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 🙏

I thought it was fairly common to do interviews at a second college at Oxford. Some people get concerned if they don't get one, others get concerned if they do. Some even get interviewed by a third. As ever, nobody really knows the individual situation so I'd just take it that it's good they want to spend more time with her and try not to overthink. And good luck to her - hope it goes well!

my daughter (joint degree) interviews will be next week and there will be 4, 2 was scheduled and with her chosen college and 1 is scheduled at another college(completely different ethos to her chosen one) and one has not yet been scheduled so hopefully its common. Good luck!

@Flowersandthorns the other quite likely explanation is that your daughter's first college is over--subscribed and while they might not anticipate making her an offer themselves, they see great merit in her and believe she should be at the University so have shared her details with other colleges. If the second college agree they'll make her an offer. This was me a million years ago.

Also, joint degrees are really tough so the bar is exceptionally high. Another outcome could be an offer for one of the two subjects. If they asked her to interview againt for joint schools that sounds positive to me.

A second college interview is pretty encouraging because on the basis of both written submission and interview a candidate is still in the mix. Very best of luck to your daughter

Different subjects all have different rules about second interviews, so it can be really hard to generalise. But for joint degrees where each college only has a tiny number of places, second interviews for strong candidates are common and it is a great sign that tutors in both subjects are really interested.

@ClaireBlunderwood - sorry your dd had an unsettling experience at interview. But to echo what others have said - it’s absolutely not about ‘are you right or wrong?’, rather ‘what do you think about this and how do you approach this question?’

So it’s honestly not necessarily the disaster she fears! The best thing they can all do now is try to relax and enjoy the holidays…

DD had a disastrous first interview with a stern panel of three at her chosen college, followed by a delightful interview at a second college. Afterwards, she was adamant that she no longer wanted to go to the first college. In the end she was offered a place at a third college and had a fabulous time. A rubbish interview is not necessarily indicative of a rejection.

DD had two interviews last week, one for English which she thought went relatively well and one for languages which she found more ‘unfriendly’ due to the stern tutors. She’s now got another three this week at a different college, one for languages and another two for English. She’s feeling a little overwhelmed but pleased that it doesn’t feel like an outright no at the moment!

So, DS has just had his first interview for CompSci at preferred college. Went OK (he thinks) although unfamiliar maths territory and had to try and work through problems he hadn’t come across before. He’s a glass half-full boy however! But now feels more positive about upcoming interviews later in week, so I’m just happy he’s reasonably happy and surviving the process. Best of luck to all your young people navigating this too.

I wonder if some of these Academics have any idea how counterproductive their interviewing behaviours can be? The rest of the world has moved on from making candidates feel small, and understand the benefits of helping people give their best. It might even be a better way to identify talent rather than just rewarding confidence. More fool they, if good candidates come away not wanting their college after all. I'm happy your DD had a wonderful time in a college that valued her.

Couple of interviews done today, one more to go and another yet scheduled. Does anyone have not yet got your interview scheduled? Oxford did say that they will inform by end of day tomorrow.

DD has had 2 interviews at Cambridge today - Maths & Chemistry.
She's feeling mid about it - got some questions wrong but did correct things when questioned.

Who knows??
She has worked really hard & did her best on the day - that's all anyone can do.

Big wait until end of January now & its nice DD can take a bit of a break from studing over Xmas.

Good luck to everyones DC

Same here, 2nd maths interview wasnt great, got the wrong answer and was helped with hints for correction. She has not yet been scheduled for 2nd Philosophy interview though. Quite stressful. Good luck to everyone
P/S: I was just outside the door and I could hear that all the interviewers were very professional and nice and kind.

DC has had 3 maths interviews now and they seem to have gone ok - didn’t freeze or anything, but did find the maths hard (to be expected!). He’s just been called for a 4th interview tomorrow morning at a 3rd college, which was unexpected - do you think this means the first college don’t want him but think he’s got potential? He’s stressing a lot about it and unfortunately got the email just before his 2nd college interview this afternoon which he found unsettling.

Don't over think it. It could be moderation, it could be that another college likes the sound of him, it could be just because! It's not over til it's over.

No call backs for DTwins so it looks to be all or nothing for them.
I'll never see Deal or No Deal in the same light again.

It's normally a good sign. It happened to me years ago for PPE, but I still got offered my first choice college. It just means that your first college think you're worthy of a place, but are deciding exactly who to offer to.

Thanks @HewasH2O and @FMApplicant that’s reassuring. I said to him I thought it must be either neutral or good - surely they’re not going to waste another college’s time if they thought he was nowhere near a potential! He is going to be exhausted after tomorrow though, but at least college will have finished.
@BridgeovertheriverTest fingers crossed for your pair too. This process is such a slog!
@Greenleave interviewers sounded ok here too, from what I could hear whilst sauntering slowly to get a glass of water (absolutely not ear-wigging). Though one apparently used a really thick pen to write on the whiteboard which made it hard to decipher 😵‍💫. Good luck to your DC for remaining interview

My DC had a similar experience. She did her first two interviews at first and second colleges and essentially said they were done, she enjoyed the challenge, etc.

Then she got the message for the third interview at the third college, which she ended up REALLY enjoying. They discussed a text that's very important to her and she actually came out of the conversation with nuggets of new insight into it. She's now hoping to attend that college.

Well done to all those who have completed all their interviews and good luck to those still to be interviewed. My DC has completed all interviews now. Not sure how they went but they said all the interviewers were super nice, helpful and chatty.

Question please, has there been only 1 interview for a degree in a joint degree. My daughter only had 1 philosophy interview with her first choice of college which she thinks it was a mixed bag however 2 interviews for maths in 2 different colleges(the 2nd interview questions were harder).

DS has now had his three Oxford interviews which were a fairly mixed experience. He’s got a couple of offers from other universities which he’s pleased with, so that takes the pressure off a bit. Best festive wishes to all.

DD only had 2 interviews, one for each part of her joint degree.

DC same. Joint degree 2 interviews, 1 for each subject.

Same her for DTwin applying for joint schools

Same her - Same here