So who is right for Oxbridge?

[myladyjane]

DD just started a levels - big standard state comp for GCSEs and now state 6th form college.

she did well at GCSEs - mostly 8s with a couple of 7s. No 9s (she was 2 - 3 marks off in a few subjects but we didn’t go for any remarks).

she was never top of the class, she was typically in the top 4 or 5 of top set. She’s not one of those effortless straight 9 types. She has to work but she is a bright girl. She does have a strong work ethic but isn’t massively robust (anxiety issues, possible nd traits).

college have put her in a high performing cohort - this is great and I had assumed she’d be aiming for a RG uni but college are suggesting she considers Oxbridge.

does she sound Oxbridge material (it would be to do geography). I want to be supportive but she is a sensitive little chicken and I’d rather gently steer her down a path she is more suited to.

but perhaps I am not being supportive enough and why not give it a shot if she could have a chance.

If she is interested, likes it when she visits, doesn’t have to work herself to the bone to try to get top grades, and she is open to other options then let her try. It might be a punt - I believe Oxford considers GCSEs, but personally I wouldn’t try to encourage or discourage, I’d just to support her exploring. There is an open day this week. If you can take her, she can see what she thinks. My friends DD was keen for years until she visited. No happily applying elsewhere.

Is she passionate about Geography? Reading extra material in her own time, perhaps visiting museums/important sites/watching documentaries? Is driven by intellectual curiosity?
Would she enjoy intensive one-on-one or very small group teaching, where the professor challenges you to explain and expand upon your answers? That's the distinctive, Oxbridge way of teaching, and what makes it different from other places.
If the answer to both of these is yes, she should give it a go.
I went to Cambridge from a very bog-standard comprehensive. I was the first to do A-levels in my family, let alone university. But I always loved intellectual discussion (not necessarily intellectual jousting, more the excitement of working something out together, of thinking "what if...?"). And I LOVED my subject, was excited to read and think about it. Cambridge was the making of me. It opened my eyes to a world of richness (intellectually, imaginatively, but also financially in terms of the career I have now) I would never have known..

I think a genuine, intense passion for the subject is the most crucial thing. It's a LOT of work, but if you love the subject then it's fantastic. If not, then it would be very stressful and she'd probably be happier elsewhere.

All other things being equal, I’d expect any Oxbridge applicant to have at least one 9 at GCSE, particularly in the subject she wants to study at degree level. Does she meet the criteria for UNIQ at Oxford? https://www.uniq.ox.ac.uk/selection-criteria or the Sutton trust at Cambridge? https://summerschools.suttontrust.com/eligibility/

I certainly don’t think ND traits should put you off. They are extremely common among Oxbridge students.

It is only 1 option out of 5.
What does she have to lose by applying?

I'd suggest taking her to an Open Day and letting her decide. Cambridge university also do subject master classes (an opportunity to go to a morning of lectures to see what university might be like). Oxford has a particularly intense style of teaching. You need to be passionate about your subject, be happy to be challenged and happy to work at a fast pace.
My DD looked at Oxbridge but ultimately decided that wasn't her (she is more of a perfectionist who likes to take her time over things) and also the courses weren't what she wanted either (more traditional; this will vary by subject).

Stop steering. Just support.

It's for her to decide if she wants to try.

You're potentially holding her back.

Most successful Oxbridge applicants would have at least a few 9s. Many will have straight 9s. Thousands are also turned down with straight 9s and all A star predictions. This is the reality. So unless her school is flagged as contextual, or there are other mitigating circumstances, I'd be cautious. However, as others have said, it's only one option out of 5. If she can see it as that, and understands the realty, then there's no harm in giving it a go.

If she does decide to apply for Geog, she needs to do something 'extra' to demonstrate she is working beyond the A-level spec - eg. enter the RGS competition or Google other essay competitions. She doesn't need to win, but it will give her something to write about for the PS that's not just A-level content.

My DD is very similar. She wants to apply to Cambridge. I don't think she'll get in but I haven't said that. She isn't pinning all her hopes on it and I figure it's one of 5 options so why not? The only annoying thing is getting UCAS in early. She has done some extra work but not so much she would be gutted.

In terms of Geography at Oxbridge, DS school said it's a good idea to look at affiliated courses to your main subject of interest as these often have far less applicants.

On another note, this year my niece got no offers she wanted through her UCAS application - and ended up with going to Nottingham for a different subject through clearing. That's helped us all relax a bit to see there are different routes and it doesn't have to be Oxbridge or nothing - but even giving it a shot is an experience.

Like others say if she’s not a straight 9s kinda kid she’d need at least to be super passionate about the subject she wants to study. The profs can pick up on this in the interviews - after all they are professors of the subjects because they themselves are deeply passionate about it.

I think just the experience of applying will be really good for her. I had a few friends who gave it a shot, didn’t get in, but the experience really focussed their minds on wanting to do their best at their studies. One actually re-applied and got in second time round.

Sorry to derail…do you know why your niece didn’t get any offers from her 5? Just wondering if there are any lessons for those of us with Y13 DCs.

Here is what Oxford Uni says
GCSEs (or IGCSEs) will be taken into account when we consider your application but they are just one aspect that we look at. GCSE results will be considered alongside your personal statement, academic reference, predicted grades and performance in any written work or written test required for your course. If you are shortlisted, your performance in interviews will also be taken into account.
Higher grades at GCSE can help to make your application more competitive, and successful applicants typically have a high proportion of 7,8 and 9 grades. However, we do look at GCSE grades in context where possible.

Source https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/admissions-requirements/uk-qualifications

Here is what Cambridge says
There are no GCSE (or equivalent) requirements for entry to Cambridge. Our minimum offers are based on A levels and other Level 3 qualifications.
We will look at your GCSE results as an indicator of your academic performance. But this will be within the context of the performance of the school/college where you achieved your GCSEs.

Source https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/before/accepted-qualifications

In short, OP's DC has a very good set of GCSEs and they should not be a barrier to her applying. Yes, there will doubtless be anecdata of students who got rejected despite 14 Grade 9s, but that's not the whole picture.

Her parents are quite secretive and I don't even know her final grades but I think the subjects she was applying for (medicine and affiliated) combined with the top uni's and a low predicted Chem grade meant she didn't get offers or bone she really wanted. Before she even got her grades she knew it was going to be Clearing. She swapped to Psychology and must have got decent enough grades to have got in through Clearing.

The school context thing @redskyAtNigh mentions is relevant. Getting 8s and 7s when everyone else is getting 9s would suggest not Oxbridge. Being in the top 4 or 5 students in her school shows potential.

Do look at the outreach opportunities and supercurricula activities. Cambridge festival in March is free and there are online as well as in person events. The Oxbridge deadline is mid October so the decision does need to be made earlier than for other Universities Don't rule it out and see how year 12 goes and likely predicted grades.

If she wants to apply, encourage her. She might get in. DC1 applied from a state comp. Got turned down after interview. Got 4 x Astar at A-Level and went to Imperical College (which was fantastic). DC1’s friend was offered a place at Cambridge, didn’t get the grades but was offered a place anyway a day or two later.

Do prepare her for disappointment though if she does apply just because it is obviously very difficult to get a place, however brilliant and deserving you are. DC1 was devastated- was tbeir dream of many years to go to Oxford.

Nothing in her grades suggests she shouldn’t give it a shot. (I have a feeling Oxford treat 8s and 9s as the same, although I could be wrong.)

I’d be more alert to the ‘sensitive little chicken’ bit, because the mostly likely outcome of any Oxbridge application is rejection. I was devastated by mine - I was a particularly self-involved little twat, I’d never failed at anything before, and I had zero resilience. Most rejected applicants will recover pretty quickly, but it’s worth thinking about in this case because you seem concerned about her sensitivity.

If she does apply, it’s worth keeping the rejection stats front and centre in all conversations about it. Not because she’s a bad candidate, but because all the candidates are unusually promising and Oxbridge nevertheless reject most of them. And keep talking up the other options on her UCAS; do the open days, get excited about what they have to offer, help her to imagine herself there. I kept talking up my kids’ insurance choices until A Level results day! Treat any Oxbridge application like the very long shot it almost always is.

But as others have said, don’t try to direct her either way. Just be a sounding board: pros and cons.

No harm to try, if she likes the look of the course and wants to have a go. Expectations would need to be managed though, as even much more "obvious" Oxbridge candidates frequently get regretted.

I would ignore GCSEs to a certain extent as many children find their feet at A level. You need at least 2 A * A predictions at A level I would imagine. My son had an interview at Cambridge but did not get a place. He is very acaedmic but I don't think that he had the passion for his subject and it came across i interview. I think if she gets the A level predictions and is very passionate about the subject she studies, then I would give it a go. I would be realistic in terms of gaining a place though as it is very competitive.

If your DD wants to consider applying I would visit Oxford and Cambridge and see the subject department and maybe 3 colleges or so, pick different colleges to see difference, maybe one big and central, one smaller and old and fairly central, one modern. Or whatever 3 or so she fancies.

Presumably she has 7 8s at GCSE which on this admissions report for Oxford, which they count 8s and 9s the same almost half are offered interviews and a reasonable offer rate. It's taken within context of school so with a state comp setting for GCSEs she would be likely to be offered an interview at Oxford. Then it's 1 in 3 chance of an offer. Plenty of quiet autistic / quirky children at Oxbridge and as long as they communicate with someone, which could be you, if they have a problem, they are normally fine.

www.keble.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Geography-Feedback-2025-Department.pdf

You might find it helpful to take a look at this ongoing thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/5568988-oxbridge-applications-2027-entry?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

Most people who apply to Oxbridge get turned down. Once you realise that, it takes the pressure off a bit. If she gets on well this year, decides she likes it, and gets high enough predicted grades, there is no harm in applying. If she does go for it and gets an interview then she needs to prepare very well for that.

That’s a lot everyone. Of course I would be nothing but supportive and it would be great if she wanted to have a go. She is going to an open day tomorrow (I went to one at her age and loved it but then soon realised it would be a stretch I didn’t want to try and make so did t apply).

the thing that jumps out at me is the ‘extra’ stuff. She loves her subjects but not out of school.

this was helpful thank you.

You don't need to do masses of extra things out of school but students normally do have a keen interest. So out of school they might be asking questions which relate to the subject and thinking about it. If you listen to the Oxford geography interview here you will see some little mouse have got through and also one mentions they asked about geographical issues in your local area. Wouldn't need to be local area but just thinking about geography issues somewhere. And it's not about appearing a genius at interview, it's to show you can learn together and are interested. It's also very early days and students often change subjects they want to apply for though maybe not if ND. There's also Land Economy at Cambridge which has some overlap with parts of Geography, now rebranded as something like Law, Economy and the Environment which is more specialist depending on her interests.

www.geog.ox.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/oxford-interview.html

Well clearly that’s not the case as she didn’t get a single 9