Oxbridge applications 2027 entry

[Justlurkingmostly]

Starting up a new thread for anyone whose YP might be applying this autumn for entry next year!

@justteanbiscuits he’s applied for mathematics and physics at Warwick. He was just going to apply for physics initially but changed it at the last minute.

DS has had the Warwick offer but nothing else. I do think it's strange that Chemistry has no entrance exams or work submissions for Oxford, nothing other than the references and predicted grades. He really wants Oxford or Imperial but not heard anything yet from them, Bristol or Manchester.

@CreamBeforeJamOnScones I only know they use it as part of the ‘wholistic’ admissions process.

As a parent I am keeping everything crossed for Cambridge as it's so much cheaper than elsewhere 🤣 Son doesn't take that into account what so ever, he's all about the course. But I'd quite like a holiday over the next 6 years! (He has a sibling 2 years behind him!)

I hear you @justteanbiscuits - rather pathetically I would like it because the terms are short. DD left home to go to specialist music school at 14 because her comp stopped doing GCSE music. I have missed her so.

Please don’t worry too much about support from schools for Oxbridge path. I can assure you in most state schools and private schools the support is minimum. My DS’s school has over 110 students ( about half of the year) who are early applicants this year. I can say truly no extra help other than usual procedures so far. BTW DS has got a 2nd offer from Bath in Engineering with 3 different combinations of conditional offers ( he is doing 4 A levels).

I was interested to stumble across the data with the number of applicants/successful applicants to Cambridge from each named school.

Well done on the Bath Eng offer as I recall their offer rate is 42%. Bath might be one of DD's Eng choices but the standard 2AStar+2A offer is the same as her aspirational choices. If you wouldn't mind sharing how the 3 offers differ, @redpeony , by DM if you prefer, I'd be interested as it might affect DD's choices.

Yes @PrincessOfPreschool, we know someone applying to Oxford for Chemistry and we too were surprised there is no entrance exam required.

I've got twins!

A friend's son who is private is getting loads of support for his application. Oxbridge students coming and talking, giving interview advice, multiple visits there, professors giving talks. I guess a school with a lot of alumni who went to Oxbridge helps. My son did manage to have a web chat on interviews with a friend's son who went ten years ago which was helpful. Especially as he's followed the exact path my son wants to (into academia). But that was pure luck

I can only send you thoughts and prayers 😁

If my DD doesn’t get an offer from
Cambridge then her second choice is UCL 😅

From £ to ££££ - two opposite ends of the spectrum!

Thank goodness for mine/DHs reproductive biology though - although only 2 years 3 months between Dd and younger Ds there are three school years between them as she’s the youngest in her year and he one of the eldest. What a blessing that was! So hopefully they will not be at uni simultaneously.

@justteanbiscuits Maybe I have taken it a bit for granted, for what you mentioned above which are all excellent (and provided by my DS’s school too more or less) but kind of norm as similar to a lot of information free online- I mean no extra help to individuals, it is still up to themselves to research and prepare for the entrance exams and choose colleges. I did mention that my DS’s school has offered one mock interview by a relevant teacher for each individual upon interview invites.

I made the (fun!) mistake of looking into Uniscout which someone recommended - what a mine of info!

I’ve got totally distracted looking at offers and achieved grades for courses nothing to do with my Dd at all (did anyone know you can do airline management? Midwifery seems very rigorous to get in to- you have to have interviews! LSE and Imperial have rejected a few already. )

Nothing in there from Oxford yet but Kings (9) and Corpus (3) leading the way on Cam interviews offered.

Anyone here with a Dc going for Corpus?

Nothing from other colleges yet. You can see the candidates gcse grades where they’ve opted to share these and reassuringly most have a cluster of 9s/8s/7s - they’re certainly not all straight 9s.

Anyway I’ve resolved not to look at it again for a while as it’s a total rabbit hole! 🕳️🐇 you’ve been warned.

https://uniscout.uk/cambridge-interview-tracker

Dd is at a private school. Not a huge amount of help other than time set aside for self preparation. She got one double period for ESAT prep but it was just time for her to do some practice that she’d sorted herself. This week they paired up the Oxbridge hopefuls to interview each other but not sure how helpful that actually was! She will get one subject specific practice interview and one general practice interview (based off her personal statement) in the next week or so but I think that’s about it.

I don't understand why schools pair students for interviews. Neither student fully understands the process, how tutors will engage with topics, or how to ask questions based on what students include or exclude in their responses.

Students should absolutely talk with others about their subject-area content, but I don't think this is the right format.

@BumpyaDaisyevna

I went down that rabbit hole too!!

@WonderingWhyAndHow I just asked my DS as he mentioned they had been doing interviews to each other among his peers. By using questions banks online, It can last 1 or two hours during free periods. He found it helpful to him.

Chemistry at Oxford is tougher to get into than it looks. I think the Foundation students pick up some of the offers and then for the left over places they’re fairly evenly split between male and female offers. They’re looking for strong mathematical skills during the Chemistry interviews.

Lots of the advice I've been reading is to get used to simply talking about your subject, talking your thinking out loud so I think this sort of practice is useful.

There's only one other Oxbridge applicant at son's school, but luckily it's his best mate and they talk their subject for hours anyway 🤣

For those of you who have children who are ND, have you had an email about reasonable adjustments should they be offered an interview?
My daughter has had one and she’s wondering what to put down! Is it appropriate to mention things that she may do to make herself more comfortable (ie. Lack of eye contact, fidget items - she has a spinning ring) She’s never been asked this before and tbh an interview is exactly the kind of situation she would avoid!
Any advice would be appreciated!

For Cambridge applications, at the end of my Cambridge application form - you had chance to put down your adjustments; for Oxford, contact specific colleges before interview. It is definitely fine and worthwhile to mention above.

We had this and sent in a letter to support extra time for interview. We found the form quite badly worded but interpreted it in this way. However, after submitting DD got an email asking if she definitely needed the time as they didn’t expect this to apply to many people. Apparently what they wanted was evidence (letter from school) of your ND and also that it was your usually way of working ORALLY to use extra time. Since this isn’t something that DD has ever had extra time for, she let it go. This was Gonville and Caius, Cambridge.

@Redpeony @BreakfastClub80
Thank you for your replies.
The email was directly from the Oxford college she has applied to. They mentioned things like extra time or preferring a morning or afternoon time.
I’ve just suggested to her that she should have a think about what she finds difficult in that type of situation. I’m not sure she needs any adjustments on their end, other than an awareness of her coping strategies if that makes sense?

Still Worthwhile to explain in details about her coping strategies. As Oxford interviews are online, it should ease her more than in interviews in person. Sending good wishes as she has been brave to apply for Oxford with its tutorial system, she should be fine though in a more familiar environment once in.

That was my line of thinking - explaining her particular coping strategies.
i actually think the tutorial system would suit her; she is more comfortable in smaller groups - especially once they become part of a routine.
On the open day, she said she actually spoke in one of the smaller group sessions, which surprised me! Although she did stress that because of where she was sat she couldn’t tell if other people were looking at her or not 😆