Oxbridge 2025

[SnowFairy2000]

Let's start the journey here !!!

Hello, any prospective Cambridge applicants attending the Open Days in July? We've just been looking at the programme and planning the day but not sure what time to get to Cambridge. We'll be using the park and ride....

Yes but my son is coming down with school so strictly no
parents ! As we are from just outside Manchester they are staying the night in halls the night before so they can get there in time. He’s really looking forward to it but knows that the reality of getting a place is tiny and is trying not to get too invested.

Thanks @Thekatzenjammerkid We'll be coming from Scotland but tying our visit in with visiting family in England. Hope your son enjoys the day!

We’ll be in Cambridge on 4 July. Not sure what DC has planned.

@boobashka We’ll be taking the park & ride too. I’ll aim to be in Cambridge itself for 10am.

On another point, have your DCs drafted their personal statements yet? It’s a minefield.

We went last year and arrived in Cambridge about 9 I think - so we could do a college tour for 9.30 ish and then off to the sample lectures and course talk. Stuff was bread out so you need to allow time for a fair bit of walking, we had planned to do a second college tour at the end of the day but my dd was wiped (we had a very early start)

@Coldilocks He's supposed to be working on the first draft of his personal statement now but I don't think he's started yet... I'm trying not to nag. I think he's thinking he'll do it during the summer holidays - starting here next week.

Not really started it but have had to collect stuff that they’ll mention iykwim.
DS took part in a physics competition and their mentor’s sister went to Oxbridge so he cheekily asked mentor if he could read his sis’ statement.
He was impressed with it but felt that it mentioned a lot of ‘paid for’ enrichment activities so he was a bit 😳 at first but he’s hoping that Oxbridge admissions will be aware that not everyone has those opportunities.

I would hope that admissions tutors will be aware of that these days @Thekatzenjammerkid . We've been told that applicants need to show that they've 'made the most of their opportunities' and that super curricular activities are good for widening access as everyone should be able to access them (youtube videos, ted talks, etc) - not that my ds has done many of them...

@boobashka he’s got time over the summer hols hopefully.
Ds goes to a state school but got to admit that they’ve been pretty good chivvying potential applicants to do stuff.

Today I happened to learn of an excellent SM outreach campaign put on by the Admissions and Outreach Teams at one of the Cambridge Colleges. It consists largely of short, very YP-friendly videos on a myriad of topics and seems a bit different to the other Oxbridge outreach efforts (excellent though they are). Lots of good advice for HE and Cambridge specifically and some invitations

I’ve started a thread explaining more. The title is approximately ‘at caiusschools’

https://myheplus.com/

Both Oxford and Cambridge have resources available to level the playing field. Nobody needs to pay for activities to secure an offer at either.

And don't forget about the Foundation Years that both offer, although the eligibility is quite tight.

Thanks @poetryandwine DS has now followed D and C college. 👍 Looks good.

There are 50 free places on the Foundation Year programme at Oxford. You can't apply for the Foundation Programme and standard entry together. It's aimed at those who have had a disrupted education or severe personal disadvantage, so the vast majority of state school applicants are outside its scope. I assume the criteria at Cambridge are similar.

Correct HewasH2O - but if you are eligible it's a fabulous opportunity.

DD was lucky enough to get a place on UNIQ. She certainly didn't pay for any activities to go on her PS, hadn't entered any essay competitions or similar. Read around your subject and then talk about what caught your imagination in the PS.

Yes, Cambridge FY criteria and funding are similar. However, the FY at C is restricted to the Humanities and Social Sciences

UNIQ doesn’t appear to be especially restrictive. Several potential applicants at our local leafy green sixth form college get UNIQ places, even the child of an Oxford grad in DD’s year.

Good luck to everyone on here! :)

DC has 9 A* at GCSE (40/60 9s and 8s), plays competitive sports and is keen on economics having studied Physics, Maths and History. Predicted Astar, Astar, A with likely A in EPQ (know it doesn't count!) with some relevant work experience and super curriculars.

She feels she is not of the sufficient academic level for Oxford and suffers a bit from low esteem in this respect, probably partly due to having some real whizz kids in her year.

I know the entry is to a large degree dependent on the actual grades (guess GCSEs) and entry test.

If she suddenly decides she wants to apply, how much time did successful applicants on here spend on prepping for the TSA Part 1 only (and how difficult is it compared with other, similar tests)?

@lbwagain the tough thing about the TSA is the time pressure - you need to be very quick. All the past papers are on the internet with answers so best bet is to have a go at one now to get a sense of it. DC bought a book I think called the thinking skills assessment which talks through the different styles of question but aside from that I think it’s just going through all the past papers under timed conditions.

Also worth looking here - info on what TSA scores got interviews offers etc. uni level even though it says Keble.

www.keble.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/E-and-M-Feedback-2023-Department.pdf

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-You-Can-Cracking-Assessment/dp/0955079748

This is a good one. I sent our copy to a successful 2024 offer holder.

DD's GCSE results ranged from a 6, 7s, 8s and 9s. They look at GCSE results in context, so Dds were extremely high forever school. No TSA prep except a few past papers and using that book. She hit top 10% - 15% for TSA. Graduated on PPE last summer with a huge dose of imposter syndrome along the way. Those who don't doubt themselves are probably in a minority.

Do they take GCSEs into account much? My Dd is predicted A star, A star, A but her GCSEs were more ‘average’ (6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9) - will this be ok? Her 9s are in the subjects she’s doing for A-level and also all of them are relevant for her chosen course…

Those are almost identical to DD's (swap an 8 for another 9) However, they are looked at in the context of their school. If yours went to SPGS they would be poor, but in the context of an area where less than 30% get GCSEs in maths & English they would be brilliant.