Oxford aspirants part 5......the wait is over the results are in!!

[TangoWhiskyAlphaTango]

Thought I would start a new thread as its likely to fill up quick now.

So here we are after many months of applications, assessments and interviews. The wait is finally over for those with DC who have applied to Oxford. Those with Cambridge applicants have another 2 weeks to wait until the 25th Jan (bummer!!)

You have all been a lovely bunch to share this journey with and I wish your dc nothing but the BEST OF LUCK for tomorrow (and the 25th).

Oxford does use the same entrance exam for PPE, pyschology & chemistry. They have an extra essay section for PPE in the TSA.

@DottyHarmer

I feel sorry for Eton kids - they presumably did not choose their school and it does now seem to carry a set of negative baggage.

I read in the paper the other day about the Rhodes Scholar unmasked: she had pretended she was disadvantaged and LGBTQetc and had in fact had an elite schooling.

It is a weird turn of events where people are desperate to claim any disadvantage in order to advantage themselves. Huge number of people on The Student Room asking what medical conditions/mental health/anxiety could bump up their chances.

I hope you're being ironic or sarcastic there @DottyHarmer!

HwH20 not sure if you're replying to an earlier post which I haven't seen or to the discussion about pre-tests for Scottish STEM applicants. If the latter, then the TSA is exactly what it says on the tin - it tests thinking skills in a non subject specific way - whereas the MAT and PAT are wholly different creatures.

Indeed I can think of a lot of PPE applicants who would have burst into tears immediately had they been asked tricky Chemistry questions in their pre-test!

Just going back to some of the comments from yesterday about how candidates present themselves in interview, specifically confidence-wise; I actually think Oxbridge are very good at digging deeper. With a very confident (but not academically secure) candidate, they may sound confident, but the tutors are experts in their field, and will be able to spot any blagging. Whereas a quiet but secure candidate will be able to be drawn out into a much more intellectually coherent argument. Speaking as the parent of a very super-shy girl who is in 1st year at Oxford. Interestingly for the quieter ones, the online interviews are a godsend, as it's much less intimidating than being at the university, with all the other candidates, especially the super confident ones.

@BilberryBaggins I agree about the online interviews - somewhat of a leveller. My daughter was interviewed at two colleges. The first it was just straight in with no waiting room or anything.

The second college had a waiting room with two current students setting her at ease and making sure her background was blurred so the interviewers wouldn't be biased by fancy books / fairy lights (my daughter's choice!) / messy kitchen table or bedroom etc. I think that was good and reduces bias. Interestingly her offer was from the second college whose values are overall more aligned with hers.

@MFLMum2021 we are in the same boat where two subjects are pretty secure and the third is less predictable with essays fluctuating between A and B. Its actually a pre U - I believe one of the few state schools (especially in the north) that still does pre U. So she could end up two A and then a M1 in her third subject.

@Juja and @MFLMum2021 DN is in the same boat with a more questionable third A Level (could go either way between an A and B). He got his Durham offer which is the same as his Oxford one! So unlikely to be his insurance choice, I wouldn't have thought.

I would put DN in the quietly confident camp. He knows his abilities and apparently really enjoyed his interviews but not one to shout out about his ability.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18

Huge number of people on The Student Room asking what medical conditions/mental health/anxiety could bump up their chances. It wouldn't surprise me if there's not a trend to affluent people moving to disadvantaged areas short-term just to gain 'contextual offers' for their DC.

Interloper here, sorry. (Will be here next Yr with DD.)

Exactly what you describe @NewModelArmyMayhem18 formed part of the 'Varsity Blues' scandal in the US. I am from the US originally but my children are growing up here and will be attending uni here. College entrance was competitive 30 yrs ago when I went, but is off the scale now. In addition to faking extracurriculars, parents have been getting their kids diagnosed with a learning disorders to allow for extra times on exams. There are also lots of ways for an ambitious student/parent to 'market' themselves to for example staff, alumni, etc that could be used to influence the outcome but would not (yet) be considered socially acceptable or allowed here. It is seen as being 'proactive' and 'showing enthusiasm' in the US.

I think the UCAS system will help curtail the growth of the most egregious abuses in the US but the medical condition/mental health angke on testing may be one route that is open.

I should have said "egregious abuses SEEN in the US here."

Agree with @BilberryBaggins .

I have two very quiet dcs. In fact ds had to sit on his hands in the interview to stop them shaking. Confidence in discussing the subject appears to be what they are looking for, rather than confidence in general. (Although that’s a very nice thing to have - I wish!)

That’s an important insight @DottyHarmer. It makes sense. They aren’t looking for outgoing personalities as such, but students who can thrive and contribute in small tutorial groups. For the whole thing to work a student needs to put themselves out their, articulate their opinions and be willing to push and be pushed intellectually.

Having done a degree where litany the only question asked for 2 years by my fellow students was 'is this going to be in the exam' I feel like I know why they look for that stuff. My cohort were in fact much more intellectually curious than that made them sound but it took a bit of time to develop and they weren't interested in participating in a discussion.

Dd state sixth form college updated her with Oxford stats today. 16 applicants with 10 interviews and 8 offers apparently this has been a "good year" for their Oxford applicants. Can't help but feel it's added pressure now for the C lot 😱

Not sure where my second post came from

It would be interesting to know @TangoWhiskyAlphaTango what the trend has been in recent years in applications from your DD's college. The growth in state school 'success' seems to have been driven by greater numbers applying, which is a testament to the outreach work undertaken by both Oxford and Cambridge.

@HoneyMobster Not sure on that front as we only know the number of applicants this year as Dd was in their Oxbridge group and a teacher just released the figures. I know last year was 14 offers for Oxbridge overall (unsure how many applied) but previous years around 6-8 so an upward trend. Maybe though due to inflated grades this year and last and more DC having the confidence to apply. Dd college principal was a Cambridge History graduate so his influence may have something to do with it.

Here you go @TangoWhiskyAlphaTango - you can see the growth in numbers applying from state schools since 2016 😊

At DDs highly academic London day school they received 20 offers. 15 went to girls despite the fact that boys outnumber girls 3:1. Apparently the atmosphere at school is now quite tense and toxic as some boys feel they are being overlooked because they don’t “tick any boxes”.

@Oceanic995 How ridiculous. Oxbridge is still very much a happy hunting ground for privately educated males.

Why do the girls tick boxes? There are more female than male students at Oxbridge (though I don't know how accurate the statistics are at the moment, they will have been pretty accurate a couple of years back):

I’m sure the clever white males will do just fine in life anyway

That’s an impressive/unusual number of Oxford offers for any mixed London private - (except Westminster - but boys there surely v clever and polished?!) - very much against the general private decline … well done to the girls