Question about extenuating circumstances/medical needs - Oxbridge

[magentafleur]

Namechanged as possibly a bit outing.

DD has an ongoing health condition that is now thankfully well managed with medication. She's had a couple of short term stays (think 2-3 nights) in hospital because of it - one a year ago, and once during the Easter term of her GCSE year.

Happily, she's navigated this all very well, and seems to have had zero impact on her school life/academic achievements - she did very well in her GCSEs, has great A-level predictions and is applying to Oxbridge.

Because her condition is (so far) now under control with the right meds (she hasn't had any relapses the past year), she doesn't want mention this on her application form - but I am wondering if she should?

Recently heard an admissions tutor saying that anything medical or personal that could have affected a candidate adversely should definitely be mentioned, because 'it's even more impressive to us that you've had to navigate that'. On the flip side, I know universities cannot discriminate at all, but bluntly - if a candidate has to deal with a medical condition that could 'distract' them from their studies, could this not possibly work against them?

Apologies if this is sensitive. I'm very aware there are students having to manage disabilities and circs that are much more serious than dd's and I hope this doesn't cause offence in any way...

I would also consider putting the application down until next Spring/Summer and not give it too much thought for now besides DD ensuring she’s doing activities etc around her subject that she can include.

Applying to Oxbridge can be a stressful and gruelling process from what I’ve heard, and that’s without starting the application a year in advance of the deadline!

@PinkFrogss - she's in Year 13 and applying now - her deadline is next week!

Oh sorry I though this years Oxbridge deadline had passed. Maybe just ignore me as I’m clearly out of the loop!

The UCAS deadline was 15th for Oxbridge.

I think you’re overthinking it.
It’s impossible to say what any individual’s unconscious bias might be, and I would hope that the admissions process has evolved now. It might be worth contacting them direct and asking whether the people doing interviews are aware of disability information about candidates prior to interview.
I think all universities deal with students with a lot of issues of all kinds. Looking around recently at a Cambridge open day, they were very welcoming to people with a wide range of challenges including physical disabilities, mental health challenges and invisible disabilities. Some of these are pre-existing and some only arise once the student gets to university. If your daughter would prefer not to mention it, then let her lead the way and vice versa.
I know as mothers we want to do the right thing for our children but there’s no way to second-guess what the outcome will be - so in your position I’d let her make the decision.
sorry that’s not too helpful.

If it can fit into her PS I would mention it, in terms of what she has gained, insights etc, due to the experience and how that has made her more determined to do well in her studies (for example). I wondered about the "extenuating circumstances" section in UCAS, because I think that's where you explain how a situation has caused you not to do as well as you can, and that clearly isn't the case here. So as I say, I'd lean towards mentioning it in the PS in a very positive way.

Dd missed a year of school due to anorexia and poor mental health. The first year of GCSE. She did her GCSEs in one year getting 7 nines. She was lucky to get a 9 for maths but she has found it hard going having to work really hard. Her very annoying school did not mention it in the reference and we are now doing the extenuating circumstances form. We are very lucky that dd is actually alive after suicide attempts and she is applying to C. Despite school not mentioning it in the reference, they have told us of course the university should know. We just hoped they would have mentioned it in the references and dd didn’t mention it in the PS.

Forgot the important bit! She may not get an a for maths - it’s kinda borderline, so mentioning the missing year we hope will explain why she may miss her prediction. She is pretty secure to get her other two a predictions.

A star, I have accidentally bolded it!

Going against the grain but if it’s MH related I’d err on the side of caution by not mentioning it. If they think there’s a chance of the environment being too pressurising or in some way contributing to declining health of that student, I’d think that would have an impact on decisions. Despite their saying they are non discriminatory etc.

Yes, that crossed my mind also and if anything I would hope that it would mean we would have dodged a bullet and it wouldn’t be the right environment for dd, if that makes sense.

@foxglovetree - thanks. Yes UCAS was the 15th for early applicants, but I was talking about the specific Oxbridge applications there.

If you were thinking she should add it to the optional additional personal statement part of the MyCAPP I wouldn’t, I believe that’s only for course relevant info not personal info.

If there’s health related questions then she should give the info she feels comfortable with.

She should. We knew one boy with well controlled Chromes disease, who had a flare up during a couple of A level exams. He was fiercely independent and felt he had managed OK, but when the results came out there was a significant dip in that one A level, and he failed to make the offer grade, so an automatic rejection. The school did what they could post results, but the message from the College was essentially that had they had the full story before results day they could have taken it on board in their decision making. (He gained a place on reapplication, though he had to resit. He had lots of super-curriculars, more during his gap year, was very bright and very committed to his subject.)

It was the 15th for Oxbridge applications.

@TheRainItRaineth - yes the 15th was the UCAS deadline for early applicants on UCAS which includes Oxbridge. This is different to the Cambridge or Oxford college specific applications, which is what I'm referring to here. They have various deadlines -

https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/application-dates-deadlines

https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/admissions-timeline

Hi, we are in similar situation and waiting for our last offer. I have exactly the same doubts like you and I am beating myself up what to do. My son also didn't mention it on the form as he didn't know it's possible but now he is thinking maybe he should mention it to the last university before the offer. So what your daughter do in the end? And do you have any response yet? Thank you!

@Malgonia2001 - hello. So my dd didn't mention it on the application form in the end. I actually spoke to her school - they said that because her condition hadn't impacted her studies in any significant way, and because dd didn't want to mention it, it was best to leave it.

Very happily, she went on to receive an offer from Cambridge! When the time comes to send over more forms to Cambridge (after all the UCAS offers are in - she'll be firming it as her first choice), we will probably include this information, as it could be a factor in accommodation allocations and so on.

In your case, I wouldn't worry about mentioning it to the last university you're waiting to hear from as he's already applied...unless his condition has made a significant difference to his predicted grades (in which case, his school probably mentioned it on their reference), it's unlikely to make much difference. The waiting is infuriating I know. DD has considered withdrawing from the one she's still waiting to hear from as she knows it won't be her firm or insurance, but decided to leave it as there's really no rush to do that - everyone is in the same boat.

@magentafleur thank you so much. This is very helpful. I don’t think it would make a lower grade offer however, because of his condition he could not finish DofE and this was a huge disappointment for him. Hope you DD will be awesome at Cambridge . Wishing her lots of luck!

Congratulations to your daughter OP!