The Student Room Group

Has my daughter got more chance of getting into Oxford or Cambridge for Law?

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Original post by BrasenoseAdm


Candidates are flagged overall if they have ever been in care or if both of these criteria are met: the school attended has below average attainment levels and the place of residence has above average levels of deprivation and/or lower than average progression rates to higher education.


I do worry about whether the "ever been in care" flag is a valid contextual measure.

Does Oxford have any statistics on how many of the applicants flagged were the subject of infant adoption?

I struggle to see that a baby taken into care at or near birth and then adopted by the sort of perfect middle class parents who pass adoption assessments in this country is in any way deprived when 17 or 18 years later he or she applies from a school in some leafy suburb to Oxford.

I do not doubt that anyone of school age who has been in care for any significant time has almost certainly had a tough life, but I wonder how many of the people who hoist this flag in their Oxford application are relying on a technicality.
Reply 41
Original post by BrasenoseAdm
You are welcome!

This prompts us to add that if GCSEs are in the top 5-10% for the year group, then whatever the A* total happens to be (or the % of A*s) an application should certainly be considered.

Candidates are flagged overall if they have ever been in care or if both of these criteria are met: the school attended has below average attainment levels and the place of residence has above average levels of deprivation and/or lower than average progression rates to higher education.

You can read more about Oxford's approach to contextual data here:
https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/decisions/contextual-data?wssl=1


Thanks - I would imagine that my daughter's application would be flagged based on both her school and our postcode.

How does this contextual data flag combine with the LNAT for Law?

I.e. If, as it says, "When a candidate is flagged under the 'contextual data' system it is strongly recommended that they are invited to interview" doesn't this sort of invalidate the LNAT as an interview criterion?

How does this flag work in conjunction with the LNAT? Does the flag override the LNAT? Or is the LNAT threshold lowered in some way? If, so (in either case) is the LNAT score still considered later on as part of the admissions decision (rather than as a pre-interview sift)?
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 42
Original post by MJ6987
Thanks - I would imagine that my daughter's application would be flagged based on both her school and our postcode.

How does this contextual data flag combine with the LNAT for Law?

I.e. If, as it says, "When a candidate is flagged under the 'contextual data' system it is strongly recommended that they are invited to interview" doesn't this sort of invalidate the LNAT as an interview criterion?

How does this flag work in conjunction with the LNAT? Does the flag override the LNAT? Or is the LNAT threshold lowered in some way? If, so (in either case) is the LNAT score still considered later on as part of the admissions decision (rather than as a pre-interview sift)?


My guess is the LNAT, and indeed all elements of the application, are also used as part of the final offer deliberations. That would be the way it would work at Cambridge anyway (i.e. the application is considered holistically).
Reply 43
Original post by jneill
My guess is the LNAT, and indeed all elements of the application, are also used as part of the final offer deliberations. That would be the way it would work at Cambridge anyway (i.e. the application is considered holistically).


Thanks. Yes, that's what I would have guessed.
You might be surprised at

a) the 'imperfect' (ie the variety of) people approved to adopt in this country... even babies

b) the impact that the fundamental rift and the impact of the antenatal and postnatal stress can have later, especially in teenage years. Likely higher incidence of genetically related disorders (which in the biological parents are a factor, known or unknown, in the baby being placed elsewhere) that may not be picked up or may be ascribed entirely to attachment disorder etc etc I have a number of wonderful friends and contacts who have adopted babies or very young children and it is no picnic as they become teenagers and adults.

It's obviously a different situation to a child who has experienced much less security etc but it isn't nothing.
Original post by MJ6987
Thanks - I would imagine that my daughter's application would be flagged based on both her school and our postcode.

How does this contextual data flag combine with the LNAT for Law?

I.e. If, as it says, "When a candidate is flagged under the 'contextual data' system it is strongly recommended that they are invited to interview" doesn't this sort of invalidate the LNAT as an interview criterion?

How does this flag work in conjunction with the LNAT? Does the flag override the LNAT? Or is the LNAT threshold lowered in some way? If, so (in either case) is the LNAT score still considered later on as part of the admissions decision (rather than as a pre-interview sift)?


We looked at the bare figures for Jurisprudence (UCAS code M100) and roughly half of applicants flagged overall were interviewed. Those not interviewed would include applicants who registered and withdrew or who registered and did not take the LNAT (these are also effective withdrawals).

This indicates that candidates who are flagged are not automatically interviewed and that other aspects of the application, including the LNAT, influence the decision. Given that only a finite number of applicants can be interviewed, an LNAT score lower than the threshold needed is probably tolerated - but a very low score would not result in an interview.
Reply 46
Original post by BrasenoseAdm
We looked at the bare figures for Jurisprudence (UCAS code M100) and roughly half of applicants flagged overall were interviewed. Those not interviewed would include applicants who registered and withdrew or who registered and did not take the LNAT (these are also effective withdrawals).

This indicates that candidates who are flagged are not automatically interviewed and that other aspects of the application, including the LNAT, influence the decision. Given that only a finite number of applicants can be interviewed, an LNAT score lower than the threshold needed is probably tolerated - but a very low score would not result in an interview.


OK thanks. I thought it would have been higher than 50% given the "strong recommendation to invite to interview" but it is what it is.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by MJ6987
OK thanks. I thought it would have been higher than 50% given the "strong recommendation to invite to interview" but it is what it is.


We think the figure should be read as 'at least 50 percent' because those not interviewed include withdrawals and we couldn't establish how many of these there are.
If you compare GCSE results with those of the school attended, how do you assess a homeschooled applicant?

The UCAS form only gives the option of naming the institution where the actual exams are sat, and does not give the opportunity to say that the school was not attended apart from sitting the exam.
Reply 49
Original post by Bunratty
If you compare GCSE results with those of the school attended, how do you assess a homeschooled applicant?

The UCAS form only gives the option of naming the institution where the actual exams are sat, and does not give the opportunity to say that the school was not attended apart from sitting the exam.


You can indicate self-teaching (or home schooling) on Cambridge's SAQ. Dunno about Oxford...
Reply 50
I will leave it to the experts on here to answer the interesting question above on homeschooling - I assume that they would treat the candidate as coming from an "average school", I'm not sure they could assume anything else?

But as my thread has been bumped, a quick update - my daughter went for Oxford in the end as she loved the Uniq Summer School there and she's got an interview for Law this week! :smile: Fingers crossed...
Reply 51
Original post by MJ6987
I will leave it to the experts on here to answer the interesting question above on homeschooling - I assume that they would treat the candidate as coming from an "average school", I'm not sure they could assume anything else?

But as my thread has been bumped, a quick update - my daughter went for Oxford in the end as she loved the Uniq Summer School there and she's got an interview for Law this week! :smile: Fingers crossed...


Good luck to her (and you :smile: ) !
The assumption of 'average school' would be an extraordinary one. Homeschool for me was no teachers, no other pupils and no facilities. I imagine this is the more usual case for homeschoolers.
Original post by jneill
You can indicate self-teaching (or home schooling) on Cambridge's SAQ. Dunno about Oxford...


Indeed. Just wondering what the other place does.
Reply 54
Just an update to this thread...

Our daughter today got an offer from Oxford for Law (conditional AAA). So proud, can't believe it!! Still gotta get those grades tho!
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 55
Original post by MJ6987
Just an update to this thread...

Our daughter today got an offer from Oxford for Law (conditional AAA). So proud, can't believe it!! Still gotta get those grades tho!


That's great news! Congratulations to you. Oh, and her :smile:
Reply 56
Original post by jneill
That's great news! Congratulations to you. Oh, and her :smile:


Thanks! Think she's still in shock a bit.

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