Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 3

[Lightsabre]

New thread as Part 2 about to fill.

Sorted, thanks!

DS got 7.3 on TMUA. 6.6 on first paper and 8 on second.

Well done to your DS @Redhotchillipeppers that is a great score! Also congrats to all those who now have interview invites and sympathy to any still waiting.

DD's tutor is insisting on seeing all her emails from Oxford, even though he knows she's doing her interviews at home, is that normal?

As far as I know DD hasn't been asked to show letters but one of her teachers congratulated her and appeared to know without her telling any staff. It was the one who questioned was it realistic for her to be applying before. 😂DD thought the school must know anyway but it could be they overheard her.

Perhaps the tutor wants to check that everything is in order eg confirmations doen rtc?

Our school have asked for interview dates. I think it’s reasonable of the tutor if the tutor is in your dds subject and is going to be helpful. My ds’s tutor works in a completely different subject so won’t ask for anything from my ds, it’s the head of sixth who’s asked for the dates. I think it’s just to make sure arrangements are properly made.

my ds has not yet heard from Oxford - did your d get her invitation by email?

School want the info re dates, offers, etc but don’t want the emails themselves; i think tracking where each is in the process is fine so they can offer support (maybe), book rooms, warn IT etc.

Seems more than usual got interviews from school this year (we are not a high Oxbridge numbers school) so def they have problems on space esp as some of the medics have interviews same times, plus others too for other subjects

I don't even think my DD told her form tutor, she told the assistant head/head of sixth form as that's her History teacher, her English teachers who told the other head of sixth form. She said the less people who know better incase she flops the interview and doesn't get offered a place lol. As far as we know she's the only one in her year who has been offered an interview.

Yes, they emailed her @tpa

This tutor has been a bit of a muppet about UCAS so I know I'm expecting the worst and probably a bit prejudiced, but he already knew the date and she's doing it at home so no need to organise room or tech. His tone is a bit snippy unfortunate so it didn't come across as "I can help you with the admin if you like", but more like "this is as much about me as it is about you" iykwim.

He doesn't know anything about her subject - in a class the other day he was "demonstrating" what an Oxford interview would be like - asked DD her subject and then an Oxford-style question but completely misunderstood. So for example if she said anthropology and he asked a question about dinosaurs. Anyway I just wanted to check what others were doing. She has good support from elsewhere, thankfully 😅

DS has an interview for Maths at Oxford!

Congratulations to those DC with interviews and commiserations to those who haven’t been offered one. It’s a mixed bag in DS’s school. It’s such a stressful process for our DC.

@mushroom3 congratulations we're still waiting

@mushroom3 congrats to your DS and all the others!
We are still waiting 😬

Good news @mushroom3!
@stoneysongs the Head of 6 congratulated my DD on her Durham offer, so she must be checking her UCAS form regularly. She's no longer at school but they are involved with the process and she's had three practice interviews (needs to get to the point quicker, back up with evidence, be friendlier)! Her interview will be online at home too, and she's already done the written assessment.
They don't send many to C - she's the only one this year or last to get to interview stage. More to Oxford. They are invested as it's always good advertising, but not to the extend of your DD's tutor!

Congratulations Mushroom and everyone else who has got an interview and good luck to those waiting to hear. I think DD will do hers at school but there's still no date/time yet but dates allocated are next week. Has been invited to some pre interview tips thing on Wed evening though she said she is scheduled to be at work then but hopefully can sort something.

I don’t know how many interviews DDs school generally gets for Oxbridge - as DS didn’t apply two years ago then I’ve not really known, although it generally gets maybe about 3 or 4 places.

The fact DD has a lot of clever friends who have applied to Oxford or Cambridge does make it feel like there are loads but it may be a usual year. It’s a non selective comprehensive but does get a wide spread of ability including those at the higher end.

School knows who has interviews (and DD has a mock interview with the ex headteacher for the history part) but I don’t think they’ve been asking to see emails or anything like that.

DS has just texted me to say he'll be late back as school is doing a mock interview for him today at 4pm.

They had 6 applicants for history all at O, 3 of them have been offered interviews.

It is a non -selective large 6th form with a history of some success with Oxford applicants each year.

Ds school normally gets quite a few offers for Oxbridge (state selective) - around 20-30 offers but the ratio is skewed heavily towards Cambridge. About 100 apply (from around a 250 sixth form intake). Some of these are Medicine/dentistry applicants and it does well overall in this field with around 40 offers each year (not many for Oxbridge but quite a bit of success at Imperial).

Dd has interview on Tuesday. Any idea when they find out how they’ve done? I’ll have a look on the website but was sure you all would know?

DS2 has had his English O interview times through. Slightly odd - two interviews at his college, which isn't surprising, but they are both at the same time on consecutive days and both involve pre-reading - I was expecting there to be only one prereading task. Maybe this is in response to the ELATs being shredded. The interviews are only 25 mins long, so if both involve prereading, it doesn't appear as though there could be that much general chat (ie PS/wider reading etc).

@Newgirls 9th January for Oxford, not sure about Cambridge, I think it's usually a week or so later?

Congrats to those who have found out and commiserations to those still in the waiting room. DS's interview at Cambridge is on the 5th and had another email yesterday with details on arrangements for the day. I "persuaded" him to let me read as I am going to be driving him due to train strike. Apparently there will be current students available to support them on the day and 3 x interview practice zooms. They also said if anyone wanted to meet with an admissions person outside of the 2 x interviews they can arrange that. . Seems like they are really trying to be supportive. Oh, they also kept stressing the non-disclosure aspect re the questions they ask during interview and reading passage etc which is fair enough.

Not to be ungracious, but having them both at 11:45 on consecutive days really maxes the lessons missed (taking them at home). Doesn't seem all that sensible to go in beforehand as would want to head home by 10 so, given his timetable, that's nearly 2 days of timetable missed. Hey ho.

There’s one day for each of Oxford and Cambridge when they get an email and/or UCAS is updated telling them whether they have an offer or not. Not sure on the precise dates as I haven’t looked but Oxford is around 9th January and Cambridge is two weeks later. DD will find out during her mock exams…