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Oxford and Cambridge

xx007

2

Hi
Is it true that you cannot apply to both Oxford and Cambridge? Why is this so??
Thanx

Reply 1

AAJ1

10

It is true, you cant apply to both - because they are both so fantastic and as such they hate each other. I think.

Reply 2

shinyhappy

14

haha, I just mentioned this on your other thread!
I think the reason is that it would be near enough the same people applying to both, so they would be fighting over candidates, AND it would just about double the number of applicants, making it a lot harder to interview so many, etc.

Reply 3

xx007

OP

2

AAJ1

It is true, you cant apply to both - because they are both so fantastic and as such they hate each other. I think.

lol

Reply 4

sjuthani

6

I think something else is that they both assume that they're going to be your first choice (although they do seem to check it up later, once offers have been given out- if you don't want it, you reply to them in a letter). Obviously, them being so fantastic, they are entitled to do so, but if you had to choose Oxford vs. Cambridge after getting an offer, it might be difficult- and time consuming.

Reply 5

Crazy Mongoose

12

And also, like Medicine, it is noted that it is very difficult to get into either oxfrod or cambridge; so if you get rejected from Oxford, you are likley to be rejected from Cambridge, so it'd really just be a waste of a place...

Reply 6

Traum

Because oxford think that cambridge is "pale imitation of the real thing"

and Cambridge think that oxford is "the dark side"

The official colour of Oxford is dark blue, Cambridge's is light blue

Reply 7

fatboy06

1

It isn't really that logical though...I mean there are logistical problems but there are for all unis stuff...

Reply 8

confuddled101

As theyre both pretty over subsrcibed with the top applicants in the country I guess they would need to limit each uni's applications in some way and this seems a pretty easy way to do so

Reply 9

Crazy Mongoose

12

fatboy06

It isn't really that logical though...I mean there are logistical problems but there are for all unis stuff...

More so for Oxford and Cambridge; they have to have almost all of their applicants down for interview, in pretty much the same period of time, all housed, fed, etc.

Reply 10

Russell_G

basically they can do it because they know that they can. they get so many applicants anyway and they know they will fill their slots with clever people. so why bother to interview any more??

Reply 11

fatboy06

1

Crazy Mongoose

More so for Oxford and Cambridge; they have to have almost all of their applicants down for interview, in pretty much the same period of time, all housed, fed, etc.

Fair point

--------------

Russell_G

basically they can do it because they know that they can. they get so many applicants anyway and they know they will fill their slots with clever people. so why bother to interview any more??

Surely they'd want the MOST intelligent ones? :biggrin:

Reply 12

pedy1986

13

fatboy06

Fair point

--------------

Surely they'd want the MOST intelligent ones? :biggrin:

of which alot would turn them down in favour of the other one :p:

Reply 13

fatboy06

1

It would be a different system but wouldn't seperate Oxbridge artificially from the rest...I mean Nottingham and Warick and Imperial all have to give out more offers per places because they know they might be not the first choice - why should Oxbridge be any different? (Playing devil's advocate here...)

Reply 14

Crazy Mongoose

12

fatboy06

It would be a different system but wouldn't seperate Oxbridge artificially from the rest...I mean Nottingham and Warick and Imperial all have to give out more offers per places because they know they might be not the first choice - why should Oxbridge be any different? (Playing devil's advocate here...)

The Tutorial system, and the fact that the government pays more for someone to come to Oxbridge than it does for them to go to other unis?

Reply 15

fatboy06

1

I mean regarding admissions.

Reply 16

Crazy Mongoose

12

fatboy06

I mean regarding admissions.

Then to put it another way, why should someone be given two chances to get such a place, with the advantages i labelled? Especially when, if one university rejects you, the other one likley will too? Plus is it fair that someone gets the chance to have a second go at interviews in one year?

Reply 17

CamSPSer

To be honest I prefer the fact you can only apply for one. You have to put enough effort as it is into applying to one or the other. And twice the level of competition to get in? Other universities may have logistical problems but they would be a great deal harder for oxbridge, with the collegiate system and all

Reply 18

Angelil

19

It is the only sensible way of doing things really.
You can however apply to Oxford and Cambridge for any postgraduate courses, which is what I plan to do. This is because they get so many overseas students applying that it is impractical to carry out interviews - plus, they obviously get fewer people applying to be postgrads. Hence, they rely on written work rather than interview.

Reply 19

dragons_circle

fatboy06

It would be a different system but wouldn't seperate Oxbridge artificially from the rest...I mean Nottingham and Warick and Imperial all have to give out more offers per places because they know they might be not the first choice - why should Oxbridge be any different?

Far fewer turn down Oxbridge than Nottingham/Warwick/Imperial and almost any other university you can think of. So while other universities know that they are 1 in 6 and so should give around 5/6 offers per place since they are more likely to be rejected than not, Oxbridge are almost certainly the first choice of their candidates. Therefore they must pick much more discriminately and so require a lot more depth in their admissions system ie. the workload would be much higher compared to other universities if their candidate numbers were doubled.

Oxford and Cambridge

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