This girl got an interview for oxford but got ABBC for As levels?!

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Shes VERY well off

i've been told that universities such as oxford actually look at your family history as well. i know lots of amazing people who got turned down and they all had something in common like "single parent", "parents aren't drs" or even the fact that the school they went to isn't great. (they ended up going to places like mit or imperial tho)

this isnt true at all. i got an interview for law this year even though i initially got AACC at as level (one C went up to a B after remarks)
also, i omitted all information regarding my parents education history and occupation. unis don't even get this kind of information, including ethinicty, until after a student has been admitted onto their course.

Reply 21

troubadour.

Original post by FOXDIE

i've been told that universities such as oxford actually look at your family history as well.

This is half-true, but not remotely in the way that you think that it is. Oxford has a flagging system that slightly increases the chances of those from under-privileged backgrounds (measured by looking at rates of progression into higher education and socio-economic status from your postcode, with some consideration for your school's performance as well) being invited to interview (subject to an adequate performance in relevant admissions tests, of course).

Please don't spread this kind of piffle on a student website -- it will only work to discourage people from applying to Oxford.

Reply 22

Doones

Because they don't. They spend millions of pounds on widening access to Oxford.

Of course they can always do more but to say that a candidate will be discriminated against because they have a single parent or their parents aren't Drs is plain ridiculous.

Oh, and the success rate for applicants from the Independent sector (aka private schools) has fallen from 30% in 2007, to 25% in 2012

Reply 23

Pars12

Original post by FOXDIE

unfortunately life isn't that nice and people do look at your school name. and many places do favour private school students over students who have gone to public school that happen to be from a bad area. (based on irl experiences)
and i'm guessing they'd get info from interviews, ucas forms, and references.

You've got it upside down.

Private school students get better grades because they get better teaching and resources. That's a fact.

Many places favour better grades. They make their choice because they DON'T care which school you went to. Perhaps they should. That's politics.

They don't get info from interviews because they make this decision before they interview you.

There is no place on a UCAS form to tick if one or both of your parents is a doctor and it would look pretty silly on a reference. (e.g. "Johnny has worked very hard at history and both his parents are doctors" :wink:

Reply 24

Doones

Original post by FOXDIE

fine let me reword "private schools" to independent fee paying schools, such as lancing college.
but honestly by the looks of it they don't favour those from non-privileged backgrounds; if they were i'm sure they'd let in more well abled students. but i don't know,

>>> i dont have factual source so can't really say <<<

Boooooooooooom!

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 25

Pars12

Original post by FOXDIE

oxford doesn't look at money, they look at people's backgrounds since they like to uphold their status and history.
most politicians are 'out of touch' from birth rather than uni tbh

This just keeps getting better!

Thank you! You have brightened this thread up at a time when it gets very jittery and introspective.

Is it just the politicians or aren't we all a bit 'out of touch' when we are born?

Reply 26

Doones

Original post by FOXDIE

oxford doesn't look at money, they look at people's backgrounds since they like to uphold their status and history.
most politicians are 'out of touch' from birth rather than uni tbh

Do you even watch Downton Abbey? Doctors aren't privileged. You have to be a full blown Lord to be entitled to privilege in this life.

Hargreaves, fetch my slippers.

Reply 27

Pars12

Original post by Hydeman

Please don't spread this kind of piffle on a student website -- it will only work to discourage people from applying to Oxford.

Better out than in.

Reply 28

Piledriver

I got an interview at Cambridge with AAD at AS level ( one of the A's was one mark off a B) :smile:

I also know of someone who got a Cambridge interview this year with ABBB at AS.

Reply 29

Mystery.

Maybe someone died in her family or something, who knows.

Reply 30

Doones

Original post by Bubblybabybling

So im my sixth form nearly everyone has been rejected for Oxford a part from a girl who got ABBC for AS levels! She got 9A* for GCSE and she is head girl, so guys if you are thinking of applying for Oxford but dont have good AS results all is not lost!

Original post by Bubblybabybling

Shes VERY well off

Original post by Bubblybabybling

Geography

From Oxford's Geography admissions selection criteria:
http://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/undergraduate/course/selection-criteria.html

"Candidates who have achieved or are predicted grades lower than the standard offer will not normally be invited for interview. Otherwise, the decision to invite candidates for interview will be based on achievement in the TSA and, where available, contextualised GCSE data."

No mention of AS-levels or the need to be (even very) well off.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 31

robinfr

Original post by Bubblybabybling

Geography

I read an article about degrees to do if you want to get into Oxbridge. geography was one of them

Reply 32

Good bloke

Original post by Mystery.

Maybe someone died in her family or something, who knows.

People have been dying in my family for generations.

Reply 33

brendan.

Besides, many states school students, feeling that they are not good enough for Oxford, or that they wouldn't enjoy it's teaching style or stereotypically posh environment, may be put off even applying in the first place. This is not helped by ignorant idiots like you who spread around baseless rumours based on nothing but stereotypes and flights of fancy.

This. I was so very close to not applying to Oxford because I didn't think I'd fit in, I wasn't clever enough, I wouldn't stand a chance against any so-called 'trained private-schooled applicants'. Even though Cambridge visited my school as part of their outreach programme and I was lucky enough to be invited to Oxford for the day with other students from local schools at home, I still wasn't convinced that I should give it a shot until the day before Oxford's September open day. It's very sad but true that negative stereotypes about Oxbridge run deep putting off many able applicants, and it's odd to think that I was one day fully invested in these stereotypes. As a disclaimer, I still had these reservations about Oxbridge even though I attended a selective state school that had previously sent a handful of students to Oxford or Cambridge. But home is a town where there was quite a bit of disbelief that I was going to university at the 'real Oxford'. I was the first generation going to university in my family, and although my parents were supportive, they couldn't really help too much with the application procedure. Other than being bright and going to a decent school, I felt like the odds were stacked against me, largely because I listened to relentless criticism online. As it happens, I did end up in Oxford and I'm very glad that I took the chance to apply, and in reality, I now realise that there are many who face much tougher obstacles when applying for universities. I can't imagine what it's like to be in a school where bright students are actively put off applying to Oxbridge because of misguided teachers and this is something that really needs to be addressed. Ignorant comments regarding money, politics and family history in securing places certainly doesn't help either. Yes, there might be still a way to go and there are likely many students from 'poor' backgrounds that are worthy of places at Oxbridge, but honestly I think that Oxford (and I'm sure equally Cambridge) are doing a darn good job at trying to make this happen. Far more goes into the decision than your attained and predicted grades, and let's not forget that pretty much everybody that applies is academic enough to be offered a place. Shouldn't we be encouraging more to apply rather than putting them off?

Reply 34

RulesforRadicals

Original post by FOXDIE

I highly doubt they turn people away for not having successful parents.

If anything having a tough background counts in your favour, the idea being that you have to have greater ability to offset that lack of cultural capital you had growing up.

Original post by Hydeman

This is half-true, but not remotely in the way that you think that it is. Oxford has a flagging system that slightly increases the chances of those from under-privileged backgrounds (measured by looking at rates of progression into higher education and socio-economic status from your postcode, with some consideration for your school's performance as well) being invited to interview (subject to an adequate performance in relevant admissions tests, of course).Please don't spread this kind of piffle on a student website -- it will only work to discourage people from applying to Oxford.

Exactly.

The tutors realise that it's not a level playing field and incorporate that difference into their admissions policy. We really don't live in a country where people from deprived backgrounds are held back in an intentional way, (even if it still is harder for them.)

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 35

username738914

It is bollox. Those factors are supposed help them get interviews, not disqualify them..

Oxford look at contextual information, and they have a flagging system where if you tick a few of the contextual info boxes: low performing school, first gen uni goer, been in care etc. You'll get guaranteed an interview.

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Reply 36

ckfeister

Cambridge is less biased.

Reply 37

mishieru07

Original post by Princepieman

You don't get "guaranteed an interview". It's just something they will take into account when evaluating your academic performance to date. I don't recall Oxford ever stating that students who get flagged definitely get an interview. If you have sources, I would be interested in seeing them.

Original post by ckfeister

Cambridge is less biased.

And your source for this assertion is?

Reply 38

username738914

Original post by mishieru07

Au contraire, they have some set aside spots for candidates who are flagged on at least 3 different criteria. If you do some snooping, you can find their access/contextual information presentation.

My source is from an admissions tutor at Hertford, don't know about yours.