Oxbridge 2025

[SnowFairy2000]

Let's start the journey here !!!

I don't think it is a problem, in honesty. My DH went to Oxford. He said that no one from his school had got in for a decade prior and when he went, 5 boys all got in for the same subject from his year.

A student from our school was assigned to the college which had the same name as his surname! I like to imagine him explaining endlessly, "No, I didn't choose it because....."

Do they ask at interview why you want to go to that college?

I've not been interviewed by them, but my understanding is the focus of the interview it to gauge your intellectual abilities in the subject you'd be studying. So they are quite nitty gritty and not general questions such as that one, which may well come up at other institutions.

I’d be very surprised if they asked you why you chosen the college it’s not what the interview is all about – just as well because when I chose a college a hundred million years ago I chose it purely because I fancied someone in the public eye who’d been there (it was a bad choice of college and I would much have preferred another one)

DD's 3 interviews ranged from Dr Who & time travel, Boris Johnson, the Kardashians & public personas, optimal taxation rates and public car parking charges. I don't believe she was asked anything about her college choice. That wouldn't work anyway, as some are interviewed by colleges they hadn't applied to.

Maybe as a "warm-up" question while the candidate settles down! But no more than that.

No, this is not allowed (because people may have made an open application and not chosen that college - the admissions tutors don’t know)

@HewasH2O for what subject? DD applying for MFL, she’s under the impression her interview (if she gets that far) would be based on some texts they give her to look at and then they chat about that. Is there random general chat too or is that subject-specific? (If it is, I’m quite intrigued to know what your DD is studying!)

PPE. Graduated last year. One of her interviews happened to be on the day of Boris's general election.

@periodiclabel you are right - if no one else in your school is applying for that subject, there is no question of clashing. There can be debate about whether multiple applications from one school for one subject at one college is bad idea (most schools do believe one should avoid it), but no one thinks any college cares about having multiples from a school in different subjects. As you say, the processes are separate and in fact some schools do regularly send several students to individual colleges.

@5starzz And this must be a myth if Westminster get 90 in every year - not enough colleges between Oxbridge to spread them out! Also cant imagine the parents from Eton etc being told what to do ... "No you cant apply to Trinity because Jonny Big Pants bagged that first you need to apply to Lucy Cavendish".... as if.

that’s exactly what happens. Sorting out who applies where is a massive headache as there is a strong feeling that there shouldn’t be subject and college clashes and it is complicated by the fact that of course ultimately schools can’t control where pupils apply, although it feels to the pupils as though they can. At westminster candidates have to rank their choices and it all gets very strategic because if you don’t win the fight for your first choice and your second and theirs where chosen by others as their first choice, you have to start all over again. I don’t know how often it all it doesn’t get sorted and a multiple application does happen. I imagine the Trinity Cambridge maths fight could be bloody but haven’t heard directly from those involved. Eton leave it a bit more to the boys to sort by telling them about clashes and getting them to sort it out, mostly.

But as it is only candidates applying for the same subject this applies to, there are still lots of colleges to go round. I think in DS2’s westminster year there were around 12 english candidates, mostly Oxford. But that was I suspect higher than usual. The Cambridge natsci number must always be high though so maybe they allow clashes there

That's part of the MFL interview (part in target language, part in English). The other parts will likely be expanding on things she's written in her personal statement (in English) and some talk.about the ab initio language if she's chosen one. That's my understanding anyway. Some colleges may vary, but that seems to be the typical form.

(sorry, that was for Cambridge MML, just occurred to me that you said MFL, so probably mean Oxford)

My DD (Cambridge NatSci) was at SPGS. There were a number of girls applying for NatSci, and they very strongly discouraged them from applying to the same program at the same college. DD ended up applying to her second choice as someone else had a parent who had studied NatSci at her first.

I have heard the only one person should apply to each college from a school being discussed
It hasn't been mentioned at DC's school which sends approx a 1/3 to Oxbridge each year

that would make sense @pepperaunt

I’m slightly panicking again about the open application as I’ve been looking at the Oxford website which says an open applicant will be assigned a college with fewer applicants than the rest. But they will definitely be assigned a college, right,? And the college won’t know or care it was an open application?

Yes, you have to be assigned a college. And no the college won't know, and even if they did they really won't care. The less over-subscribed colleges will be taking a substantial number of people through reallocation anyway (where they know full well that they didn't apply to them initially) - they just want the best students and they know that choosing a college is a pretty random thing.

Does anyone know how interviews are arranged if dc is offered one please? I'm guessing it's email but not sure.

Ds is making an open application to Oxford and will be sitting the pat in Oct, if anyone has a child doing the same it maybe a good idea to kind of buddy up and share the process in hope of managing our own children and judging how they've got on? Just an idea as we've no experience in this and as much as we've read about the process it still feels alien.

@Cubic email. A key tip for navigating the joys of ucas is close attention to email. If the email they have used (normally school) is one that is usually flooded with stuff there is a strong argument for giving ucas a different, new one which will only have university stuff in it. And they must monitor it carefully. Interview emails generally give about 10 days notice but it can sometimes be less. And thinking about later in the year for non-Oxbridge offer holders, every year Mumsnet sees drama where children have not read emails about booking or confirming accommodation and Thank you are left with none

You receive an email telling you if you have or haven't got an interview 10-14 days before the interviews for your subject begin. They are sent out at different times by the colleges. Dd had 10 days notice.

Thank you both and that is a really good idea to just have a new email for ucas only.

Can I ask which subject your DD was applying for?!

Sorry @HewasH2O ignore - just read up thread! Blurry eyed morning! 🥴