Oxbridge minimum 8 A* GCSE results ???

[rhubarbmum]

Is it true that Oxbridge require a minimum 8 A GCSE results for applications? I know a very disappointed 16 yr old who thinks he hasn't got high enough GCSE grades - he got 7 As and 3 As. Please advise. I looked on their website and it looks like they base their offers on A level (and AS level) alone.

I think BeckAndCall's caution is right about the extra-curricular side. Obviously many of our students are multi-talented, hugely energetic and motivated and have lots of other interests - the university is full of societies and activities. BUT, for admissions, extra-curricular interests are not really of much interest to us.

If you think about it from a tutor's perspective, I want to find someone to whom I can give a reading list one week, and know that they will be able to dedicate themselves to the work, without much intervention by me. Then come back the following week with a 2,000 word essay.

Therefore, we are looking for candidates really dedicated to (maybe obsessed by?) their subject and the process of studying and learning. Curiosity, and intellectual precision, and a kind of ceaseless desire to carry on finding out about a subject are what we want. If candidates are too well-rounded, and have too much of their time filled with scheduled activities, then it's harder to be confident that they will be the sort of autodidact our system needs.

This is not to put anyone off their extra-curricular activities at all. As posters have said, activities which complement their intended subject are great. But academic achievement and potential are much more important in our admissions system. We do know that other universities want to see details of extra-curriculars on personal statements, however, and read that paragraph of the PS very tolerantly!

No university is interested in extra curricular stuff that is not in some way directly related to the course you want to study.

If you think about it, it would be wildly discriminatory if they were.

Back in 1980 when I was the first girl to do my subject and the only comprehensive school student I met at my college, extracurricular stuff was all the rage. There was even something called the "rugby third" which was when we let in Tim nice-but-dim to do something unchallenging because he would be ace on the university rugby team. But this died a long way back. Partly because of the access issue: every oxford tutor knows perfectly well that extracurricular stuff is sold strongly by the fee paying schools as a magic ticket to Oxbridge, while state schools may not be able to do as much. But this is not true any longer. Fee paying schools are slow to accept this in some cases.

All is good yet on another thread anorher mumsnetter writes that 95% of places are going with those who achieved at least 8* in their gcse's.
I can understand that universities are trying to catch outstanding candidates but if what I wrote above is true students would like to know if that's true.

Oxford publish statistics on the success rate by qualifications here www.ox.ac.uk/about/facts-and-figures/admissions-statistics/qualifications

You'll see it's all about threir three best A levels. Get three A* in the right subjects- thats the key. You'll also see that lots of them have overseas qualifications- I don't think 95% of the students even have GCSEs, given how many are overseas candidates.

Ppl with strong a levels may also have strong GCSEs but that would be correlation not causation.

I asked for source of that stat because I am interested in knowing if mg dd with 6xA* 6xA and1xB stands a chance

I agree about the fact that a fair proportion of accepted students are from overseas hence stats are including only A's or equivalent.

If I was going to plot to get a kid into Oxbridge this is what I would do.

Make sure they take the a level subjects that oxford or Cambridge recommend on their websites for that degree, and select any dont knows from the Russell group facilitating subjects if they wanted extra safety in the choice.

I wouldn't take more than five a levels (science, assuming you do three sciences, maths and further maths) or four for anything else unless they are super confident and all the subjects are strong ones. Lots of ppl get in with three for the humanities. Don't waste their time doing a level general studies. Doing an extra a level in art "for fun" stops being fun quite early on

Book them onto open days

Apply for the UNIQ summer school if they are at state school

Get them to aim for 90-95% in their AS levels if they possibly can, especially for science.

What I would not do is let them think their GCSEs aren't good enough and not apply.

Xpostede anti

Yes, of course she does, those are good grades. Well done her!

Sorry, it is so frustrating when good kids are put off by anecdote and speculation.

beastofburden - thanks! She worked hard to get them

I agree that ppl like me who have very little knowledge of the system are perhaps

unnecessarily hanging on every bit of information they can get their hands on. As it has been said.. little knowledge is a dangerous thing

There is no secret key to this that you don't know about, honest! Send her to the UNIQ summer school if she can get a place. It's free and it seems to be a very effective way of increasing success rates. I really hope it goes well for her.

OP - sorry for highjacking your thread!
We'll do that beastofburden. It will help her to concentrate on her extra reading she needs to do. She is taking History, English, Maths and Music hoping to study Humanities with perhaps some Economics.

(AlmaPudden - you are lying! I know you went to St Claire's - read all about and that second layer of chocolates .)

beastofburden has it pretty much spot on. Just to add that it really has to be the individual pupil who is really certain that the particular Oxbridge course and teaching model is right for them - there are so many other options out there, so they must have done their research. It's surprisingly easy to tell in an interview who is there just because they have been pushed and encouraged by school or parents, but their heart isn't really in it.

I would also give them lots of time to do extra reading and to really think and study (i.e. think analytically) about what they are reading.

Some interesting facts on average GCSE score in this article (about half way through):

www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/can-a-perfect-run-of-a-gcse-grades-dictate-how-the-rest-of-your-life-will-pan-out-8761839.html

Remember that is the AVERAGE - some will be higher, some lower, some outliers...

virelai, interesting.

DD is dyslexic. At 11 an educational psychlogist suggested she would be fine when she got to 16. When asked why, she explained that at 16 DD would be able to focus on maths and science and drop English and MFL. She showed real aptitiude for maths and science so would then come into her own.

GCSE has been a struggle. DD has done really well though nowhere near as well as friends attending schools like SPGS where all A is almost a given. She is bright and ambitious and the thought that she might be prevented from studying what she wants to study because she is not an all rounder is depressing. My assumption is that this cannot be unusual, and if Universities are seeking the candidates with the most potential, they will be willing to look to AS results and A2 predictions as well as GCSE grades. As the article suggests not being an all A person has some advantages, including learning to accept failure and being realistic about your strengths and weaknesses.

"a friend of my dc got into cambridge last year with just 1 A* GCSE (from a bog standard state school)."

But presumably with 8/9 As.........

A AAAAABBCCC actually. A in subject to be studied of course - I'm not aware of any mitigating circumstances either, though I or my dc wouldn't necessarily know these of course.

Very atypical I'm sure he's an outlier results-wise, but it just goes to show GCSEs are not everything.

Also, that's Cambridge not Oxford - very different approach.

In direct answer to the OP, I have a DS starting at Oxford in October for a mainstream humanities subject in a centrally positioned very pretty old college. He went to a state grammar and has 7 A* and 4A so clearly one doesn't need 8 :) He did do exceptionally well on the pre-test though, so that will have helped.

An Oxbridge tutor we know used to say that he rather preferred the obsessive kids, who did extraordinarily well in their one true passion and ignored all attempts to make them do French instead of maths/physics/dolphin studies, to the well-behaved ones who meekly got on with their work regardless of subject.

I would add a note of caution to all this. Don't forget getting into Oxbridge is purely about academic ability and focus on the subject you are applying for (with the exception of some international sporting stars). However only a few will continue to be academics, most will be seeking employment. That is the benefit of unrelated activities and experiences (as well of course enjoyment). Luckily many capable of studying at Oxbridge manage to do both but I think it is shortsighted for DC to be directed into pure academic subject related pursuits just so they have a better chance at Oxbridge.

Agree. Kids should do what they enjoy without doing it for a ps.

Ds wants to study law and become a barrister. Would his extensive knowledge of Judge Judy help?

My DD got in last year from a comp with 8A 3A, so just one more A than your DS.

Last year at Keble College for Biological sciences, 6A* meant an automatic interview, as long as A level predictions were right. www.keble.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/subjects/past-feedback/2013BiologicalSci.pdf

kittiesInsane that is interesting.DS says they watched an oxford physics webinar at school and this is more or less what thy said.
They were all about 'the genius for the subject' .They are ideally looking for someone with the insight, focus, passion and aptitude to push forward research boundaries in the future..They are really not looking for an alllround mediocrity who has worked their tail off to get top grades across the board.
I do get concerned by some things I read on MN, which I think maybe originated as a comment from one admissions tutor in one department and is extraoplated and 'Chinese-whispered' to become a universal truth.

And, results are down across the board this year, aren't they, because of the changes in marking? so in context, your DS probably did as well as or better than my DD who is an Oxford student... Apply.

Molio is quite right.

It's fine to agree that not every successful candidate will have perfect GCSE grades. However at Oxford they probably had exceptional aptitude test results and interviewed incredibly well. They will then have to do rather well at A level.

At Cambridge they probably got exceptional AS results (raw scores). And may well be expected to get stellar A level results too.

This isn't to say that anyone without perfect GCSE results should be put off applying, but that they will still need to be exceptional candidates in their own way.

catherine rumbled!