Is Cambridge elitist?

Hmmm well explain how my public school brother met the queen this week due to his grades? and most of his friends from our neighboring grammar school ended up going to poly's?
Some uni's will prefer public schools as they have had to work harder for their grades.

3) As for taking into account UMS so heavily, that is not biased against state schools. Their number one aim is to get people who are the BEST at what they do, and their own statistics show that if you have higher UMS, you are FAR more likely to do well on the degree.

Correlation does not equate causation (Iam sure you know).

My point is there at those who have high UMS and are rejected then those who have quite low and are accepted UMS is an important indicator and can be affected by what school you go to especially in exams like Maths when you can train yourself to answer the question to some extent.

Remember in some schools getting an A is an A, they are not too concern amount UMS excluding A2 when it is more important to the A/B grade candidate that wants to get an A*

Correlation does not equate causation (Iam sure you know).

My point is there at those who have high UMS and are rejected then those who have quite low and are accepted UMS is an important indicator and can be affected by what school you go to especially in exams like Maths when you can train yourself to answer the question to some extent.

Remember in some schools getting an A is an A, they are not too concern amount UMS excluding A2 when it is more important to the A/B grade candidate that wants to get an A*

Places at Oxford and Cambridge should be reserved for state schoolers. This is equal opportunities? Private schools don't reinvent children - the grades they come out with are their own. They can't be blamed for their parents' wealth or their willingness to work.

First time I've heard someone propose positive discrimination. You make us state schoolers sound silly.

I was quoting Cambridge themselves. They performed their own research and said something about "students with x%+ are far more likely to get this result" etc. and that it would therefore play an admittedly important role in decisions processes. They actually rank and compare students by UMS marks and point scores using different formulae, so they really do play a major part in an application.

Obviously they take your school into account though! It's just that there is a point where you have to stop taking things into account if you want to admit students. There's no way they'd admit someone who had straight Es due to not having any time to work, as the student simply wouldn't be able to pass. In the same way, they try to make things fair through adjustment, but also unashamedly litist so that they end up with the best students.

Except that Cambridge have shown that degree results are not affected by school type or background and that no one type does better in their degree for the same UMS. UMS is the best predictor of success. There are huge numbers of private school pupils rejected with high grades just as there are exceptional state school pupils who don't get in. Usually this is for the most competitive subjects where people simply underestimate how difficult it is to get in.

STEP exams are used for maths by Cambridge precisely because they are so difficult that only gifted Rather than merely well taught mathematicians can do well.


Posted from TSR Mobile

Yes I know, but I was referring to on average those with high UMS getting offers, I was pointing out this is not always the case. I was not referring to the relationship between UMS scores and Undergraduate degree performance.

Seems to be a question about whether op'll be socially excluded / made to feel uncomfortable if they get in rather than the admission stats.

I ment are the students stuck up?

Yes. If you come from a state school, and you want a nice social life at your university then Russell Group universities are better avoided. Sad but true.

Yes. If you come from a state school, and you want a nice social life at your university then Russell Group universities are better avoided. Sad but true.

Yes. If you come from a state school, and you want a nice social life at your university then Russell Group universities are better avoided. Sad but true.

Most people on the studentroom come from a middle class/rich/privately educated background anyway, so they can't see the snobbery/elitism like normal people would see. My friend who is from a common background has been at state schools her whole life was treated so rudely and looked down upon by other students at her interview. Doesn't sound like somewhere I'd want to be.

This is just rubbish.

There are rude, arrogant and judgemental people in every walk of life, who are rich or poor, "common" or state or independently schooled. It is just as likely that these individuals were anxious before an interview or perhaps very shy.

Anybody at Cambridge will tell you nobody is interested in your background. I am constantly amazed at the prejudice & sweeping accusations made by those who think judging people by their parents' money or job or class is acceptable. Its no more OK if you think they are richer than you than "more common" (dreadful phrase).