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Would you still get into OXBRIDGE if your GCSE grades are rubbish?

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Original post by KombatWombat
No they won't! Unless it's directly linked to the subject you're applying to, they probably won't even discuss it. They really don't care!

See this, from the head of admissions:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/7965715/Universities-uninterested-in-pupils-extra-curricular-activities.html


I don't know if he is right in it but he's making a subtler point than you're recognising.
Original post by TheSweatyNerd
No, but even an A and 2 A*s at A level is sh*t for Oxford. Why aren't you doing 4+ subjects?


Are you being serious?
Original post by Lucilou101
Are you being serious?

Yes, and if you think I'm wrong then you clearly don't know about the standards of Oxford/Cambridge.
Original post by TheSweatyNerd
Yes, and if you think I'm wrong then you clearly don't know about the standards of Oxford/Cambridge.


Well it depends on what point you are actually trying to make.
The standard offer for arts courses is AAA - that means that lots of people will just scrape the grades and still make it.
Similarly there are people with AAB or even ABB who were still accepted.

Saying that, of course people will over achieve and get A*A*A*. However you don't need to be doing 4+ A Levels, of the 30 people at my college who have been accepted to Oxbridge - only 2 are doing 4 A Levels. The rest are just doing the 3.
Original post by TheSweatyNerd
Yes, and if you think I'm wrong then you clearly don't know about the standards of Oxford/Cambridge.


You are wrong.

Ask any admissions rep or look at the stats - for example, 43% of those that apply to Oxford medicine have 3 a-levels, with success rates no different to those that do more.
Original post by Lucilou101
Well it depends on what point you are actually trying to make.
The standard offer for arts courses is AAA - that means that lots of people will just scrape the grades and still make it.
Similarly there are people with AAB or even ABB who were still accepted.

Saying that, of course people will over achieve and get A*A*A*. However you don't need to be doing 4+ A Levels, of the 30 people at my college who have been accepted to Oxbridge - only 2 are doing 4 A Levels. The rest are just doing the 3.

Oxford will look for at least a minimum of AAA A-level grades; for Cambridge, A*AA. Many courses will ask for more. You don't get in with A B B.
Original post by TheSweatyNerd
Oxford will look for at least a minimum of AAA A-level grades; for Cambridge, A*AA. Many courses will ask for more. You don't get in with A B B.


I'm not saying it's common. Just that it is possible - there are people at Oxford who missed their grades and were still accepted.
Saying A*A*A is **** for Oxford is utter rubbish.
Original post by TheSweatyNerd
Oxford will look for at least a minimum of AAA A-level grades; for Cambridge, A*AA. Many courses will ask for more. You don't get in with A B B.


They actually accept 2 A levels (at grade AA minimum) plus a Welsh Baccalaureate.


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Original post by EcstaZEEH
They actually accept 2 A levels (at grade AA minimum) plus a Welsh Baccalaureate.


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That clearly wasn't the argument. I said an A B B alone wasn't enough to get in.
Original post by cambio wechsel
I don't know if he is right in it but he's making a subtler point than you're recognising.


What is that point?

I'm being so black and white because it's such a misconstrued idea; in the absolute majority of cases extra curriculas will have no bearing on admission to oxford or cambridge. Other unis do put significant emphasis though.
Original post by TheSweatyNerd
That clearly wasn't the argument. I said an A B B alone wasn't enough to get in.


I'm not saying you could apply with ABB and get in.
Just that it is possible (although uncommon) to hold an offer, miss it, and still be accepted.
Original post by TheSweatyNerd
Yes, and if you think I'm wrong then you clearly don't know about the standards of Oxford/Cambridge.


My offer for Oxford is A*A*A :colondollar:

They didn't say it was **** on the offer letter?
Original post by KombatWombat
What is that point?

I'm being so black and white because it's such a misconstrued idea; in the absolute majority of cases extra curriculas will have no bearing on admission to oxford or cambridge. Other unis do put significant emphasis though.


He is agreeing with you that the admissions tutors will not take you for your extracurriculars and that the only criterion here is their perception of your academic potential.

What he is saying, though, would seem to be this:

"Malcolm has 8 A*s at GCSE and all As at AS and he does all of this other **** (mountaineering, oboe, DoE) that we are not interested in. Jesus, how much more could he have in him if he dropped them as we would hope he might? Better perhaps than rival candidate Nigel who has the same grade profile but seems already to be working to his maximum potential..."

Now I don't know if that's right. But that I think is the argument he is making.
Original post by TheSweatyNerd
That clearly wasn't the argument. I said an A B B alone wasn't enough to get in.


Oh my apologies :smile:

But from what the Admissions Officer from HMC said to me, when I was at the interview, they had some people getting in with A A B (with just missing the A with a couple of UMS). :smile:


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Original post by Lucilou101
I'm not saying you could apply with ABB and get in.
Just that it is possible (although uncommon) to hold an offer, miss it, and still be accepted.


Yes to this, you won't even get an interview (I believe) if you're predictions contain one B.

But missing an offer, possibly with a couple of UMS from an A would be acceptable, since they won't give an applicant an offer if they don't like or think the applicant is worth it. :smile:
Original post by cambio wechsel
He is agreeing with you that the admissions tutors will not take you for your extracurriculars and that the only criterion here is their perception of your academic potential.

What he is saying, though, would seem to be this:

"Malcolm has 8 A*s at GCSE and all As at AS and he does all of this other **** (mountaineering, oboe, DoE) that we are not interested in. Jesus, how much more could he have in him if he dropped them as we would hope he might? Better perhaps than rival candidate Nigel who has the same grade profile but seems already to be working to his maximum potential..."

Now I don't know if that's right. But that I think is the argument he is making.


That's an extremely hypothetical scenario. When you're interviewing say, at most, 40 people, it'd be an extreme coincidence to have 2 people that have the exact same grade profile/interview score/etc. But if Malcolm had spend more time on his academics, maybe he'd have done better his interview?

I just don't see the worth in considering such nuanced situations when lots of people still grossly misunderstand how oxbridge admissions works. It's important to be clear because otherwise people will continue to propagate the huge amount of bull**** that sadly exists around getting in to oxbridge.
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Original post by Donald Duck
I had A*AAAABBDD for IGCSE and I still got in...


Wow, that's impressive !
Original post by KombatWombat
That's an extremely hypothetical scenario. When you're interviewing say, at most, 40 people, it'd be an extreme coincidence to have 2 people that have the exact same grade profile/interview score/etc. But if Malcolm had spend more time on his academics, maybe he'd have done better his interview?

I just don't see the worth in considering such nuanced situations when lots of people still grossly misunderstand how oxbridge admissions works. It's important to be clear because otherwise people will continue to propagate the huge amount of bull**** that sadly exists around getting in to oxbridge.


I don't know why you're replying to me.

You're surely right that taking up ECs in the hope that it will be of benefit in Oxbridge applications is a silly idea born of misinformation and will bring chiefly opportunity cost. But as the Oxford or was it Cambridge chap said in your article, you're applying to 4 others anyway (and the chances are you'll end up at one of these) so stick them on if you think they'll help there, as he seems to think they sometimes might.

Something else that's muddying the ganges, of course, is that there are some ECs that can aid an application even to Oxbridge. As someone said earlier in the thread "my daughter has an offer for history and politics and she does MUN". She's not proving the grade 8 flautists and county showjumpers right by it.
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Original post by TheSweatyNerd
No, but even an A and 2 A*s at A level is **** for Oxford. Why aren't you doing 4+ subjects?


I'm not sure if are school will allow more, but i'm not thinking about it yet as I still have one more year ! :wink:
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by cambio wechsel
He is agreeing with you that the admissions tutors will not take you for your extracurriculars and that the only criterion here is their perception of your academic potential.

What he is saying, though, would seem to be this:

"Malcolm has 8 A*s at GCSE and all As at AS and he does all of this other **** (mountaineering, oboe, DoE) that we are not interested in. Jesus, how much more could he have in him if he dropped them as we would hope he might? Better perhaps than rival candidate Nigel who has the same grade profile but seems already to be working to his maximum potential..."

Now I don't know if that's right. But that I think is the argument he is making.


That is the point i was making, cheers.

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