Oxbridge for bright students with an SEN?

[Strawberrycocktail]

I am hoping there might be some parents of Oxbridge student past or present on this thread who could give me a bit of insight.

My son is currently in his GCSE year, doing well in an academic school, scored highly in Midyis tests so that he is considered to have potential for all grade 9 s in his GCSEs but we will get a better picture of the reality after mocks in January.

He has a passion for the subject he is interested in studying at university and reads well beyong the GCSE curriculum in it. So much so that he has to deliberately dumb down his GCSE answers. Therefore, I had wondered whether to encourage him to consider trying for Oxbridge when he gets to sixth form. However, he has SEN (diagnosed with ADHD and ASD) and qualifies for 25 per cent extra time in exams as he also has scored low in some processing scores in Ed Psych tests in the past. Therefore, I wondered whether this would make Oxbridge inadvisable for him? I had heard that the short terms mean the work is more intensive for example, and I have heard in the past that the degree exams are all taken in a short space of time at the end, unlike many other universities who break up the exam/assessment modules across a longer period of time, often assessing some subjects in the second year of degree or including dissertations or longer projects as part of the assessment.

If the exam system is based on a short, intensive burst of activity at the end of the degree at Oxbridge do they manage to accommodate students who qualify for extra time in this? I wondered if it would be particularly difficult and disadvantageous for them if the exams were already scheduled to be back-to-back over a couple of weeks and extra time has to be added to each exam leaving little time for a mental (or even toilet) break between exams? I also wondered whether the Oxbridge interview process would rule out someone with slower processing scores if it is testing quick thinking during the interview?

Any views from those who know Oxbridge from the inside or through their children or otherwise much appreciated.

Ps apologies for typos. I can spell but using a tiny screen and missed them!

I went to Oxford and now I teach there. There is a lot of provision for ADHD and ASD students because we have a very high proportion of them! Especially in some STEM subjects I would say it can be close to 50% of the student body has ASD. I wouldn’t worry about your son but i WOULD strongly advise against not mentioning it! He would be given extra time where he needs it.

My DS has applied for Oxford this year (currently year 13) and he has SEN including slow processing and qualifies for 25 % extra time, he will be allowed that in the subject entrance test that he has to do next month.

I cannot imagine that this will be an issue for your DS but do think that you would be wise to declare it when it comes to application, we have.

someone i knew at school (15 odd years ago now) had quite noticeable ASD and was badly bullied at school. She went off to cambridge to study maths and found her tribe, including her first romantic relationship. I also have ASD and loved my time at a russell group uni, being allowed to focus entirely on something i loved. The ‘eccentric professor’ thing is a stereotype for a reason!

My son is similar and we went to Oxbridge open days. He wasn’t keen - he found the old fashioned accommodation off putting (even though we assured him more modern colleges wouldn’t be like that). He also found the Oxford professors pompous and rather too ‘theatrical’ (his words!). Cambridge he much preferred but still didn’t like the vibe enough to put himself through the process. I’ve learnt with my son’s condition that he finds the strangest things off putting so we had to go and visit everywhere that he was interested in starting in yr 12.

His top choice is now St Andrews (his subject is taught in a modern block with nearby modern accommodation). Never thought he’d pick this as its 400 miles from home and has the same ‘old fashioned’ reputation as Oxford!

On paper, Oxbridge looked like a good fit (very bright, 100% on his subject) but the reality was it just wasn’t for him. So my advice, start early and get round as many open days as you can - what can sometimes seem like a good option on paper isn’t always right in reality.

Also, despite all the colleges being keen to point out they were ASD friendly, I know my son would have struggled desperately hard with an Oxbridge interview.

My DD has ADHD (25% extra time) and is applying to Oxbridge this year. I do worry about the pressure there and the workload (as everything takes longer) but at the same time more face to face contact and support would be beneficial. They send out a disability form to anyone who notes it on their UCAS form and so this is in theory used to provide any additional processing time etc at assessment tests or interview.

The degree structure is different as you point out in that it only final year contributes to the classification and there is much less coursework. Depending on your DS's ADHD and how it manifests, that may or may not be a good thing. I am starting to realise that big pieces of coursework that require good time management over weeks/months aren't always easier for the ADHD brain. Depending on the subject the exams can be 5hr open book exams so it would be an extra 25% on that, rather than multiple exams the same day, and wouldn't have the same impact as at GCSE for example where space between exams gets squeezed.

Thank you everyone for the insight so far! I am still interested to read more insights that anyone can offer!

My DS would be applying for a STEM ‘boffin’ type subject and, to allay any concerns expressed, I wouldn’t dream of suggesting he hides his diagnoses or need for extra time! We were very open when he applied to his current school and they have been supportive so it has definitely worked for us to give full disclosure although I know some people worry about this and schools can vary in their attitudes.

it is good to know it can work out for some who have similar traits and need extra time. It is also interesting to read of how the Oxbridge system and vibe suits some DC well but not others and, having ASD and ADHD will have particular impacts on my DS that I need to consider. Those experiences mentioned are good food for thought.

Imperial College is another option that would give similar prestige in his subject but probably more modern so we will also be weighing up how other universities compare and the pros and cons!

DD had 25% additional time and rest breaks which meant that each 3 hour exam lasted 4 hr 5 min. Her degree was entirely based on 8 exams across 15 days this summer. Her last three 3 exams were on Monday afternoon, Tuesday morning, Tuesday afternoon/ evening with a 1 hour break between the last 2.

The support she received from the academic welfare team was great. However, she did get her lowest mark for her degree in her very last exam as she was completely drained by the time it finished. There was nothing they could practically do about the timetabling.

It was tough each and every term but reasonable adjustments were made. I imagine there is likely to be a higher proportion of students with SEN at Oxbridge by their nature, so they were used to making adjustments. However DD did find it difficult making some tutors appreciate her issues. Others were incredibly supportive.

I went to Oxbridge and have ASD, and have recently also been assessed as having ADHD. It was the first place I felt I fitted in and I was very happy there. The shorter more intensive terms with longer holidays to recover, work and pursue passion projects suited me and my focus/ways of working. Bizarrely so did the huge amount of work required each week as I had to keep on top of it and couldn’t procrastinate as much.

Neurodiversity diagnosed and undiagnosed is very common at Oxbridge. I imagine now provisions are good. The colleges are all very different so he will need to find his vibe.

Your DC would be in the majority not the minority. DN is at Oxford (2nd year). She said most of those in her accommodation had a condition requiring adjustments (also an extremely high number of kids with gender identity issues)

OP so many replies are focused on 'neurodiversity' which isn't really relevant as slow processing is your son's specific issue. Not Oxbridge but just some ways of how you can assess whether the teaching/examination style is right for him.

If he's doing great at GCSE level and has managed to answer GCSE questions with extra time, I'd say that Oxbridge's exam style will be fine for him. When you say 'slow processing' presumably you mean the ability to understand the exam questions itself? And explain the chain of reasoning? If he has read beyond the syllabus then processing/learning a large volume of information won't be the case, as it is for some people.

DH is autistic and just cannot do written exams. He's very intelligent would pass an Oxbridge interview with flying colours but explaining things in writing he just cannot do!

I have ADHD and don't have issues with slow processing I do however have bad working memory so found STEM subjects with symbols very hard as I'd read that 'x = y', 2 lines later see x and completely forget what it stands for. Having to go back to look for it then breaks my trail of thought but also once I found it I forget what I was supposed to be doing and have to start all over again. If I saw it all written down in plain English it was fine and I understood what was going on but you need to express everything formally. This can look like slow processing but it's not, it's working memory. Having a sheet of paper with the symbols held next to the question helped but at higher levels there are just so many it's the same as going back to the start to look for it anyway.

Also like a PP I loved exams - I went to a very academic university and loved hyperfocus cramming to great results even though I spent most of the academic year daydreaming. 'bit by bit' would be irritating.

That aside, unfortunately in the real world there are very few jobs where you can 'hyperfocus' to a point and finish with something, like exams. I have found working not to my liking as a 'steady performance' is expected daily, not intense burst periods. Of course there are these too - but the rest of life still has to go on during them. My natural pattern hasn't really worked well in coping with real life, so there's am element of that too.

@PikachuChickenRice thank you for your insight on working memory challenges. In fact working memory was one of my son's issues in the specialist Ed Psych tests so what you are saying could be a big deal for him if he pursues his preferred subject (physics). I hadn't appreciated the issues he might have with all the symbols in calculations. It hasn't been a noticeable problem yet although he was inconsistent in maths for a while, telling me he 'made mistakes' so now your explanation is making me think! He seems to have overcome the mistakes for the moment but the problem could become more pronounced if he needs to do extensive calculations with lots of symbols!

He had some 'slow processing' too. I cannot remember exactly what it was but I know that he had to work to develop his writing skills although thanks to a good teacher in prep school I think he developed a good essay writing technique but it was something he needed to work at.

i work with Oxford students and a lot of them have asd and/or adhd. We offer extra time like all other universities.

Oxford is more intense as you say because of the short terms, but there is more support because of the collegiate system.

you can Google the disability advisory service at Oxford. Don’t discount anything at this point and go with the best fit.

Is there variation in SEN provision between the colleges that should be looked out for? Who/where would be best placed to advise on this?

Did your son get in?

lindaandrews, I just revisited this tread and saw your question so sorry for the delayed response. My son won't be applying until the Autumn of this year so we won't know for quite a while! At the moment he is keen and motivated and feedback from his teachers is very positive in that they have put him in their Oxbridge preparation group and are talking positively about him entering rather than trying to put him off! That's as far as it goes at the moment.