Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 2

[Lightsabre]

Continuation thread (when old one is full) for those supporting dc through Oxbridge applications. All welcome as we enter the next phase.

First thread here;

Oxbridge 2024 Entry www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/4753014-oxbridge-2024-entry

Hello 😊 I know the other thread is still going but I’m going to post here now anyway.

Think DD has basically done her PS - has had some amendments suggested and is on to the third draft i think. And is working hard with everything else.

For the My Cambridge Application, any suggestion if the SAT score should be submitted? UK applicant with predicted A-level and EPQ score.

Ah @MirandaWest! Mine is supposed to hand it over to school Friday (but you can guess where we'll be). When she did her first draft it was 15,000 characters(!!!). But that was a kind of stream of consciousness get it all down then whittle away. I think she's now got it down to 6,000. She won't let me see it until it's down to length then only for proofreading. But my goodness every single character has to earn its place!
Until results day she was going for a creative degree so has had a lot of catching up (reading, podcasts, lectures).

Are we posting on this thread now? I can’t actually seem to find the old one. 🥴

Is there anybody else applying to Cambridge for English? Am hoping to get some clarification on the admissions test as the process appears to have changed for this year!

When we went to the open day they said that they are no longer using the ELAT admissions test (Oxfords test) and they are replacing with the CELAT. Our exams officer is registering everyone for their admissions test and she says that there is no CELAT listed for Cambridge. She has found the following on the Cambridge website:

*Admission assessment

All applicants for English are required to take a written assessment if shortlisted for interview. You will not need to register in advance for this assessment and the Colleges will provide details directly to you.
Check the College Admission Assessments page for more information and example papers.*

So it seems that they will only assess if you are invited to interview? I have checked the website for one of the colleges she’s interested in and it backs up that no registration is required.

I’m just paranoid that we will screw this up somehow!

@Rollergirl11 the old thread is here.

I posted on the old thread about DD's slightly lax mindset towards her PS, given how much she wants to go to Ox. Pleased to report that she's kicked into gear, spoken to relevant teachers, outlined what she could put in, and is proactively boosting the 'pursuing subject independently' aspects. She's shown me the written work she's going to submit and enthused about the specific aspects she hopes to study. After a blip with a couple of not so great attempts, the practice admissions tests have been going ok again as well. I really appreciate that she's including me and all in all, am feeling much more confident that she's giving it her best shot, which is all I can ask.

Good news @TenSheds! My daughter has handed hers in, a last addition yesterday (done while eating a late lunch at a pub in Cambridge) has pushed it to 4007 characters but she'll wait for her head of Sixth's comments before agonising about which couple of words to cut! I think it demonstrates her passion and she has deftly managed to link her EPQ in which on the surface has nothing to do with her degree subject. It was a relief to get it done!
She knows one of her written works and waiting for her other teacher to help decide the other one. The college she is applying to requires a test as well (not all do for the subject) and has done a few practice ones. Luckily for her she's got her grades already so is not being distracted from any A level study!
The open day was good and it confirmed her choice of college, even though we never got to Jesus (which she really liked the look of), the 20 minute walk from there to Sidgewick site as opposed to five, and no walking on much of the grass there!
Now just Exeter open day then done.

Looks like my son's application will be submitted on Monday.

Personal Statement done only outstanding issue is over college selection which he's not 100% sure about now. Think he'll probably make an open application as he genuinely can't pick.

I can't really get my head around how this works though, do the colleges look at the open applications alongside the specific ones then fill up with open if they don't have enough candidates or are the applications looked at in the round?

Anyway will be glad for this initial stage to be put to bed as it were and then we can think about other things.

In the meantime he's just finished his first week back after summer and has had tests in every subject this week. He's up this morning doing his homework as he's going to the football this afternoon and wants it out of the way before that. He's working so hard, that's all anyone can ask and I'm so proud of him.

We're in a bizarre situation where it's not so much friends who are applying but we have 4 cousins in the family all applying to Oxford this year. That, I think, must be some form of record!

@lifeturnsonadime I think the university assigns open applications to a college (how they choose? Maybe just randomly)? So I imagine then it's treated as if he had picked that college himself.
My DD is adamant we don't tell anyone irl that she is applying there. She doesn't want to have to then tell everyone she didn't get an offer! A friend of hers did get one but missed her grades and said telling everyone this was almost worse than missing the grades in the first place! Her excuse for applying so early is that she's already got her grades and her old school wants it out of the way before they have to deal with the bulk of their current student applications.

We're in a bizarre situation where it's not so much friends who are applying but we have 4 cousins in the family all applying to Oxford this year. That, I think, must be some form of record!

That's amazing @lifeturnsonadime
Does that add a bit of pressure or is it nice to have a little family gang all in the same boat?

We had a good day in Oxford yesterday, visited four colleges and went to a lecture, so course and college are now sorted. It's funny what matters to them - eg Magdalen is so beautiful but the keep off the grass signs were an instant turn-off for DD and she was annoyed that the deer were nowhere to be seen 😂

She has had a first go at the entrance test, score was fine but needs to speed up a lot. Hopefully that will come naturally with practice.

PS is half done, bit of a painful process but first draft should be finished today and ready for her tutor to look at. Unfortunately he is not really interested (he started the first session by saying he didn't want to be there 😱) and his advice so far has been a bit crap unfortunately. I am looking forward to finding out whether this means she will let me read it, I doubt it though!

Does that add a bit of pressure or is it nice to have a little family gang all in the same boat?

I think, in the case of my DC, at least it's nice to have the family gang. When my DC, who has an unusual background to say the least, was first approached by school to consider applying he was definitely against it until one of his cousins encouraged him to attend the open day.

It is clear that it would be extremely unlikely for all to be successful and I hope that there isn't jealously if one is but the others aren't or any combo. It's always been the natural path to apply for the other 3 for my DS it hasn't so he and we are proud that he is even in a position to apply, that's an achievement in itself so he is under a lot less pressure, if you like , than the others.

that's interesting about the Open app.

I can understand your daughters feelings on that. From what I can gather from my son's school it's obvious who is applying not least because of the extra activities put on for the applicants such as the practice subject tests. They know who else is applying from that.

Ah just seen that your daughter is applying with grade at hand, much easier I think to keep it close to your chest that way.

I think the open applications are generally sent to colleges which have fewer applicants per place for that subject - I’d think it very unlikely an open application would end up at trinity/johns/kings for example.

@lifeturnsonadime
How fantastic that it was one of the cousins who encouraged him in the first place. Family dynamics can be weird but sounds like your DS is in a great situation, with nothing to lose and some good pals to share the experience with. Hopefully they are all applying for different courses and colleges so that there's no feeling of direct competition for places.

Nope the cousin who encouraged him to apply is applying for the same course as him, I think he knows which college though whereas my DS is doing an open application.

Yes we are a lucky family. 4 bright and caring teenage boys. It's wonderful.

That makes sense @DorotheaDiamond! But once assigned treated the same (as if he had picked it I mean).
@lifeturnsonadime Choosing the college was hard - too much online researching and second guessing the stats available! Once we got there (Newnham) I sat in the café while my daughter did the tour and I thought she would be put off as though it's a very pretty college the entrance is through the recently built modern part and doesn't instantly give the vibe one anticipates like when you walk in to say, Pembroke (very much Cambridge vibes)! Plus it was the only one on her shortlist requiring an entrance test. But she came back smiling saying the gardens (which they can walk on) were so lovely and she actually wouldn't mind living in the modern part as en suite even if the rooms were considerably smaller. The library and formal hall were beautiful too - all painted in light colours so not heavy, oppressive, masculine wood.
Plus if you believe in fate - in a debating competition she won back in junior school she took the role of Millicent Fawcett, one of the founders of the college! It can just be a little detail that sways them.
There is a girl on her Art Foundation course who already has a place at Cambridge for architecture. She found at which college and was relieved it wasn't one she was considering. She'd rather she didn't know anyone there. Good luck to yours and all the cousins!

@lifeturnsonadime on the Cambridge statistics page you can opt on the graphs to see open applications does Oxford have something similar?

Someone, somewhere (cannot remember where I read it/watched it) advised to only make an open application if you were genuinely happy to go to every college - if there was even one you didn’t like then make a decision.

My son went to the Cambridge open day yesterday and came back hot, tired but happy. He has made about turn about his college choice and is now going to apply to one of the smallest when he has been set on one of the largest. He just got good vibes about it.

There is no hiding at my son’s school if you are applying to Oxbridge or Medicine/Dentistry as there is an ‘Early Applicants’ group who meet briefly every Monday lunchtime. There is also a History group which meet up on Wednesday lunch and have started prepping got the admission test. There are 8 history applicants, but my son is the only one going for Cambridge rather than Oxford.

Plus if you believe in fate - in a debating competition she won back in junior school she took the role of Millicent Fawcett, one of the founders of the college! It can just be a little detail that sways them.

We had this yesterday - at one college the student showing us around was doing DD's chosen course and he was so lovely and funny and helpful, it was as if the universe was giving her a sign 😂
Plus it has lots of depictions of an animal that is linked to somewhere important to our family, and strong female connections that she liked. The stars aligned for DD at that particular college!

Oh yea no hiding if doing all that @Jaxx, but as my DD has her grades that's not an issue. She is having to go back to her old school for meetings and mock interviews but she doesn't care what the current students think about it!
It definitely was too darn hot, but not as hot nor thank goodness hilly like at Bristol the week before!
Now a bit of fairy dust so they all get interviews!

No hiding for DD either: she's the only early applicant at her school and everyone knows, and has been expecting it since Y7! A lot of expectation and excitement but she's handling it well. (Other potential candidates have opted for other courses, not wanting the stress of the admissions process or in some cases a shorter degree route).

Totally agree about small 'signs' and vibes, definitely influenced her college choice. We are off to Exeter as the last one too @mondaytosunday. Think it will be busy.

@lifeturnsonadime

We're in a bizarre situation where it's not so much friends who are applying but we have 4 cousins in the family all applying to Oxford this year. That, I think, must be some form of record!

Fingers crossed they all get in because that would be rather fabulous

It's all getting very close now. DS has completed his PS, knows which course he wants to do and which college at Oxbridge he'll apply to.

I don't want to Jinx anything so I don't want to comment on the specifics

I’m not sure how many Oxbridge applicants there are at DD's school but in her close friendship group of about 8, there are 4 or possibly 5 of them. Definitely 2 Oxford and 1 Cambridge and not sure about the others. Hope whatever happens it’s all OK.