Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 3

[Lightsabre]

New thread as Part 2 about to fill.

It must be the aptitude test but the academic (and supra curricular) profile of some of these boys is stellar by anyones standard and I know lengthy prep will have taken place for the PAT. It's peculiar. Just feel sorry for the very naturally gifted ones but I'm sure they will get on to other great courses.

That was to WutheringConniption.

I would also say that I've been in awe over those years at how well the incredibly able students have handled rejection and gone back in for a second time.

My son has an interview for maths at Fitzwilliam, Cambridge on Wednesday, actually it's 2 interviews a couple of hours apart.
Alhough they're maths tests rather than interviews.

To do this again, in consecutive years after a rejection, certainly demonstrates academic and personal fortitude which I imagine are highly desirable.

Pensive this evening. DD's school managed to source a MFL graduate of her chosen college to have a general chat about the course and a MFL lecturer to do a mock interview, both of which happened today. DD said they were both useful, but one outcome is that she has realised/ admitted she is under-prepared for this half of the course (as I feared). I'm sure she'll interview well and she would suit the Oxford style of learning, but she's at a disadvantage in terms of her existing knowledge. Interviews for the other half are on Monday so she's prioritising that this weekend.
It's going to be an anxious wait till January, isn't it?

@TenSheds it's not just the wait to Jan...it's the wait from Jan until results day too (if the Jan wait results in a positive outcome)...and then once they are in, you worry alongside them as they adjust to the pressure etc. Not for the fainthearted this Oxbridge lark 😉🤣

Absolutely @TenSheds! My dd can't wait for this bit to be over. Her mock interview today went better - nerves are definitely being conquered and feedback was more positive. We're off to the States for Xmas to see family - we haven't been since before the pandemic. A welcome distraction from the wait!

My DD has just had notification of 3 interviews over Monday and Tuesday. She's a little apprehensive as 2 are for the language she doesn't know yet! Hopefully they are looking for the ability to learn the language rather than a level of skill! She has a dance event all day Sunday and I'm glad she has something to distract her. Agree with whoever said this process is not for the faint hearted!

notfeelingcreative · Today 13:22

@zen1 i wonder if it’s worth dropping a group like zero gravity a line? They do free mentoring and I’m sure one of their mentors could do an interview practice session . It’s free. https://www.zerogravity.co.uk/

Thanks for this, I'd not heard of zero gravity before, looks like a great idea. Although ds is at a state school, I don't think he is their target audience and has had enough interview prep. But I've signed up as a mentor, so will see what I can do to encourage other kids (uni kids looking for career advice). Wouldn't have done it without your post, so thank you! @notfeelingcreative

Ps I cannot work out how to post a reply with the original comment, please do let me know how to do it (I'm on browser version, not app)!

Ah @Panicmode1 , not worried about the results, she has what should be safe offers from her insurance options, and she's got AS levels under her belt 😊
@mondaytosunday and @lullubell Drama for a distraction here, and visiting BF last weekend was a huge boost. Good luck to all your DC, and nervous parents!

Missed the context of the original comment but PPE is no longer Oxford only. It used to be in years gone by but now a number of universities offer PPE although obviously not Cambridge.

The maths situation is an interesting one. I studied PPE years ago and had a strong mathematical background and focus on Economics but many of my fellow students were mediocre in maths and much more arts type people. I saw the data a few years back as my eldest daughter applied and now maths is strongly encouraged with a very high percentage having taken maths A level or IB higher. It is odd for those with more of an interest in philosophy, politics, history etc. I wonder if the nature of the course has changed significantly.

Best of luck for all those with interviews in the coming weeks. My youngest daughter is back from her first term Saturday and then going back as a paid helper to look after interview candidates - can't believe how much has changed in a year.

On interviews my biggest advice is to think of the 5-10 questions based on PS, current topical matters relevant to subject, etc that you really wouldn't like to get - the ones that give you cold sweats :) Then come up with some answers. You might well get one of them but if you are prepared for those questions then will be more relaxed to deal with anything else. (I know this works better for some subjects than others.)

Morning everyone, it's December and we are in the calm before the storm!

DS (CompSci) has his Cambridge interview on Monday and his Imperial interview on Wednesday. To make the build up even more exciting, he has woken up today with a terrible head cold so I have told him to stay home from school in an attempt to get better by Monday. Last minute curve ball for us all....hopefully he can shake it in the next couple of days.

Hope everyone else with DC interviews in the next couple of weeks is going OK in this long, long, looooonng process (and it's not over yet).

@TenSheds Perfect place to be - good luck to her!

Good luck to him @PandaPacer - if it's at all reassuring, similar happend here and DS navigated his C and Imperial interviews with a horrific cold/sore throat and headache too - but he succeeded in both, and I'm sure that interviewers are not unused to seeing children with illnesses at this time of the year. I hope he feels better and aces them next week.

BEST OF LUCK to all who have December interviews - fingers and toes crossed, and massive commiserations to those who are disappointed. It's so hard to see rhyme or reason in the rejections sometimes.

Missed the context of the original comment but PPE is no longer Oxford only. It used to be in years gone by but now a number of universities offer PPE although obviously not Cambridge

Hertsessex the context was a Cambridge rejection 'for PPE' so the fact that Durham etc have offered PPE for quite a while now was entirely irrelevant.

In fact without reading back the poster said PPE or similar, but the less picky point was that it was to do with a student or students giving very dubious justifications for rejection.

Or possibly their parent/s, in the students' defence.

Anyhow, best of luck with interviews. At least online for the vast majority avoids the looming issue of ice and snow on the roads and railways. 2010 was something else....

I drove DC3 up, if only to get her there. A three and a half hour journey took seven. Incredibly beautiful once there for anyone interested.

Really glad it’s online. Dd interviews are spread over 3 days. If they were in Oxford they just get more invested don’t they. And would need to pay for train etc.

My son said he'd prefer a face to face interview... where the interviewer would get the full benefit of his charisma 😄

Ha ha @WellBellShell - my DS's interviews are online also, and I told him that was disappointing as he is 6'4" and if a decision between candidates was borderline they might decide to go for him to turn him into a rower! 😂

NB: He is applying for CompSci and does not have a sporty bone in his body, so maybe online is best ha ha!

@Panicmode1 that's reassuring to hear, thank you :-)

That's so funny @PandaPacer - my DS is a similar height - previously not (team) sporty, but was grabbed for rowing in the first week (and he now loves it).

Am I right in thinking that Oxford interviewers are sometimes / often PhD students?

Yes

Perhaps the original comment should have been correctly worded to just say “Cambridge don’t offer PPE” rather than “PPE is Oxford only” to avoid confusion for the casual reader 😀