only 452 black students in the UK met Oxfords entry requirements!

Well, firstly, Oxford ?University care, as they are being told to take more black students. If there are only a few hundred making the requirements, it seems unfair to hold a University responsible. Rather the schools system should be held to account.

Secondly, to improve our wonderful multicultural society, we need more black professionals, and this is not going to happen if such a minuscule amount is getting educated properly.

Maybe your attitude is "they're only blacks, so they don't need education" - seems a bit sinister to me....

First of all, a recent report concluded that out of the 452 black students that achieved the AAA A'level grade, 49% of those applied to the most competitive courses at Oxford such as Medicine e.t.c. However 29,000 white students achieved this grade but only 28% applied to Oxford.

28% of black students applied for medicine while 7% white students applied for that same course.

Some reasons why this figure looks like this could be the reasons of cultural capital and cultural deprivation. More white middle/upper class students would have attended a private school hence boosting their application to Oxford. If only we could see the figures of how many of those black students attended private schools then we could make a valid conclusion.

I generally think it is down to the class system that causes all these inequality. White upper/middle class family can sometimes buy their way into education through private tuition, moving to expensive locations in order to get into the best school/s. The amount of black background that does the same will be really really low. Universities can also find out what location you live therefore they know if you live in deprived area or not.

It is simply unfair to reject a capable student just because they might have attended a comprehensive school instead of a private school.

TSR STAR's response is so ridiculously ignorant.

When I saw the thread title, I thought, "Oh no, not this again". But it really is a problem that so many black students aren't performing as well as students of other ethnicities.

that's funny considering i'm half black

Whats even funnier is that I bet they were white.

what? who?

Students from middle class backgrounds perform better academically. Proportionately there are more poor black students so they are disadvantaged thus resulting in worse exam results. So therefore academic performance in the UK is completely dependent on race due to social inequalities and other factors.

The person you were responding too, who seemed, very kindly of them to be teaching you to appreciate black people.

If you don't get the results, you don't get in. A fair system.

This topic is ludicriously funny. Intellect is independent of race. Are you trying to imply that Oxford is racist or discriminating?

Great, I'm going to be neg repped now...

Its a cultural thing. Plenty of Asians come from deprived backgrounds too but their parents drive them to achieve at school.

Black inner city culture in this country has a lot to answer for in promoting an attitude of lack of respect for authority and this doom and gloom outlook of "why should we bother".

Too much obsession with trying to look cool and building up your muscles and trying to bed lots of women, which is fine but don't expect to do it on a Doctors salary.

By the way, there hasn't been an accurate census taken here for 10 years. How can there have been when the government freely admits that they don't have a clue who is here? Im betting that black people make up more like 8 or 10 percent of this nation.

The best students get into Oxford. Surely, they can't still be racist in 2011. That's all im saying

But that isn't what is happening. People who don't get good enough grades don't get accepted.

Lol you haven't been to my school - I go to a grammar school where most of the black pupils are the over achievers - my friend for example got 12A*s at GCSE and 4As at AS level. I don't like people shoving all black people into one group because depending on where your parents are from, and how they were brought up, you may well end up with the pushiest parents on the planet. I don't know what this concept is of trying to look cool either - don't generalise.

There aren't that many black people in the UK to start with, in the 2001 census it was 2% of the population. Oxford's stats show 1.5% of their students are black.

Yes half a percent lower but when you are dealing with small numbers that's a pretty good match!

And as other people have said, it's much more about social class than ethnicity. A higher % of black people are in the poorest households.

The black students that are referring to did get the required grades. I am also just generally pointing to the fact as why black students fail to compete with white students academically. As you can see the stats yourself. 452 blacks achieved AAA and 29,000 whites achieved those grades.

Also, out of the 492 that did achieve those grades, 49% applied for the most competitive courses at Oxford compared to 28% of the whites. Basically 221 black students apply compated to 8120 white students. Approximately 30 black students gained admission which is quite tiny. What I am tryin to point out is that the rest might have been successful due to factors such as educational background, social class e.t.c.

well they do actually... My school has put on so many 'how to get into Oxford conferences'.

As you said you went to private school. So get off that high horse and stop talking **** with no experience to back it up. You condescending prick.

Students from middle class backgrounds perform better academically. Proportionately there are more poor black students so they are disadvantaged thus resulting in worse exam results. So therefore academic performance in the UK is completely dependent on race due to social inequalities and other factors.