Oxbridge applicants 2026??

[Justlurkingmostly]

Is there a thread for this year’s applicants - I can’t seem to find with a search. Thanks for signposting 🙏

My ds had an interview a few weeks ago for postgrad at Oxford. I was in the room next door (with the dog under control as per PPs) while he was doing it online and, tbh, it sounded like a total and utter car crash. He had to do some of the interview in different languages and he was stumbling and not nearly as fluent as normal because of nerves. He'd prepped a whole lot of complicated answers to tricky questions in one of his languages, only to be totally thrown by an incredibly easy question, totally off topic, that he wasn't expecting at all and couldn't remember the vocab for as he was so thrown. Wrote it off as a disaster.

Offer came through last week.

My DC was told the same thing. How you manage errors is key. They aren't expected to know everything, jut they are expected to show how they accommodate mistakes in the learning process.

My DC also liked Exeter for the English Lit part of her joint degree too, not quite so sure about the Mod Langs bit....

My dd has two interviews for her English and Mod Langs application, one on Monday and one on Tuesday. Slightly tense moment when she received an email from the college yesterday saying she hadn't said yes to the interviews yet....😬
A quick google determined that her email client doesn't show the Accept button very clearly. Hopefully now done...

She's planning to do the interviews at home. Crossing fingers that the building work across the road won't be too loud, the wifi won't go down and the ceiling won't fall in 😂.

Someone said it was a bit 'try hard' to look up the interviewers, to me that is completely reasonable! I wouldn't suggest anyone read their research papers but isn't it kind of nice to know what they look like and what they teach?

Good luck to all - my twin nephews both had Oxbridge interviews a few years ago, for different subjects. One got in and one didn't - the one who didn't ended up in beautiful Durham and came out with a First and a very good graduate job.

We looked up the interviewers too. We have met two of them previously but DD was curious about the others.

We're also doing the interviews at home. I'm going to let DD use my office where the PC is connected directly to the router rather than wifi to get the most reliable connection.

My DD is also having her interviews at home this week. Lots of practical prep going on this weekend -checking laptop is updated, re-reading interview email to double-check the time and googling the interviewers (isn't that why they say who the interviewers will be?).

I think she's feeling excited and nervous in equal measure; I'll be glad to get the interviews done and then we can (try to) put Cambridge out of our minds for a few weeks!

Best of luck to everyone else with DCs with interviews in the next few weeks. Sorry to those who weren't called for interview - as has been said a few times - it's a brutal system with many hurdles to overcome before the finish line!

Think it was me who said it was, 'try hard,' but really only applicable to the situation with DS as he was thinking of mentioning it in the interview and/or mention their research.

Best of luck to your DD - DS has both on Monday

It is great that the college called you to check. I was worried about this. My DS said he didnt receive a confirmation email after he confirmed his attendance. Did you receive such email at all?

No info about when, how many and by whom for mine yet. Just an email saying that her chosen college would like to interview her. Hopefully further info coming next week.

DC has looked up interviewers at both colleges and is now dithering about what she really wants. In the first college, there's an interviewer who wrote a book that she absolutely adored and used to write a prize-winning essay. But the second college has an interviewer who is an expert on one of her rarer special interests (medieval Irish saints.)

I'm just telling her to get through them both and that she'll no doubt be delighted if either one makes an offer.

In the case of two interviews as standard, as for your DD’s subject, the colleges compare scores after all interviews are done. Her college of choice has priority in offering a place and it’s only if that college doesn’t have enough places on its preferred list that the second college will offer. So everything is down to the tutors and how they call it on the day.

@temperedolive great that your daughter has looked up her interviewers' research interests (not that it matters if you don't). As @Sevillian said the discretion to offer or hand on or reject is with the College your DD applied to. I'd agree with your advice - focus on doing her very best in every interview as most departments compare notes and quite a lot of juggling happens at the department level to try and ensure excellent candidates aren't disadvantaged by having applied to a college that also had many superb applicants that year.

The second college has no requirement to make an offer either and you can be handed on to a third college as happened to DD's friend. She wasn't even interviewed by the third college where she ended up.

My DD was given an offer by the second college she was interviewed by and has been so happy despite it being a college she said she didn't want to go to.

Just sending positive thoughts and best wishes to all the DYoung People having their interviews in the next week or two. It's such an exciting journey they are embarking upon. Whatever the outcome, they have wonderfully bright futures and I look forward so much to seeing this generation realise their potential.

Got one practising on the zoom whiteboard at the moment, ready for interview tomorrow afternoon. Fingers crossed!

Good luck for tomorrow.

Best of luck to all interviewees!

Good luck everyone with interviews this coming week!!

DS said he thought his went ok, he had one after the other for history and politics, he said he felt the first was better but was happy with both, for now the waiting continues!!!

He has already been offered Lancaster and Exeter and still waiting on Edinburgh. I'm definitely way more stressed about it than him, he's so chilled about it and just happy he has offers from somewhere!

Good luck to those who is interviewing this week!!! For us as parents, fingers crossed for the internet connection, no delivery or neighbor banging on the doors, pets are not happy. I think the idea of walking the dogs is great however there should still be an adult in the house just incase if they need anything. I will definitely wfh on the day and block my calendar for the interview period. We havent had the interview schedule details, so that might be the week after, hopefully.

These are good tips. I'm WFH tomorrow and will stick a sign on the door, keep the dog with me etc! DD is super nervous. All normal stuff but I really hope she get some sleep tonight. Two interviews tomorrow and a third on Tuesday. Good luck everyone.

This sounds positive and a cool headed response to the pressure!

Like others we have had whiteboard/tech practice today. not sure our oldish iPad is the best equipment for the job but it worked.

Hope those with interviews this week smash it and those waiting for dates and times get some more details tomorrow.

My eldest is one of the Oxford students who do the pre interview chat/tech troubleshooting before the actual interview begins. Everyone does not put as much effort into being prepared as the examples on this thread. Not even close. Good luck to all the candidates, highly recommend doing the verbal equivalent of showing your working.

Is there any one else (in the dark!) in a hotel room in Cambridge with their DC right now?! Good luck to every with an interview in the coming couple of weeks! Mine has two tomorrow and then we can return home to some semblance of normality!

@Haywire@Motherofasmallpony@Talipesmum@deathbyprocrastination(I may have not got all the names right!) and all whose DC have interviews this week, wishing the very best of luck to all. Still waiting here for confirmation of dates & times for following week, while DS is lucky enough to have a practice run planned tomorrow with friend’s DS, a current student, and hopefully has sorted out borrowing his sister’s iPad. Exciting and terrifying at the same time!

We left ours with their sibling, who’s in the same college, thinking it will reduce stress tomorrow… We plan to drive back and be there a little before the interviews in the afternoon. Bag of nerves all of a sudden even though it’s not my first rodeo… 😜 Best of luck to all.

Thank you! Will silently and mentally transmit the vibes in the morning…