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Is getting into oxbridge impossible?

And for a reply to the actual question:

cruciform

This guy I know didn't get into cambridge although he got five A's for AS Levels in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Further Maths. He applied to study maths and didn't get in. What do you need to get in? Also this other guy I know got into Warwick and not Oxford although he got 100 percent in all history modules for AS, how could they reject him?
People who go to Oxford must be immense and must have that natural flair in their subject. What do you think?

Well, yes. People who go to Oxford (or Cambridge) are bloody good at their subject, often have natural flair for it, and frankly, getting a few As just isn't good enough nowadays - isn't it something like 20% of A-level students in the UK getting three As nowadays? Oxford and Cambridge aren't big enough to even take 2% of A-level students between them...

Reply 41

Cocaine Socialist

11

I suppose there's always Durham.

Reply 42

Elementric

10

-A level marks (not just grades)
-Personal Statement
-Reference
-SAQ (for Cambridge)
-Interviews
-Thinking Skills Assessment (for some subjects)

A grades are only a tiny part of what you need to get into Oxbridge - virtually everyone who applies has at least 3 A's at AS level.

Reply 43

im so academic

15

generalebriety

God, this gets worse every day.

Myth dispulsion:
1. Cambridge will ask you to do STEP after interview if they think you're potentially good enough to pass STEP. Having applied to Cambridge to do maths and not having put STEP on my UCAS form, I know this for a fact.
2. It's not largely about luck. It's partly about luck, in that if you're unlucky enough to freeze up in interviews or lucky enough to get a crap interviewer who only asks you easy questions, your fate is sealed, but that very rarely happens - the interview process is made as fair as possible with lots of coaching of interviewers beforehand, most candidates getting more than one interview, each interview being on a range of topics, and so on. Anyway, if you don't survive the interview due to nervousness or whatever, you wouldn't survive Oxford or Cambridge - tutes/supervisions would kill you.
3. This isn't bloody Harvard. They don't care if you played rugby, were a prefect, did D of E or chaired a knitting circle. They care about your academics and related, relevant extra-curriculars - I have no idea why people still put irrelevant crap in.

Teebs was joking.

here here!!!! :five:

they don't a give a **** about stupid crap that won't do **** all for your application. like they are going to choose someone else because they done rugby at national level :rolleyes:

Reply 44

lucasarar

9

You need to be able to show in the interview that you can think for yourself. You can get perfect grades just from having a really good memory, but that doesn't make you intelligent enough for Cambridge. Of course many people who are good enough don't get in and in that'll either be decided due to a poor performance in the test/interview.

Reply 45

Teebs

16

im so academic

FAIL - there is no oxbridge website, unless you can kindly link it to me please.

You think I'm that much of a failure? :rolleyes:

http://www.oxbridge.ac.uk

Reply 46

Dadeyemi

13

Cocaine Socialist

I suppose there's always Durham.

don't be mean, nobody wants to go there

Reply 47

Leviathon

It's not down to luck, it's down to getting the required grades and then showing something extra in the entrance tests and interviews. Without meaning to insult the people who have said that they know people whou should/shouldn't have got in, well I think the tutors know better. Oxbridge have centuries of picking the best candidates and there's a reason why they're two of the best universities in the world. Of course they do occaisonally let an idiot like me in. :wink:

Reply 48

Leviathon

Teebs

You think I'm that much of a failure? :rolleyes:

http://www.oxbridge.ac.uk

Nearly 15million views now. :biggrin:

Reply 49

LUFCsuperstar

nuodai

There's more to an application than grades. Last year one of my friends got admitted with AAAB at AS and no special circumstances, for example; and my grades hardly sparkle compared to some of the other people I met at the interview and I got an offer.

AAAB is fine :dunce:

Reply 50

BJack

19

generalebriety

isn't it something like 20% of A-level students in the UK getting three As nowadays?

I seem to remember reading that 28000 students got 3 A grades or more last year and about 22000 applied to Oxbridge. There are also however many people who get very good scores in the IB. Clearly, then, there is a vast surplus of students who meet the grade requirements and, as you say, the suggestion that getting lots of A grades will be enough to secure you a place is absurd.

Reply 51

nuodai

17

LUFCsuperstar

AAAB is fine :dunce:

I know, but it's definitely not as good as AAAAA, which the OP was implying wasn't good enough for Oxbridge :p:

I technically applied with AAAB anyway, since my Maths A-level isn't cashed in but my other ASs are (the B was in General Studies... ouch).

Reply 52

Leviathon

nuodai

I know, but it's definitely not as good as AAAAA, which the OP was implying wasn't good enough for Oxbridge :p:

I technically applied with AAAB anyway, since my Maths A-level isn't cashed in but my other ASs are (the B was in General Studies... ouch).

I got ABBC at As, there's much more to the application than grades.

Reply 53

Supergrunch

10

I think the real problem is that while, broadly, success in school exams correlates with success at Oxbridge, the difference between people who did "well" (e.g. AAA) and "extremely well" (e.g. absurd UMSes, 5+ A-levels) is not something that is meaningful in terms of academic success at university; indeed, it's not like those with astounding A-levels are necessarily, or even likely to be, the ones getting firsts. This is partly a fault of the A-level system, and interviews are to some extent carried out to separate applicants on more realistic and predictive terms. Of course, it's not a perfect process, and there are still a few type 1 (false postive) and type 2 (false negative) errors, but the Oxbridge admissions assessment criteria as a whole appear to serve their job better than A-levels alone, and I think this is sometimes the reason why people who appear wonderful on paper can nonetheless be rejected.

Reply 54

im so academic

15

Teebs

You think I'm that much of a failure? :rolleyes:

http://www.oxbridge.ac.uk

Reply 55

Academix

cruciform

This guy I know didn't get into cambridge although he got five A's for AS Levels in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Further Maths. He applied to study maths and didn't get in. What do you need to get in? Also this other guy I know got into Warwick and not Oxford although he got 100 percent in all history modules for AS, how could they reject him?
People who go to Oxford must be immense and must have that natural flair in their subject. What do you think?

Interview most probably. I got full marks in all my history exams (only my coursework that was not), and in all my psychology exams, and 3 of my English lit exams. It is the interviews however that sort the men from the mice. A lot of good people either get rejected if competition is stiff, or simply drown in the pool.

Reply 56

Speedbird2008

3

cruciform

This guy I know didn't get into cambridge although he got five A's for AS Levels in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Further Maths. He applied to study maths and didn't get in. What do you need to get in? Also this other guy I know got into Warwick and not Oxford although he got 100 percent in all history modules for AS, how could they reject him?
People who go to Oxford must be immense and must have that natural flair in their subject. What do you think?