[Omio]

Would you expect post-qualification applicants to be asked questions of higher order of difficulty than those asked to pre-qualification applicants?

[ukdragon37]

(Original post by Omio)
Would you expect post-qualification applicants to be asked questions of higher order of difficulty than those asked to pre-qualification applicants?

I woudn't say necessarily harder questions, but it's likely they'll be expecting a higher standard, especially to make sure you haven't "gone rusty" since leaving school.

[BJack]

The questions tend to be such that having more knowledge isn't particularly helpful, e.g. how much does the atmosphere weigh? (This was on a physics AEA paper a few years ago.) Obviously you need enough scientific knowledge to estimate its average density and size but having studied EM fields and a bit of quantum, or whatever it is you do in the 2nd year of physics A level, won't give you any advantage whatsoever. The interviews are meant to be more a test of your thinking skills than your knowledge base, and in that respect post-quals don't have (much of) an advantage over pre-quals.

[rbecky004]

Hey,
To anyone who is studying at Oxbridge, do you know of anyone that was given an offer after a 'bad' interview or do most people with offers think that their interviews went well?

[gethsemane342]

(Original post by rbecky004)
Hey,
To anyone who is studying at Oxbridge, do you know of anyone that was given an offer after a 'bad' interview or do most people with offers think that their interviews went well?

It's fairly common for people who get offers to have thought their interviews went badly. I still cringe when i remember mine... But yeah, there are a fair amount of people who will think their interviews went awfully and will get an offer - it often means the interviewer really pushed you and you felt you struggled because you were being pushed so far, but actually meant the interviewer was impressed.

(Of course, there are a lot of people who think their interviews went well and will get in. And there are people who think the interview went badly and will be rejected)

[thefrustrated]

anyone know if oxbridge consider your current school ranking or the al expected grades more or wt? my cousin trasfer from a top ranking to a less competitive grammar school and his ranking change from 30 to 2. he said that oxbridge want the top 20 students in your school. should i find a top school for sixxth form or a less competitive school? dont uni always take students from top schools like wycombe abbey? or shoudl i get into a less famous and less competitive school to rank myseslf the top to et into oxbridge? thanks!

[BrassPioneer]

Masturbation is a perfectly normal activity, you shouldn't worry. Why not run a hot bath to help you relax.

[Leighthesim]

not nessasarily they are looking for bright students with the potential to work hard and do well, one of the top guys in my year got rejected from Oxford, where as someone who showed promise holds an offer so depends what you apply for and how well you interview and how your personal statement is.
you are better off at a school where your going to get 3A*'s because they are a good school, rather then risking that to be the smartest.

[Persie]

At the moment, they won't discriminate based on the school you've come from. But if they plan to charge fees over a certain amount (which I believe they do), the government is going to require they give preference to students from less privileged backgrounds.

[kerily]

Oxbridge do not have a clue where you are 'ranked' in your school. And schemes to help people from bad schools are there to help people from bad schools - not people from grammar schools which are excellent but not quite as excellent as the very best

[ily_em]

Most schools don't do 'ranking', do they? I've heard they do it in America but not here... Just go to whatever college you prefer.

[Sovr'gnChancellor£]

(Original post by BrassPioneer)
Masturbation is a perfectly normal activity, you shouldn't worry. Why not run a hot bath to help you relax.

What on Earth has this got to do with anything??

[BrassPioneer]

In case anyone didn't know. People worry about these thinfs. PM me for a free booklet.

[Dogatonic]

(Original post by thefrustrated)
anyone know if oxbridge consider your current school ranking or the al expected grades more or wt? my cousin trasfer from a top ranking to a less competitive grammar school and his ranking change from 30 to 2. he said that oxbridge want the top 20 students in your school. should i find a top school for sixxth form or a less competitive school? dont uni always take students from top schools like wycombe abbey? or shoudl i get into a less famous and less competitive school to rank myseslf the top to et into oxbridge? thanks!

Your "cousin" is really you, isn't he?

[thefrustrated]

thanks for all those comments. i'll think about that and when i said my cousin, i meant my cousin.. i dont know all those things about ranking or stuff but i think most schools do have that? btw, do u know any good private boarding schools which has a high proportion of students go to oxbridge?

[Nymthae]

How many students go to Oxbridge isn't the best indicator either, some people don't actually want to go there or it may not offer their preferred course. Just go to wherever you were intending to go, get some extremely good grades and excel, where you can, in the relevent admissions test. If you get an interview then there is the place to start impressing. They look at individuals, not a collection from each college.

[Persie]

http://guides.tatler.co.uk/WCS/Schoo...1/Details.aspx

This is a list of good public schools and it'll tell you what % of students got into Oxbridge last year

[21Grapes]

My friend was supposed to have an E&M interview at Oxford on the 7th.. till they told him the next day it was a mistake by the administrations staff.. feel so bad for him!! - worse than a straight out rejection

[bbm100]

Are the 'Oxbridge interviews' group any good and do they help in preparation for the interviews?

[Bimbleby]

(Original post by thefrustrated)
thanks for all those comments. i'll think about that and when i said my cousin, i meant my cousin.. i dont know all those things about ranking or stuff but i think most schools do have that? btw, do u know any good private boarding schools which has a high proportion of students go to oxbridge?

You shouldn't be focusing on all these 'tricks' for getting in. They don't care where you rank in your school, and they can see through it when people do sneaky things like move to a grammar school in 6th form. Someone at my school moved to a state school thinking she would be looked upon more favourably by universities if she got good grades at a state school... it's a ridiculous thing to do because 1) they can still see you've been to a private school before hand 2) if you need to employ weird tactics to make yourself look better you're probably not good enough anyway. I understand that people want to give themselves the best opportunity, so I'm not saying you're stupid for thinking this, but have faith that the universities are a lot more fair than this. They do look at your background, yes, but they're not idiots and they won't admit people just because they got good grades from a state school (especially not a grammar school). That's why all the Laura Spences are so annoying. They assume that As + State school = ability. It doesn't. Oxbridge are looking for potential and enthusiasm. It's not an infallible system, obviously, but I think it's generally very fair, and a lot fairer than other admissions processes (more time spent per applicant etc.) If you're good enough, you'll get in (obviously there are exceptions, but there's nothing you can do about that). What makes a difference is your enthusiasm and ability to show insight and potential at interview. They're not looking for anything crazily impressive, just interest and a general ability to see what a question's getting at and run with it into unfamiliar territory. The difference will NOT be whether you spent the last two years top of the class in a state school, moved to a grammar school, or were bottom of the class in a private school.