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Could I be 'Oxbridge material'?

I've
(edited 8 years ago)
To get into Oxbridge you have to be f****** clever.
However, I'm going to do what you told me not to, and remind you there are other universities out there, where, in actual fact, you'd come out a lot happier.

Oxbridge, in general, is full on stuck up, snobby people who don't care about you unless you're helping them improve their grade.

You'd be much better off dropping a few places and going to Bath or Durham or somewhere between 5-15 on the table, and they will be nice, normal people, you'll socialise loads, you'll make tonnes of friends, you'll party lots & you'll still receive a degree from a great University.

Anyway, why don't you just apply for Oxford, Cambridge (or both), and just not bother telling your friends. Just say you want to keep it all to yourself. Then if you don't get in, nobody knows you applied. And if you do get in, everyone pats you on the back. :smile:

Just a note. A-Levels require 10 times more effort than GCSE's to get the top grades. If you can nail 4A's, you will be let into Cambridge, hands down. Just be prepared to work 4 hours per night after school/college every night and then revising for 14 hours per day in the two months before exams.


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Definitely apply, there's no harm and at the very least it'll be a really useful experience. As far as realistic chances, that's really hard to assess. You don't have to be the best in your year at the subject you want to study, but generally if you're not then the people who are better than you should also be realistic Oxbridge candidates. But ability isn't just a linear scale.

What's undeniable is that they get lots of strong applicants and you have to be in the around the top 1/3 to 1/12th or so of these talented applicants, as judged by them, to secure a place. And they are really good at judging, yeah some strong applicants don't get in but everybody there is really good. See how you do in your GCSEs, see how you do in year 12, then see how you compare. But if you want it then work really hard :smile:
Reply 3
Avatar for txa98
txa98
OP
2
Original post by lewif002
To get into Oxbridge you have to be f****** clever.
However, I'm going to do what you told me not to, and remind you there are other universities out there, where, in actual fact, you'd come out a lot happier.

Oxbridge, in general, is full on stuck up, snobby people who don't care about you unless you're helping them improve their grade.

You'd be much better off dropping a few places and going to Bath or Durham or somewhere between 5-15 on the table, and they will be nice, normal people, you'll socialise loads, you'll make tonnes of friends, you'll party lots & you'll still receive a degree from a great University.

Anyway, why don't you just apply for Oxford, Cambridge (or both), and just not bother telling your friends. Just say you want to keep it all to yourself. Then if you don't get in, nobody knows you applied. And if you do get in, everyone pats you on the back. :smile:

Just a note. A-Levels require 10 times more effort than GCSE's to get the top grades. If you can nail 4A's, you will be let into Cambridge, hands down. Just be prepared to work 4 hours per night after school/college every night and then revising for 14 hours per day in the two months before exams.


Posted from TSR Mobile

Thank you! I think I'm going to wait until next year and see how much A levels are killing me and then decide.

However like you said I feel like I'd probably enjoy my time more going somewhere that is slightly more relaxed and had other benefits so I probably won't apply...but really it's too early to decide so I'll just worry about my history GCSE for now :wink:
Original post by lewif002
To get into Oxbridge you have to be f****** clever.
However, I'm going to do what you told me not to, and remind you there are other universities out there, where, in actual fact, you'd come out a lot happier.

Oxbridge, in general, is full on stuck up, snobby people who don't care about you unless you're helping them improve their grade.

You'd be much better off dropping a few places and going to Bath or Durham or somewhere between 5-15 on the table, and they will be nice, normal people, you'll socialise loads, you'll make tonnes of friends, you'll party lots & you'll still receive a degree from a great University.

Anyway, why don't you just apply for Oxford, Cambridge (or both), and just not bother telling your friends. Just say you want to keep it all to yourself. Then if you don't get in, nobody knows you applied. And if you do get in, everyone pats you on the back. :smile:

Just a note. A-Levels require 10 times more effort than GCSE's to get the top grades. If you can nail 4A's, you will be let into Cambridge, hands down. Just be prepared to work 4 hours per night after school/college every night and then revising for 14 hours per day in the two months before exams.


Posted from TSR Mobile


You can't apply to both unless you're an organ scholar and you need better than just 4 As on average to get into Cambridge, I think the average UMS of a successful applicant is around 94-6% according to this pdf doc I found on their website just now, and the absolute minimum offer is A*AA with most successful applicants achieving at least 2 A*s
Nearly all A*s?! I don't see there being any harm in you applying at all, I know some people who didn't get all As and A*s which managed to make it into Oxbridge. I guess your A Levels are what really count and you should get work experience, help out in community, extra-curricular activities etc. Once you've done that, you'll definitely be a contender for Oxbridge, not sure why anyone would think that not getting all A*s would hinder their chances of getting into Oxbridge...
Reply 6
Avatar for Colmans
Colmans
11
Original post by lewif002
To get into Oxbridge you have to be f****** clever.
However, I'm going to do what you told me not to, and remind you there are other universities out there, where, in actual fact, you'd come out a lot happier.

Oxbridge, in general, is full on stuck up, snobby people who don't care about you unless you're helping them improve their grade.

You'd be much better off dropping a few places and going to Bath or Durham or somewhere between 5-15 on the table, and they will be nice, normal people, you'll socialise loads, you'll make tonnes of friends, you'll party lots & you'll still receive a degree from a great University.

Anyway, why don't you just apply for Oxford, Cambridge (or both), and just not bother telling your friends. Just say you want to keep it all to yourself. Then if you don't get in, nobody knows you applied. And if you do get in, everyone pats you on the back. :smile:

Just a note. A-Levels require 10 times more effort than GCSE's to get the top grades. If you can nail 4A's, you will be let into Cambridge, hands down. Just be prepared to work 4 hours per night after school/college every night and then revising for 14 hours per day in the two months before exams.


Posted from TSR Mobile


Is there a prize for the most uninformed post of the year with TSR?
This reply is wrong on each and every point.
Original post by Colmans
Is there a prize for the most uninformed post of the year with TSR?
This reply is wrong on each and every point.


Thanks for your input Colmans. Hope you get into Cambridge. You'll fit right in.


Posted from TSR Mobile
@lewif002 You can't apply to both Oxford and Cambridge at the same time... Which makes me doubt if you know what you're talking about...?
Original post by lewif002
Thanks for your input Colmans. Hope you get into Cambridge. You'll fit right in.


Posted from TSR Mobile

He already has and he did, very well. And he actually knows what he's talking about. :smile:
Original post by vincrows
He already has and he did, very well. And he actually knows what he's talking about. :smile:


Which is why it's no wonder to find him on TSR trying to nay-say someone's opinion......before he's even got to the university! Just another Cambridger for you. Intelligent, with no people skills, other than on TSR, of course. That's the only place where they open their mouths. Crawl away.


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Reply 11
Avatar for Noble.
Noble.
17
Original post by lewif002
Which is why it's no wonder to find him on TSR trying to nay-say someone's opinion......before he's even got to the university! Just another Cambridger for you. Intelligent, with no people skills, other than on TSR, of course. That's the only place where they open their mouths. Crawl away.


Posted from TSR Mobile


I know. Isn't it so annoying when people shoot down opinions just because they're completely wrong? I mean, we're all allowed our opinions, I don't remember signing anything that said we had to know what we're talking about before posting.
Original post by lewif002
Which is why it's no wonder to find him on TSR trying to nay-say someone's opinion......before he's even got to the university! Just another Cambridger for you. Intelligent, with no people skills, other than on TSR, of course. That's the only place where they open their mouths. Crawl away.


Posted from TSR Mobile

?????
Maybe you're not aware but he is a Cambridge graduate and one of the most helpful members (with stellar records) on this forum, has been providing very sound and reliable info and advices to many Cambridge applicants for a long time.

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