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.

@mondaytosunday, Newnham was my college. It is a magical place. Wishing your daughter every success.

Ah great @Ruthietuthie! Even the tour guide at Pembroke enthused about it!
@TenSheds we've opted to take the train to Exeter and I know they are running shuttle buses up from the station. My sister arrives from the US that evening so coordinating that too - it will be a long day!

My daughter says the written assessment for the HSPS course at Cambridge has changed (only a few colleges have a written assessment, of course the one she's looking at is one of them), so the past papers aren't useful. She's looked on the Cambridge website which says to look at X, she goes to X and it refers her back!
Anyone know what the new format/content is? She's posted the question on TSR but no replies yet. She has drafted an email to admissions too but for some reason is reluctant to send it!

@mondaytosunday the admissions process for English at Cambridge has changed this year also. I ended up calling the admissions department for the college DD is applying for and they were really helpful. Could you or your DD do that tomorrow?

Thanks @Rollergirl11 she's now put her big girl head on and has emailed them. She is one to (over) prepare - she's got a list of 200 possible interview questions to practise 'thinking out loud', is trying to come up with any questions that might arise from her PS.... this is the girl who wrote out 700 flash cards for History A level! She does have imposter syndrome and it helps her to think she's done all she can to be ready, though she's pretty good at thinking on her feet too.
She has three A star grades in hand so has been told by her old head of sixth she'll get an interview- I don't want it to come across that she is presumptuous!

Vibes about the college - it's definitely a thing. DS and DH and I definitely felt at home the minute we looked around his chosen college. We went to another totally different one to compare and it just confirmed in his head that his instinct was the right one. He's now going into second year of his chosen college and it has turned out exactly as he imagined. He has enjoyed visiting friends at other colleges so gets to live the different Cambridge experiences at them too and would happily have applied to some of those had he had more experience of them.

I've been following these threads for a while as they are really helpful.

I just wanted to ask those who it applies to if your child's school is giving them any help in preparing for Oxford exams like the maths and physics tests? DS has been doing practice papers at home, but today someone with a child at Oxford told me that he should be getting help from school because loads of people will be getting extra tutoring and lessons etc.

I'm now wondering if we've been a bit naive in assuming DS stands a chance against all those with loads of support from school. His school have been good in helping with the personal statement but no other help has been offered.

I just wanted to ask those who it applies to if your child's school is giving them any help in preparing for Oxford exams like the maths and physics tests?

Not maths and physics, a different Oxford test, but no help at all. I have bought a book for DD that was recommended by a kind person on here and she is working through past papers. She hasn't had any PS feedback yet, just some dodgy advice from a tutor who admitted that he didn't want to be there!

For History, they are meeting once a week at lunchtime to do assessment practice. Don’t know if there is help for other tests - sorry.

No specific help from DD’s school for the BMAT (she’s hoping to apply for Oxford medicine). She’s going through the spec and past papers herself, as well as countless YouTube videos. Not sure if I should be paying for her to do some sort of prep course or not but I wouldn’t know which one is any good or if I was being fleeced tbh. She seems to be doing ok with it (so far). It’s a bit of a long shot anyway and she’s definitely focussing more on her other 3 choices. She’s doing a open application too to minimise heart getting set on anywhere

@Mihamiha no help from DS's school other than registering him for the MAT. He just did a few past papers but there was no time for anything else as he only decided to apply to Oxford in mid-September!

No I think the school goes through the process and gives them guidance and does mock interviews but not much more than that. There are plenty of firms that will take your money to prep your kid but Oxbridge doesn't recommend you go that route.
My daughter is using online resources and practices on her own.

Will you send a brag sheet to the UCAS advisor about the honours and ECs outside school for preparing the reference letter?

As long as it is a test, it is always worth preparing even through a firm. O provides videos for past papers of MAT. Of course, many don't need to go through this process to get a good score.

@Mihamiha DS is just going into the 4th year of maths at O. His school didn't give any help in preparing for the MAT and I think that many are in that situation, although of course some schools are more helpful! I think doing as many past papers as possible is a good idea and I'm sure that there are other online resources to help if needed.

My son's school did a mock of the TMUA for them last week under exam conditions using last year's paper. He has not got his score yet.

Apparently is in two parts - one part he found easier than expected, the other part he said was more difficult than expected. Only three of them are applying to a course that needs it.

Who knows it if will help in the long run. He has been doing past papers all summer on his own anyway but he said the exam condition run was good to see how he went under pressure and he wasn't happy with some parts of his performance, so from that angle it was probably useful.

Just checking in on this thread. DC has decided on Oxbridge. debating college choices as we speak.

A quick note about UCAS references/PS - DC has been told by school that no EC to go onto the PS unless absolutely relevant to the course. In her words ‘They don’t give a shit if you have Grade 8 Cello or whatever’ - Not sure if that also applies to the UCAS reference? I guess unless you are applying for a choral scholarship or music, your music EC are not required? Anyone got any thoughts (or better still, experience) on this point?

‘They don’t give a shit if you have Grade 8 Cello or whatever’

I think this is true - a tutor said it at the Oxford open day anyway. DD isn't including anything like that, just the academic stuff.

DD is applying for a choral scholarship and has her audition next week. She will know the result of that before her UCAS application goes in but they are completely separate so I don't think she'll mention it.

(She does have grade 8 singing)

Ds put two sentences at the end about music and sports achievements along the lines of helping with time management, team work etc.

Thank you so much to all of you who responded to my question, you've been super helpful and have made me feel much better.

I think I'm going to try and view it like children getting loads of tutoring to pass the 11+ it's better to just to pass on your own merit and then you should be able to cope when you get there, rather than finding it too hard once you arrive 😊

I think DD is finding it hard enough to get the PS to length without adding in music etc, currently 500 characters over 😬

Anything over Grade 6 in music or drama carries UCAS points. A Grade 8 in music is 30 UCAS points (roughly the same as an EPQ). So it's important to list these on the UCAS form in the section where they list all the qualifications. It doesn't need mentioning on the PS because they will be able to see it in the qualifications section.

Oxbridge obviously don't make offers based on UCAS points, but having this kind of thing may show that they can balance wider interests alongside their academic workload.

I once saw a FOI request on WhatDoTheyKnow asking for all qualifications for accepted and rejected candidates for a particular course. I was surprised that music / drama / dance qualifications were listed alongside A-levels, and even D of E Gold was listed where relevant, so they must take these things into account informally.

If offered a place, they will have to send ABRSM or LAMDA certs in with the A-level and GCSE certificates before starting. Also proof of D of E if relevant (though this does not carry UCAS points).

@Cascais6 I think this used to be the case but offers are no longer made with points?