Oxbridge 2025

[SnowFairy2000]

Let's start the journey here !!!

Anyone’s dc applying to Christ’s college C? Dc has just chosen this one and uploaded to ucas… they did visit this one I think… 🤔 all getting a bit real!

Hello, have just been lurking so far. DS wants to apply for Cambridge - engineering. He qualifies for special accommodations for ESAT for physical disabilities and, stupidly, we were a day late applying for this. The confirmation email has registered the request and approved the accommodations in principle, but it says we now just have to wait until/if someone phones us to make an appointment and that (rightly), people who made the deadline will be prioritised.

It specifically says NOT to ring the helpline - which is a weird general Pearson Vue one anyway. There's nothing I can do is there? We just have to wait and see if we get the call for an ESAT appt? My only small hope is we are in a part of the UK where I suspect Oxbridge applications may be lower than other parts. Any advice as to anything I could do would be great, thanks.

trying to get my head round Cambridge as DD just said she wants to apply. She has a natural flair for maths but we haven’t pushed her at all - no maths olympiads etc. just read this thread, had NO idea about summer schools etc. we live in a fairly low key area - in that the school is all about getting people a job, let alone a university. What do I do to catch up? panicking somewhat!

@poob bear in mind half of those who get an offer from Cambridge for maths still don’t make the cut as they also sit a test around the same time as A levels. Cambridge design the test to filter out the best of the best.

To get an interview there does need to be a demonstration of passion in the subject and so I would ask is there a good reason your DD didn’t sit the usual Olympiad etc?

Is your DD in Y13? If so then applications are only really a few weeks away so no point stressing about making up.

DD is at Cambridge but not maths but has some maths friends.

https://nrich.maths.org/

DD went to a school which didn't enter pupils into Olympiads or similar. DD went through Oxford's UNIQ programme and accessed a programme encouraging pupils to apply to local universities (which was of little help to DD).

I've attached a link to a DIY programme which may help your DD. Your DD needs to access the application support through the Cambridge website. There are also useful links throughout this thread.

https://www.aspireoxfordshire.org/ may also be able to give your DD access to a mentor.

If you really know nothing about maths at Oxford and Cambridge, I would encourage your DD to investigate both universities. Cambridge is brutal in asking for STEP papers in addition to A levels, as the results come out at the same time as A levels and can destroy an application even if the A level grades are achieved. Oxford tests next month, which means you have a clearer idea of your chance of success on offer day.

Every year for the last five years, Cambridge have made just over 500 offers in Maths, but admitted fewer than 250 come October.

A few of them probably make the grades but take up places at Imperial or US universities instead, but I'm sure most of those 250+ lose their place because of STEP results. It's brutal.

Remember Cambridge control the marking of step to make sure they get the right number of people meeting the grades!!!

Oh crumbs.

Thank you pets and he was.
rather think she may be keen but deliberately self destructing. A lot of research for me coming up this weekend!

@Poob If this is for an application this year, one high priority is to find out what the school's internal deadline is. The October 15th date is for the school to submit the form including reference and predicted grades, so they will often ask for a week or more to turn that around. Best of luck!

Yep, my DD’s school deadline was yesterday 😳 All done now, just the MLAT in 3 weeks’ time, essay submissions and then just sit back and wait and see if she gets an interview.

Applying for maths at Cambridge is brutal - DS is studying engineering there but one of his closest friends from school is studying maths and I don't think any of us remotely understand what he talks about any more ;-)

Two boys from his former school didn't make their STEP grades this year, despite getting four A stars, including in Maths and FM obviously - so had their maths offers withdrawn :-( They've still gone to amazing unis (Warwick and Imperial I think) but it's harsh to have a Cambridge offer disappear so close to starting.

Thanks photodad’ and ‘bluearrivabusI’m not actually sure her school has even heard of Cambridge. They just said to fill in personal statement and apply.

• panic* thanks for the warning!

@Poob I think anyone applying to C for maths should just be given a place - I admire any young person who puts themselves up for even MORE hoops to jump through to get a place.

Good luck to all of the YP applying this year - may the Force be with you!

Totally agree! I am constantly amazed (on WIWIKAU) by how many parents limit their DC's choices with criteria such as '1.5 hours away'. Utterly absurd

It was in the general mix of things and not a sole reason! It was trying to see the positives compared to the negatives that are often seen of colleges that are a bit further out.

This is a very good tip! Also School email filters can sometimes be rather over sensitive meaning that emails don't get through...

@Poob - don't panic. First thing is to start working through the foundation assignments here: https://maths.org/step/assignments. Every year there are candidates who don't start preparing for STEP until after they have received an offer (Jan of year 13) - we advise starting STEP preparation earlier than this but it is still possible.

We run interview preparation webinars ( https://maths.org/step/events ) for everyone applying to study maths at Cambridge and we also run webinars March-May for state school offer holders.

Also worth a look is the Oxford MAT preparation course (https://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/study-here/undergraduate-study/maths-admissions-test/mat-livestream ), you can catch up on past recordings and I would suggest that the revision sessions might be the most useful?

Any questions about Cambridge Maths or STEP please shout :-)

@Bluearrivabus my DD is just going into second year MFL at Oxford (two languages - one ab initio) if you've any queries do ask. I scrapped a whole load of interview questions off the internet and could share them if any use.

Her interviews were pretty intense - intensely quizzed on the books she mentioned in her PS. Also even in her ab initio language she had poetry in the original - with the translation side by side. Worth learning some vocab from the ab initio language if they have time.

She loves the course - was reassigned from the college she applied to (she had a big argument in the first choice college interview over a book) and loves the college she's ended up at. Her close friend from school applied for the same combo - at a different college - and was also reassigned to another college.

Interviews do vary and they will adjust according to an applicant's schooling and opportunities.

Has everyone submitted UCAS now? What are the next milestones?

My DC doesnt have any pre-tests (History at C) - so assuming next step will be a request for 2 marked essays (not sure when to expect this or if all apllicants are invited to submit essays?) and then fingers crossed they will be notified towards the end of Nov of an invitation to two 30 min interviews in early Dec - one of which will be an on the spot specific 'source' test and the other a general academic discussion.

Then its the loooooong wait until email on 30th Jan unless they are winter pooled - which may or may not require another interview with another college.

They are grades in hand so 30th Jan will be the end of the road for them.

The Cambridge SAQ (MyCambridge Questionnaire) should come in within a couple of days of UCAS receipt.

Oh thanks for that prompt - I will remind them to look out for that - thank you.

How important is it - I undertsood it was just info on specific syllabus etc?

A lot of it is just admin, but pretty sure you have to fill it in for the application to be complete. There's also an optional 1,200 character extra personal statement which may or may not be useful.

@Juja apologies, I’ve only just seen your post. Thank you, I might well take you up on that as she’s slightly terrified about possible interview! However MLAT in 2 weeks’ time to get through first… she is doing 2 languages already - which seems to be quite rare, certainly in her school (there is usually only one per year, and it’s a big 6th form) - not sure if this works in her favour slightly (I may well be clutching at straws but I’d like to think it shows aptitude when we have no foreign genes!), state school but it is a grammar. She is working so hard, I really hope she does ok but she is finding the MLAT grammar hard as they haven’t covered much of it at school. The teachers haven’t put on one help session so she’s doing it all herself. I’m so proud of her but keep stressing that other unis may well end up being less stressful!

@Bluearrivabus sounds like your DD is well on the way, well done. My DD just worked through the MLAT and LAT past papers to get in the zone plus gemmed up some extra grammar. Her school recommended a book (a state grammar as well).

She also did two languages at A Level but applied for one of her A Level languages plus another ab initio - at Oxford. Sorry for being a bit vague but not wanting to out her specific languages and college so might be best to PM.