Oxbridge FAQ!
Scroll to see replies
{takes a coughing fit}
First time yours truly has ever been called underconfident.
I go to one of the worst school in the north of Scotland and I manage to be confident, get music lessons in various different instruments, do drama to a national level, get my grades without any tutoring and still manage to teach myself plenty of stuff. And the teachers who know about my wish to apply to Cambridge have all been incredibly supportive and have given me great advice on the matter.
To quote yourself: i assume you didn't go to a crap school? or maybe you did, that would explain your naive argument.
(wouldn't explain your lack of punctuation however.
First time yours truly has ever been called underconfident.
I go to one of the worst school in the north of Scotland and I manage to be confident, get music lessons in various different instruments, do drama to a national level, get my grades without any tutoring and still manage to teach myself plenty of stuff. And the teachers who know about my wish to apply to Cambridge have all been incredibly supportive and have given me great advice on the matter.
To quote yourself: i assume you didn't go to a crap school? or maybe you did, that would explain your naive argument.
(wouldn't explain your lack of punctuation however.
I think I was very lucky in the encouragement I got from my parents too (well, apart from the actually applying to Oxbridge). I would guess that those who were packed off to public school to get good marks so mummy and daddy can boast about them wouldn't really do well either. It's definitely not as simple as public v state.
leda swanson
!!!!
i assume you didn't go to a crap school? or maybe you did, that would explain your naive argument.
school is obviously not irrelevant. obviously if you go to a good school and are surrounded by other people who are intelligent and hard-working, then you have a much higher chance of getting into oxbridge, because you will be more confident, well-read and will come accross better at interview.
if on the other hand you have gone to a crap school, and unfortunately most schools in this country are crap, then you will have badly-educated teachers, unmotivated classmates, completely unchallenging work, no extra-curriculars, no money for tutoring / music classes etc., and no person telling you you are capable of getting into oxbridge because eg in my school very few people have gone to oxbridge before so nobody knows what the standard is, so how can people advise you to apply? the overall effect of going to a crap school will therefore be being extremely underconfident, gauche, and you won't communicate your 'innate' abilities very well at interview.
i for example only got into cambridge because my parents are rich (well, actually poor, but rich in comparison with most of the people in my class) and were able to afford music lessons and tutoring.
i didn't say anything in my interview that i had learnt at school, everything i learnt i had taught myself, and most people in crap schools don't bother to educate themselves.
you can't deny this. wake up and smell the coffee. most people are idiots. wake up and smell the UKIP
i assume you didn't go to a crap school? or maybe you did, that would explain your naive argument.
school is obviously not irrelevant. obviously if you go to a good school and are surrounded by other people who are intelligent and hard-working, then you have a much higher chance of getting into oxbridge, because you will be more confident, well-read and will come accross better at interview.
if on the other hand you have gone to a crap school, and unfortunately most schools in this country are crap, then you will have badly-educated teachers, unmotivated classmates, completely unchallenging work, no extra-curriculars, no money for tutoring / music classes etc., and no person telling you you are capable of getting into oxbridge because eg in my school very few people have gone to oxbridge before so nobody knows what the standard is, so how can people advise you to apply? the overall effect of going to a crap school will therefore be being extremely underconfident, gauche, and you won't communicate your 'innate' abilities very well at interview.
i for example only got into cambridge because my parents are rich (well, actually poor, but rich in comparison with most of the people in my class) and were able to afford music lessons and tutoring.
i didn't say anything in my interview that i had learnt at school, everything i learnt i had taught myself, and most people in crap schools don't bother to educate themselves.
you can't deny this. wake up and smell the coffee. most people are idiots. wake up and smell the UKIP
It seems to me you think tutors are stupid. I, in contrast, have confidence that these people, who are often world leaders in their field, are capable of assessing academic potential independently of how well you speak or which musical instruments you play.
Most people may be idiots - but most people aren't Oxbridge tutors.
leda swanson
i think you need to include the fact that if you are applying from a crap state comprehensive in the middle of nowhere, then you have a much reduced chance of getting in compared to a person of equal intelligence from a good school, and so if you don't get in it doesn't necessarily mean that you are not up to standard, just that you haven't been educated as well as other people, and have failed to educate yourself as other people who do get in in your situation have.
Private school think they're discriminated against, state schools think they're the ones with the raw deal; when in reality, everyone's treated equally. It's just another excuse for why people get rejected; when the only reason people are is, quiet simply, they're not good enough.
On a side note, it also interesting how people think admission tutor will know every single private school in the country. Yes the top public school are well known, but the local independent school down the road which charges £1,500 a term, and is no better than a good comprehensive will not be known to every admissions person.
blissy
I think I was very lucky in the encouragement I got from my parents too (well, apart from the actually applying to Oxbridge). I would guess that those who were packed off to public school to get good marks so mummy and daddy can boast about them wouldn't really do well either. It's definitely not as simple as public v state.
Hehe my dad wasn't happy about me wanting to apply to Cambridge. But he's been talked round now he's found out I want to do politics (he's a former politician, and now believes I'm going to be prime minister
). My mum on the other hand has always been really supportive and helped me a lot 
.Acaila
{takes a coughing fit}
First time yours truly has ever been called underconfident.
I go to one of the worst school in the north of Scotland and I manage to be confident, get music lessons in various different instruments, do drama to a national level, get my grades without any tutoring and still manage to teach myself plenty of stuff. And the teachers who know about my wish to apply to Cambridge have all been incredibly supportive and have given me great advice on the matter.
To quote yourself: i assume you didn't go to a crap school? or maybe you did, that would explain your naive argument.
(wouldn't explain your lack of punctuation however.
First time yours truly has ever been called underconfident.
I go to one of the worst school in the north of Scotland and I manage to be confident, get music lessons in various different instruments, do drama to a national level, get my grades without any tutoring and still manage to teach myself plenty of stuff. And the teachers who know about my wish to apply to Cambridge have all been incredibly supportive and have given me great advice on the matter.
To quote yourself: i assume you didn't go to a crap school? or maybe you did, that would explain your naive argument.
(wouldn't explain your lack of punctuation however.
excuse me, my punctuation is one of my main sources of confidence, you're the one who didn't close that bracket, so there. perhaps my sentences are just too complicated for your naivety.
you were obviously lucky. my school is one of the best in my county, but when i told my head of 6th form i wanted to go to cambridge, this is having got 11A*s at gcse, grade 8 etc, he told me i wouldn't get in because nobody ever does from my school, or my county, because my education thus far was not good enough compared the competition, eg kids at eton learn greek from the age of 4...
it just really annoys me when people say everyone is equal at interview and it doesn't matter what school you went to, as this is clearly not true. it is obviously a far more admirable achievement to get into cambridge from a school that doesn't have a history of sending people to oxbridge. the argument that there is some kind of sinister 'reverse elitism' going on is completely stupid, because it just shows that proper old red elitism is still going on to the extent that the colleges feel they have to compensate for it.
BazTheMoney
Private school think they're discriminated against, state schools think they're the ones with the raw deal; when in reality, everyone's treated equally. It's just another excuse for why people get rejected; when the only reason people are is, quiet simply, they're not good enough.
On a side note, it also interesting how people think admission tutor will know every single private school in the country. Yes the top public school are well known, but the local independent school down the road which charges £1,500 a term, and is no better than a good comprehensive will not be known to every admissions person.
On a side note, it also interesting how people think admission tutor will know every single private school in the country. Yes the top public school are well known, but the local independent school down the road which charges £1,500 a term, and is no better than a good comprehensive will not be known to every admissions person.
the fact that everyone's treated equally is exactly my point. people who have gone to crap schools are unlikely to be as good as people who have gone to good schools, therefore they should be given easier interviews. if oxbridge really want to have more people from state schools, they are going to have to start letting in stupider (ie, less educated. same thing) people.
Capital letters show confidence dear 
.
No matter how intelligent you are, you can only achieve as high as your circumstances allow. Private school pupils are able to achieve higher because they have better teachers, better facilities, a higher standard of intellectual discussion etc. etc. Wheras those of us who have to put up with schools falling to bits, incompetent teachers and neds shouting abuse at us, overcome the odds a little more than your average public school candidate.
And even with 11 A* GCSEs I still doubt you can second guess admissions tutors.
.No matter how intelligent you are, you can only achieve as high as your circumstances allow. Private school pupils are able to achieve higher because they have better teachers, better facilities, a higher standard of intellectual discussion etc. etc. Wheras those of us who have to put up with schools falling to bits, incompetent teachers and neds shouting abuse at us, overcome the odds a little more than your average public school candidate.
And even with 11 A* GCSEs I still doubt you can second guess admissions tutors.
leda swanson
the fact that everyone's treated equally is exactly my point. people who have gone to crap schools are unlikely to be as good as people who have gone to good schools, therefore they should be given easier interviews. if oxbridge really want to have more people from state schools, they are going to have to start letting in stupider (ie, less educated. same thing) people.
In theory, and maybe in a perfect world that idea would be great. But the fact of the matter is, Oxford terms are 8 weeks, there simply isn't enough time to let these students catch up. Students have got to hit the ground running; they can't allow student to start in October with CCC A-level, and take 2 terms to get up to AAA level, in the process holding everyone else up.
leda swanson
you were obviously lucky. my school is one of the best in my county, but when i told my head of 6th form i wanted to go to cambridge, this is having got 11A*s at gcse, grade 8 etc, he told me i wouldn't get in because nobody ever does from my school, or my county, because my education thus far was not good enough compared the competition, eg kids at eton learn greek from the age of 4...
I'm assuming that this is sarcastic and you do know that Eton only takes boys from 13+?
And your head of 6th form was obviously ill-advised. You don't have to have been at Eton to get in. As Baz said - they're not going to know every school name. I went to a decent private school with all sorts of extra-curricular stuff, but I doubt anyone on the admissions team had heard of it because only one other person had gone to Cambridge in all the time I'd been there. The important thing at interview is not the school name on the sheet, but how you present yourself.
deianra
ah, you're so naive! such beautiful naivete! oxbridge are sure to let you in with that attitude, they love to perpetuate the idea of a poor state kid getting in on their natural rugged individuality. makes them look dead progressive and capable of competing with the states.
the thing is, most people's parents just don't care about their children's education enough to encourage them, because they're too burdened by being working class and trying to work and read the daily mail. if your parents don't care about their education, and you go to a school where your teachers don't exactly encourage you to excel because they are trying to teach 60 other screaming brats wearing adidas poppers, then you'd have to have quite a serious personality disorder, rather than a particularly powerful brain, to seek out grants for music lessons!! or whatever.
and true, not everyone who goes to a crap school is poor. i'm not poor particularly. but the thing is, most people are poor, most people can't afford the luxury of extra-curriculars and books, most people's parents aren't supportive, most people's parents haven't been to university, so most people are hardly going to have had access to the kind of upbringing that makes you perform well in a cambridge interview.
leda swanson
the fact that everyone's treated equally is exactly my point. people who have gone to crap schools are unlikely to be as good as people who have gone to good schools, therefore they should be given easier interviews. if oxbridge really want to have more people from state schools, they are going to have to start letting in stupider (ie, less educated. same thing) people.
What do you mean by 'good' just because someone doesn't neccessarily (sp!) achieve extremely high grades in their GCSE's (I would've thought that a person applying for Oxbridge would've achieved all A's and maybe one B at AS) it doesn't mean *that* someone is 'stupider' than someone else with straight A*'s. People at 'crap schools' achieve grades that don't reflect their true potential and ability for many different reasons.
Also anyone at Oxbridge is not exactly going to be 'stupid' are they? Just because some one is less educated than someone else doesn't mean they are stupid...
I actually don't know where my arguement is going...
Helenia
I'm assuming that this is sarcastic and you do know that Eton only takes boys from 13+?
And your head of 6th form was obviously ill-advised. You don't have to have been at Eton to get in. As Baz said - they're not going to know every school name. I went to a decent private school with all sorts of extra-curricular stuff, but I doubt anyone on the admissions team had heard of it because only one other person had gone to Cambridge in all the time I'd been there. The important thing at interview is not the school name on the sheet, but how you present yourself.
And your head of 6th form was obviously ill-advised. You don't have to have been at Eton to get in. As Baz said - they're not going to know every school name. I went to a decent private school with all sorts of extra-curricular stuff, but I doubt anyone on the admissions team had heard of it because only one other person had gone to Cambridge in all the time I'd been there. The important thing at interview is not the school name on the sheet, but how you present yourself.
no, i don't know anything about eton, natch
I actually don't know where my arguement is going...
evidently
evidently
leda swanson
ah, you're so naive! such beautiful naivete! oxbridge are sure to let you in with that attitude, they love to perpetuate the idea of a poor state kid getting in on their natural rugged individuality. makes them look dead progressive and capable of competing with the states.
the thing is, most people's parents just don't care about their children's education enough to encourage them, because they're too burdened by being working class and trying to work and read the daily mail. if your parents don't care about their education, and you go to a school where your teachers don't exactly encourage you to excel because they are trying to teach 60 other screaming brats wearing adidas poppers, then you'd have to have quite a serious personality disorder, rather than a particularly powerful brain, to seek out grants for music lessons!! or whatever.
and true, not everyone who goes to a crap school is poor. i'm not poor particularly. but the thing is, most people are poor, most people can't afford the luxury of extra-curriculars and books, most people's parents aren't supportive, most people's parents haven't been to university, so most people are hardly going to have had access to the kind of upbringing that makes you perform well in a cambridge interview.
ah, you're so naive! such beautiful naivete! oxbridge are sure to let you in with that attitude, they love to perpetuate the idea of a poor state kid getting in on their natural rugged individuality. makes them look dead progressive and capable of competing with the states.
the thing is, most people's parents just don't care about their children's education enough to encourage them, because they're too burdened by being working class and trying to work and read the daily mail. if your parents don't care about their education, and you go to a school where your teachers don't exactly encourage you to excel because they are trying to teach 60 other screaming brats wearing adidas poppers, then you'd have to have quite a serious personality disorder, rather than a particularly powerful brain, to seek out grants for music lessons!! or whatever.
and true, not everyone who goes to a crap school is poor. i'm not poor particularly. but the thing is, most people are poor, most people can't afford the luxury of extra-curriculars and books, most people's parents aren't supportive, most people's parents haven't been to university, so most people are hardly going to have had access to the kind of upbringing that makes you perform well in a cambridge interview.
That's such a lot of crap I must say. I don't have to pay for any extracurricular activities, and I do a hell of a lot. As for books, I'm practically drowning in the things.
Most people aren't arrogant prats, but there are exceptions
.And for the record, I wouldn't be caught dead reading the Daily Mail.
Acaila
That's such a lot of crap I must say. I don't have to pay for any extracurricular activities, and I do a hell of a lot. As for books, I'm practically drowning in the things.
Most people aren't arrogant prats, but there are exceptions .
And for the record, I wouldn't be caught dead reading the Daily Mail.
Most people aren't arrogant prats, but there are exceptions
.And for the record, I wouldn't be caught dead reading the Daily Mail.
arghhhhhhh..... you're very young, aren't you? you basically think that everyone is as fresh-faced and altruistic as yourself, non?
accept the fact that you are not a typical example of humanity. just because you don't read the daily male, doesn't mean that the daily telegraph isn't the best-selling Quality daily in this wonderful country of ours.
Daily male eh?
I'm not particularly young. 17 next month, and capable of having mature discussions and using capital letters.
But yes, I'm terribly altruistic. One of those annoying little socialists, with a penchant for the emeutes of 1830s France, and distaste for arrogant little trolls, to be precise.
I'm not particularly young. 17 next month, and capable of having mature discussions and using capital letters.
But yes, I'm terribly altruistic. One of those annoying little socialists, with a penchant for the emeutes of 1830s France, and distaste for arrogant little trolls, to be precise.
soapsuds
evidently
At least I don't judge people by what school they go to and have a very mucked up perspective of the world
evidently
At least I don't judge people by what school they go to and have a very mucked up perspective of the world
alas, this is the result of going to a state school and being intelligent enough to get into cambridge.
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- September 2024 Law
- Am I likely to get an offer from Warwick Uni
- Which A-Level combination is strongest for Oxbridge Law?
- Should I add my current university to my ucas?
- can someone explain to me what clearing is?
- Do GCSE resits matter for Oxbridge?
- Northeastern University London Essay Competition (Shortlist)
- extenuating circumstances Oxford
- Deloitte Consultant - Ask Me Anything
- Northeastern University London Essay Competition
- Official University of Surrey Postgraduate FAQs Thread
- Northeastern Essay Competition
- International Student - Right to Rent
- Results Day: What to expect and what next?
- University of Wolverhampton Online MSc. Organisational psychology and business psycho
- How do I send documents to CAO
- How I got into Westminster School Sixth Form AMA
- might be a dumb question
- Uni transfer from year 1 to year 2
- Official University of Surrey Undergraduate FAQs Thread
Latest
Trending
Last reply 4 hours ago
March 2024 Cambridge Mature Colleges Round - Anybody?Last reply 9 hours ago
MPhil Advanced Computer Science Cambridge - 2024 EntryLast reply 2 weeks ago
Easy Colleges in Cambridge to get in - should this be allowedLast reply 2 weeks ago
Could I get into Oxford or Cambridge without studying A-level background??Last reply 2 weeks ago
MPhil in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence at Cambridge 2024Last reply 2 weeks ago
Cannot find funding for Cambridge, is it worth getting a loan?Trending
Last reply 4 hours ago
March 2024 Cambridge Mature Colleges Round - Anybody?Last reply 9 hours ago
MPhil Advanced Computer Science Cambridge - 2024 EntryLast reply 2 weeks ago
Easy Colleges in Cambridge to get in - should this be allowedLast reply 2 weeks ago
Could I get into Oxford or Cambridge without studying A-level background??Last reply 2 weeks ago
MPhil in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence at Cambridge 2024Last reply 2 weeks ago
Cannot find funding for Cambridge, is it worth getting a loan?
