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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Oxbridge 2024 Entry

988 replies

Lightsabre · 28/02/2023 13:52

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!

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7
LanadelSlay · 27/07/2023 09:39

singingstones · 27/07/2023 09:06

Thank you Marching, I thought there might be some Oxbridge rule that I didn't know about since the PP has been through it.

@LanadelSlay after your DD was rejected, did she replace O or C with another uni on the UCAS form then?

My dd didn't bother replacing as she already had offers for 3/4 remaining options (though she was then still waiting for her clear favourite and had to wait a long time for that to come through) but she definitely could have done so - I remember discussing whether to do so or not at some length. I know others on here have mentioned this as well, so I am sure I haven't just this magicked this up. I am guessing it was possible because the rejection was received before the final UCAS deadline so there was time to do so - later in the process I can see it wouldn't be possible.

Of course, you're right, it absolutely is a waste of time applying to Oxbridge if you think it's not right for you to begin with. You need to want to do the specific course on offer, to want a collegiate atmosphere and to understand the workload will be huge.

mushroom3 · 27/07/2023 09:42

Hi @Malbecfan , I know this, I just wanted to point out that for the most popular courses even the straight Astar students are likely to get some rejections and so the maximum number of slots on the UCAS form are needed to hopefully secure at least one offer.

goodbyestranger · 27/07/2023 09:46

mushroom3 I'm genuinely surprised. I think a single offer for a student with grades sufficient to apply for Oxbridge must be the very rare exception rather than the rule, even for popular subjects - possibly Medicine aside.

But I completely get the point about trying to think whether or not Oxbridge would be a good plan, if there might be serious reasons to doubt capacity in one or other respect.

PrivateSchoolTeacherParent · 27/07/2023 09:49

In my 15 years of helping students through the application process, I've only twice had Oxbridge-aiming kids who only got one offer. One was for medicine, the other was for economics. I've also had several students who got Oxbridge offers and then a bunch of rejections elsewhere, showing how important the tests/interview are!

goodbyestranger · 27/07/2023 09:52

mushroom3 rejections for straight A students even in popular subjects are seriously rare. There has to be a glaring issue on the UCAS form to get a rejection. Possibly a seriously arsey personal statement? But even then, unlikely. MN will always have an anecdote or two but apart from the odd case, straight A students will get offers.

goodbyestranger · 27/07/2023 09:53

Oops, double *! Should know to avoid that by now :)

PhotoDad · 27/07/2023 10:04

goodbyestranger · 27/07/2023 09:53

Oops, double *! Should know to avoid that by now :)

That's prompted me to make a Site Stuff post! Surely the specific combo "A*" could be ignored by the formatting...? It happens in every other thread in this board!

ErrolTheDragon · 27/07/2023 10:13

That's prompted me to make a Site Stuff post! Surely the specific combo "A*" could be ignored by the formatting...? It happens in every other thread in this board!

Nah, you learn to parse the bolding. And to avoid doing it - spell it out or you could do AStar Grin

singingstones · 27/07/2023 10:15

@PhotoDad I have adopted this for A star: Å

(With apologies to the Scandinavians amongst us Smile)

PhotoDad · 27/07/2023 10:16

ErrolTheDragon · 27/07/2023 10:13

That's prompted me to make a Site Stuff post! Surely the specific combo "A*" could be ignored by the formatting...? It happens in every other thread in this board!

Nah, you learn to parse the bolding. And to avoid doing it - spell it out or you could do AStar Grin

Well, yes, of course! But it might be nice if it's an easy fix, especially with the annual results-day flood just around the corner?

mushroom3 · 27/07/2023 10:19

I did say it was very popular subjects, two of the ones I mentioned were also mentioned by @PrivateSchoolTeacherParent . Maybe it's because I only know students and parents from local comprehensives and I know some of them didn't get the support they may have if they had gone through a selective or private path (eg with the subject specific exams). Many young people don't make it to open days as they can't afford them. I know just last week I told an acquaintance about the subject specific exams. Her DS hasn't attended any open days so far, and I told her to tell her son that he needs to check that his school is registered as a centre for the exams. I have a question, my DS has asked the school to register as a centre for MAT, does anyone know if the school would also be registered for TMUA automatically as well or does he need to contact the school to register as a centre for this separately?

mushroom3 · 27/07/2023 10:28

Found the answer, TMUA is a Cambridge Exam and so will need separate centre registration to MAT.

goodbyestranger · 27/07/2023 10:39

I did say it was very popular subjects

Yes, my response acknowledged that! I disagree :) I'm talking exactly about the very popular subjects, Medicine aside, probably.

LanadelSlay · 27/07/2023 11:05

These rejections for straight A students are no longer exceedingly rare, they may have been in the past but not any more. That statement is simply outdated. Most people will get one offer but I do know of several who got none. Part of the problem is many straight A students aim only for the top universities rather than putting some lower tier choices on their applications - they need to be advised to have a couple of safety net options on there.

PrivateSchoolTeacherParent · 27/07/2023 11:08

@LanadelSlay Yes, that's an important reminder. The students I've advised have always got offers, but that's probably because I've advised them to have at least two safety-nets (and they listen to me on the whole!)

goodbyestranger · 27/07/2023 11:20

LanadelSlay it's not outdated/ I'm not outdated!

Which sector do you teach in out of interest? (apologies, haven't rtwt)

My advice for straight A star students would still be to choose five unis which you really want to go to where you stand a chance of your investment being sound. Why be timid if you have straight A stars/ straight 9s? It seems daft to me to compromise.

ErrolTheDragon · 27/07/2023 11:26

My advice for straight A star students would still be to choose five unis which you really want to go to where you stand a chance of your investment being sound. Why be timid if you have straight A stars/ straight 9s? It seems daft to me to compromise.

There do seem to be a few subjects where this backfires. It's the maths heavy ones - the proportion of A stars awarded for maths and even moreso FM is higher than for many other subjects. Maths/stem students with straight A stars really are not rare beasts, they may not have straight 9s but I'm not sure many unis give those much weight.
Yes, choose unis you want to go to but it's sensible for at least a couple to be outside of oxbridge/top London types.

goodbyestranger · 27/07/2023 11:28

Tbf our Ho6 used to suggest a 'safe' choice when straight A star students went to him with their applications with five bold choices on and when they explained the above reasoning, he said well yes, absolutely fair. There's clearly a duty on the part of school advisers to be cautious so that they don't get parents coming down on them like a tonne of bricks but they know full well that straight A star kids will be fine.

goodbyestranger · 27/07/2023 11:30

Errol by straight A* I meant straight 9s at GCSE too. Obviously predictions for exams not yet taken can be dubious.

goodbyestranger · 27/07/2023 11:32

And yes, much more likely to be obtained in certain subjects - no change there/ nature of the beast.

goodbyestranger · 27/07/2023 11:33

Which very carefully doesn't say that mathematical subjects are easier please note :)

ErrolTheDragon · 27/07/2023 11:34

goodbyestranger · 27/07/2023 11:33

Which very carefully doesn't say that mathematical subjects are easier please note :)

No, it's (apparently) paradoxically rather the opposite

singingstones · 27/07/2023 12:00

From what I can figure, if you apply to Oxford for an AAA course you might need an extra insurance choice - AAA would be a good insurance for two of DD's potential choices which have higher standard offers. But if she applies to Oxford it would be good to have something lower than that.

LanadelSlay · 27/07/2023 12:20

singingstones · 27/07/2023 12:00

From what I can figure, if you apply to Oxford for an AAA course you might need an extra insurance choice - AAA would be a good insurance for two of DD's potential choices which have higher standard offers. But if she applies to Oxford it would be good to have something lower than that.

Correct @singingstones - def wise to go that route.

@goodbyestranger I'm not a teacher but I hear what's happening to a wide range of dcs' peers and I can assure you that this year and last this has happened to several people and not just in STEM subjects. Maybe I just live in a freak bubble where people I know all across the country have children/friends with top predicted grades and this result and it's unique to me but on other threads I seem to recall it being a common line of discussion. I also seem to recall you saying that at least some of your eight (?) children didn't bother putting a second choice after Oxford, deciding if they were rejected they'd just give it another go. That seems hubristic in the extreme.

I've said all I have to say on this and it is up to others if they want to aim all for "top" unis or want to put in a couple of safety nets, I'm glad dd did - even now she is worrying if she might miss her second choice offer of AAA and end up with nowhere (she predicts she will get A star A star B)

ofteninaspin · 27/07/2023 12:26

The landscape has definitely changed for economics in recent years. Well qualified applicants cannot expect to get multiple offers for the most competitive courses.

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