Oxbridge 2025

[SnowFairy2000]

Let's start the journey here !!!

How lovely, congrats @Bookridden

Well done @Bookridden DD! Smiles all round this weekend 😊

Congratulations @Bookridden dd!

@Bookridden Well done your DD plus your measured approach to it, its never all or nothing, is it?

My DD is waiting to hear if she has an interview with O or not. She has two RG offers that she loves, and is having trouble choosing between, so not getting an interview or not getting an offer from O won't hopefully be her whole focus either.

Congrats @Bookridden. Mine has just had an interview invitation come through for History at C - he's very relieved and excited.

Huge commiserations to those who haven't been invited for interview - it's horrible, especially when they are all so bright and talented - but at least you won't be spending Christmas obsessing about the outcome in January! And I know that it's no consolation, but of DS' friends who didn't make it, even though we all thought they should have done - they've all done brilliantly at where they ended up (Durham, Imperial and Bristol as examples).

And many congratulations to those who have interview invitations - just heard a friend's son has also just got an invitation to C - think for economics or HSPS, can't remember which. Good luck to them all as they face the next stage...it's such a long and emotional road (and IME the emotional rollercoaster doesn't stop once they make it to O or C either 😉)

@Panicmode1 I don't think everyone knows yet about the interview. My take was that we'd be informed between the middle of November and the first week of December...

Does Oxford usually send invites and rejections at the same time?

Yes sorry, should have phrased it better...well done to those SO FAR who have invitations...and hope those still waiting are put out of their misery soon.

Congratulations @5starzz DS! Cambridge seem to be sending out lots of interview request now.

Congratulations to all who have been invited to interview so far!

Congratulations to interviewees! I'm guessing that the subjects which needed the ESAT will wait until the results are released next week... but who knows?

Are some of the entrance tests centrally marked then (?by who) as they aren’t specific to Oxford? But some are marked by Oxford themselves and so not constrained by other systems timelines? I didn’t realise that.

Both Oxford and Cambridge have contracted out dealing with administration of tests for some (but not all?) subjects to outside companies; I assume that Oxbridge academics still set the actual questions! It used to be a bit of a mix but now they have settled on using Pearson. DS has been told he'll get his ESAT result centrally via the Pearson website next week rather than from the Cambridge college.

Do all the tests send out a mark? My DC hasn’t been told this I don’t think?

But it’s a test only used by Oxford to my knowledge?

Ok just seen they send out a mark in Jan after all final decisions on offers have been made.

Who marks the test papers out of interest? Is it people hired by Pearson or Oxford or the specific college applied to? It was an essay type test not MCQs so not computer marked.

The tests that are specific to Oxford are set and marked by Oxford academics. Pearson just does the admin.

@ColouringPencils Yes

Dd just received an invitation to interview at C. She is happy just to be considered, but I guess it does add to anxieties over the next few months…

Same here !

Another Cambridge interview rejections today for dc's friend, with again 3 A-stars and straight 9s. Super bright kid who didn't even get a chance to prove themself in the room. Meanwhile, other children at the same school with less stellar grades and predictions are getting interviews, so it's a bit of a mystery. I am really sad for this child who is amazing but it makes me feel very what will be will be for my own child. Again, I truly believe the lottery element is becoming stronger every year. Another university will benefit hugely from having this "reject" on board.

This ⬆️ The Cambridge offers are coming in at DS’s school and two of his classmates who sat the TMUA after him have got their interviews for Economics.

It’s a lottery. It really is.

At least DS hasn’t been rejected yet but he is definitely feeling the pressure.

May I join in? I have DC whose choices are Kings, Bristol, UCL, Imperial and Oxford. He got offers from Kings and Bristol and is having an interview with Imperial next week. He is quite laid-back but everywhere seems incredibly competitive (I am shocked by the rejects of 4 A* all 9s etc...).