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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!

OP posts:
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7
Malbecfan · 25/03/2023 11:07

Gosh @Ireallydohope . On MN, it's normally the kids who are grounded and the parents who are convinced their DC will get in. Whilst it's good to be ambitious, there were some this year from my school that I thought would get an offer who didn't. There are also quite a few aspiring medics who haven't made it to an offer. I think your approach is more sensible; hopefully his school will also encourage him to look elsewhere. After all, you get 5 choices, you might as well use them all.

ErrolTheDragon · 25/03/2023 11:17

Anyone who understands statistics and data - as your DS presumably does, @Ireallydohope , must realise that the most probable outcome for any applicant is that they won't get an offer.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained - but its a good idea to have a backup plan. Especially for maths where (anecdotally at least) gap years aren't encouraged so applying again next year if he doesn't get an offer this year may not be advisable.

Ireallydohope · 25/03/2023 13:04

I'm finding it quite stressful now actually but yes I have to stand back and just let it naturally unfurl itself in whatever direction it wants to go.

spellingtest · 26/03/2023 11:24

Such an interesting read so far, thank you.

My son wants to apply to Cambridge to study ASNAC so I will follow this thread with interest.

ErrolTheDragon · 26/03/2023 16:21

I had to look up ASNAC - I think that may be the first time I've seen it mentioned in the years since I started being interested in oxbridge and other HE threads. Do many other unis even offer it, or a similar mix?

Fascinating for sure!

PhotoDad · 26/03/2023 16:27

ASNAC! Been a long time since I've heard that acronym. Is it still the smallest course in Cambridge? (I studied what was, at the time, the smallest course in Oxford, but I think it's now been "undertaken.")

ErrolTheDragon · 26/03/2023 16:39

If you use this, grouped by course but with nothing selected, then you can see them all at once. There's a few others similarly small.

www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/statistics

PhotoDad · 26/03/2023 16:57

ErrolTheDragon · 26/03/2023 16:39

If you use this, grouped by course but with nothing selected, then you can see them all at once. There's a few others similarly small.

www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/statistics

Interesting, thank you!

BiancaBlank · 26/03/2023 19:57

My best friend did ASNAC at Cambridge, 30-odd years ago. She combined it with Chinese for the second part of the tripos so got a very interesting degree!

spellingtest · 26/03/2023 20:06

BiancaBlank · 26/03/2023 19:57

My best friend did ASNAC at Cambridge, 30-odd years ago. She combined it with Chinese for the second part of the tripos so got a very interesting degree!

Wow, that's very interesting. Do you know what she went on to do? My son wants to become a barrister but feels that doing a degree which he is really interesting in is the best thing to do. His remaining choices will be law at other universities he's yet to decide on. He has made real inroads into the reading list and is fascinated by the subject. He is doing a levels in maths, English, politics and history. He was at a small independent school but is now at a selective grammar school for 6th form which was a great decision as he is being challenged far more and is enjoying being with like minded students.

spellingtest · 26/03/2023 20:07

ErrolTheDragon · 26/03/2023 16:21

I had to look up ASNAC - I think that may be the first time I've seen it mentioned in the years since I started being interested in oxbridge and other HE threads. Do many other unis even offer it, or a similar mix?

Fascinating for sure!

My son tells me Cambridge is the only university that offers this course.

spellingtest · 26/03/2023 20:09

PhotoDad · 26/03/2023 16:27

ASNAC! Been a long time since I've heard that acronym. Is it still the smallest course in Cambridge? (I studied what was, at the time, the smallest course in Oxford, but I think it's now been "undertaken.")

I think it is! No idea how he even discovered it. Just came home one day and said that's what he wants to do. I had to google too. And now sorbs a fortune on books which he is devouring.

spacechimp79 · 26/03/2023 20:45

@spellingtest I have never even heard of that course but it sounds right up my DS’s street. How will your DS manage his personal statement though if Cambridge is the only university that offers this course?

PhotoDad · 26/03/2023 21:01

Cambridge requires students to fill out their "SAQ" (Supplementary Application Questionnaire) which can include a Cambridge-specific Personal Statement, precisely for cases like this.

HewasH2O · 26/03/2023 22:22

I learnt Cornishnin school for a couple of years alongside Latin. My party piece used to be being able to order drinks in Cornish.

ErrolTheDragon · 27/03/2023 00:09

My son tells me Cambridge is the only university that offers this course.

According to their site, the only place in the world. I think a few other places do Celtic studies, and maybe others Norse?

JulesJules · 27/03/2023 06:51

ErrolTheDragon · 26/03/2023 16:21

I had to look up ASNAC - I think that may be the first time I've seen it mentioned in the years since I started being interested in oxbridge and other HE threads. Do many other unis even offer it, or a similar mix?

Fascinating for sure!

You can choose options within the English Language and Literature degree at Oxford - Old Norse, Old Irish, Medieval Welsh for example. Anglo Saxon is covered in the first year anyway. My D1 has a friend doing English who has picked Old Norse and the Manuscripts paper. English intake is about 240. There are Masters in Celtic Studies and various Medieval Studies.

D1 is doing a History joint - some of these have very small intakes - 12-15 per year across the whole university, and not all colleges offer them, and not every year. When D1 was in her 2nd year, she was the only person doing her degree at her college.

I think the smallest intake is 2 (2!) for Religion and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

Notaclu · 27/03/2023 09:19

DD’s school is insisting oxbridge will take it as a sign of lack of commitment if she does this and has a ucas personal statement aimed at 4 options, not centred on the oxbridge choice. dd is having quite the battle about it!

BiancaBlank · 27/03/2023 10:26

@spellingtest She did a related PhD but now she's a lawyer.
DD2 is doing law at Warwick and loves it. I did think she might have suited a history degree or history and modern languages, and then switching, but she wanted to get stuck straight in. Good luck to your DS!

fafffaff · 27/03/2023 11:06

Notaclu - do you mean the school are telling your DD not to apply for a subject at Oxbridge that is different to her other 4 choices? What are the subjects?

Notaclu · 27/03/2023 13:51

Not quite - they are saying the personal statement must be totally focused around the Oxbridge subject (which is unique) or else they wont take DC seriously as an applicant; which leaves the personal statement reading oddly for the other 4 choices (which are the same as each other pretty much); given some of her choices do use the personal statement (LSE this year is a good example) that makes things difficult

Anastasia88 · 27/03/2023 14:45

hippygirllucky · 22/03/2023 20:06

Don't know if it's helpful but o work at Oxford Uni and, although I don't work in admissions at the moment, I did for many years. Feel free to ask me questions, I've probably answered a lot of them before!

I wonder if the admission teams actually look at the reference from or is this completely ignored?

Jaxx · 27/03/2023 17:00

@Notaclu I would check that information with the where you are applying. I have listened in on two different admission sessions ran by Cambridge Colleges and this question came up both times. The students were told they realise applicants may be applying for courses not offered widely elsewhere and were told to use the SAQ as they did not expect personal statements to only be aimed at them. It is why they also advise to include some extracurricular stuff in the personal statement as even though they take no account of it, other universities may.

Notaclu · 27/03/2023 17:04

@Jaxx thank you - thats my take too!

ErrolTheDragon · 27/03/2023 17:42

The students were told they realise applicants may be applying for courses not offered widely elsewhere

Well, quite. A PS totally focussed on the one unique course might come across odd tbh, and would tell the other unis - which may also be world ranking - that the applicant isn't also serious about them.
Presumably the courses elsewhere aren't utterly unrelated to the Oxford one? (I'm assuming Oxford as it's clear what to do for Cambridge, as already mentioned)