Oxbridge applicants 2026 - thread 2

[ArchitectureMum]

Someone has to be the OP and I have no fate to tempt now in this journey.

Congratulations to all the Oxford offer holders. Some lovely stories yesterday afternoon.

Comiserations to those who had different news yesterday. I hope your DC are doing ok and beginning to look positively towards their other options.

Good luck to everyone waiting for news from Cambridge on 28th January.

And hello to all the Oxbridge observers - alumni, parents of past and future applicants. It is always a thread of highs and lows and it was a privilege to be a small part of it for this cycle.

I really feel for your DD - two of my DD's good friends just got a "no" as well, one of them after having been pooled. I did mock interviews for both of them and they certainly seemed like very credible bright students to me. I think some of these decisions really must sometimes have very small margins and I honestly think that you can't objectively say that candidate A definitely deserved the place while candidate B didn't. That's not much help I know, it must be really frustrating to have narrowly missed out.

And I'm sure you don't need anyone to say that KCL is a fantastic place (DH's alma mater, he had a brilliant time there and went on to do a masters then a PhD (elsewhere), unlike me who only has a pokey undergrad degree 😁).

Thank you! Well her plan is to be an academic so ....

@BurnoutGP not sure it's a slap you need! The fact your daughter was pooled says that two Colleges considered her a real prospect and now she has been snapped up by KCL, which is world-renowned as a brilliant academic powerhouse. She'll find it much easier to secure internships with a London base and will have all the resources of the capital at her fingertips. You just need to pivot emotionally now; it looks like your daughter already has.
All that hard work, planning and determination to go through Oxbridge selection will stand her in good stead and she will have gained valuable resilience, perspective and wisdom by going through the experience. Lucky KCL!

I feel the same, it's so disappointing. I know disappointment, I'm old, I can deal with it. But my boy, my brilliant, gifted, clever boy... I'm so sad for him. He's going to try the August reconsideration pool... he's going to do the STEP, I worry he'll get his hopes up again. It makes me sad , and I also need a slap.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who feels like that you said it so well. My DD seems to have accepted it better than me and has moved on I think. She says she's done now and won't reapply. Best of luck to your boy

Just to say to anyone with DC rejected this time round .... of the top 6 in DCs subject cohort in the finals last year (Cambridge tell them their overall ranking), all bar one were reapplicants who got in second time.

DS was rejected first time round. The only reason he reapplied was because his other two offers were London and he wanted a non-London uni experience. To get a First, they need over 70% average (based on exams, dissertation and any coursework requirement). His average was over 80%, in some exams he was hitting over 90%. But if he hadn't reapplied, he might have always thought he wasn't at the special Cambridge standard.

When he started at the college, he found out that of 7 places offered for that year, only 5 of them had actually met the grade requirement of A star, A, A. Whereas, I'm sure many (most?) of the people they rejected went on to far exceed this. The college had to go to the summer pool and get someone last minute. One was his friend who also went on to top her tripos, ahead of those who had been selected first time around..,.

There’s a redirect thread that the disappointed parents might like to join, even though it says Oxford in the title I’m sure Cambridge are welcome! I was in this position a few years ago with my eldest, and it really hurt me – for more than I would’ve expected, my DC was one of the many kids who had the unfortunate experience of being pooled and rejected, then seeing all their friends getting offers, when they were the one who had always been far and away top of the class in the subject. DC was and still is very pleased for their friends, but it was horrible!

TBH, it still hurts to an extent several years on even though DC is very happily settled at another university and doing really well, because their sibling is at Oxford and I can see how well they would’ve fitted in there. I have never expressed any of this to DC, although DH (also an Oxbridge reject, though he’s much clever than me IMO and also extremely successful) and I sometimes grumble to each other about it.

There’s a lot of “it just wasn’t the right place for them” reassurance out there – I believe for my dc and many others it was the right place in terms of them enjoying the rigour and coping with the workload. But in the end, there’s a vast element of chance to it –college choice, how you get on with the interviewer, how you fit into the general scheme of applicants to that college – i.e. your schooling background, your sex in some cases and how your interview goes - one tricky question not suited to your strengths and it can be game over, whereas if you’ve been interviewed elsewhere, you could’ve sailed through.

Having said all that, it’s very far from the end of the world. As I said, DC is more than fine and tens of thousands of Oxbridge rejects out there leading fabulous lives. Cheesy as it sounds, I really do think that these experiences teach us fortitude and resilience, which is in the end the most important quality in the tough job market and world in general. To people in this situation, you don’t need a slap (though I remember thinking that I did), it’s absolutely fine to feel sad for a couple of weeks, so long as your child has no idea!

The offer is given before the test and there isn't national entrance exams for everyone take the same papers. Applicants choose different subject so there are no ranking as you suggested.
There is an element of randomness in the recruitment process. A professor once remarked that about 30% of candidates would receive an offer regardless of who their interviewer was; for the others, the outcome could vary. This variation doesn't affect the university's standards at all.

NRTFT but my DD sang alto in her school’s choir and in her 2nd year decided to audition for her college’s chapel choir. The Director of Music said she could join if she could move some of her study commitments (NatSci). DD pulled a face so the DoM made a quick phone call and told DD to pop down to the next college along the road as their choir had a space. They sang fewer services and DD did 3 years there. She’s a very good instrumental musician and not a bad singer.

She blagged at least one free formal dinner in the 2nd college per week as “payment”.

I was the same when my ds took a place at Cambridge. My Dad, a non-Oxbridge academic, would have been SO proud, but sadly he died a few years before. My ds is also now doing a graduate degree in something my father was very knowledgeable about, I so often wish he was around for ds to chat to about it.

Now my dd has an offer at Oxford and I was thinking of him again, such a shame he didn't live to hear about either result.

My DM, who is still alive and who I don't have a great relationship with, couldn't care less about either...

I have heard the same story from a friend about her older son. Rejected the first time, re-applied, pooled and ended up top of his (very competitive) subject in his final year.

The margins are so tiny!

I have seen mixed story of re-applying. An applicant who wasnt offered last year from Oxford and already had 4 A stars, very solid and had an active gap year and applied the same course this year, did better in emtrance test then still didnt get the offer this year. I cant imagine. I dont understand about the hype of Oxbridge to be honest. Is it really worth it? For us, it isnt.

Question please, my daughter offer with Oxford including a Master, my friend’s child offer with Cambridge who wanted master degree to be included was offered 3 years. Although it did say that subject to the performance a master might be offered at year 3. Does Cambridge doesnt offer Master degree straight away at the beginning like Oxford?

Cambridge doesn't offer the 4 year master program , at least for the maths course as I know. You need to get first degree at the end of year 3 to promote to master course ( or very good 2:1).

Thank you, so Cambridge is much stricter compare to Oxford. Isnt there a cost benefit of having the Msc offer now, same fee to undergraduate not mentioning the certainty especially in the same first choice college. My friend’s child wants to do Master, its for CS.

MAT score was sent this week and for mine it was 86. Very disappointed as she thought it would be 90+. January TMUA isnt available yet.

@Greenleave Cambridge easily fill their Maths Master course with high flying internationals and others. Out of 300 or so in the Part III maths (4th year masters) only 70 or so are selected from their own undergraduates and generally you need a first class degree.

I didnt know about this, then it might be an advantage from holding a Stem Oxford offer with Msc included especially with the fee will be the same as undergraduate one. It doesnt matter to us though because mine most likely wont.

Wowzers! Am I missing something here! You’re “very disappointed” with a score of 86 🙈

A question to anyone who has experience, please let me know if DD can drop one ALevel subject now, after offers and applications.
Cambridge offer is two Astars, one in FM. She has one irrelevant subject. Got a random text from DD the other day about dropping that one. I don’t have any experience as this is my first and was wondering if this is okay to do.Any insight would be very helpful . She has offers from other three unis and waiting for ICL( no response yet)

Do you mean she would only take two A levels? Or she's doing 4 and want to drop the 4th?

DS took 4 and an EPQ - his offer was double A star (one had to be in FM), A and I don't think they offered on his fourth which was DT. He did think about dropping it but decided he'd done so much of the coursework, he'd just complete that and not really revise/put effort into the exam, although he still managed to ace it.

So I would say that if it's an irrelevant 4th it's probably not an issue but I'd probably check with the college? I'd also say that (certainly for DS doing a STEM subject), being able to manage a huge workload - even the bits you don't enjoy! - was a big part of his first 2 years at C before he got to choose his modules.

@SparrowTweets she missed the last 4 points as running out of time so dropping another 10 points somewhere was not expected.

@SparrowTweets please could you share the link to your stat, thank you.

@Newlease - so the Cambridge offer is 2 A-stars and an A? And your DC is currently doing 4?

That was my DCs Cambs offer. He was also doing 4 but they excluded a subject in the offer they felt wasn’t relevant (art). He could have dropped it but decided to carry on as he enjoyed it.

I would say with such high requirements, having only 3 in play can make it a bit more stressful - as you know you have to get those grades in those subjects with no room for anything to go wrong. With 4, if you can cope with the workload, you have an insurance policy!

That said, 2astars and an a is what you need, over 4 As, say - so if it’s a risk that it’s all too much, your DC should drop one.

your DC did amazing you should be proud.

here’s the link https://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/system/files/inline-files/Feedback%202025.pdf

For MAT and STEP test, the gap between "getting the answer" and "earning the marks" is definitely wider than in standard A-levels. 86 is an excellent grade anyway.