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Original poster

Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 2

973 replies

Lightsabre · 12/09/2023 22:43

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

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stoneysongs · 26/09/2023 12:30

@Rollergirl11 can you not wade in and sort them out re choosing fewer than five courses now? Does she have other open days after Warwick that she would wait for if she was "allowed"?

Maddening when they insist on stuff like this which makes things harder for the DC. I don't know which is worse, they haven't a clue it's even possible, or they know it's possible but are still saying no.

ErrolTheDragon · 26/09/2023 12:31

I've said it before ... it's a Personal statement, and while teachers may offer advice they surely can't refuse to submit what the applicant has written.

Rollergirl11 · 26/09/2023 14:25

@singingstones i think Warwick is the last uni she wants to visit thankfully. If it wasn’t I would definitely be challenging this (quite frankly) rather arbitrary rule. I think DD pretty much knows her choices but would just appreciate a bit more time to reflect rather than having to rush unnecessarily. I guess the good thing about it though is she can get it all out of the way which leaves her free to fully concentrate on her work. I think we both underestimated how much time and effort is taken up with this whole UCAS/PS malarkey.

Walkaround · 26/09/2023 14:42

mondaytosunday · 26/09/2023 12:20

He graduated from Oxford within the last five years too - he should know better! He's giving this advice to anyone applying to Oxbridge (they don't have a great track record - no idea how many apply, but I don't think anyone got in last year - but more successful for Oxford than Cambridge).

Tbh, I don’t see how being an Oxford or Cambridge graduate translates into automatically knowing how to complete a personal statement. Having been responsible for admissions at one or the other university is one thing, but having done a degree there is quite another. Also, having gone to Oxford, he is hardly the expert on the Cambridge extra info outside the personal statement option. I would trust the advice direct from Cambridge itself over people who were successful with just one application - that application being their own, not anybody else’s.

mondaytosunday · 26/09/2023 16:21

@Walkaround well presumably as he's a teacher he has trained for this too. It's a selective private school so I hope it's not just 'hey you have some spare hours so help out these kids'. I don't think Oxford expects you to write a PS aimed mainly at them either, but at least he's familiar with the system. Anyway she's submitted it to him now - ironically she said she didn't mention sociology by name once in the other draft that he saw but has now mentioned it twice. She's fed up with it - any more changes he will get pushed back. There's a written assessment with this particular college so he's asked her to do two timed questions a week and send them to him! He is taking his job seriously 😁! And she thankful she's not got History A level to worry about at the same time!

stoneysongs · 26/09/2023 16:34

It's all getting a bit much now, isn't it? 😬

Three weeks tomorrow all the forms will be in and the tests will be done.

Then fingers crossed and a deep breath before prepping for interviews, I guess.

SnoopDogisamenace · 26/09/2023 17:50

Can I join? DS applying for Maths at Oxford. PS been written and changed many times! I’m not interfering only offering advice 😂. School took out all the stuff UCAS says to include so I think he’s going to ignore them (up to a point). At the Open Day one of the tutors he spoke to said don’t overthink it because it’s not even looked at by them. Problem is it’s looked at by other unis. Good luck everyone.

ShanghaiDiva · 26/09/2023 18:27

Dd currently tweaking her personal statement which is over the character count. She needs to finish by Friday ready for school to complete the reference.

stoneysongs · 26/09/2023 19:09

Just had a row discussion with DD about giving up a subject. If she's going to do it, I suggested now would be a good time, before the form goes in. Two of her subjects are more uncertain than the other two and I am worried she is going to get ÅÅBB (or worse) when her uni choices so far want AAA.

But what do I know, her weakest subject is the one where she gets to sit next to her friend so obviously that's more important 🤦‍♀️🤬😭

Plus the idiot teacher of the weakest subject says he is predicting her "definite A maybe Å" when there is no way she will get an Å. She scraped an A at AS so most likely A2 grade is a B.

Uohoxbridgeapplicationtime · 26/09/2023 19:45

We’re all submitted here…..so fingers crossed!

goodbyestranger · 27/09/2023 10:47

As far as the personal statement goes, a student just says yes thanks for the advice I'll do that and changes the form, gets it approved, then changes it back to what they originally wrote before they press the UCAS send button. No-one at the school level will check, they'll just attach the reference. Saves a lot of hassle :)

goodbyestranger · 27/09/2023 10:47

Same applies to choices actually, not that mine ever had any issue with that.

ErrolTheDragon · 27/09/2023 14:16

If she's going to do it, I suggested now would be a good time, before the form goes in

Yes, I don't know what happens if someone drops a subject after applying. It may be one of the reasons Cambridge makes 4 subject offers for some courses if the application includes 4, to stop anyone making an 'inflated' application.

stoneysongs · 27/09/2023 14:44

I think you have to let the unis know, and they might consider the terms of the offer I guess.

goodbyestranger · 27/09/2023 15:08

A friend of DS1 dropped History after his Oxford offer for Medicine came through and they were fine with it. Our H06 was absolutely insistent that the friend contacted the college in writing and got the all clear.

By contrast DD2's college (different from the one above) wrote very clearly on their offer letter for History than any one who had stated that they were taking four A levels would be expected to continue with the fourth A level and sit the June exam although their offer was based on three grades (that was college specific I think - no other college had that clause in their offer letter).

It's certainly taking a risk to drop a subject: the university can withdraw the offer. An offer holder certainly can't rely on hanging on to the offer. I would think that Cambridge would be tougher than Oxford. I would advise mine to just give the subject up now, regardless of friend being in the same class.

stoneysongs · 27/09/2023 15:34

By contrast DD2's college (different from the one above) wrote very clearly on their offer letter for History than any one who had stated that they were taking four A levels would be expected to continue with the fourth A level and sit the June exam

Well that's going to give me a few sleepless nights! It's completely fair enough though, after a DC has marketed themselves as someone who can handle the workload of 4.

If you are happy to share any info about that college without being too specific, old/new, central/non central etc, please do.

I have advised her till I'm blue in the face but to no avail. She says if it gets too much, she will just not do any work in the fourth subject and fail the exams 🤦‍♀️

goodbyestranger · 27/09/2023 16:05

singingstones (apologies, have only been dipping in and out of the 2024 thread occasionally) but is your DD applying to Oxford or Cambridge and for which subject (or at least humanities/ science)?

This was an old central Oxford college.

goodbyestranger · 27/09/2023 16:11

Honestly with an A bagged at AS she really won't add anything to her application by adding in a fourth A level. Not my business but in my view it's worth a row.

My DC only took three A levels with the exception of the DS applying for Medicine, even though they were in a minority at their school (grammar).

ErrolTheDragon · 27/09/2023 16:18

Honestly with an A bagged at AS she really won't add anything to her application by adding in a fourth A level. Not my business but in my view it's worth a row.

My DD - on the advice of her school - dropped her 4th subject having got an A at AS. It's a shame many kids don't have this option now. She was doing a subject where applicants doing 4 subjects are very likely to have a 4 subject offer - and high grades in all 4 at that.

stoneysongs · 27/09/2023 16:23

@goodbyestranger
It's Oxford humanities, absolutely no need for a fourth, it's not even related to the course, she just likes it. I guess at least she wouldn't be under the kind of pressure that a STEM offer would bring.

She scraped her A at AS so I was thinking a B prediction would be most likely and might make her think twice. But the teacher has told her he will be predicting A or Astar. So stupid, 40% of it is already done, she is never going to get an Astar and will only get an A with a lot of work.

We had a row about it last night so I will shut up for a few days and give it one more try before the form goes off.

(At least it's not the same college as your DD.)

ErrolTheDragon · 27/09/2023 16:56

She scraped her A at AS so I was thinking a B prediction would be most likely and might make her think twice. But the teacher has told her he will be predicting A or Astar.

Do the grades at AS map directly to A levels? If they don't have a starred grade does a A grade map to A + Å then B to B etc - or are the bands shifted up a bit? (I've no idea, just wondering if the teacher might have a valid reason for a higher prediction)

stoneysongs · 27/09/2023 17:23

ErrolTheDragon · 27/09/2023 16:56

She scraped her A at AS so I was thinking a B prediction would be most likely and might make her think twice. But the teacher has told her he will be predicting A or Astar.

Do the grades at AS map directly to A levels? If they don't have a starred grade does a A grade map to A + Å then B to B etc - or are the bands shifted up a bit? (I've no idea, just wondering if the teacher might have a valid reason for a higher prediction)

They map across. A is always 80% UMS and Å is 90% UMS. (The UMS is calculated to make the right distribution of grades.) 90% UMS at AS is just a high A.

To get an A at A2 you need an aggregate of 80% UMS across both years. For an Å you need that plus an aggregate of 90% UMS in the A2 papers. So a high A at AS helps to secure the A at A2 but doesn't help to get the Å.

In any case she got her A by one UMS so with the more difficult 60% of the qualification to come, I figured a B is most likely unless she goes up a few gears.

TenSheds · 27/09/2023 18:33

@singingstones Similarly DD scraped an A in one of her subject papers, but teacher is still predicting A-star - it was only one question that dragged her mark down, the rest was fine, so she reckons she can still pull it back. Which is good, because this is an essential subject for her proposed course! Your DD may yet get her A, if she's motivated.
Not being able to attain A-star at AS always seems a bit unfair, DD and one or two others got maximum UMS points in one of their subjects.

goodbyestranger · 27/09/2023 18:44

singingstones since it's Oxford humanities her offer will be the standard one based on three grades. If she does badly on the fourth it won't honestly matter other than looking a bit tatty on CVs going forward. The one no no is to give it up without asking the college if it's ok to do so. So in the context of Oxford humanities actually maybe not a row worth having.

goodbyestranger · 27/09/2023 18:46

Although if it's a realistic possibility that continuing might pull any of the other grades below an A then possibly worth having the row :)