Oxbridge 2024 Entry

[Lightsabre]

Thought I'd start a thread for parents of dc considering Oxbridge applications for entry in Oct 2024 (I don't think there's a current one)? Past threads have been so informative and supportive and hopefully this thread will offer that too. Please feel free to add to the thread if your dc have recently had experience of the process, good, bad or ugly!

Thanks I'm pretty sure I have seen most of that but will look over again next week just to check I haven't missed anything.

Does anyone have DC applying for PPE, E&M or any other subject requiring the TSA at Oxford? If so, please PM me.

@lifeturnsonadime I've sent you a PM.

I do but I don't know how to PM 🤦‍♀️
I'm on the app if anyone has instructions!

@singingstones , you need to be on a laptop to PM.

@tennissquare - you don’t
@singingstones I’ve sent you a PM

@singingstones you just need to reply to my PM. Look for a blue dot on the top right by the person symbol

Thank you both - annoyingly on the app I got the "Oops something went wrong" message but I have fired up the laptop and replied to you both @ProggyMat and @HewasH2O

Went to Oxford last week with DS2 for History. Lincoln told us:

1. didn't really care about GCSEs
2. only cared about 3 A levels and pointed out, everyone will have great grades
3. so used HAT, interview and PS equally
4. I personally came away feeling interview was most important

Just a quick summary of experience with DS1: (2022 entrance). Predicted (and achieved) 4 A*s and had a PS that his second choice uni fed back was outstanding. Had come second and been commended in two big essay competitions. I overheard most of college interview and it was very challenging, unfriendly but he did well.

He didn't get in - so asked for the scores and they were interesting reading. Oxford had scored his PS, HAT and interview exactly the same. Overall, he was just one point below acceptance. Feeling was he didn't meet social criteria so had been kept just slightly too low.

At Cambridge same year (2022) very, very able student friend of DS1 got fantastic score for his interview but didn't do so well in the entrance test. He too didn't get an offer despite 3 A*s predicted and a lot of relevant experience. So they seem to want excellence in all areas.

DS2 still wants to try so I spent a lot of time speaking to individual tutors this time. I found out (and this may apply only to humanities) that some colleges the tutors decide who gets interviewed and offered places and some use the central admissions team. So worth checking out who you are actually writing for.

Lastly - PS. I agree with poster who said write for the second uni. As I mentioned, the second uni (also prestigious) primarily use the PS not grades and gave him a very low offer (we felt to get him) whereas others on his course had much higher offers. So don't ignore uni number 2's criteria.

Hope that helps!

3A*s I meant (about the friend).

Was your DS predicted 4 A *s?

Do you mind me asking which university your DS went to for history in the end? My DS is also applying for history and I'm trying to get him to consider universities outside of London due to the expense.

How would you know if a college is one which decides itself or whether it's central admissions? Is there a benefit to applying for an individual college over an open application or vice versa do you think?

What do you mean by social criteria @Reusername?

That's interesting about GCSEs, I thought Oxford used these as part of the shortlisting process.

Oxford may have had to place less emphasis on GCSEs awarded through the pandemic. Other than that, GCSEs have been central in shortlisting decisions. Predicted Y13 grades - provided they meet the minimum standard offer - are the thing which are of less moment.

College decisions after interview are always critical.

Just read this thread full of over-invested parents ambitious for their DC. Livingtheirlifethroughthem My DS is at Camb, should get a first, but has not enjoyed - double the work, huge stress. My daughter even cleverer than him but no intention of applying to Oxbridge. She wants to go into civil service so needs a 2.1 - from any uni (blind recruitment) and wants to have fun. She’s a 3 A Star student but firmed Exeter and insured Swansea

So if I’ve got this right, I’m being labelled as ‘over invested’ by someone posting at 2am on a thread the subject of which (by their own admission) is of no use to them. Okaaay then.

in the spirit of @Classicsrock I’m just off to hop onto to Cat owners thread to tell people where they are going wrong in their cat raising even though I don’t have a cat nor intend to own one either. All perfectly reasonable I think we can all agree 😂

lol on the cats. How did it go?

There is an element of truth that many seem to be overinvested. There is also an element of truth that Oxbridge is not for everyone but equally unfair to generalise from case of her DS as most have a fabulous time.

I am probably overinvested myself but I do see much worse. My DD has an offer for September and I saw it on the 2023 thread as well. Parents stressing over every little detail that really didn't matter and had no effect on outcome. There was even a spreadsheet compiled of which colleges had offered interviews and in which subjects. For what?

Being overinvested is fine but need to be careful it doesn't then trickle down to kids who end up being more pressured or obsessed than they need be. In my DD's year one girl was during mock interviews one year before! She didn't even get an interview. She is now planning a gap year and will reapply but most likely same result. She didn't even think of other places. This girl also became rather nasty towards my DD saying things like "I can't believe you've got an offer. I'm much better than you" etc.

DD and I have adopted a side hobby of spotting overinvested parents at Open Days.
They are generally easy to spot as they often have binders or filofaxes and spend a lot of time telling their offspring where they are going next whilst the prospective student either looks like they don't want to be there, or doesn't seem sure exactly where they are.

One recent overinvested parent was sat behind us at a subject lecture. While we were waiting for it to start she spent the whole time telling her son that he would be stupid to study the single honours course and he would be much better off doing a joint honours. Son's response that he didn't really want to study the second subject and would much prefer the single honours went completely unheeded.

I have told DD if I become overinvested parent she is to disown me :)

I do think that sometimes it's useful for parents to step back and make sure that their DC is leading the process and that they are not taking over and doing it for their own benefit and not their DC's. (looking very firmly at a lot of WIWIKAU parents here)

Gosh there are some people with sharp elbows on here aren't there!

Wanting to know information to make the process easier for DC when the process is different from other applications is quite normal I would say.

I took DC to Oxford and didn't even go in the subject talk as we were under the impression that parents were asked not to attend. I just dropped him off and went for a coffee and went to talk to the people at the Disability stand about DS's additional needs. I was a bit surprised to see so many parents had been in the talk with their DC, but there you are.

There seems to be a particularly snideness from those with no skin in the game, which is simply odd, but then maybe they just are exercising bragging rights.

@Hertsessex i’ll let you know about the feline fancier reactions 😂

Personally I don’t feel ‘over invested’. I’ve also been to a very good uni 😉 so I’m certainly not living vicariously through DD. However, things have moved along considerably from my experience of filling in the PCAS/UCAS many many moons ago…when I arrived at my college it was clear that students with parents who had provided support/research/guidance or had been to uni themselves fared much better in the first year than those who hadn’t. It is DD’s choice where she applies and I see my job to support her choice (except St Andrew’s as that is a bloody long way from where we live 😂) We are not mock interviewing and I have no spreadsheets 😆

DD is at a very competitive 6th form where a large number of students go off to Oxbridge/Ivy League. They are very clear to the students that not gaining a place does not equal failure. Nor does it reduce your achievements thus far. However the allocation of places between students does seem quite unpredictable and if in your friendship you are the only one not to gain a place it must be tough. I agree tho that your disappointment does not excuse unkind behaviour towards those who have gained a place.

I’m now Off to the Cat bothering pages 😂😂

I've occasionally joked these threads are the online branch of Overinvested Parents Anonymous.
The thing is, parents with a 'normal' level of concern for their kids' wellbeing will want to help if they can, in a supportive way. Finding out background info on the process in an online forum like this is just that. Parents who come on the HE boards being OTT get told to cool it (no, you don't need expensive 'get me into Oxford' services, no, your child will do fine if they don't get a place at oxbridge so long as you don't make them feel they've failed etc etc).

At a later stage when there are interviews, offers and rejections - it's a place to talk to others in the same boat, which may not exist IRL.

I found threads on MN useful and occasionally contribute to 'pay back' a bit.
Or maybe it's second-level vicarious enjoyment.

And inevitably it's somewhere that will attract occasional posters with some sort of axe to grind (or merely late night bored).

I think being 'ambitious' for your children is a near-universal trait, isn't it? Everyone wants their kids to be happy and/or successful in their chosen life course and/or have happy relationships and/or have enough money to be comfortable. Strikes me as one of those irregular verbs (I'm an involved and supportive parent, you are ambitious for your child, she is over-invested.)

Those applying to Cambridge. Will your DC be choosing colleges with in person interviews?

I like to consider myself supportive rather than over-invested - obviously 😂

As a parent of a child with special needs I’ve needed to be. Thankfully less so now than in the past - but like all good support it needs to fade overtime. I certainly hope I am not still looking at Higher Education admission threads once he is at whatever university he ends up at.

@eggsbenedict23 I think atm, he is sticking with his original college choice which is one that is keeping interviews online. It does add an another dynamic though - particularly as not all colleges require admission tests for his subject as well.

Agreed - I am still interested and looking here as waiting for results and the way Mumsnet works once you've commented once seem to keep getting notifications so draws you back 😂 Might have to figure out how to turn off soon.

Generally though what a poorer place Mumsnet would be if only people going through the same thing at the same time posted. On a whole range of topics the benefit of Mumsnet is that people who've been through the same thing can offer advice and share their own experience.

On a whole range of topics the benefit of Mumsnet is that people who've been through the same thing can offer advice and share their own experience.

Definitely. But not all of the posters who have been through the experience before are offering advice, more like sneering at people for asking for it.