Oxbridge favouring state and overseas students this year?
Hi all,
I hear that both Oxford and Cambridge are leaning towards state schools and international students this year and wanted to know if others had heard the same.
I hear that both Oxford and Cambridge are leaning towards state schools and international students this year and wanted to know if others had heard the same.
(edited 2 years ago)
Scroll to see replies
You're basing your observations on a very limited sample size, the only way we'll know for certain if there's been any kind of shift (which I doubt very much) in terms of the state/private divide is when the statistics are released. Most Oxbridge applicants are predicted at least 2A*s at A Level and have a string of A*s at GCSE and As at AS, and Oxbridge do not care if you've got leadership positions in your school so both of these are more or less irrelevant. And the fact of the matter is that it's impossible to predict who will get into Oxbridge and who won't. Your staff might be good at guessing but they're (obviously) not 'never wrong'.
There's more to the Oxbridge admissions process than above. Firstly, they're not just looking for the people who are the brightest on paper. It helps, but what they're really looking for is people who are very good at dealing with unfamiliar material, can think on their feet and would be able to learn well in the tutorial environment. It's very unusual for someone with ABCD at AS to get an offer (are you certain that's true and if it is, there's probably extenuating circumstances) but the fact is that high grades are not enough. Interview technique also definitely isn't enough; there was recently an article in the Guardian by an admissions tutor who said that all of the technique students from private school learn for interviews are completely transparent. The point I'm trying to make is that they're not just looking for the applicants who are best on paper. There are lots of other attributes they are looking for (including, to a certain extent, being the kind of pupil the tutor personally would like to work with over the next few years, it's not just about academic attributes) that could cause that discrepancy. And if you usually get 3 or 4 Oxbridge students per year then it's no surprise that occasionally you get anomalously low years. We normally send around 3 students to Oxford and this year we got 5 - anomalies happen.
Oxbridge definitely do have a bias against Independent schools but even with that bias, privately educated students are still massively overrepresented at Oxbridge (there are more than six times the number of privately educated pupils in Oxford than there would be if the intake reflected the proportions of privately educated pupils in the country), so it definitely is not the case that you can't get into Oxbridge if you're privately educated. You're still much more likely to get in than the average state school pupil. These biases exist for a good reason, it's not "politics", it's a simple fact that Oxbridge are looking for potential rather than achievement. You get a much better education at private schools so they're going to help you to reach your full potential. As a result, it is quite possible that for two pupils - one state, one private - with the same grade set, the state educated pupil has a better academic potential because they've managed to achieve this grade set despite the barriers to their education. That's obviously massively simplified but it's a point that's generally fair. Critically, I think there's a misconception that Oxbridge have a bias against privately educated pupils in order to make their statistics look better. This is definitely not the case (at least, it's not the main reason). The main reason is that their data shows that having this bias ultimately improves the quality of their pupil intake.
So in conclusion, Oxbridge have a bias against the Independent sector but I believe this bias is fair as it helps them get the candidates with the best potential rather than the best achievements. I'm very sorry that you didn't get in this year (and about the situation in your school in general) but blips happen. I go to a comprehensive school and this year, well over half of the pupils who applied to Oxford got in, much more than usual. What we need to see is the national trend rather than basing opinions on small data sets.
There's more to the Oxbridge admissions process than above. Firstly, they're not just looking for the people who are the brightest on paper. It helps, but what they're really looking for is people who are very good at dealing with unfamiliar material, can think on their feet and would be able to learn well in the tutorial environment. It's very unusual for someone with ABCD at AS to get an offer (are you certain that's true and if it is, there's probably extenuating circumstances) but the fact is that high grades are not enough. Interview technique also definitely isn't enough; there was recently an article in the Guardian by an admissions tutor who said that all of the technique students from private school learn for interviews are completely transparent. The point I'm trying to make is that they're not just looking for the applicants who are best on paper. There are lots of other attributes they are looking for (including, to a certain extent, being the kind of pupil the tutor personally would like to work with over the next few years, it's not just about academic attributes) that could cause that discrepancy. And if you usually get 3 or 4 Oxbridge students per year then it's no surprise that occasionally you get anomalously low years. We normally send around 3 students to Oxford and this year we got 5 - anomalies happen.
Oxbridge definitely do have a bias against Independent schools but even with that bias, privately educated students are still massively overrepresented at Oxbridge (there are more than six times the number of privately educated pupils in Oxford than there would be if the intake reflected the proportions of privately educated pupils in the country), so it definitely is not the case that you can't get into Oxbridge if you're privately educated. You're still much more likely to get in than the average state school pupil. These biases exist for a good reason, it's not "politics", it's a simple fact that Oxbridge are looking for potential rather than achievement. You get a much better education at private schools so they're going to help you to reach your full potential. As a result, it is quite possible that for two pupils - one state, one private - with the same grade set, the state educated pupil has a better academic potential because they've managed to achieve this grade set despite the barriers to their education. That's obviously massively simplified but it's a point that's generally fair. Critically, I think there's a misconception that Oxbridge have a bias against privately educated pupils in order to make their statistics look better. This is definitely not the case (at least, it's not the main reason). The main reason is that their data shows that having this bias ultimately improves the quality of their pupil intake.
So in conclusion, Oxbridge have a bias against the Independent sector but I believe this bias is fair as it helps them get the candidates with the best potential rather than the best achievements. I'm very sorry that you didn't get in this year (and about the situation in your school in general) but blips happen. I go to a comprehensive school and this year, well over half of the pupils who applied to Oxford got in, much more than usual. What we need to see is the national trend rather than basing opinions on small data sets.
It's not particularly surprising that a school that usually gets 3-4 people into Oxbridge per year might get none in once in a while. Your assertions that Oxbridge are biased against private schools but towards Eton are... well, 'flimsy' would be a generous description.
This is not a helpful figure. The intake of private school students at Oxford is about six times higher than you'd expect looking at school students across the full age range (i.e. about 45% vs 7%). However, the relevant school figures to look at are A level students, and more specifically A level students achieving AAA or better. I don't know what that number is — I seem to remember seeing a figure of about 25% of AAA students being privately educated, although that number was 10 years old and it's surely gone down since then. And then, of course, you can make a good case that you should only be interested in the success rates for people who actually apply...
Even after all that, private schools come off a bit better off but it's nowhere near the six times figure that is so often quoted. Another thing to point out is that many top private schools (Eton, Westminster, etc.) take on high-performing state schoolers for A levels on extremely generous scholarships — up to 100% — which somewhat inflates the private school admissions stats while masking where these pupils had their formative education. The reverse (top private schoolers moving to state sixth forms) is less common.
Original post by Chlorophile
(there are more than six times the number of privately educated pupils in Oxford than there would be if the intake reflected the proportions of privately educated pupils in the country)
This is not a helpful figure. The intake of private school students at Oxford is about six times higher than you'd expect looking at school students across the full age range (i.e. about 45% vs 7%). However, the relevant school figures to look at are A level students, and more specifically A level students achieving AAA or better. I don't know what that number is — I seem to remember seeing a figure of about 25% of AAA students being privately educated, although that number was 10 years old and it's surely gone down since then. And then, of course, you can make a good case that you should only be interested in the success rates for people who actually apply...
Even after all that, private schools come off a bit better off but it's nowhere near the six times figure that is so often quoted. Another thing to point out is that many top private schools (Eton, Westminster, etc.) take on high-performing state schoolers for A levels on extremely generous scholarships — up to 100% — which somewhat inflates the private school admissions stats while masking where these pupils had their formative education. The reverse (top private schoolers moving to state sixth forms) is less common.
Original post by ZoZo1770
Hi all,
I hear that both Oxford and Cambridge are leaning towards state schools and international students this year and wanted to know if others had heard the same.
The reason I'm posting it here is this: eighteen people from my (private) school applied to Oxbridge, most of us predicted at least 2 A*s at A Level with a string of A*s at GCSE and As at AS. Among us are the Head Girl, Deputy Head Girls, Prefects, etc. and we usually get about 3 or 4 students into Oxbridge each year. The current Year 13 is especially strong, and we had many members of staff predicting we'd get in (note: these staff members are never wrong).
Yet literally all of us have been rejected this week after the December interviews, except for one who has been pooled at Cambridge. Other people I know from private schools have had this same issue, and yet we know of people from state schools who have received offers - one of whom achieved ABCD at AS and wasn't considered to be the Oxbridge type at all.
I know I may sound like I'm bitching about not getting an offer (which, quite frankly, I don't really care about because, you know, life goes on), it's the reason why all of us were rejected that is the problem: is it true that Oxford and Cambridge are favouring state pupils to get away from the stereotype that they are snobbish, and international pupils because they pay three times the amount?
It doesn't seem quite right that bright people are being turned away purely because they are from an independent school when Oxbridge usually try so hard to convince people that 'your educational background makes no difference at all', and why ideal pupils with straight A*s and great interview skills are being rejected when people with lower GCSE and AS grades are getting offers - it all appears to be quite political to me.
Are there any other people on here whose schools seem to fit the above? I know that both Oxford and Cambridge favour Eton, I'd be interested to know how many people got offers there.
Apologies if this sounds like a rant - I don't mean it like this at all. Congratulations to those who did manage to get in, though.
What do you all think?
I hear that both Oxford and Cambridge are leaning towards state schools and international students this year and wanted to know if others had heard the same.
The reason I'm posting it here is this: eighteen people from my (private) school applied to Oxbridge, most of us predicted at least 2 A*s at A Level with a string of A*s at GCSE and As at AS. Among us are the Head Girl, Deputy Head Girls, Prefects, etc. and we usually get about 3 or 4 students into Oxbridge each year. The current Year 13 is especially strong, and we had many members of staff predicting we'd get in (note: these staff members are never wrong).
Yet literally all of us have been rejected this week after the December interviews, except for one who has been pooled at Cambridge. Other people I know from private schools have had this same issue, and yet we know of people from state schools who have received offers - one of whom achieved ABCD at AS and wasn't considered to be the Oxbridge type at all.
I know I may sound like I'm bitching about not getting an offer (which, quite frankly, I don't really care about because, you know, life goes on), it's the reason why all of us were rejected that is the problem: is it true that Oxford and Cambridge are favouring state pupils to get away from the stereotype that they are snobbish, and international pupils because they pay three times the amount?
It doesn't seem quite right that bright people are being turned away purely because they are from an independent school when Oxbridge usually try so hard to convince people that 'your educational background makes no difference at all', and why ideal pupils with straight A*s and great interview skills are being rejected when people with lower GCSE and AS grades are getting offers - it all appears to be quite political to me.
Are there any other people on here whose schools seem to fit the above? I know that both Oxford and Cambridge favour Eton, I'd be interested to know how many people got offers there.
Apologies if this sounds like a rant - I don't mean it like this at all. Congratulations to those who did manage to get in, though.
What do you all think?
3 or 4 students a year? That seems pretty low for a private school anyway, you probably were better off going to a state school. Unlucky mate.
Unless you were there on a scholarship, your parents have virtually blown away at least £10000.
You will be going to uni with people who did not even spend a penny on their education and on top of that, did not really try that hard at school.
How do you feel?
You will be going to uni with people who did not even spend a penny on their education and on top of that, did not really try that hard at school.
How do you feel?
Original post by Chlorophile
You're basing your observations on a very limited sample size, the only way we'll know for certain if there's been any kind of shift (which I doubt very much) in terms of the state/private divide is when the statistics are released. Most Oxbridge applicants are predicted at least 2A*s at A Level and have a string of A*s at GCSE and As at AS, and Oxbridge do not care if you've got leadership positions in your school so both of these are more or less irrelevant. And the fact of the matter is that it's impossible to predict who will get into Oxbridge and who won't. Your staff might be good at guessing but they're (obviously) not 'never wrong'.
There's more to the Oxbridge admissions process than above. Firstly, they're not just looking for the people who are the brightest on paper. It helps, but what they're really looking for is people who are very good at dealing with unfamiliar material, can think on their feet and would be able to learn well in the tutorial environment. [..] The point I'm trying to make is that they're not just looking for the applicants who are best on paper. [..] And if you usually get 3 or 4 Oxbridge students per year then it's no surprise that occasionally you get anomalously low years. We normally send around 3 students to Oxford and this year we got 5 - anomalies happen.
There's more to the Oxbridge admissions process than above. Firstly, they're not just looking for the people who are the brightest on paper. It helps, but what they're really looking for is people who are very good at dealing with unfamiliar material, can think on their feet and would be able to learn well in the tutorial environment. [..] The point I'm trying to make is that they're not just looking for the applicants who are best on paper. [..] And if you usually get 3 or 4 Oxbridge students per year then it's no surprise that occasionally you get anomalously low years. We normally send around 3 students to Oxford and this year we got 5 - anomalies happen.
For the average Oxford student, almost 80% of their GCSEs are A* grades.
2A*s at A level means nothing. In 2013, the Oxford website shows that, of people who got A*A*A* at A level, only 44.6% got offers. For people who ended up getting 'only' A*A*A then the success rate was 30.3%. So being predicted A*A*A shouldn't lead you to think that someone will get an offer. At Cambridge in 2013, only 17% of freshers didn't have A*A*A.
(It's worth mentioning that the same stats show 9.4% of Oxford freshers in 2013 had AAA and 24% had A*AA. So exceeding the standard offer grades isn't necessary, but still, the standard is high.)
Original post by ZoZo1770
Other people I know from private schools have had this same issue, and yet we know of people from state schools who have received offers - one of whom achieved ABCD at AS and wasn't considered to be the Oxbridge type at all.
Original post by ZoZo1770
is it true that Oxford and Cambridge are favouring state pupils to get away from the stereotype that they are snobbish, and international pupils because they pay three times the amount?
Original post by ZoZo1770
Thanks for all your replies - I know I sound whiny, I promise you that's not the case. It's just that from what I hear, nobody from Harrow got in, either, and Eton (who apparently have a 90% success rate, though I'm not sure how true that is) got very few students in, as well as other schools. It just appears odd considering they are top schools known for getting people in and yet this year everyone has been unsuccessful - it seems like more than just a coincidence?
It's more likely a reflection on the quality/calibre of applicants this year (remember your school's opinion of you all may not have been an Oxford or Cambridge don's opinion of you all) than anything more underhand on Oxbridge's part. Those two unis have been under immense pressure for YEARS to take more state school applicants and have refused to bow to that pressure. I doubt they had a change of heart overnight
The competition is always extremely stiff and you all no doubt lost out to better applicants. 'Better' is not determined by grades or schooling alone, as has been mentioned above. Things like teachability come into it, sometimes more with some tutors than with others. And tbh if you came across in your interview the same way as how you do on this thread, that wouldn't have boded well with many tutors
Original post by ZoZo1770
Thanks for all your replies - I know I sound whiny, I promise you that's not the case. It's just that from what I hear, nobody from Harrow got in, either, and Eton (who apparently have a 90% success rate, though I'm not sure how true that is) got very few students in, as well as other schools. It just appears odd considering they are top schools known for getting people in and yet this year everyone has been unsuccessful - it seems like more than just a coincidence?
Where did you hear this?
Original post by ZoZo1770
Thanks for all your replies - I know I sound whiny, I promise you that's not the case. It's just that from what I hear, nobody from Harrow got in, either, and Eton (who apparently have a 90% success rate, though I'm not sure how true that is) got very few students in, as well as other schools. It just appears odd considering they are top schools known for getting people in and yet this year everyone has been unsuccessful - it seems like more than just a coincidence?
Are you sure that's true?
Original post by ZoZo1770
Others in my year know students from Harrow and Eton, and apparently that's what happened. *shrugs*
I'd wait for the official statistics before jumping on rumours.
Oh ofcourse they're biased against private schools....that would explain why St Paul's and Eton both got over 40 in this year..boohoo
We got 5 in from 11 interviews so don't think so.
Original post by ZoZo1770
Hi all,
I hear that both Oxford and Cambridge are leaning towards state schools and international students this year and wanted to know if others had heard the same.
The reason I'm posting it here is this: eighteen people from my (private) school applied to Oxbridge, most of us predicted at least 2 A*s at A Level with a string of A*s at GCSE and As at AS. Among us are the Head Girl, Deputy Head Girls, Prefects, etc. and we usually get about 3 or 4 students into Oxbridge each year. The current Year 13 is especially strong, and we had many members of staff predicting we'd get in (note: these staff members are never wrong).
Yet literally all of us have been rejected this week after the December interviews, except for one who has been pooled at Cambridge. Other people I know from private schools have had this same issue, and yet we know of people from state schools who have received offers - one of whom achieved ABCD at AS and wasn't considered to be the Oxbridge type at all.
I know I may sound like I'm bitching about not getting an offer (which, quite frankly, I don't really care about because, you know, life goes on), it's the reason why all of us were rejected that is the problem: is it true that Oxford and Cambridge are favouring state pupils to get away from the stereotype that they are snobbish, and international pupils because they pay three times the amount?
It doesn't seem quite right that bright people are being turned away purely because they are from an independent school when Oxbridge usually try so hard to convince people that 'your educational background makes no difference at all', and why ideal pupils with straight A*s and great interview skills are being rejected when people with lower GCSE and AS grades are getting offers - it all appears to be quite political to me.
Are there any other people on here whose schools seem to fit the above? I know that both Oxford and Cambridge favour Eton, I'd be interested to know how many people got offers there.
Apologies if this sounds like a rant - I don't mean it like this at all. Congratulations to those who did manage to get in, though.
What do you all think?
I hear that both Oxford and Cambridge are leaning towards state schools and international students this year and wanted to know if others had heard the same.
The reason I'm posting it here is this: eighteen people from my (private) school applied to Oxbridge, most of us predicted at least 2 A*s at A Level with a string of A*s at GCSE and As at AS. Among us are the Head Girl, Deputy Head Girls, Prefects, etc. and we usually get about 3 or 4 students into Oxbridge each year. The current Year 13 is especially strong, and we had many members of staff predicting we'd get in (note: these staff members are never wrong).
Yet literally all of us have been rejected this week after the December interviews, except for one who has been pooled at Cambridge. Other people I know from private schools have had this same issue, and yet we know of people from state schools who have received offers - one of whom achieved ABCD at AS and wasn't considered to be the Oxbridge type at all.
I know I may sound like I'm bitching about not getting an offer (which, quite frankly, I don't really care about because, you know, life goes on), it's the reason why all of us were rejected that is the problem: is it true that Oxford and Cambridge are favouring state pupils to get away from the stereotype that they are snobbish, and international pupils because they pay three times the amount?
It doesn't seem quite right that bright people are being turned away purely because they are from an independent school when Oxbridge usually try so hard to convince people that 'your educational background makes no difference at all', and why ideal pupils with straight A*s and great interview skills are being rejected when people with lower GCSE and AS grades are getting offers - it all appears to be quite political to me.
Are there any other people on here whose schools seem to fit the above? I know that both Oxford and Cambridge favour Eton, I'd be interested to know how many people got offers there.
Apologies if this sounds like a rant - I don't mean it like this at all. Congratulations to those who did manage to get in, though.
What do you all think?
What a load of b****** I also go to a private school...... only 4 got in this year when we normally send 7-12 a year... things happen and we all deal with it. State schools are in effect underrepresented so although you unfortunately did not get an offer, do not jump to the conclusion that they're judging you based on your educational background. Oxbridge also don't care about head girls/boys.
Original post by ZoZo1770
Others in my year know students from Harrow and Eton, and apparently that's what happened. *shrugs*
I went to one of them. Agreed, I would probably wait!
Original post by ZoZo1770
Hi all,
I hear that both Oxford and Cambridge are leaning towards state schools and international students this year and wanted to know if others had heard the same.
The reason I'm posting it here is this: eighteen people from my (private) school applied to Oxbridge, most of us predicted at least 2 A*s at A Level with a string of A*s at GCSE and As at AS. Among us are the Head Girl, Deputy Head Girls, Prefects, etc. and we usually get about 3 or 4 students into Oxbridge each year. The current Year 13 is especially strong, and we had many members of staff predicting we'd get in (note: these staff members are never wrong).
Yet literally all of us have been rejected this week after the December interviews, except for one who has been pooled at Cambridge. Other people I know from private schools have had this same issue, and yet we know of people from state schools who have received offers - one of whom achieved ABCD at AS and wasn't considered to be the Oxbridge type at all.
I know I may sound like I'm bitching about not getting an offer (which, quite frankly, I don't really care about because, you know, life goes on), it's the reason why all of us were rejected that is the problem: is it true that Oxford and Cambridge are favouring state pupils to get away from the stereotype that they are snobbish, and international pupils because they pay three times the amount?
It doesn't seem quite right that bright people are being turned away purely because they are from an independent school when Oxbridge usually try so hard to convince people that 'your educational background makes no difference at all', and why ideal pupils with straight A*s and great interview skills are being rejected when people with lower GCSE and AS grades are getting offers - it all appears to be quite political to me.
Are there any other people on here whose schools seem to fit the above? I know that both Oxford and Cambridge favour Eton, I'd be interested to know how many people got offers there.
Apologies if this sounds like a rant - I don't mean it like this at all. Congratulations to those who did manage to get in, though.
What do you all think?
I hear that both Oxford and Cambridge are leaning towards state schools and international students this year and wanted to know if others had heard the same.
The reason I'm posting it here is this: eighteen people from my (private) school applied to Oxbridge, most of us predicted at least 2 A*s at A Level with a string of A*s at GCSE and As at AS. Among us are the Head Girl, Deputy Head Girls, Prefects, etc. and we usually get about 3 or 4 students into Oxbridge each year. The current Year 13 is especially strong, and we had many members of staff predicting we'd get in (note: these staff members are never wrong).
Yet literally all of us have been rejected this week after the December interviews, except for one who has been pooled at Cambridge. Other people I know from private schools have had this same issue, and yet we know of people from state schools who have received offers - one of whom achieved ABCD at AS and wasn't considered to be the Oxbridge type at all.
I know I may sound like I'm bitching about not getting an offer (which, quite frankly, I don't really care about because, you know, life goes on), it's the reason why all of us were rejected that is the problem: is it true that Oxford and Cambridge are favouring state pupils to get away from the stereotype that they are snobbish, and international pupils because they pay three times the amount?
It doesn't seem quite right that bright people are being turned away purely because they are from an independent school when Oxbridge usually try so hard to convince people that 'your educational background makes no difference at all', and why ideal pupils with straight A*s and great interview skills are being rejected when people with lower GCSE and AS grades are getting offers - it all appears to be quite political to me.
Are there any other people on here whose schools seem to fit the above? I know that both Oxford and Cambridge favour Eton, I'd be interested to know how many people got offers there.
Apologies if this sounds like a rant - I don't mean it like this at all. Congratulations to those who did manage to get in, though.
What do you all think?
Apologies for slating your comments. I just do not believe that there is any justification for your claims. May I also ask what you received for AS levels and gcse and what subject you applied for?
Original post by ZoZo1770
Thanks for all your replies - I know I sound whiny, I promise you that's not the case. It's just that from what I hear, nobody from Harrow got in, either, and Eton (who apparently have a 90% success rate, though I'm not sure how true that is) got very few students in, as well as other schools. It just appears odd considering they are top schools known for getting people in and yet this year everyone has been unsuccessful - it seems like more than just a coincidence?
Eton has about a 1/3 Oxbridge success rate, comparable to other top private and state schools. Nowhere near 90%.
Original post by BJack
Eton has about a 1/3 Oxbridge success rate, comparable to other top private and state schools. Nowhere near 90%.
Well they had a 50% Offer rate in 2013 - 30 Offers from 62 Applicants.
Westminster 57% 28 from 49
Hills Road 42% 23 from 55 (State School)
But yes, not 90%
http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/apply/statistics/archive/undergraduate_admissions_by_apply_centre_2013_cycle.pdf
But this is an *ahem* academic discussion until this cycle's data is published...
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by ZoZo1770
Hi all,
I hear that both Oxford and Cambridge are leaning towards state schools and international students this year and wanted to know if others had heard the same.
The reason I'm posting it here is this: eighteen people from my (private) school applied to Oxbridge, most of us predicted at least 2 A*s at A Level with a string of A*s at GCSE and As at AS. Among us are the Head Girl, Deputy Head Girls, Prefects, etc. and we usually get about 3 or 4 students into Oxbridge each year. The current Year 13 is especially strong, and we had many members of staff predicting we'd get in (note: these staff members are never wrong).
Yet literally all of us have been rejected this week after the December interviews, except for one who has been pooled at Cambridge. Other people I know from private schools have had this same issue, and yet we know of people from state schools who have received offers - one of whom achieved ABCD at AS and wasn't considered to be the Oxbridge type at all.
I know I may sound like I'm bitching about not getting an offer (which, quite frankly, I don't really care about because, you know, life goes on), it's the reason why all of us were rejected that is the problem: is it true that Oxford and Cambridge are favouring state pupils to get away from the stereotype that they are snobbish, and international pupils because they pay three times the amount?
It doesn't seem quite right that bright people are being turned away purely because they are from an independent school when Oxbridge usually try so hard to convince people that 'your educational background makes no difference at all', and why ideal pupils with straight A*s and great interview skills are being rejected when people with lower GCSE and AS grades are getting offers - it all appears to be quite political to me.
Are there any other people on here whose schools seem to fit the above? I know that both Oxford and Cambridge favour Eton, I'd be interested to know how many people got offers there.
Apologies if this sounds like a rant - I don't mean it like this at all. Congratulations to those who did manage to get in, though.
What do you all think?
I hear that both Oxford and Cambridge are leaning towards state schools and international students this year and wanted to know if others had heard the same.
The reason I'm posting it here is this: eighteen people from my (private) school applied to Oxbridge, most of us predicted at least 2 A*s at A Level with a string of A*s at GCSE and As at AS. Among us are the Head Girl, Deputy Head Girls, Prefects, etc. and we usually get about 3 or 4 students into Oxbridge each year. The current Year 13 is especially strong, and we had many members of staff predicting we'd get in (note: these staff members are never wrong).
Yet literally all of us have been rejected this week after the December interviews, except for one who has been pooled at Cambridge. Other people I know from private schools have had this same issue, and yet we know of people from state schools who have received offers - one of whom achieved ABCD at AS and wasn't considered to be the Oxbridge type at all.
I know I may sound like I'm bitching about not getting an offer (which, quite frankly, I don't really care about because, you know, life goes on), it's the reason why all of us were rejected that is the problem: is it true that Oxford and Cambridge are favouring state pupils to get away from the stereotype that they are snobbish, and international pupils because they pay three times the amount?
It doesn't seem quite right that bright people are being turned away purely because they are from an independent school when Oxbridge usually try so hard to convince people that 'your educational background makes no difference at all', and why ideal pupils with straight A*s and great interview skills are being rejected when people with lower GCSE and AS grades are getting offers - it all appears to be quite political to me.
Are there any other people on here whose schools seem to fit the above? I know that both Oxford and Cambridge favour Eton, I'd be interested to know how many people got offers there.
Apologies if this sounds like a rant - I don't mean it like this at all. Congratulations to those who did manage to get in, though.
What do you all think?
I'm afraid I've heard this time and time again especially after a good friends brother got in to cambridge but another friend who attended a private school did not.
It is clear that certain private schools are favoured by oxbridge for example schools which carry brand names essential such as eton, westminster, harrow, st pauls, haberdasheraske, etc.
But beyond that the number of privately educated people at oxbridge suggests there is not a bias towards the state school.
When you think about it though someone who gets an oxbridge offer of say A*AA from a state school (and achieved this) has achieved more than someone getting the same grades from a private schools. The reason being private schools are better at aiding applicants in things like interviews and tend to have more experience of competitive unis and courses. They also have smaller class sizes and often better teaching which are clearly advantagous when aiming for top grades. On that principle one could argue that it yould actually only be fair to bias towards state school applicants if they are on a par and have equal merits with a private school one
Original post by jneill
Well they had a 50% Offer rate in 2013 - 30 Offers from 62 Applicants.
Westminster 57% 28 from 49
Hills Road 42% 23 from 55 (State School)
But yes, not 90%
http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/apply/statistics/archive/undergraduate_admissions_by_apply_centre_2013_cycle.pdf
But this is an *ahem* academic discussion until this cycle's data is published...
Westminster 57% 28 from 49
Hills Road 42% 23 from 55 (State School)
But yes, not 90%
http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/apply/statistics/archive/undergraduate_admissions_by_apply_centre_2013_cycle.pdf
But this is an *ahem* academic discussion until this cycle's data is published...
My numbers were for Oxford from 2008-2013, where significantly more Etonians apply. I suppose the average across the two universities is a little under 40% in recent years.
I think this is a bit of a crazy thread but here is my experience. I go to a '****ty' (but I wouldn't want to go anywhere else, I can't stick the private school system but thats just me...) welsh state school and I got an offer.... I know 8 people who applied for Oxford, all from state schools and all received offers. (2 others from my own school, 1 for Maths, 1 for Psychology). The girls from private schools I met at interview however didn't get in. I also came out of my second interview in tears because I had come across as a totally and utter idiot. BUT that doesn't mean Oxbridge have favoured state school candidates, I think to get straight A*s at GCSE and 4As at A level, which all of us did, is a greater achievement at a state school than getting them from a private school. Therefore, if grades are compared like for like but one candidate is state educated I think they show greater promise. As for my interview I think Oxford realise that I had absolutely zero interview prep and would take that into account. What I did do in my interview was demonstrate that I love my subject and have quite a good knowledge of it, despite the fact I got nervous and said daft things. I personally hated the interview experience as I didn't meet a single other person from a State school, that wasn't a grammar school or an academy. None of my friends thought we would stand a chance, whereas I met so many people who acted as if they were entitled to a place. I was seriously relived to realise there would be other people like me there next year. (If I meet my conditions, but my school has only ever had 1 A* achieved so that should be fun...)
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Does LSE favour private school applicants
- Any singaporeans studying in leeds?
- Rejected by UCL, KCL, LSE (Law) and feel like an imposter
- Do subject combinations or grades matter more?
- Should I take a gap year to apply to Oxbridge?
- Why is Exeter full of private school students?
- Math/Econ degree with only A level math?
- Applying for Maths at Oxford, Imperial and Warwick
- Hoping to apply for Oxford from Ireland and wondering about my junior cycle?
- Why is UCL medicine no longer available for international students?
- Why wasn't i even pooled for cs?
- GCSE grades for cambridge law, can i get in?
- Has anyone ever rejected Oxbridge?
- A Level in a gap year?
- Funding for DClinPsy?
- Civil Service pre-employment checks failed
- Admission for A levels
- Oxford MSc in Digital Scholarship 2024
- How good/elite is the University of St. Andrews?
- re. Zero Gravity
Latest
Trending
Last reply 19 hours ago
Weidenfeld Hoffmann Trust (WHT) Scholarship Notification (2024-2025)Last reply 2 days ago
Oxbridge applicants for modern languages - 2025 entry (applying in 2024)Last reply 1 week ago
Will I get into Oxford with my GCSE results? - EngineeringLast reply 3 weeks ago
will 5 a levels give me a better chance at getting into oxford?Trending
Last reply 19 hours ago
Weidenfeld Hoffmann Trust (WHT) Scholarship Notification (2024-2025)Last reply 2 days ago
Oxbridge applicants for modern languages - 2025 entry (applying in 2024)Last reply 1 week ago
Will I get into Oxford with my GCSE results? - EngineeringLast reply 3 weeks ago
will 5 a levels give me a better chance at getting into oxford?
