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Nepotism at Oxford?

An absoultely useless intellectually dull creep from my school got into Oxford to read BA (law and Law studies). Knowing that law is one of the most competitive subjects, I cannot imagine him being in any way qualified over any of the other applicants. I do however know that his father (an Austrian magnate and bigshot academic) has contacts in Oxford. Many people have been speculating that this, rather than anything else is responsible for his offer.

I like to believe that Oxford is far cleaner than that. What do you folks think?

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Reply 1

kildare

Mr. Darcy,esq.

There are always some suprises.....

Reply 2

Unregistered

Mr. Darcy,esq.

you do have a higher chance of getting in a college that your father got into, random oxbridge tradition. a few years ago there was a scandal of someone being offered a place at one of the poorer colleges at oxford for cash

my dad knew one of the main admission tutors for kings, cam, who said she 'would look forward to my application with interest' but i decided i didn't fancy applying there, too many tourists!

Reply 3

Veedy

rah

a few years ago there was a scandal of someone being offered a place at one of the poorer colleges at oxford for cash

Yeah, that was Pembroke. Two undercover Times journalists offered about £200,000 to get their 'son' a place. The two tutors said ok. This was soon revealed in the newspapers and the tutors resigned straight away.

Reply 4

hildabeast

There's probably something in it. A lot of colleges like to know what they're getting and have certain referees who they trust etc. However, I know someone who applied to the college his father went to after his father went to visit the admissions tutor about it and didn't get in.

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Reply 5

Tek

It's interesting - I have been told in no uncertain terms to, and I quote, "pull every string I can" in order to maximise my chances of getting a place.

Reply 6

Alexander

Tek

It's interesting - I have been told in no uncertain terms to, and I quote, "pull every string I can" in order to maximise my chances of getting a place.

What strings does whoever said that think you might be able to pull?

I know both your parents went to Cam, but that was the same with me for Oxford and it didn't directly help me at all (and I don't see how it could have done either).

edit: correcting typo

Reply 7

Tek

Alexander

What strings does whoever said that think you might be able do pull?

I know both your parents went to Cam, but that was the same with me for Oxford and it didn't directly help me at all (and I don't see how it could have done either).

Well a teacher recommended applying to a Cam college with which I had connections, because it "might make a difference if it was close". I'm not convinced it will, but seeing as I like the college, and the connection won't do me any harm, I might as well apply there.

I don't want you to think I'm under any illusions that family connections guarentee a place: I do live in the 21st Century thank you very much.

Reply 8

Stephanie1820

There definitely have been a few surprises with oxford applicants this year, but what i find really quite upsetting is when people accuse others of having been offered a place for the wrong reasons. It seems fairly obvious that that candidate was the magnate's son but perhaps he just got along really well with the tutor.

Usually i hate people who make satements like the one i just made as they dont know how much of a dick the applicant may have been, but i feel strongly about this simply because that is exactly what people are saying about me!

I definitely didnt get the highest grades in my school for my GCSEs, but before applying for French and Spanish i did a lot of outside reading of literature and got 4As at AS and a good reference. However, girls at my school who, in my opinion, are far more deserving of Oxford offers than me (they worked while i did bugger all throughout my GCSEs) were not offered places whereas i was...

Both of my parents are foreign (USA, Switz) and so have no contacts in Oxford and i also know that even if they DID want to buy me a place they wouldnt know where to begin. So all i can attribute this discrepancy in offers to is different colleges. The girl that has spread the rumours about me (i paid £130,000 apparently!) applied for the same course but to a much 'better' college - Brasenose when i applied to St Peter's so there were obviously more competition.

I have tried telling her (and all the others she has poisoned against me) this but she is adament that i must have paid to have been offered a place when she wasnt. So PLEASE guys, get the facts from the rich kid BEFORE talking about him, cos maybe theres a viable reason (or maybe he's just a money grubbing daddys boy.... either way....)

x

Reply 9

Alexander

Tek

I don't want you to think I'm under any illusions that family connections guarentee a place: I do live in the 21st Century thank you very much.

I appreciate that, it's just that whoever told you to "pull strings" seemed to think (probably erroneously) that it would make a significant difference.

Reply 10

Stephanie1820

in the end it probably does though...

Reply 11

hildabeast

Congratulations on getting a place, Stephanie. Don't let anybody knock your achievement; ALL colleges are difficult to get into.

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Reply 12

Veedy

http://oa.waveflex.com/profiles/prof_disp.asp?id=459
Have a read of this. Does anyone think this is a real guy or just a fake. Reading it made me laugh :tongue:

! I hope it isn't real, because personally I wouldn't like to meet him.

Reply 13

hildabeast

Veedy

http://oa.waveflex.com/profiles/prof_disp.asp?id=459
Have a read of this. Does anyone think this is a real guy or just a fake. Reading it made me laugh :tongue:

! I hope it isn't real, because personally I wouldn't like to meet him.

Haha lol it's clearly a p**take but funny anyway. It may be a characture but head down to the Union on a Friday night and you'll meet people a but like that (although not so extreme and not so anti-northern/state school).

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Reply 14

way2go

Veedy

http://oa.waveflex.com/profiles/prof_disp.asp?id=459
Have a read of this. Does anyone think this is a real guy or just a fake. Reading it made me laugh :tongue:

! I hope it isn't real, because personally I wouldn't like to meet him.

eeks!!! Fun to read, but I think it is a fake. I especially liked the following part:

Please describe the college accommodation eg. size of rooms, facilities
not really up to the standard of Eton, perhaps on a par with Winchester or Harrow but better than say Shrewsbury

Reply 15

Veedy

way2go

eeks!!! Fun to read, but I think it is a fake. I especially liked the following part:

Lol. My favourite bit was this

economics was a joke: "do you know what a patent is?" - i am the son of a corporate lawyer and an economist, and was frankly insulted by the stardard of this question

Reply 16

hildabeast

Haha yes it's very funny and all rather tongue in cheek. I actually know people who speak how you would imagine this guy to speak, and that's the ironic thing about it.

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Reply 17

Kalypso

Veedy

http://oa.waveflex.com/profiles/prof_disp.asp?id=459
Have a read of this. Does anyone think this is a real guy or just a fake. Reading it made me laugh :tongue:

! I hope it isn't real, because personally I wouldn't like to meet him.

hehe

there's a p***take Laura Spence one, too:

http://oa.waveflex.com/profiles/prof_disp.asp?id=291

Reply 18

Veedy

hildabeast

Do those kind of people just hang out with each other out of everyones way or are they the kind of people that you will see quite often?

Reply 19

hildabeast

grey faerie

hehe

there's a p***take Laura Spence one, too:

http://oa.waveflex.com/profiles/prof_disp.asp?id=291

Haha yes I've seen that one before. Highly amusing, although it would be shame if the site got competely taken over by spammers.

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