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Reply 60
I heard about someone donating a load of money to an Oxford college. Then her son applied with truly abysmal grades and didn't get an interview. She went ape, withdrew the funds, her son reapplied and surprise surprise gets in with Bs and Cs. I love a happy ending....
Original post by Belton42
I heard about someone donating a load of money to an Oxford college. Then her son applied with truly abysmal grades and didn't get an interview. She went ape, withdrew the funds, her son reapplied and surprise surprise gets in with Bs and Cs. I love a happy ending....


What was your source?
Original post by Belton42
I heard about someone donating a load of money to an Oxford college. Then her son applied with truly abysmal grades and didn't get an interview. She went ape, withdrew the funds, her son reapplied and surprise surprise gets in with Bs and Cs. I love a happy ending....


Are you referring to this?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/1720940.stm

And no he didn't get in in the end.
Reply 63
I doubt in most cases you can buy your way in. A guy I knew who went to Eton whose parents were phenomenally wealthy got rejected for Law. And about him being shy... Half the people who were successful at my Ox law interview weren't exactly social butterflies. I guess they are admitting people on the basis of them studying the law, they aren't trying to predict who will become top class barristers capable of wrapping a jury around their little fingers (otherwise they would have accepted me haha!) I really hope he didn't get a BBB offer anyway as that's so so unfair to home students who should have more rights to the uni they pay taxes for. Anyway sorry for the essay but all in all I doubt money will get you in if you had no academic potential in the first place.
Original post by charlie9872
The sort of University that'll allow entry at BBB level will be at around the 40s-50s as Law is such a popular course. Take one University as an example, Plymouth. They ask for BBB for Law. I can tell you know the Oxford law course will be far more difficult and content heavy than the course at Plymouth. Yes, you're right in saying that entry requirements are a reflection of popularity, but courses at top universities are far more vigorous than at mid-table universities.


and where is your proof of that ?

I don't see any of the professional registration bodies reflecting this - there are accredited courses at every calibre of University and i don't see any increased level of recognition based on which HEI rather than which course or choice of modules ...
Reply 65
'tis true... some colleges have introduced a BOGOF scheme so you can bring your friend along for free

:borat:
Original post by zippyRN
and where is your proof of that ?

I don't see any of the professional registration bodies reflecting this - there are accredited courses at every calibre of University and i don't see any increased level of recognition based on which HEI rather than which course or choice of modules ...


Surely being accredited is a matter of meeting a minimum standard?
Heavily doubt anything like that happens, the media would be on any hints of this practice happening like a pack of killer bees. These anecdotes of people getting into Oxford through bribery seem pretty insubstantial to be honest. Oxford's not exactly doing badly for finances so I doubt it would take risks which would defame it so badly. As it is both Oxford and Cambridge already receive so much bad press from accusations of elitism, racism etc.

I reckon that if there is corruption in our higher education system it exists in the tier of unis just under Oxford (LSE, Imperial, UCL etc.). Obviously they wouldn't be able to attract as many bribes as Oxford/Cambridge could but they could still attract good money. And also there's more incentive for these unis to be corrupt because they're less well-off and don't have quite as big a reputation to damage. Indeed there was that whole fiasco with LSE and Colonel Gadaffi (can't remember the actual facts from that but serious accusations of accepting bribes were levied against LSE).
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Rgman27
Sure, you can. How do you think all these Princes and etc go to Good Unis? lol.

If I remember correctly, Prince Charles went to Cambridge.

I know someone at Imperial in the year above who used to use money to get through.


the Prince of Wales entered University in 1967 , so assertions about the difficulty of entry based on current popularity and grades is irrelevant to something which happened 40 + years ago

The Duke of Cambridge got ABC at A level and had good but not necessarily exceptional ECs ( Gap Yah Commissions used to be routinely offered by the British Army - so his military experience during his gap year was not at the time unique)

Prince Harry notably didn't attend university although he passed AOSB as a non- grad

what was the average offer / entry grades for St Andrews at that ?

Beatrice York got ABB and read history as Goldsmiths University of London

Eugenie York got AB at a level and has not graduated from Newcastle yet ( entry 2009)

Anyone care to pass comment on the University of Exeter's Sports Science or Physio courses ? as attended by Peter and Zara Philips respectively ...
Original post by zippyRN
and where is your proof of that ?

I don't see any of the professional registration bodies reflecting this - there are accredited courses at every calibre of University and i don't see any increased level of recognition based on which HEI rather than which course or choice of modules ...


Comparing the standard of work from two different universities. My sister went to Manchester, with her boyfriend going to Gloucester. 2:2 standard work at Manchester was of a high 2.1 standard, maybe even a first at Gloucester, both of whom doing Psychology. This is due to the fact that the calibre of students you get at Universities such as Manchester, compared to somewhere like Gloucester are of much higher quality, therefore the standard of work is going to be higher, meaning its going to be harder to achieve a 2:1/1st.

Whether you don't feel this is the way or not it is the truth. The better the University, the more academically rigorous the course is in comparison to a 'lesser' university. If you don't realise this is the case, you have no idea what you're talking about.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Rgman27
I don't care if it is Oxford. The point is that you don't necessarily need good academic grades to get into a good university. Oxford, Cambridge, whoever. They all need money and they don't care if they accept a few morons for a few million as long as they keep generally high standards.


My point with the fact that it's Oxford was that the uni perhaps has less of a need to enhance its reputation through royals etc. than St Andrews, which is still pretty good but doesn't have quite the same status.

But it's ludicrous to suggest that any of this happens centrally. See my post above: the Foreign Office (and, I don't doubt, his own promises of funding) couldn't get Saif Al-Islam a place at Oxford, so I highly doubt anyone else could enter through bribery. The only genuine, verified example which has been given on this thread involved - as one would suspect - two individual academics who were personally bribed. Oxford and Cambridge need money, yes, but they trade primarily on their reputations: that's what attracts the best students and the best researchers, who in turn will ultimately earn the college money (through continuing the reputation for excellence, alumni donations, and research funding). It would be incredibly short-termist to accept money for places, because it would get out and reputation would suffer. There would have to be too many auditors and university higher-ups involved for there to be no whistle-blowers. See also:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1365968/Admission-by-donation-ruled-out-at-Oxford.html
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 71
You can buy everything if you have MONEY ($$$$$$$$$)
Original post by ellasmith
Don't rate me down, but I've heard across the grapevine that some people with contacts in Oxford and with some extra moolah can BUY their way into Oxford.

For example, this super rich russian guy in my year is not really oxford mat. He's a distinctly average student who isn't really loquacious enough to blag his way in via interview or personal statement. He has links to admissions tutors in Oxford and a **** load of money and got an Oxford offer for law at BBB.

WTF? :hmmm:

OPINIONS?



Original post by danat
Maybe he was amazing at his interview ,but I don't think that such a university will need money from bribes.


They dont usually do it for money but if you have connections there it happens a lot more frequently than people think. My friends dad went to cambridge and he said his friend was head boy at westminster school...all it took was one phone call after he got rejected. He also failed his exams in the uni but he was kept on. I think this "corruption" is definetly more prominent with unis in the US. Theres no point taking a moral high ground tho, if I had connections in a uni that i know would give me a guaranteed offer i would take it like a shot... I just don't.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by olddad
But David Milliband got in with something like ABC - how did that happen? Perhaps being the son of a Marxist academic helps


According to Wikipedia he attained four A-levels. Even if he did achieve ABC, in those days that would of still got you into Oxford.
Original post by capital S
this. getting a perfect score on your A-levels is possible for anyone, as soon as they get personal, high-quality education. or did you think prince charles would sit in a classroom with 30-ish other students?


the Prince of Wales, Duke of York and the Ear of Wessex attended Gordonstun and the Princess Royal attended Beneden

Prince William attended Eton as did Prince Harry ( following Spencer family tradition and given the reported dislike of Gordonstun by their father perhaps unsuprising)

the York girls attended St Georges Ascot with Eugenie moving on the Marlborough to complete her secondary education.

Peter and Zara Philips attended Gordonstun ... ( no doubt to the pleasure of their grandfather as none of his other Grandchildren have )

so their education is perhaps no more special than that of the offspring of many affluent Britons ...
Original post by charlie9872
According to Wikipedia he attained four A-levels. Even if he did achieve ABC, in those days that would of still got you into Oxford.


when did millipede enter University ?

the ridiculous upward grade pressure is something which is relatively recent and nowt to do with the de-tiering of higher education in the uK but everything to do with Bliars misguided wet dream of 50 % of young people going to university ... ( rather than 50 % of young people have the opportunity to gain level 5 or 6 qualifications)
Original post by Chief Wiggum
Surely being accredited is a matter of meeting a minimum standard?


if the 'lower' universities were so inferior, as suggested by some of the silly little children who post this kind of rubbish. surely they wouldn't get accredited as professional accreditations are often governed by international agreements.
Reply 77
An offer for BBB? You can't deny that is suspicious. I always thought of grades as the first solid threshold to jump over to get into Oxford, that being good at interviews comes second. I'm sure it is that way, narrow it down with the grades and then narrow it down further.
Original post by zippyRN
if the 'lower' universities were so inferior, as suggested by some of the silly little children who post this kind of rubbish. surely they wouldn't get accredited as professional accreditations are often governed by international agreements.

Right, so you reckon that a First from De Montefort is equivalent to a First from Cambridge?

My parents both work in higher education (postgrad) and say that the quality of schools for their subject varies significantly. I'm sure the course has to meet some kind of standard, but this can be pretty low. Accreditation organisations very often get dues and fees from the institutions they certify, which creates a conflict of interest.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by KingMessi
I don't think this really happened. Oxford rarely give even AAB offers and I find it difficult to credit the assertion that they gave an offer of BBB. Sorry.


for home and EU students they are capped on the number of places they can offer , which exerts a further upward pressure on the grades of the candidates they have space to offer places to , in addition to the popularity of the University and any grade inflation related upward pressure.