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.

My DD is at Cambridge's furthest-out college and she says that it's a running joke between her course/society friends that her college is "worse" simply because it's so far out of the city, negating all of its positives! She actually applied to this college whilst most of her college friends were pooled there because it's set in lots of green space, there's a nice distinction between lecture/library working and 'home' relaxing because she spends most of her days in her department in town, and when she is back at college they arguably have some of Cambridge's best facilities like large sports pitches, indoor pool, huge dining hall, large bedrooms, and it's not too far from a big Sainsbury's (much cheaper than Mains buries in the city centre). She has to cycle past Fitzwilliam/ME to get to lectures and sometimes on the way home she stops off at her friend's flats for a debrief, or they'll do predrinking there in the evening if they're going for a night out in town rather than back at her college. Ultimately wherever your DC's end up, they will love!

Re missed offers, DD knows of a few people at her college who were 'summer pooled' out of the college they got an offer to and into her college if they missed their offers. This is mainly in the case of colleges who offer higher entry requirements than the general uni ones (AAA Humanities and AA*A for Stem), subject to how many spaces the undersubscribed ones have left.

Just a personal thing. Kings is too touristy and I find the porters etc a bit frosty.

DD got an offer so we're very happy. She was pooled and then picked by a College she wouldn't have applied to, but is now just overjoyed to have a Cambridge offer.

Great to hear everyone's updates and best of luck to all our DCs as they navigate the next stage - hopefully leading to converting offers into secure places, wherever they may be!

@OMiDaze of course ME is fully Cambridge! The newer, previously (or currently) women's colleges at both Oxford and Cambridge have lower application rates because they might not have the same kerb appeal or central location, but they are still very much part of the same Universities and have qualities that might not have been foreseen but are appreciated once experienced. Not having to fight through gaggles of tourists, purpose built facilities and green space spring to mind. But there's also something about newer colleges trying a bit harder. Having huge numbers of heavyweight professors doesn't add to the undergraduate experience if those professors hate teaching or are only interested in their doctoral students. The absolute top-ranked History lecturer when I was at Oxford was clearly bored to tears and read his lectures in a weary monotone, whereas the less established academics were engaging and fresh because they were still proving themselves. I had tutorials and groups all over the university- it was arranged according to my subjects of interest so I had the same access to good teaching from Somerville as those in New College, Merton and Balliol. I belonged to university clubs and societies, won my Half Blue and had friends across many colleges.
But when I was passed from Magdalen to Somerville I was deeply unhappy about it, came close to rejecting the offer- & had to have sense talked to me by some grown-ups.

The best College for any young person isn't the oldest, richest or prettiest- it's the one that recognises their ability and invites them in.

Fantastic news for the young people with offers. For those who are going elsewhere the future is still super bright.!

My son received an offer for Maths at Trinity.

My ds was at the same college, his first choice. He loved it. Same running joke about it being in the back of beyond, but he loved it for being non-touristy, plus he is super fit from all the cycling! The chaplain is a fabulous jazz musician too. And no moving out between terms!

@AskAggie wow, you must be over the moon. Statistically that is the hardest place to get a maths offer from

weirdly, feeling sad today that my dad isn’t here to congratulate DS. Ddad went to Trinity and he died a couple of weeks after DS was born so February always a mixture of emotions but triply so this year with DS turning 18 this coming week

That's not weird at all. I can imagine it's very bittersweet. It's a poignant time of life, isn't it? Watching our babies grow up and reflecting on our own lives, our parents, the future.

Oh @lanadelgrey That’s made me quite tearful. Clearly being awesome runs in your family.

@lanadelgrey - totally understand. My dad died when I was a child and my Oxford attending mother also no longer with us. They would have been so proud to have a grandchild at Cambridge, but they’ll never know, sadly 😞

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. We were really proud of him as Trinity Maths is a super tough course to get on. I haven’t been able to tell anyone in real life so really appreciate your response. And of course I also want to acknowledge how hard it is if your child doesn’t get in. That sting can take a few days to fade. All of these young people are full of potential.

Finally found you all here and late to the party. I went to the older thread and realised it is now closed, but somehow didn’t see another one until now.
I shouldn’t have read all the messages about MEdwards, feels like my post is no defending rather than celebrating, but here we go!
DD had interview at Kings, got offer from ME. She choose Kings purely based on the look ( was very rushed at this point, as we were going for open application), I would say as a parent of a kid who’s state educated, and who didn’t have much support until very last week( had two prep interviews back to back on week before), because the school produces more doctors and this is an Engg application!!
I am very proud of the offer, and the way she managed to learn ESATs herself, and how happy she was coming out of interviews that she was able to make conversations in Physics to ppl who know a lot more than her and was able to answer their questions! She goes to an all girls school with boys only school across the road, so wanted to go into a mixed college. But after receiving the offer and waiting for other kid’s results, came to the conclusion that she is incredibly lucky!!! (And hard work pays off, with a bit of luck)
I am really sorry about many of her brilliant friends and kids on here who got a no today, but I am sure they will all end up in good places, where ever they go, as they were confident enough to try :)
Way up the thread,I remember reading, we start it as a “let’s try and see how it goes”! I completely understand that feeling and remember the look on her face, two weeks before 11plus exams, when I told her that she can let go and not worry about it. She was frustrated about silly mistakes! I felt like It went straight into my heart, I started that journey as “let’s try” lol. It’s never easy for them, but you start the fire and keep it going, stay by their side through it all, it will be worth in the end. She had no intention of applying for Cam until April and her first choice was Imperial, but then got into the grove and started prepping for ESAT, went on to decide it may be better for her to not start branching already and would like to know more in general.
sorry about the long post, but thought I should share the journey for many ppl reading this later years. Now to focus on A level and to meet the conditions, Good Luck everyone

Finally found you all here and late to the party. I went to the older thread and realised it is now closed, but somehow didn’t see another one until now.
I shouldn’t have read all the messages about MEdwards, feels like my post is no defending rather than celebrating, but here we go!
DD had interview at Kings, got offer from ME. She choose Kings purely based on the look ( was very rushed at this point, as we were going for open application), I would say as a parent of a kid who’s state educated, and who didn’t have much support until very last week( had two prep interviews back to back on week before), because the school produces more doctors and this is an Engg application!!
I am very proud of the offer, and the way she managed to learn ESATs herself, and how happy she was coming out of interviews that she was able to make conversations in Physics to ppl who know a lot more than her and was able to answer their questions! She goes to an all girls school with boys only school across the road, so wanted to go into a mixed college. But after receiving the offer and waiting for other kid’s results, came to the conclusion that she is incredibly lucky!!! (And hard work pays off, with a bit of luck)
I am really sorry about many of her brilliant friends and kids on here who got a no today, but I am sure they will all end up in good places, where ever they go, as they were confident enough to try :)
Way up the thread,I remember reading, we start it as a “let’s try and see how it goes”! I completely understand that feeling and remember the look on her face, two weeks before 11plus exams, when I told her that she can let go and not worry about it. She was frustrated about silly mistakes! I felt like It went straight into my heart, I started that journey as “let’s try” lol. It’s never easy for them, but you start the fire and keep it going, stay by their side through it all, it will be worth in the end. She had no intention of applying for Cam until April and her first choice was Imperial, but then got into the grove and started prepping for ESAT, went on to decide it may be better for her to not start branching already and would like to know more in general.
sorry about the long post, but thought I should share the journey for many ppl reading this later years. Now to focus on A level and to meet the conditions, Good Luck everyone

@lanadelgreyi know exactly how you feel, my parents did t attend uni and have been dead a long time (didn’t know my kids) and yet, I thought last week how proud they’d have been of ds Oxford offer, it’s rare that o think of them in those terms but it did get to me ❤️

I love Girton. It's a beautiful college and I have good friends who studied there. It's not that far, if you're based at ME anyhow.

I had exactly the same experience many years ago when passed from an old college to Somerville. Had a complete ball at Somerville. Life long friends. Having a safe all female space was a relief in a very intense work and social environment. And I made friends (male and female) from across the uni. A much less insular life - I'd still recommend an all women's college.

Three years ago DD had the same experience - passed from a different old college to an ex women's college, disappointed at first but went to the offer holder's day and loved it. I'd say she's having a better time than DS who was at a central rich college.

And this 'far out' malarkey is all relative. Compared to most uni towns all the colleges are close to each other and Cambridge is tiny! Girton sounds like a complete haven.

I don't know if it still does, but Girton had its own swimming pool in my day, we were envious.

Those moments can come like hail out of a blue sky: the pang of grief in a time of joy-because of those we loved who aren't here to share them. I'm just the same with my darling late father who died when I was mid-20s. One of my DTwins is named for him but I so wish they could have known one another. My boys represented England U18 in a small, niche sport that was his passionate hobby, one of them paints, as he did, and they both have his long bony feet. I see things that perhaps skipped a generation, appearing in the grandsons- and it's lovely, but sad also.

It's hard not to believe that your Father's history with Trinity played some part in your son's journey to study there. You know he would have been proud and delighted- I'm sure your son knows it too.

@lanadelgrey i totally get your feelings. My mum died before my kids were born but I just know she would’ve beside herself with excitement with the Cambridge offer.

but can’t tell her and that is excruciating.

@badger2005 Congratulations to your DD! I was pooled to Murray Edwards (when it was New Hall), having applied to a mixed sex college. I had a fantastic time there. What specifically is she worried about? Pretty much all your teaching is at university level and therefore mixed sex. You can do tonnes of clubs and activities across the university, all mixed sex. My supervisions were across all different colleges, depending on the subject of the paper.

I made some of my closest friends for life at New Hall, it was a lovely atmosphere in college. I lived in college for three years and had lovely rooms.

MEdwards leans heavily on the pool since if you ask most 17 year old girls they will say they don't want to be at a single sex college. So they don't apply. And then when they get pooled there, the great majority of them have an amazing time (in my experience). The ones that don't are having a bad time for reasons completely unrelated to it being single sex.

I'd be interested in what advantages exactly you think being in a rich college brings. Are there specific things that a student at, say, Trinity can get that one at MEdwards can't? I got a travel grant during my time at MEdwards (then New Hall) to go travelling during one summer. From my recollection the college also did a lot to support students who had financial difficulties.

Re central: come on, do you know Cambridge geography? MEdwards is very close to the town centre by any other town's standards. It's just that so many Cambridge colleges are right in the centre so MEdwards and the other hill colleges seem far out. It's a 10 min cycle right to the middle of Cambridge!

Heavyweight professors: I don't think MEdwards and the newer colleges actually have fewer "heavyweight professors". It also makes barely any difference to your education there, since almost all of your teaching /supervisions /lecturers are done by your faculty at university level.

I had all my lectures with students from across the university at my faculty building on the Sidgwick site. I had almost all my supervisions across a range of different colleges because my supervisor depended on what paper I was doing that term. So I was taught by "heavyweight professors" exactly the same amount as students from any other college.

Do you have any personal experience of Cambridge? I'm wondering if you just have some inaccurate assumptions and prejudices?

Many congrats to all the offers. A question for the no's. My DD2 was a no (after being pooled and interviewed again) so she feels like 2 colleges didn't feel she was good enough. She has however seemed to have moved on and is embracing her 2nd choice (KCL so London very different to Cam). I was fine and tbh for us London is very much easier to get to. But now a few days on I'm feeling more sad and disappointed for her (not in her). This has been her dream for so long i can't help but feel sad for her. I know she will be fine and I need to get over it. But she's been through so much to get here I feel so bad for her. Someone give me a slap.

Also: waves at other New Hall alumnae! Maybe some of us overlapped (I arrived there in the late 90s). @Greyeyesgreenlight did you know they stopped the rising servery quite few years ago?! 😲😥 I seem to recall it didn't meet modern health and safety standards. So there's just a static servery in the middle of the Dome now.

I've been lurking on in this thread as DD has just applied to Cambridge and she was very excited to get an offer on results day this week, for history and politics. From her first choice college (not MEdwards, I think that was too much like following in her mother's footsteps!)