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.

One thing to mention that I think it's easier to get in at Masters level with grades in hand when you already have proven that you're capable of a high First at undergraduate level. That's how my brother got into Cambridge. His school grades were fine but definitely not exceptional (he did IB) but he got a very high First and got quite easily accepted to Cambridge without having to jump through many hoops.

What this data shows is the average and so you have to use your imagination for any contextual data. My DS is applying to Oxford for Chemistry. He has an 8 in Chem at GCSE. He got 5 9s overall but he had the highest grades in his school of 180 students. If they check this, which it seems they do, I hope it would make a difference. If not, their loss!

@PrincessOfPreschool Yes but 5 is not 0. The op was talking about no grade 9s at all. That’s what I’m saying is almost unheard of these days. The data does tell you that. It’s doesn’t say 5 is wasting his time. Far from it.

@MeetMeOnTheCorner However, only 3 courses show successful applicants with less than 5 grade 9s.
This is misleading as the numbers in that spreadsheet are averages not minimums for each grade. I agree that it implies that most candidates have more grade 9s than 8s or 7s and it is unlikely that many if any have no grade 9s at all to get that high overall average. You cannot prove that no-one had no grade 9s from the data given.

For Geography the profile of applicants/offers was

2023 Grade 7 (2.11/2.03) 8 (2.64/2.25) 9 (5.74/6.96)
2024 Grade 7 (1.85/1.70) 8 (3.06/2.63) 9 (5.33/6.02)

So successful candidates had more 9s and fewer 7s and 8s than unsuccessful ones on average.

Oxford continue to say that 8s and 9s are treated the same and that results are considered in the context in which they have been achieved.

@ConBatulations I didn’t say it was impossible but truthfully we all know 0 grade 9s is a very very long shot. Maybe some stats whizz can find out how many have 0 grade 9s each year? The info
i I posted is probably the best available. It almost certainly has some dc with 10 x 9s and others with 4 or 5 to get the averages but 0? I doubt it very much and my maths isn’t that bad. It’s raising false hope to say 0 grade 9s is worth a shot. It’s a lot of extra work to do this application and the additional reading around the subject so stats should be taken into account and the op was doubtful too.

...and I suppose if there are/were any successful applicants who had 0 grade 9s, they probably still were top, or near top of their school in terms of their grade profile which it doesn't sound to be here.

But if OP's DC is happy to work and try, why not, as long as they're fully aware that it's a long shot.

I think she should go for it, if she wants to. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I went to Oxford from a state school - neither my mum or dad went to uni, but my local state school was excellent and I did well there.

I both loved and slightly hated Oxford. It was an enormous workload (modern history), it was generally intimidating for a girl who had no idea what she was walking into, but I loved it and my college did its level best to make me feel welcome and help me to thrive.

Mansfield and Hertford would be good choices. I also loved Wadham (didn’t go there, but kind of wished I had!).

@larkandowl I’m always one for aiming high but it is extra work and the op says she’s not massively robust and has anxiety issues and also had to work for the grades. This is being overlooked by many posters. I’m not convinced this is the best profile for Oxford because the 8s and having to work hard doesn’t sound as if she would enjoy Oxford in my opinion. This could be anxiety inducing big time. Plus the workload there is intense so how will that suit?

I don’t expect dc to find things easy but there really should be 9s in there and what’s the target subject? This will matter a great deal. Anxiety is a massive red flag though.

Yes, you're probably right. I certainly do think it's unlikely with no 9s, at least from reading the admissions stats.

@larkandowl Being secure in your ambition and confidence do matter. I’m normally firmly in the “go for it” camp but this DD might need a bit of space and less pressure to do as well as she can. I’m not dismissing grade 8s either. For nearly everywhere else, these results are just fine.