Oxbridge applications 2023 mutual support thread

[Riverpebble]

A new, friendly thread.

We've had a rejection for E&M from St Peters College. Email came in at 724am on the school run. DD was so brave to open the email just before school. She's gutted (and so am I for her) but okay. She has an offer from Bristol and waiting to hear from St Andrews, Durham and Kings.Congratulations to all with interviews and wish you all success.
This was our first time doing an oxbridge application, thank you for the support this thread has been. All the best.

Sorry to hear that @hiltz. E&M is a massive lottery with only 5% applicants offered a place. I would really impress that to your daughter as they must turn down so many qualified students. Compared with say classics where your chances are nearer 50%.

Hi hiltz - E&M is one if the most (if not the most?) competitive subject at Oxford and a particularly long shot for absolutely anyone. Your add gave it her best shot and that's all they can do. The very best of luck to her going forward.

@LionsandLambs and @palis , thank you for your kind words.

One of mine went to Bristol and had a fantastic time, they loved the university. Good luck 🙂

Sorry to hear that hiltz.

LionsandLambs that comparison between subjects is extremely shaky, but probably not a thing to get into right now as people are getting invites or not as the case may be.

Sorry for your DD @hiltz but as others have said I've known people have a great time at Bristol and she has great other options too.
I think we all accept that it's highly competitive for a place in any subject and agree with @goodbyestranger.

DD just got an interview for English at O. So, so happy for her. But not happy that this rollercoaster is continuing. I really underestimated just how hard this was going to be as a bystander. Really hope those of you waiting hear soon.

@hiltz sympathies...know how you feel...dd also rejected for e&m this am. Bristol offer too - but waiting on St Andrews, UCL and Bath. We were hoping she'd get an interview as was happy with TSA, done really well in mock TSAs and had 4 A star predictions. Hey ho - we knew it would be tough.

DD also just heard she an interview for English at O. Like you *DTJ I am obviously delighted for her but I feel more stressed for her now than I did a week ago as the pressure ramps up. Slightly unnerved to hear of another family at the same school who've paid for their dc to do 13 mock interviews - personally I feel that might be overegging the pressure but am also now worrying I've somehow let dd down by not entertaining such a thought. When I asked her if she wanted me to do this she laughed and told me not to be ridiculous. Good luck to everyone and to those with rejections - dh and I just discussing how many incredibly happy and highly successful people we know who didn't go to O&C or indeed to university at all. It's a lottery and all these clever kids applying will have excellent outcomes wherever they go ...

I knew E&M was the most competitive course but had no idea the difference was so vast between other subjects.

Still waiting... Nat Sci.Keep thinkin that a long wait means high number of applicants

A few of DDs friends who have been deselected in varioushave spoken of the relief they felt!

E&M isn't any more competitive than other subjects, it's simply that a lot of people can apply and do apply. If you think of Further Maths at school level, fewer people take it.... because fewer people are capable of it. Some subjects have lots of applications for a reason and some have fewer for a reason. This idea of competitiveness is a bit.... competitive :) Anyhow, for the most part it's an illusion. Once the applicants get to interview stage each subject is looking at the same numbers for every available place.

We're still waiting here too - comp sci.

I think I sort of understand the feeling of relief if they aren't selected!

I'm trying not to message ds every hour to see if he's checked his emails! My productivity today has been appalling...

@goodbyestranger I do disagree with you on that one. Taking a look at statistics from the oxfrord website, the percentage chances for E&M are really very low, with 20% interviewed compared to 94% for classics for example… An interview is obviously very impressive for any course but im just saying that competition does vary course by course.

@Codfishermen I suspect the interview tram at oxbridge will be able to see right through such blatant coaching & it seems clear (to me anyway) that a) they gave no confidence in their child's abilities b)are extremely privileged to be able to do so c) worst kind of pushy parents who will be causing their kid no end of pressure. Utter nightmares

I wouldn't like to be that coached kid if they don't get a place, for sure.

Re offer ratios - I think it may be that classics is the outlier because so few do the A level and (I'd guess) not vast numbers apply for the a priori course? So there's been a lot of pre-filtering.

@Codfishermen Ooh, which college are you? DD is Lincoln. Just waiting to see when the interview day is now. She is keen to do it at home as she's happier with wifi here than college but it all rests on her if the tech fails and she's home alone.
I think she will probably have a mock interview at college and that will be it. I do think the admissions people will be able to see through those who have been coached.

That makes sense.
Is it about 50:50 chance of an offer once at the interview stage?

13572user an interview for Classics is not particularly impressive at all, it's more or less a given. I'm talking about competition for a place. As Errol said much more succinctly than I did, it's to do with pre-filtering.

Taxiittothekerb the Classics numbers are very difficult to penetrate (intentionally I think) because of the different courses, some of which are much harder to get an offer for. They seem to look at three applicants per place overall but some colleges are still very against taking any applicants for Course II (basically the course for state school students whose school didn't offer Classics as part of the curriculum).

Apologies it :)

I can see why some tutors would prefer to take those already versed in the language but it's a hot potato in terms of widening participation.

Anyhow, Classics isn't the only subject rated 'easy' by MN, there are a number of others. MFL apparently you just walk in, possibly Chemistry too?

DD has an interview for English Lang&Lit at Oxford. Looks like there are a few English aspirants on here!