Cambridge 'No Hopers' 2015

I agree that not all private school teachers will be great. However, as a general rule, they are better, more well resourced, and less overstretched than teachers at state schools. Whilst there are exceptions to every rule, it is a fact that on the basis of probability a state school educated pupil is worse off than a privately educated pupil.

For example, my experience of secondary school:
History lesson. 40 mins 'teaching'- read the book and answer the questions, 20 mins of the teacher telling people to shut up.
Science- 30 mins of telling people to shut up, 30 mins of teaching, voice entirely obscured by people chatting.
English- I am the only person in my class who actually likes this subject so during fun 'group discussion' activities nobody cares. We can't take the books home because school collect them in. I can't afford my own copy, but I find one in the local library.
Maths lesson- No individual attention for the entire 5 years of secondary school. Managed to scrape an A by watching youtube videos of people teaching maths.
Go home, do 5 hours of work having wasted a pointless day at school.
7A*s 3As was the end result.

Yeah, that sounds quite similar to me.

I suppose that's the issue with generalizations. However, I still think that as a general rule state school pupils have to work harder and be more self motivated to even attempt to equal a private school applicant. Starting with a disadvantage is really hard, and without the motivational 'You will get into Oxbridge' expectation of many private schools it is difficult to persuade yourself that you have the ability to even apply, never mind get a place at the end. In fact, I only considered Cambridge when one teacher at Secondary school recommended a talk about Oxbridge at my college- more than a lot of worse secondary schools would have done- and I am the only person of the group of 6 who were pulled aside that actually applied.

Well done on your offer regardless. I just find it unfair that if I am predicted an A*A*A* it would be viewed the same as an AAA with another applicant.

Yeah... that's bull****....
most unis who offer contextual offers take it down one grade level e.g A*A*A for private A*AA for state.. at the most
You haven't got in and it's ok to be bitter, but directing that anger at state school pupils isn't fair - and isn't the reason