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Is it realistic to think about getting to Oxbridge?

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hobnob

Yes, you can, but nevertheless, the vast majority of successful applicants get in with GCSEs, and mostly very good GCSEs at that. Which doesn't mean you *have* to have excellent GCSEs, obviously, but to suggest they're completely irrelevant is also slightly misleading...

aye, it was not my intention to do so.

merely to say that other factors are more important.

Reply 21

faber niger

Yeah, I just did it!

Sadly, in reality, I didn't get in! :ninja:

Reply 22

Chubasco

And, you know, being interested in the subject you apply for is always helpful :rolleyes:

Reply 23

River85

hobnob

Big scary "Oxbridge" student. The vast majority of applicants will have excellent GCSE results. After all, a significant number of those applying to Oxford or Cambridge are the best and will therefore have an excellent academic record from year 2 SATS onward. How's that for an Oxbridge stereotype? I didn't take my SATS exams in year 2. Not because I was too thick, honest, there was just no such thing in those days.

Anyway, back on topic, you agree that they're still only a minor factor in the application process and that a far greater focus is placed on the other aspects? Even Cambridge and Oxford admissions tutors admit they are starting to focus less on GCSE results.

There's a naked man on the television. Oh, he's gone now. What a shame :frown:

Revolution is my Name

It's a bit counter-productive to keep saying you don't great GCSE's.
OP: basically, just work as hard as you can and get as good GCSE's and AS's as you can, and if they're not very good then you're a bit stuffed in terms of Oxbridge

No it's not. Why, in case the student starts to slack off and thinks they don't matter at all? You need to do anything that makes your application as strong as possible.

If anyone's stupid enough to read an internet post that says GCSEs aren't as important in an Oxford application as they are to, say, an LSE or Durham application (wooo! two more stereotypes) and take this post too literally and do slacken off they they're a fool and aren't university material, let alone Oxford or Cambridge material.

So to make it clear, work as hard as you can. Have an excellent A-level record/predicted grades and demonstrate a real passion for your subject. But don't be under the misapprehension that a few Bs at GCSE (or lack of extra-curriculars) will mean Oxbridge is a no-no or that you'll even be particularly disadvantaged.

Reading through this post, rambling post (like most of mine) it probably appears that I'm drunk. I'm not :o:

I'm just excited

Reply 24

The_Lonely_Goatherd

vahik92

Hi,

I just want to know what subjects and what grades you need to be working at to have at least a small chance of getting to Oxbridge?

That is, you have to admit, a pretty vague question! What subjects you should study for AS/A2 depends on what you'd be thinking of applying for!

If you give us an indication of whether you're currently doing GCSEs or AS Levels (or equivalents) plus what subject you think you may like to study, we can give more helpful answers!

Do pick the uni subject before you try and pick one of the unis themselves :smile:

Reply 25

Revolution is my Name

River85

I'm just excited

That what I was trying to say, that he needs to just make his application as strong as possible by doing as well as humanly possible in his gcse's

Reply 26

Orgasm

You can make it realistic if you want it to be real enough.

Reply 27

River85

Revolution is my Name

That what I was trying to say, that he needs to just make his application as strong as possible by doing as well as humanly possible in his gcse's

Of course, strong GCSEs are hardly going to be a disadvantage. You must always seek to have the strongest application possibly, whichever uni you're applying to.

But to suggest that for a realistic application you need A*s, As and, at the most, only one B (like shadowsintherain did) is slightly questionable. His post strongly infers that it's essential to have those grades and it's clearly not essential.

That's all I was trying to say.

Reply 28

Craghyrax

If you really want to go, just ignore the grades/logistics rubbish and apply anyway! You really have nothing to lose, so its pointless spending loads of time analysing the chances. You should just work your very hardest, and apply with whatever it is you end up having.

Reply 29

River85

Craghyrax

That's all that can be said really. If you want to be at Oxford or Cambridge then put the effort in and apply. It's only one place on an application forum and you never know what the outcome will be. You may get accepted, you may get rejected.

General advice it to just work hard and try and get all A*s and As at GCSE (don't fret if you don't), put the effort into your A-levels and demonstrate a real passion for your subject. Don't get obsessed over what the average applicant has or whether you really need an extra couple of A*s or whatever.

Reply 30

ebam_uk

It is realistic for people on TSR to think about getting to Oxbridge, a good number of people do every year!

Reply 31

Hippysnake

I got a D in art. (Mainly because I was over the odds ill for the best part of Year 11.) Got 5A*'s 4As and a B in English Lang also. Reckon Oxford or Cambridge will throw a glance my way?

Reply 32

User188463

vahik92

Hi,

I just want to know what subjects and what grades you need to be working at to have at least a small chance of getting to Oxbridge?

A small chance would be something like

gcse - AAAAAAAA*A*A*B
AS - AAAAB
A2 predicted - AAA
good reference plus personal statement plus interview

A better chance would be something like

gcse - A*A*A*A*A*A*A*A*A*A*A*
as - aaaaaa
a2 predicted - aaaa
amazing personal statement plus reference plus interview

Subjects - see the course requirements/recommendations on the uni websites. Generally, more traditional/academic subjects are preferred, but 2 traditional mixed with one non-traditional should be okay.

Reply 33

User188463

Hippysnake

I got a D in art. (Mainly because I was over the odds ill for the best part of Year 11.) Got 5A*'s 4As and a B in English Lang also. Reckon Oxford or Cambridge will throw a glance my way?

Of course they will. focus on getting high grades in AS.

Reply 34

hobnob

River85

I'm sorry River, but I'm at a bit of a loss to understand what you're trying to tell me there. :s-smilie:

Just to clarify: I don't think it makes sense to assume GCSEs are completely insignificant just because they're not the sole criterion of selection, and consequently each year there are successful applicants who have good (though far from stellar) GCSEs. But obviously I'd never suggest that anyone who wants to apply should be discouraged purely because he doesn't have a whole string of A*s, since there are other aspects to the application which will probably tell the tutors more about whether that person would make a good student of that subject. Basically I think that GCSEs are neither as all-important as some people on TSR apparently believe nor quite as insignificant as others would have them. And I also think somebody who wants to apply should just apply and have done with it, without agonising over his "chances", which he'll never actually be able to know anyway.
Does that make any sense? :dontknow:

Reply 35

shadowsintherain

JamesBowater

Well I only got two A*'s, 5A's, 3B's and a C... So I didnt meet your requirements for A*'s, and got away with 3 B's and a C. I still got an offer.

Of course you did. But the majority did not. And the point of my post was to offer what the majority will have, and what you will need to put you in a good position before the interview stage. I didn't realise my post was going to cause so much fuss, of course, with everything there are always going to be people who say "ah you see, you're wrong, I'm the case in point because I did that and my sister did this" but just because you got lower grades it does not distort the average. There are also going to be people who got higher than the average GCSE grades. But the average application will have what I suggested.

Reply 36

River85

hobnob

I'm sorry River, but I'm at a bit of a loss to understand what you're trying to tell me there. :s-smilie:

I was a bit excited (and, if I'm honest, a little drunk) as it's a special day tomorrow. Seeing naked men on the television tipped me over the edge. I'm sorry.

What I was trying to say: -

GCSEs are arguably the least important part of an application and Oxford and Cambridge only play slight attention to them. To say that you need all As and A*s with only 1 B for a realistic chance is, in my view, questionable. To say you need all A*s and As is complete crap. Excellent (mainly A*s) GCSE grades are not essential.

There are so many aspects to an application. Not just references and personal statement but also potentially further tests, submitted work and interview. These are far more relevant and significant to your chosen subject.

My advice to any GCSE student is to just work you hardest and try and get those A*s and As. If you manage it then great. If you don't the don't worry yourself. Still work hard in your A-levels and so on. If you want to go to Oxford and Cambridge then apply, it's only one place. Don't be so concerned about what the average applicant has or hasn't got.

Reply 37

Andy the Anarchist

In reply to the OP:

1)The more A*s you have at GCSE, the better your application will look (however, let no-one tell you they are critical, as I have two and still have an offer).

2)The better AS results you have, the better your application will look (so the more A's the better, and in the case of Cambridge, the higher the UMS marks the better).

3)The better your PS, the better your application will look (though this isn't exactly quantifiable).

4)The better your references, the better your application will look.

5)The better your submitted work (if required) is, the better your application will look.

6)The better you do in the admissions test (if there is one) the better your application will look.

7)The better you do in the interview(s), the better your application will look.

But in summary, provided you have an A level prediction of at least AAA, there is no reason not to apply.

The decision as to whether to make you an offer will be based on areas 1-7, and given the subjectivity of the various factors, its impossible to say how performingly strongly in one area (say, good GCSEs) will compensate for another (bad interview). Thus there is no way to say what the "minimum" standard in each area should be, unless the university themselves have specified (case in point: Churchill College Cambridge for Law).

So in short, there isn't a "minimum number of A*s required at GCSE", unless you are applying for medicine or possibly law. And the next tool to say there is will be getting neg rep, because I'm sick of those on TSR who masturbate over exams they took when they were 16.

Reply 38

Melancholy

When I was waiting for my interview I was surrounded by private school students with polished accents who stereotypically got involved in numerous debating societies with a number of 100% module scores...

Then I went to the other corner of the room and found people with a more modest educational background with a collection of Bs and As amongst their few A*s at GCSE. There were even people there who had a C in some of their A Level modules (which they were resitting), but they clearly had a passion for their subject, read academic books and articles which interested them, and fully got into the key concepts of their subject.

Now I happen to know that at least two of the first category didn't get in, and at least three of the second category did get in. I won't deny that I know very little about the application process at Oxbridge - I was a mere passenger through the process who was luck enough to arrive at the "success" stop. Yet I did not get all A*s at GCSE (I even got a B in ICT), and I didn't score (as the common rumour puts it) a 90% average in all my of my four subjects.

So my advice is that getting better grades will probably help your application, but it isn't the be-all-and-end-all if you underachieve. You've still got a personal statement, a reference, potentially an interview, wider reading, a mature personality, a willingness to learn, a good work ethic, a passion for your subject, a sound mind, and various other criteria to rely on. They're looking for potential, not just grades - though I'll concede that good grades are perhaps a better indication of potential, ceteris paribus (i.e. assuming all factors concerning educational background [etc.] remain the same).

Reply 39

User188463

Andy the Anarchist

In reply to the OP:

Andy did you neg my post? I wasn't saying there was a minimum anything, I was showing the factors which admissions take in to account, the same as you did.