Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 5

[YouOKHun]

Good Luck everyone whatever the outcome!

My dad was the opposite way around!

Dd not dad

RIPMatthewperry if there was a policy at a particular college of not taking on students from a particular school then there would be no point whatsoever in interviewing them. Your DS seemed to think his first interview was not at all good, so given all his other stats, that was probably enough to knock his application on the nut, sadly. I think it's fair to say that Oxford will expect more at interview from an applicant from a top school. Since the college didn't pool him, it must literally come down to the interview he thought was duff.

Although to be fair, it seems a bit meh if the very top pupils in their subject at a properly top school don't get an offer (I'm assuming properly top - you haven't said that explicitly).

@TenSheds Your DD must have been unbelievably impressive. Amazing that she was interviewed with such a poor EMLAT score but even offered a place - and phoned with the good news by her interviewer, no less. Our hopeful, top in all his subjects at his highly selective indie, received EMLAT scores for both languages way way above the ‘cut off’ point for a place. We have also seen his school reference. They consider him the best linguist they have had for years. And no, he is not in the least arrogant and all his teachers say he is a delight to teach.
I must also add that it is strange that young PhD students form part of the interview process. Of course this is sour grapes but totally understandable. The playing fields are not always level on the other side, too. Incidentally all his very able Mod Langs set were rejected, plus all the extremely able classicists. This school has many years of experience.

He also had the offer of a Choral Scholarship - so places are certainly not reserved fot them.

Having bowed out a few days ago just wanted to check back in regarding the HAT. DS score was above average for overall applicants by a few marks but below the average for an offer (marginally). This is good information to have as it means that he would have to have performed incredibly well at interview to achieve an offer. Some on this thread were able to do that, others not so much.

He felt his interview went badly so the outcome isn't a surprise.

As it is he can know, from this process, that it was worth submitting an application and he was good enough to be seriously considered and to make the interview cutoff.

I think trying to work out whether there is prejudice against a certain kind of applicant is pointless. The margins are tight.

The admissions process seems to be more transparent than most other universities.

@janecrookall45 really sorry to hear your very able DS didn’t get an offer.

In case it is helpful, the one observation I’d make is that MFL at Oxford is very, very heavily focussed on literature study. So the tutors are often (perhaps oddly) far more interested in assessing whether the students are enthusiastic and able as regards literary analysis, than whether they are great linguists.

@InvestedButNotOverinvested He is also really keen on literature and has read masses round the set books, gone to plays etc.

And enjoys discussing them!

Yes, I agree. I'm very pleased that nothing is a shoe-in and the old boys' network to get in and get on is on the way out, but I would totally be feeling aggrieved if DD was in the position @RIPMatthewperry and others have described, and would be crying what more do they want? (Not meaning to imply that there were any assumptions of success for any reason in PP's cases.) There is some element of luck and I have no better solution. Maybe if any of us win the lottery we can found another college and open up some more places for our talented young people.

@janecrookall45 I mean, I don't think her score was terrible, just below the average! I'm sorry it wasn't good news for your son. All the very best to him and his classmates wherever they end up.

Apparently 4 offers for kids from dd non selective state school. It’s a big sixth form so numbers wise that probably makes sense and across a range of subjects. Might be more but dd not heard yet. Sadly not her but I feel the process was prob fair.

@janecrookall45 It sounds like your DS was very unlucky not to get a place.

@goodbyestranger it is a ‘properly top’ school, yes. That alone shouldn’t mean automatic entry I agree. But DC’s feelings about rubbish interview (who knows?) aside, they genuinely could show an interest in history (with volunteering during free time etc).

@TenSheds sadly, that was the point I was making up thread. Exactly the sort of student O said it doesn’t want were the ones who got the places and they were not considered to be top of the year …. And yes, there are concerns that there was an element of <ahem >network involved. Sigh.

As I said, onward and upwards, nothing to come of what if’s etc. what is meant to be, will be!

Popping back in to say ds school (super selective grammar) received 11 offers apparently for Oxford, interestingly only one of them STEM. Several PPE and Classics. It's likely they'll get another 20 offers at C (tends to be a lot of STEM offers in the past). Around 90 applicants.

Are you going to ask for feedback, I think I definitely would for your DS especially if the second interview went well?

There is no point in my son asking as I know that he didn't quite make the 'grade' as it were. He also doesn't have a stellar past record like your DS does.

just logged on as somewhat despondent on behalf of DS who applied with an excellent, above average HAT and MLAT score and seemingly excellent interviews for both not to receive an offer.

Is the feedback worth asking for? We already have the scores but that has only raised more questions as DS was higher by far than the average offer score :-(

@tigster my DS didn’t get an offer either despite similar credentials to yours (and to many others). At the end of the day it is a numbers game and Oxford knows they will have had to say no to many very capable candidates, (the “numbers game” comment is not intended to take away from those that did get an offer of course!).

On that basis my DS isn’t going to ask for feedback as he feels it is not going to be applicable elsewhere and will raise more questions than it really answers, and he needs to move on. I guess if your DS is going to apply again next year then the feedback could be useful. But as an exercise to work out where it went wrong I think it would be unhelpful.

I’ve started a thread for those redirected from Oxford (and also from Cambridge when the time comes) so those of us with DC in that position can discuss together if anyone wants to post there

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/4982835-redirected-from-oxford-and-cambridge-2024?reply=132169268

RIPMatthewperry your DS certainly sounds deserving of an offer. Surely the school will want feedback for the students they were surprised about? That may help explain what seems to be an odd decision, even if it requires reading between the lines. I think the window for requesting it is relatively short, although a decent school will know.

@RIPMatthewperry - If your DS was at a school such as Westminster or St Paul's, they were probably looking for some evidence that he had gone beyond the perceived advantage or the opportunities of the school - eg. national or international essay prize or published work in a magazine or something like that. If there is a History Prize at the school, they might have been looking for that. Maybe he had these things, I don't know. But when applying from that type of school, they really need to stand out from their cohort. It's not easy when everyone in that type of school will have all 9s (maybe the odd 8) and all A star predictions. Everything is very much contextualised.

@RIPMatthewperry how is your son doing? I think it will take some time for the emotions to settle as it's been an emotional journey from submission until now so allow yourselves time.

Do you think feedback would help? I guess if he did consider reapplying then it makes sense but if not...not sure. You mentioned one interview didn't go well, could that have been decider.

"At the end of the day we have to find a traitor. That's what we're here for..."

No shit! 🤣

Sorry, wrong thread.

Sorry to read of the disappointments. It can be so hard to rationalise what went wrong and in reality in most cases nothing went wrong. It's just a tough process with a huge element of luck at the final stage. A few years back I went back to my old Oxford college for a dinner and spent the evening next to the tutor coordinating admissions for PPE. He said it is impossible to choose at the interview stage. I can't remember the exact numbers now but let's say they interview 30 for 8 places. Of the 30 might get say 5 who are clearly not at the right level. And perhaps 1 or 2 who are absolutely standouts for offers. But that leaves 23/24 for 6/7 places and he said we could take any 6/7 and they would do well. They could almost do it randomly but of course they have to choose so he said it just comes down to very small things that are hard to quantify - might just be one answer or short exchange, somebody more generally about their personality, etc. On another day they might pick somebody else. Or another interviewer might pick somebody else.