How many members of your immediate family got into Oxbridge?

Just the one so far :smile:

Got to admit when I went to Cambridge for visits I was impressed that it was NOTHING like the preconcepted ideas of elitism I had had. There were still things like the old buildings and the punting, but that side of the tradition I thought was rather nice. Punting was a laugh too, though, I wouldn't recommend doing it after you've had a drink haha

Reply 21

rizzl8

15

Original post by -raisa

I'm the first person in my family to go to uni (so obviously the first person to get into Oxbridge)! My parents were immigrants, so they never had the chance to go to uni at all.

well done ...must feel really weird being the first person to get a education!

Reply 22

Noble.

17

Zero (in fact, none of them have even gone to University).

zeroooooo

My mum and dad met at Cambridge, they were in the boat club and the same college together... I'm at Nottingham and my sister is at Birmingham though, so nobody in my generation.

Reply 25

T_x

10

I'm the first person in my immediate family to have an Oxbridge offer (Cambridge) but I think two distant great great uncles both went to Cambs around fifty years ago.

Reply 26

imaginarysally

Neither of my parents went to uni - my dad has a HND from a FE college and my mum has CSEs. They are both one of five. On my dad's side, his youngest sibling went to York and on my mum's side, one of her sisters went to Manchester Polytechnic.

Of my seven cousins old enough to be considered, four went to uni, one to do medicine.

I'm the first in my family to apply to/receive an Oxbridge offer though.

Reply 27

JayReg

14

Dad, sister and myself.
I think I was brought up in such a way that meant I had a good chance to get into a top university. In my case I think it's nurture rather than nature. High valuation of education, but mostly it's attitudes nurtured towards interesting ideas. The practise from a young age probably helped me a lot.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 28

cbrand493

Mum didn't go to university, Dad got offer at Cambridge but went to Harvard instead.

Reply 29

BradWills20

My mate has 4 siblings, 2 have one to Oxford and 2 have gone to Nottingham Trent so....

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 30

nexttime

22

There is very clearly a correlation. I know of a number of families who have send every child to Oxford or Cambridge, often for the same course as their parents. Virtually every factor is in your favor if your parents went to Oxbridge - genes, likely upbringing, likely schooling, aspirations, information...

I don't know of any figures and my brief google didn't produce any, but i am certain that having one parent who went to Oxbridge substantially increases the chance that the child will go too.

Original post by tooambitious

Is there a way to add an option for people to fill in themselves because otherwise there are too many options :lol:

Why not have the options:

1st degree relative went to Oxbridge, i go to Oxbridge
No 1st degree, but 2nd degree relative went to Oxbridge, i go to Oxbridge
No one in my family went to Oxbridge, i go to Oxbridge
1st degree relatives went to Oxbridge, i DON'T go to Oxbridge
No 1st degree, but 2nd degree relative went to Oxbridge, i DON'T go to Oxbridge
No one in family went to Oxbridge, i don't go to Oxbridge

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 31

arrowhead

20

I have two first cousins once removed who read English and French and Psychology at Oxford respectively. Mum mum got into Oxford Medicine a long time ago but didn't go. I got rejected from Oxford. :tongue:

But it's weird in my family because my dad (and his siblings) never went to university, all my cousins on my dad's and mum's side have gone to pretty poorly-ranked schools, most of them struggled in school. Even my sister had to repeat a year at university.

I'm sort of the black sheep of the family (in my generation) in that respect.

Reply 32

Fullofsurprises

20

Original post by nexttime

There is very clearly a correlation. I know of a number of families who have send every child to Oxford or Cambridge, often for the same course as their parents. Virtually every factor is in your favor if your parents went to Oxbridge - genes, likely upbringing, likely schooling, aspirations, information...

I don't know of any figures and my brief google didn't produce any, but i am certain that having one parent who went to Oxbridge substantially increases the chance that the child will go too.

It is common. I suspect that expectation plays a big part - simply put, there are "Oxbridge families", particularly where one or more parents went, that put out to their children that it is not only a possibility but something they will be expected to attain. Putting strong expectations in front of kids from an early age has a big impact on their horizons and goals. Then growing up in the sort of household where the whole run of educational and cultural inputs are provided.

Reply 33

tooambitious

OP

16

Original post by nexttime

There is very clearly a correlation. I know of a number of families who have send every child to Oxford or Cambridge, often for the same course as their parents. Virtually every factor is in your favor if your parents went to Oxbridge - genes, likely upbringing, likely schooling, aspirations, information...

I don't know of any figures and my brief google didn't produce any, but i am certain that having one parent who went to Oxbridge substantially increases the chance that the child will go too.

Why not have the options:

1st degree relative went to Oxbridge, i go to Oxbridge
No 1st degree, but 2nd degree relative went to Oxbridge, i go to Oxbridge
1st degree relatives went to Oxbridge, i DON'T go to Oxbridge
No 1st degree, but 2nd degree relative went to Oxbridge, i DON'T go to Oxbridge
No one in family went to Oxbridge, i don't go to Oxbridge

Thanks

Reply 34

tooambitious

OP

16

Original post by nexttime

oops add 'no one in my family goes to oxbridge, i go to oxbridge'

Yeah, I added 'I'm the only person...'

Reply 35

Theflyingbarney

15

I'm the first in my family to go to Oxbridge. My parents both went to Hull, and were each the first in their respective families to go to university at all.

Having said that, you do tend to see the odd person where most of their family have been to one or the other - I guess it's because success breeds success. If you go to Oxbridge, chances are you'll get a better paid job than someone who didn't, so will be more likely to be able to afford the fees for private schools, which ultimately do give your kids a better chance at getting in. Add to that the predictable trend that you're probably likely to be cleverer if you're brought up by clever parents, and it's not really that surprising a pattern.

Reply 36

Rob da Mop

15

I'm the first in my family for several generations to go to Oxbridge (although a cousin doing some family tree stuff found that I have a couple of great-great-great-uncles who went), but my brother has got an offer since I started.

Reply 37

cognito_08

16

Me and my brother are the first people to go to uni in our family.
(None of us go to Oxbridge :P )

Reply 38

medbh4805

20

My mother got her degree about 8 years ago from the OU, then did a masters at the university of Ulster. My dad went to QUB in the late 60s/early 70s. My sister didn't go to uni and my brother went to QUB as well, and it's likely that my younger brother will too. I have a cousin who went to Cambridge but other than him I'm not aware of anybody :dontknow:

Reply 39

Architecture-er

19

None of my immediate family went to Oxbridge, none of aunts or uncles went either (or even did particularly challenging degrees).

I'm doing the an equally-ranked degree to Cambridge's, just not at the institution itself.

How many members of your immediate family got into Oxbridge?

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