Applying to Oxbridge for 2023 intake

[riverpebbles]

Not sure if there is already a thread on this? My son is hoping to apply to Cambridge for Computer Science for October 2023 start.

Agreed. It was my insurance choice for a very similar course - CCC in those days 😮

It's the standard offer though - A star A A - A A A (Politics and Economics)

I agree with this view.
I feel we all need to remember Unis are BUSINESSES and as such out to profit form our kids.

Hello Oxford, Exeter, Durham, St Andrews, Brum, and the rest of them.

Actually this needs to be a two way partnership.

This is NOT a marketing transaction this is our kids getting what you consider to be an education. But it needs to be safe, honest, sustainable and so on.

Jobs they need to do.

Oh is it the standard? Exeter has been playing around for a few years with high offers for very strong applicants though, as part of the don't-use-us-as-insurance thing. It sounds as though your DS is between the US or Oxford though, so Exeter will be a bit of a non issue.

I know very little about the US at undergrad - how is it that some have offers already? (I think you said earlier that your DS had an offer in the bag). Isn't it offers around Christmas and then again in April or do I have that completely wrong? Or is it different for eg sports scholarships?

Anyhow, sounds as though he has reason for optimism :)

Perhaps.
Personally I think it is about time the system was revamped.

I don't personally agree with Oxford or Cambridge having a seperate system to other Universities.

Why would they?

In this day and age why are we all putting up with an elite selection system? Which it STILL is?

US is ridiculously complicated. Yes, DS is v close to an offer at an Ivy after being courted 3 three of them - and a fourth just tried but was too late. Application has gone in as an 'Early' with coach support and he's been through academic and financial pre-reads so we should know for sure v soon.

Interested to cure my ignorance HoneyMobster. How does being courted manifest itself? Also what is coach support and what is a financial pre-read? is that when you aren't asking for any financial support?

Our school has very few US applicants. DS1's close friend went to Princeton but she was the first in the school to go and was fully funded by Princeton. I never asked about the process. It seemed pretty plain sailing but she was incredibly bright, so pretty much everything she ever touched turned to gold.

Grandson also has an offer from York for Archaeology now - BBB. Again a contextual offer, the usual being ABB. Still going through the various stages of the Oxford approbation though…

I'm afraid I need to be a bit guarded but in answer to your questions @goodbyestranger

1. Courting - lots of zooms calls with coaches and expenses paid trips to the US. Plus direct approaches made to DS by coaches (on the basis of his publicised sporting achievements).

2. Academic pre-read means admissions review a student's academic profile before they make a formal application to check they'll meet the institution standard. This happens for recruited athletes to ensure they are academic as well as athletic. You can't be a 'thick jock' and go to a v selective US college.

3. Financial pre-read is when you check eligibility for financial aid. You submit everything (very detailed financial info) and they will tell you what the parental contribution will be. For many families it will be $0 and for others it will be the advertised amount.

We have twins; one predicted 4 X A star, the other 3 x A star and 1x A. Considerable overlap in uni choices (for comp sci and economics respectively), but only the former including Oxbridge. And now we have one twin sitting on two offers and nothing for the other.

Am genuinely thinking it's worth high achievers sticking in an Oxbridge application even if they have no intention of accepting a place (twin 2 not interested) - just for the early offers!

Gosh, from latest posts looks like Uk and US system are nowhere near anything approaching 'equality' in terms of economics or cultural equity/access.

No surprises there then.

But if that is how we, the audience expected things to be, can so called 'top' univiersities in terms of U.K and U.s just STOP pretending they are equitable and finally drop the elitist thing?

I'm done with this Oxford and Cambridge thing personally as parent.

I really do not see why Oxford or Cambridge should have anything other than the same application process as other universities.

I hope my DD doesn't get a place at either. Not least because of the behavour of Sunak, Johnson and the rest of the Eton.Cambridge/Oxford boys.

They are a disgrace very single one of them and i will not be supporting it as mum going forward .

It has absolutely NOTHING to do with any kind of intelligence going forward.

As for paying extra money for food, costumes for dinners and so on.

It is a disgrace. Honestly.

From Twitterland (re @perseverence Oxford boys remark)

University Education of UK PMs since the war.

Oxford
None
Oxford
Oxford
Oxford
Oxford
Oxford
None
Oxford
None
Oxford
Edinburgh
Oxford
Oxford
Oxford
Oxford
Oxford

Hi perseverance. If you don't mind me saying, I think you're reading far too much into HoneyMobster's post. She is describing the US applications system which is VERY different to Oxbridge or anything we have in the U.K.

I can assure you that Oxbridge are not doing any "courting" or "pre-reads" of anything, if that's what has worried you into declaring the whole thing a disgrace?

No admissions process is ever going to be perfect and Oxbridge is no exception. It's far from perfect. But at least they try to get information on applicants from as many angles as possible - there's the PS, school reference, admissions tests (if applicable), sending essay examples in (where applicable), interviews (one, two or several), contextual considerations - and a whole raft of other questions such as Cambridge SAQ; did you parents go to uni; how large were your class sizes; did you experience any disruptions; anything else you need to tell us..,"

At least Oxbridge try! Would you rather have the system at LSE where the whole thing rests on the PS - when we all know that many students will have had a lot more help with this than others and some will have had it written for them??! It's just as competitive at LSE for many courses and it's all decided just on a few paragraphs in a PS. They all have the predicted grades or they wouldn't be applying in the first place. Students could write / make up anything in the PS and admissions tutors will never know if it's the full truth or not as they don't interview them and no admissions tests.

Also there are no costumes for dinners. It's just a black gown, like a cloak, they buy once at the start of their time there and that's it. They may wear it to the weekly "formal hall" dinner, but they don't have to go (I think at C there is only Gonville & Caius College where the formal is compulsory)? They can sit in their room and eat a Pot Noodle instead, if the mood takes them!

The food at my DC college (C) is really good and very subsidised. Like £3 for dinner. Far cheaper than other unis. In his college, something like 80% went to state schools. Some of them are the 'poshest' of all actually. There are all types there, as in life. You keep mentioning Eton but honestly, if they get in from Eton these days they have to. be very exceptional because the bar is considerably higher now for applicants from that type of school. Don't worry about Eton! It has nothing whatsoever to do with your son's application and nor do the likes of Boris Johnson. The days of EE offers and whatever else are long gone. Your DS will be assessed on HIS own merits in HIS own context, just like everyone else.

@multivac you don't have to apply to Oxbridge to put your application in early. Many students have already got most of their offers at other Unis as they applied before Oct 15th. Anyone can apply early !

@perseverence - what I described below is in answer to goodbye's question. My DS is in a very unusual position because he's a national athlete in a sport that US universities value highly. The process I've described is because of that. If he were applying on pure academics it would be very different.

It has absolutely NOTHING to do with any kind of intelligence going forward

How do you come to this conclusion perseverance? That intelligence is an irrelevance in any successful application to Oxford or Cambridge?

On the money front, my own DC have incurred less student debt at Oxford than all of their friends at other unis, with the exception of the Princeton friend.

On the Oxford background of the UK prime ministers, that does include most of the Labour prime ministers too. Also, to be fair, the electorate did have ample opportunity to vote for other leaders who had not gone to Oxford (Neil Kinnock for example), but they opted for the Oxford ticket instead.

Thanks HoneyMobster, interesting (exhausting!).

Can I very respectfully ask if we can pull this fantastic thread back on course please?

For those who applied to O, have any of your DC’s had acknowledgment emails from the actual colleges themselves yet?

DD had an email from Christ Church this week saying her application was being considered and giving details about how to submit any written work. Also asked for a photo.

@Firefox1066 DS has applied for PPE and hasn’t heard anything - he doesn’t expect to though until they have seen his TSA score.

DS has had an acknowledgment email from his Oxford College. Not expecting anything more now till mid/end Nov as to whether or not he did well enough in the PAT

I know; both twins put their applications in early. But offers are only coming for the one with Oxbridge on the list, despite them being equal prospects on paper.

I think that's just the luck of the draw, honestly. As far as I know, universities don't see where else you've applied; they may take a guess that early application = Oxbridge candidate, that's all.