Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 5

[YouOKHun]

Good Luck everyone whatever the outcome!

I think we sent you the fairy lights! Clearly the key to later intellectual development (vicarious proud moment).

DD was equally obsessed with them and is now doing a lit/lang degree.

For those who are baffled by the fact their child (or the child themselves is baffled) has all 9s at GCSE, plus all Astar predictions and is top of the year in the subject they applied to, I think sometimes people forget just how many people who are this bright are out there. There are thousands of schools and many many students who have got fantastic GCSEs and predictions or grades in hand, and who throughout their school careers have been absolutely top of their school or subject.

When parents or more likely the students or possibly their relatives ask’but how on earth can they be rejected when their grades are so good? What do they want? Are they prejudiced against my kind of child or their kind of school’ the answer is no. It’s just simply there are too many extremely good students applying for not enough places. So every year absolutely brilliant students who could do extremely well at Oxford or Cambridge apply, who get turned down. And yes, the tutors have decided that someone else should get the place, using their criteria which are necessary to wean the numbers down. It doesn’t mean those rejected were considered to be weak candidates or not good enough, just that there weren’t enough places. I know most people on this thread are absolutely aware of all this….but actually sometimes family members or the students themselves (especially if they are the only, or one of very few applicants from their school or college) don’t realise just how good the vast majority of applicants and those rejected are. And I think it’s worth reminding family members who sometimes ask about the rejection or say slightly tactless things in their attempts to be kind.

Sometimes people are angry about being rejected. There are quite a few on TSR today who are angry and feel cheated. Hopefully that feeling will quickly pass and they will realise that no-one set out to cheat them of a place and their rejection doesn’t mean they aren’t a top student. It is a numbers game and not every really great student gets a place. Knowing that can help people come to terms with it. Sorry if this is all totally obvious, but I thought in light of a couple of comments, it might be helpful to someone.

Which post are you referring to?

Am pretty sure DD isn’t thinking about trying again after a gap year but will mention it at some point.

Yours and Pandapac

When we visited Oxford uni with my daughter one of the chemistry professors said to remember if you don't get an offer it doesn't mean you aren't clever & a high calibre student. Mostly all applicants have been predicted A*s so they have to differentiate somehow. He said they are often looking to see if the way they teach is likely to pair with how the applicant learns. They are just making a guess on which students fit their specific mould of teaching.

@WombatChocolate Not many got 11 9s of this cohort. Only 188 as I remembered.

@User11010866 i looked it up at some point as two of them are good friends with my DD. Don’t think their school has so many doing 11 GCSEs now though.

Re getting 11 x 9's at gcse, many independent schools enrol students in igcses which aren't counted in the statistics released by JCQ etc.

@Lancelottie - goodness! sorry that I’ve forgotten your kindness that meant so much to us all! In my defence, my memory is shot!

It was really nice to hear how they remember how happy they were to receive it so thank you for the magnet and this memory.

You’ll also be proud to know that Dd1 is doing a Lit degree 😊

I'd forgotten too until the username sparked a rather charming memory!

NC here as possibly outing. Just wanted to add that luck does indeed have much to do with the process, and those making the decisions don’t always get it right.

DS is third year History at O. He applied to XX College, who passed on him after an interview, but he was fortunate to be picked up by YY College from the pool, interviewed again and received an offer.

At the end of his first year, the head of History at YY College read out a string of glowing reports from DS’ tutors, and commented wryly “And here we see why XX College are idiots.” DS went on to become a scholar.

So much of this is luck, the toss of a coin. DS ‘got lucky’ and had another chance. But really, all of these amazing children, wherever they end up, are lucky to have supportive family / schools / friends / whatever helps them work so hard when it is not an easy path. And that is going to stay with them and support them throughout their university careers.

@Sittinginacarpark this sort of sums up I think what may have happened and although no one knows which is the ‘right’ college to apply to, I think with hindsight it was not the right one for mine.

@WombatChocolate i agree there are some amazingly talented kids and not enough places across the country. I think the kicker here for my DC is that they only have their immediate peers for comparison and the surprise from the teachers (including the whole history dept) in who was selected and offered a place. That is not to minimise anyone else’s success but it did rather appear that the ones selected (with ‘less success’ at GCSE and ‘less’ in terms of predicted grades) fitted into exactly the category of student O says it is trying to steer away from….and the category my DC definitely does not fall into….hence my use of 🤷‍♀️ The college they applied to also rejected another equally talented student (different subject) so they know they were not alone which is of some comfort. I also think the fact that DC received 2 offers within 72 hours of their UCAS application going in and had a third less than a week later and received the much-waited UCL offer before Xmas may have given false hope. 2023 was an absolutely dreadful year following an equally shit 2022 in terms of loss for our family - so I guess we both wanted a great start to 2024 which I’m not gonna lie, an offer would have been.

I hope that this doesn’t come across as sour grapes, it isn’t meant to. I am genuinely so very happy for everyone on here whose DC did get a place. It is an amazing achievement and you should all be so proud. DC is now regrouping and looking at how to manage the 4 excellent offers they do have moving forward. I don’t think reapplying is an option, they have found the process emotionally draining and I do understand that. Time is a great healer, so let’s see where we go from here!

Completely agree with @Sittinginacarpark but it's easier to pontificate if one's YP ended up on the 'right' side of the lottery 😉. Mine did too, but having been rejected myself, I know that it stings. A lot.

One of the 'dead cert' boys at my sons' school was rejected yesterday - the only one of the Oxford hopefuls who did - he has stellar GCSEs and predictions, all family members are current or historic Oxbridge attendees - sometimes the 'luck' runs out.

We didn't give college selection much thought to be honest which, on reflection, may have been a mistake. We looked at the stats but all of the guidance says you can't 'game' the system so ds went with a clergy that took over 5 people for his subject and was fairly close to that dept.

I guess there's no point in 'what if's' now but he might want feedback at some point. I'll wait to see if he raises it.

Hope everyone who was successful has very happy kids this morning and that those who weren't are able to move forward successfully.

I'll probably drop off this thread now but will see some of you over in the general Yr 13/uni offers support thread.

Clergy =college!

Joining the thread as my stress levels start to rise in anticipation of the 24th. DD has so far applied to 3 other unis, 2 in October and another this week. All are notorious late responders and so she still has no offers which is really hard. I am just hoping something comes in before 24th to ease the stress and disappointment of a likely rejection (v competitive course at C and interview that didn’t go as hoped). No2 choice is LSE. It’s going to be a long couple of weeks!

Hi I'm just popping over to say I'm dropping off the thread now too.

Good luck to all the C hopefuls for the end of January.

Well done to all of the successful O applicants and all the best to those who didn't get the offers they wanted.

I'll be on the general year 13 and offers threads for the foreseeable.

@RIPMatthewperry I understand what you're saying, my own dc had the same kicker as you (other ppl of the type O had said they were trying to avoid getting in etc), with the added bonus of an older sibling who'd been successful. It's a tough one but - cheesy as it sounds - learning to cope with rejection is a far more important skill long term than going to a certain university, it really does help with grit and determination. Having gone to Cambridge, I saw plenty of peers struggle in the real world where their degree wasn't appreciated as much as other qualities that have little to do with formal education - not least resilience and humility. Good luck to your ds and all on either side of the fence going forward, they'll do brilliantly, promise.

Not sure if this will help but both my kids were interviewed and rejected over the last three years. There's such a build up if you apply to Oxbridge - the early application, the SAQ form if applying to Cambridge, the revision for the tests and interview, the introspection, the hope and WAIT. It's a lot for them to take on in their final year on top of A'level exam prep - no wonder they feel deflated.

BUT I do believe the process, though flawed, is good at selecting people who can put up with what it really is to go to Oxbridge - it really isn't for everyone! Not detracting from any successes here, I'm so pleased for everyone who's got a yes and I'm sure they will have a literal Ball :).

Honestly my kids feel like it was a lucky near miss getting rejected now. They love their Uni's and my son who is regularly in Cambridge visiting his girlfriend there, feels particularly strongly that he wouldn't have thrived there or enjoyed his experience in the same way as his current Uni. He's been to the balls, formals, has close a close friendship group there - the whole Milky Way! But says they were quite correct rejecting him. You need to be a certain type of person - they aren't choosing the most intelligent - rather those who are suited to a very small intense almost boarding school environment in addition to be intelligent.

If your DC was rejected both my kids found the extra work they put in to the application process really got them ahead with their A'level revision, so not at all a waste of time.

Good luck to all DCs wherever the sorting hat choses for them, as someone said above you are going to be so proud on that A'level results day and thrilled for their next chapter.

Does anyone know anything about Cambridge PostGrad applications, DD applied just before the deadline so nearly a month ago. She says the website says that most people hear back within 2 weeks????? She is now flapping as she hasn't heard. I;ve tried telling her that Xmas will delay stuff but she's adamant it won't!

DS3 did an MPhil at Cambridge and did hear back very quickly (early January) but he'd already completed his degree (at Oxford), so that might well have helped.

Hi - has anyone else been sent the Fee Status Assessment Questionnaire from C this week? My DS received the request on Monday but he has only today shown me the actual form as he has been busy with mocks.

It needs quite a bit of info that I am having to trawl around and find - including work contracts for DH and I to prove we have actually lived in the UK for the last 3 years. He has to submit it all before the end of the weekend and I have a feeling we might not have all the stuff needed easily to hand. Has anyone had experience of this and asked for an extension?

For note, my DS was born overseas.

The form says "this request does not mean you will get an offer", so don't worry our hopes are not up.

I agree @Tindrum - even if successful with an offer one has to really think about if it's a good match. Getting in is only the start. While I think kids can have an amazing or poor experience at any university, the style of teaching is so different at Oxbridge. At least there's no mystery- YouTube has taken that away! While my DD's interviews did not live up to the expectation of being like a supervision session (no challenges, no pushing for more in depth reasoning), I think she will thrive in that system. And I know of equally academic kids who would hate it. But should she get an offer in a couple weeks, I will still encourage careful consideration before jumping at it.

Thank you. Dd didn’t go to Cambridge for UG so yes might take longer.