Oxbridge applications 2023 mutual support thread

[Riverpebble]

A new, friendly thread.

My non-Oxbridge twin now has offers from Nottingham and Southampton in the bag (economics with a year in industry); so things seem a bit more equable now ...

Congratulations

Hi everyone! I might be joining for a really short time but I'm biting my nails at work reloading the student room's Cambridge spreadsheet now the interviews have started appearing for my son's course today. Fingers crossed for everyone!

Sad DS here today as no offer for Jesus at Cambridge.....apparently follow-up email days there was more than 300% the normal number of applicants and that they are only interviewing 25% not the usual 80%. A shame as he was great in paper but even stronger face to face but he's moving on to look at his other choices

Ah that's sad @Purpleheadgirl - sorry to hear that. What subject was that for? Sounds like something very competitive.
We know of someone who everyone thought would get a place, but was rejected without interview. Different college though, I think - and a competitive subject.

@usedtobeboss3 Was for Law. He says only 1 person from the 11 or 12 at their state school got an interview (across a range of subjects) which is less than normal and expectations so must be partly just a really competitive year :(

I'm sorry to hear that but I hope he can now focus on getting excited about his other offers

Dd has just received an offer for History at Bristol - very relieved, takes the pressure off her Oxford application

Sad but really good that they tell you. He can put it behind him and move on. Sounds like a hugely competitive year..

Sorry to hear this and wishing your son well with his other choices.
There are a lot of law students on the TSR tracker that did not get an interview invite for Law.

I wonder why so many applicants? Is it the same in all subjects do you think?

DS just got offer from Durham so now has Durham and Warwick, which takes the pressure of the Oxford application. Still waiting to hear from Christchurch (Ox) if he’s been shortlisted.

Well done to all who have interviews and hard luck to those who have had disappointments. I’m sure your DC’s will all end up in fab unis and thrive!

I wonder if the law applications are up due to the new way to qualify? In theory the SQE should mean anyone with any degree can progress but in reality it has removed the clearer path for non-Law graduates who used to do the law conversion course and I know a few large law firms who now have the same programme for graduates and squeezing in an extra year of study for them just doesn't fit into the new scheme so the process is excluding non-law graduates.

Good luck to all sitting the English Literature Assessment for C tmw.

DS hasn’t heard yet about Cambridge interview. Has anyone else?
He has conditional offers for Manchester, they want 3 A*’s and Lancaster as a fall back plan if he bombs out.

www.varsity.co.uk/news/24535

Applications to matriculate next year have fallen by 5% amidst Brexit pressures and the ongoing cost of living crisis

Undergraduate applications at the University of Cambridge have fallen by 5% this year, to roughly 21,500 applicants....

...The 5% fall in Cambridge applications was driven by a 7% decrease in applications from UK students. At Oxford, UK applications increased by 0.4%, with an overall 2.6% decline in applications being driven by a 12.2% drop in EU applications, and a 6.4% fall in overseas applications as a whole.

It would be interesting to see whether there is a general increase in applicants for Law (other than just at Cambridge and the subset of non-Oxbridge universities that make up the other 4 choices of those who apply there).

DD got an email about ten days ago about being invited for the assessment and that the interview would be early December tbc. She then got the precise interview date only yesterday just the day before the assessment.

Does your DS need to do an assessment? Maybe the ones that don’t need one are coming later? Well done to your DS on the Manchester offer, I have heard for some courses it is more competitive than Oxbridge due to the Brian Cox effect.

DD’s assessment should have finished half an hour ago, I haven’t heard from her how it went yet.

Still no news here, in fact DS hasn't had answers from anywhere he's applied to yet. Apparently the colleges got the NSAA results late last week so the science and engineering interviews are starting to arrive now.

DD has just finished Cambridge assesment for English lit & has her date for actual interview. 5th Dec.

She enjoyed the assessment
So fingers crossed

Good luck to all still waiting x

One of DDs friends has had a rejection from engineering at C. He is in archetypal overachiever - 12 x 9 and 4 X Astar predictions, gets through to maths olympiad every year as well as grade 8 in 2 instruments, high level sports achievements...
Can only think he Must gor nerves and flunked assessment which would be extremely unlike him....

how did he think the NSAA went? DD found S1 time pressureworse than the practices she had done (biology)

realmsofglory - that sounds crazy with his perfect grades and everything else to not get to the interview stage? Are C interviewing less this year? It used to be that they interviewed about 80%.

The music and sports wouldn't be very relevant. Maybe he just couldn't figure out how to apply the maths and physics he knows to solve whatever novel problems they'd dreamed up for this particular test within the time constraints.

Heard of an ultra-bright friend's ds not getting an interview at C yesterday for history - presuming there was no pre-test and they went on his predicted grades plus personal statement (didn't speak to friend heard on the grapevine). Having said that the school told him before the summer not to apply then said OK after second round of mocks in September so maybe their report was less than enthusiastic. He's at a grammar school that sends a fair amount of pupils. Erk! No one is a shoo-in

Thanks @PettsWoodParadise hope your DDs assessment went well.

DS applied for maths at C so will need to do an assessment but haven’t heard anything so not looking good. Got until 30th to hear by.