridge of not being able to do that. His current A levels are Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Computer Science. He’ll drop a 5th A level shortly and is also working on a EPQ.
Your DS’s predicted grades will be what is looked at first for his application, and they are excellent ones - I wish him all the best.

[randomuseragain]

@Gizmo98765 in my experience I thought NatScis needed to have 3 sciences + FM? Unis won't be looking too much at the GCSEs as it's hard to know how reliable they are, his predicted grades and PS will be of interest. If it's Oxford Physics he wants, he should go for Oxford, not Cambridge NatSci which is altogether a very different course.

[Toobuktim]

Nat Science at Cambridge will accept Maths, Further Maths and Physics as A levels.

[Gizmo98765]

Thanks all he submitted he has submitted his PS to school at the weekend with C as his first choice. If he applies to O and misses out he will blame us but its really more Physics he wants to do at a top Uni (he loves Physics, FM and maths especially the first two) and he thinks he has more chance of getting into C than O due to his GCSE grades so he was put off applying to O because of this.