Yes, I am aware of that, thanks. I am in the 'Oxbridge' section of this forum, however, so if I was seeking advice about other universities I would ask elsewhere.

Reply 3

zxh800

13

Original post by Dallairius

People aren't in a very helpful mood today, are they? :/

Wow, thank you for your insightful reply.

Yes, I am aware of that, thanks. I am in the 'Oxbridge' section of this forum, however, so if I was seeking advice about other universities I would ask elsewhere.

Post here. And the Oxford equivalent too if you want.

Reply 4

pseudonymegg

14

Original post by Dallairius

Hey guys, so in my GCSEs I got 9A*s and an A, but during this year I suffered from depression and put in a dismal amount of effort for my AS levels; I expect equally dismal grades tbh. I don't deserve good grades, I know that.

I've gotten one A so far (French) and I hope to have gotten at least 2 more despite circumstances (English and Music), but I have a bad feeling that the other two (Maths and Further Maths) will be absolutely terrible :frown:

Particularly Further Maths - and I don't mean this in the 'anything below an A is absolutely terrible' way - I've genuinely done very badly. I am dropping it next year if that makes a difference...

Do I still stand a chance of getting into Oxbridge? Or am I better off not applying? It's frustrating because I know that had I worked properly I would have been capable of acheiving 5 As. I do intend to resit any modules below an A to bring them up to As, and next year I hope to do much better...but is it too late?

I'm applying for Music, if that helps (:

It's never too late! You have awesome GCSEs and are willing to re-sit to reach As in A Level so there's no harm in applying! Go for it!

Reply 5

glelin96

2

Original post by Dallairius

Hey guys, so in my GCSEs I got 9A*s and an A, but during this year I suffered from depression and put in a dismal amount of effort for my AS levels; I expect equally dismal grades tbh. I don't deserve good grades, I know that.

I've gotten one A so far (French) and I hope to have gotten at least 2 more despite circumstances (English and Music), but I have a bad feeling that the other two (Maths and Further Maths) will be absolutely terrible :frown:

Particularly Further Maths - and I don't mean this in the 'anything below an A is absolutely terrible' way - I've genuinely done very badly. I am dropping it next year if that makes a difference...

Do I still stand a chance of getting into Oxbridge? Or am I better off not applying? It's frustrating because I know that had I worked properly I would have been capable of acheiving 5 As. I do intend to resit any modules below an A to bring them up to As, and next year I hope to do much better...but is it too late?

I'm applying for Music, if that helps (:

AS level results i assume mean very little in the scheme of things when applying for oxbridge. Depending on the grades you attain at A-level and how specialized the course is. My girlfriend's sister applied to oxford and at A-levels she got A* in maths, physics and chemistry and an A in further maths. She applied for Medicinal science and she was worried that the A would make the difference. When she went to the interview, they mentioned her impeccable personal statement, she had spent her gap year volunteering in Kenya, helping disadvantaged children. Long story short, she got in. I suppose what I'm saying is, if you are worried you won't make a good enough impression with your results, as long as they are up to scratch then take a gap year and do something that will set yourself apart from the crowd. :smile:

Reply 6

Dalek1099

21

You think you will get 3As at A-Level what are you worrying about-should be enough to give you a decent chance in Oxbridge because you can't get more than an A at AS-you probably shouldn't take Maths to degree though.

Reply 7

Bulbasaur

17

Original post by Dallairius

Hey guys, so in my GCSEs I got 9A*s and an A, but during this year I suffered from depression and put in a dismal amount of effort for my AS levels; I expect equally dismal grades tbh. I don't deserve good grades, I know that.

I've gotten one A so far (French) and I hope to have gotten at least 2 more despite circumstances (English and Music), but I have a bad feeling that the other two (Maths and Further Maths) will be absolutely terrible :frown:

Particularly Further Maths - and I don't mean this in the 'anything below an A is absolutely terrible' way - I've genuinely done very badly. I am dropping it next year if that makes a difference...

Do I still stand a chance of getting into Oxbridge? Or am I better off not applying? It's frustrating because I know that had I worked properly I would have been capable of acheiving 5 As. I do intend to resit any modules below an A to bring them up to As, and next year I hope to do much better...but is it too late?

I'm applying for Music, if that helps (:

Thankfully Music is probably one of the least competitive courses at Oxbridge (I think for Cambridge it's under 2 applicants for place, which means if you even meet the requirements you stand a good chance of an offer). If you've got 3 As then you're absolutely fine. If you got these 3 As with these circumstances, your application will definitely stand out I think. The other two aren't nearly as important as your top 3; particularly since it's maths which are probably the most irrelevant. If you have some mathematical ability I'm guessing that would help for music in some way (I'm not an advanced musician so I'm not too sure), but GCSE level I'm guessing would be more than sufficient, so it's not as if admissions tutors are going to think you're lacking a certain skill required for the course.

Do you have grade 8 in your instrument of choice? I'm quite sure this is a requirement, but if you want to study it at Oxbridge I'm guessing you probably do. In terms of Oxford vs Cambridge, I think they both really only care about your top 3 A levels (which you will probably have 3 As in- which is great) but Oxford don't ask for UMS whereas Cambridge do, and place a fair bit of weight on it. That said, I just looked it up now and there's 4 applicants per place at Oxford and 2 at Cambridge. So that, paired with your results being lower due to depression, means you're probably better off applying to Cambridge in terms of getting in. Of course this isn't the only consideration when choosing between the two universities.

In summary, I think you stand a very good chance if you have your 3 As (probably even worth it if one of them drops to a B) this year, given your circumstances. Of course this does depend on other parts of your application being brilliant, though, as would be the case with any application to Oxbridge. Definitely go for it :smile:

Talk to the guys on the threads zxh800 mentioned though, they're probably better informed than me but on the surface of it, if I were you, I'd be quite optimistic about it.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 8

The_Lonely_Goatherd

20

I have posted a sensible reply to you in another thread. Please read it and take note.

If you have any questions about Music at Oxford, you are more than welcome to PM me.

It is worth bearing in mind that the Music courses at Oxford and Cambridge are pretty different, so it's more important to go with the one you'd be happy studying at, rather than trying to play a numbers game to worm your way in :yes:

Any chance of getting into Oxbridge? :(

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