Successful Oxbridge applicants? Are either of ur parents teachers??!!

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Lurker

Nobody was arguing with that - of course some courses are more competitive than others. It was loopy2's stupid idea that some people only choose their subject because it's less competitive that p****d everyone off.

So just because you don't like an idea it's stupid heh? Very intelligent...
Also I wasn't rejected, just for the record!!

Reply 81

fayzd

AmyBlue

my head of 6th form told me that if your parents didn't have degrees then you were more likely to get a place.........never explained why properly, just said that they were trying to get more people from 'disadvantaged backgrounds' so it worked in your favour if your parents hadn't been to uni......hmmmm

there is some scheme at oxford whereby if your parents havent been to uni and your school isn't used to doing oxbridge applications, and you come from an inner city school, then you can get extra help with your application, you are more likely to get an interview with a second college and your teacher can write a longer reference. That may be what your head meant.

Otherwise, how on earth do they know whether your parents have been to uni or not?

Reply 82

Unregistered

Eggy Hog

I would be naive to suggest that people don't target less competitive courses. Hence the number of people evey year who try to switch into law from Theology, for example.

exactly, i don't know why you guys are so angry at loopy2 or whatever, its well known subjects like land economy were for the rugby players and to be honest if i was that desperate on getting into oxbridge i would have applied for theology at an all girls college, it is utterly stupid to believe people don't do this, whether or not they actually get in is another matter :wink:

Reply 83

Veedy

None of my parents are teachers and I got an offer.

Reply 84

loopy2

rah

My feelings exactly rah: this 'discussion' was being taken faaarr tooo seriously by some of you. Are any of those quote angry unquote ones thinking of joining the police force after uni?

Reply 85

redcat

Veedy

None of my parents are teachers and I got an offer.

Shouldn't that be 'neither of my parents'? You make it sound like you have lots. :wink:

Reply 86

Lurker

loopy2

So just because you don't like an idea it's stupid heh? Very intelligent...
Also I wasn't rejected, just for the record!!

There are plenty of ideas I don't like that are obviously sensible. But this isn't one of them. So yes, I'm sorry, but I do think it's a stupid idea. No need to get personal, I'm not saying you're stupid.

I don't think anybody said you were rejected - you said something about sour grapes, which implied you were.

Reply 87

Mentally Ill

redcat

Shouldn't that be 'neither of my parents'? You make it sound like you have lots. :wink:

Red cat you are so anal :smile:

Reply 88

Alaric

redcat

Shouldn't that be 'neither of my parents'? You make it sound like you have lots. :wink:

There could be a string of step-parents and ex-step-parents. Nobody ever said anything about restricting it to biological parents!

Alaric.

Reply 89

tigerlily

I think that some courses are overly subscribed with no hopers cos their parents really want them to get on that course or in that university. Med is prob a prime example of this or oxbridge in general. However, the reason so many ppl apply to southampton for med is because they don't interview....but we won't go into that this is an oxbridge board after all!

Reply 90

hildabeast

fayzd

Yes, this is the Oxford Access Scheme, and I work for them. They basically just encourage applications from those in inner city schools and generally disadvantaged backgrounds, especially those from under-represented ethnic minority communities. You're not necessarily more likiely to get a second interview on the access scheme, but I think teachers do write longer references, and candidates complete the UCAS form, the Oxford form, and an additional Access Scheme form.

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Reply 91

lala

loopy2

My feelings exactly rah: this 'discussion' was being taken faaarr tooo seriously by some of you. Are any of those quote angry unquote ones thinking of joining the police force after uni?

You didnt seem to like being pulled up over your classics assertion though did you! I mean, basing your whole view around what, 4 people? And you appeared to think that independent school pupils couldnt love their subjects- c'mon, be sensible now!
Its obvious that there cant be much targeting of 'soft' subjects or they'd have a lot more applicants and nobody would apply for those that are perceived to be harder, but thats not what I was really interested in. I think that in general you will miss something if you look only at applicant to place ratios- in the case of classics, that would be that you have to have a real obvious love for your subject to hope to compete with other applicants (they're all obsessed, I tell you) and in the case if medicine, it would be that apparently quite a lot of the people who apply have no chance. If you dont look at the big picture, then any theories you might come to won't be as helpful.

Reply 92

TomB2000

what you are saying does perhaps have a certain degree of truth in it, but the difference between medicine (8 applicants per place at oxford) and classics (1.5 applicants per place at oxford) is so large that this still has a considerable effect...

believe me i was at oxford interviews, and the medical candidates there were VERY enthusiastic. Also there are many more medical applicants at interviews than classics despite 70% of the oxford medics had already been rejected. ALL the applicants invited to interview were very able.

Reply 93

Veedy

Alaric

There could be a string of step-parents and ex-step-parents. Nobody ever said anything about restricting it to biological parents!

Alaric.

Exactly! Although I only have two parents :biggrin:

Reply 94

Helenia

tigerlily

This is only true for a fraction of medical school applicants, and most of them get weeded out in the application process, if it's clear that they're only there because their parents want them to be doctors. Most people apply to medical school because they have the vocation for it and it's what they want to do in life, regardless of whether or not their parents are doctors.

Neither of my parents are doctors, but I've known that's what I wanted to do since I was about 10, and they only university they might have influenced my applying to is Southampton (which is where my mum is from, so she likes it for sentimental reasons) - and as I didn't particularly care whether I got in there or not, I thought I might as well apply.

Reply 95

TomB2000

I'm not saying that the medical candidates at interview were any better than for other subjects at oxford, but equally they weren't any worse, and there were certainly no 'no-hopers' there.

The eight applicants per place is correct - in the letter I recieved inviting me to interview it said that there were 1200 applicants for 150 places, and that they were only going to interview 425 applicants. (1200/150=8/1)

The fact that i know two people, one of whom with 8A*s and 2As, and one with all A*s at GCSEs, who were both rejected before interview - so it is certainly not true that the only reason they rejected so many applicants before interview is to root out the 'no-hopers' because very good applicants were rejected as well.

Reply 96

theECONOMIST

My mother was an educater at university level.
My brother studies ppe at oxford
Sister reading medicine at oxford
I'm breaking the tradition and i'm going to cambridge to read economics.

Hopefully my children will continue the fashion.

Reply 97

loopy2

Lala. No my views on classics being an easier option to get into read at Oxbridge haven't changed despite your constant sniping to get me to reply or change my mind.
But your replies on this thread are seriously BORING and longwinded which puts others off...
So this is my last post on this subject...

LEVITY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE.