Oxbridge Aspirants 2022...Part 2...applications submitted now the tense wait!

[TangoWhiskyAlphaTango]

Thought I would start a new thread as part one is nearly full and found thread one to be of great support.

So its deadline week this week for our applicants then the nervous wait begins to find out of they have made it to interview. DD applying for HSPS at Cambridge. We know it is a long shot but got to be in it to win it and she is very keen to try. Looking at the admissions info it does not look as though she will need to sit a test prior but all the best to those who will have to.

@ealingwestmum

Ooh, I read Terrified’s reference to madness was towards her own DD!

Me too!

I should re read my comments before posting, sorry for repetition

As someone who’s been through it all as a parent, my advice would be to focus on the course your dc want to do, and any preparation should be about widening and deepening their interest in that subject. As I said upthread, my dd got in despite coming in the lowest band for the entrance paper, so they really are looking at the whole picture.

T&W - your dd will almost certainly get an interview, because she will have been at the very high end of her school’s cohort for GCSE. The interviews will look at how she would respond in a tutorial style system - extra-curricular stuff is not really looked at, unless directly relevant, but it’s all about ‘what did I learn from this’ rather than the activity in itself. She should read widely about her subject, separate from what is required for A Level, and should read academic articles that she can draw on in interview. Good luck!

ealingwestmum one of my sons gfs has just graduated in MFL from a central college with a large intake for languages and was really cross at the number of students who were native speakers. It's very often not obvious from surnames. It's not an issue for the law studies in Europe - almost fair play/ may provide a reason for a particular interest in the law of that geographical area - but it certainly seems a bit dubious for MFL. But then, there's so much literature/ culture on the course that also arguably not.

[quote Eightytwenty]@Geamhradh that is impressive but also soooo long. Poor kids having to endure it all that time (even with good provision). School is more than just learning. I’m grateful that ours were allowed to go back in between the lockdowns and do sport / socialise with friends. Even if as this wave is proving they are also very good at being Covid vectors.[/quote]
Absolutely.

Starting back this September it was like seeing people reborn. (I'm in the same school) We are the region in Europe whose schools did the longest online- fat cat regional governor who prefers to spend money getting the tourists here in summer instead of dealing with poor infrastructure and things like school transport. (one of the reasons they closed so early last September was because transport was operating at 50% capacity for SD, yet the region didn't think that might require putting on MORE actual buses )

Fingers crossed now that's more or less totally behind us. No known cases at all since September 🤞

BilberryBaggins the LNAT has the potential to scupper any application, although that doesn't sound likely to happen with this particular DD, given the 12 9s. But you know, can't dismiss its importance for Oxford Law.

@goodbyestranger

BilberryBaggins the LNAT has the potential to scupper any application, although that doesn't sound likely to happen with this particular DD, given the 12 9s. But you know, can't dismiss its importance for Oxford Law.

For definite not dismissing it, but just making the point that the entrance exam is not a pass/fail situation, but adds to the overall picture of the candidate. My dd got the result the day before offers were made, and was convinced that that would mean she wasn’t given an offer, but it was fine. I don’t know whether exams will have more significance this year though given that GCSEs were CAGs, and whether that will be more subject specific.

BilberryBaggins extra curriculars can be important for different reasons at Oxford and Cambridge - de-stressing (especially relevant for medics) and also for demonstrating the ability to achieve at a high level while juggling other commitments outside academic work. Can be very tutor dependent - some clearly care more than others but I wouldn't say it was all about what has been learned.

Was your DD Law too Bilberryaggins? (sorry, I've forgotten). Congrats to her anyhow - must have done very well indeed at interview.

^B!

I don’t agree - all the advice given by Oxford tutors, particularly regarding personal statements (which for the purpose of this thread is not relevant now) and interviews, is that yes, it can show you can juggle a busy workload, but what they are interested in at interview is whether you can cope with a tutorial system, and whether you have read beyond the subject, and can draw threads of knowledge together to build an argument. The admissions tutors all say that you should put extra curricular at the bottom of the personal statement, perhaps

@goodbyestranger

Was your DD Law too Bilberryaggins? (sorry, I've forgotten). Congrats to her anyhow - must have done very well indeed at interview.

No, she is doing a humanities subject. Thank you - I have no idea how she did at interview, but she really liked the tutors, and felt she wanted to learn from them, which was a good sign I thought - and I was really pleased that her college really did look at the whole picture, not strike people out because one aspect didn’t go so well.

Goodbyestranger - sorry that came across very adversarial - wasn’t meant to be, just sharing what we learned through the process. Wasn’t intended to be a ‘shoot you down’ type post!!!! I think all perspectives are helpful. Sorry if that came across a bit shouty!

Lots of DC of native speakers in DD’s school, it has a very heavy international mix. Over 70% of her Spanish A level class are home speaking, it took a lot for her to overcome her confidence issue to hold her own, helped by activities such as debating.

On the plus side, exposure to lots of native speakers should have helped your DD's accent.

Not what I'd call shouty BilberryBaggins - no problem!

I agree that that's what said and advised by schools and is of course a sensible way to write a personal statement, although most of my DC just listed their extra curriculars in a short paragraph at the end, with no comment at all. But for medics for example it's a very specific area: the Oxford tutors asked the applicants in DSs cohort what they did to de-stress/ about their extra curriculars. What's written on the website and what's said in q and a sessions is almost always the truth but occasionally isn't the whole truth and nothing but.

For Medicine I'm talking about playing pool etc or running the four minute mile rather than work experience - obviously not a level playing field, the work experience one.

@goodbyestranger

Not what I'd call shouty BilberryBaggins - no problem!

I agree that that's what said and advised by schools and is of course a sensible way to write a personal statement, although most of my DC just listed their extra curriculars in a short paragraph at the end, with no comment at all. But for medics for example it's a very specific area: the Oxford tutors asked the applicants in DSs cohort what they did to de-stress/ about their extra curriculars. What's written on the website and what's said in q and a sessions is almost always the truth but occasionally isn't the whole truth and nothing but.

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Yes, would agree with that.

Anyone who wants some advice re interviews, there is a great series of videos on YouTube by one of the tutors from Keble College - he does some mock interviews and then unpacks them - well worth a watch.

DD moved to a state 6th form in a deprived area for A levels from her supposedly outstanding state secondary school in a job deprived area after very disappointing lockdown provision (not a single online lesson provided🥺). It has been amazing throughout with really inspiring teachers and tons of support and encouragement. I think she’s pretty special too-as all the kids are who managed to do this when they have never sat a single exam before. Her extracurricular are also high though the biggie of being at Conservatoire and post grade 8 on 2 instruments has yet to be mentioned!

Has applied for Modern and ancient history at Oxford. She thought the HAT went as well as could be expected so now we wait.

Fortunately, she has had offers from Birmingham, Cardiff, and Exeter-though yet to hear from her back up of Swansea. Though to be fair, Birmingham has provided her back up by offering her BBB if she gets an A in her EPQ and firms them (which she will do if Oxford is a no).

Sorry, not Keble College, Jesus College.

Lots of good advice here www.youtube.com/channel/UCnNVlMl7ZIy2laJ4Md8AdLA/videos

Law interview examples here

Thanks @BilberryBaggins, extremely helpful links 😊

The thread has moved on and I have no practical advice to offer as I am new to this whole process, but @TerrifiedandWorried I just wanted to say you do not sound like a wanker. It has been a hard year for all of us, harder for our DC. I hope this is a safe space where we can say things that perhaps we could not say in real life, including of course thinking that our DC deserve to be in Oxbridge:) Though whethe they will get in is a different story.

The law interview link is really interesting BilberryBaggins.