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Bristol may reject candidates who favour Oxbridge
Bristol may reject candidates who favour Oxbridge
Bristol University has admitted that applicants who put it second best to Cambridge face rejection in sought-after subjects.
Application forms no longer identify the other universities to which candidates apply, but Prof Eric Thomas, Bristol's vice chancellor, says that admission tutors can often tell.
Even the strongest candidate in English, history, economics or law, the most over-subscribed departments, may lose the chance of a place by disclosing that their first choice is not Bristol but Oxford or Cambridge.
"We are now seeing significant distortions on Ucas forms," said Prof Thomas. "Some personal statements are entirely focused on the course being applied to at Oxbridge, with scant attention paid to why they are applying to the other universities.
"Why should they offer a place to someone who makes no mention of the special characteristics of their course when they have literally hundreds of applicants who do?"
He warned teachers and parents not to see universities such as Bristol as back-up for Oxbridge applications. "They are places in their own right."
Bristol, a member of the Russell Group of leading research universities, has indicated that it is likely to charge £3,000 a year fees across the board and is seeking more students from poor homes to satisfy the new regulator that it is doing enough to attract them.
People who fail to get into Oxford or Cambridge should not see themselves as "Oxbridge rejects", and parents should not see higher education through an "Oxbridge prism", said Prof Thomas.
"Even the most balanced parents don't seem to be able to suppress their negative emotions in front of their children and the term 'Oxbridge reject' rears its ugly head. Every year 25,000 or so of our brightest young people apply to Oxbridge and there are only 7,000 places."
Prof Thomas added: "Those who do not get places are massively talented young people and only a country still driven by snobbery can continue to use the term 'rejects' to describe them."
A spokesman for Bristol University said that a candidate who had indicated enthusiasm for a particular course at one university could hardly be surprised when others did not rush to offer them places.
This is stupid!
Bristol University has admitted that applicants who put it second best to Cambridge face rejection in sought-after subjects.
Application forms no longer identify the other universities to which candidates apply, but Prof Eric Thomas, Bristol's vice chancellor, says that admission tutors can often tell.
Even the strongest candidate in English, history, economics or law, the most over-subscribed departments, may lose the chance of a place by disclosing that their first choice is not Bristol but Oxford or Cambridge.
"We are now seeing significant distortions on Ucas forms," said Prof Thomas. "Some personal statements are entirely focused on the course being applied to at Oxbridge, with scant attention paid to why they are applying to the other universities.
"Why should they offer a place to someone who makes no mention of the special characteristics of their course when they have literally hundreds of applicants who do?"
He warned teachers and parents not to see universities such as Bristol as back-up for Oxbridge applications. "They are places in their own right."
Bristol, a member of the Russell Group of leading research universities, has indicated that it is likely to charge £3,000 a year fees across the board and is seeking more students from poor homes to satisfy the new regulator that it is doing enough to attract them.
People who fail to get into Oxford or Cambridge should not see themselves as "Oxbridge rejects", and parents should not see higher education through an "Oxbridge prism", said Prof Thomas.
"Even the most balanced parents don't seem to be able to suppress their negative emotions in front of their children and the term 'Oxbridge reject' rears its ugly head. Every year 25,000 or so of our brightest young people apply to Oxbridge and there are only 7,000 places."
Prof Thomas added: "Those who do not get places are massively talented young people and only a country still driven by snobbery can continue to use the term 'rejects' to describe them."
A spokesman for Bristol University said that a candidate who had indicated enthusiasm for a particular course at one university could hardly be surprised when others did not rush to offer them places.
This is stupid!
Scroll to see replies
TheWolf
Bristol may reject candidates who favour Oxbridge
Bristol University has admitted that applicants who put it second best to Cambridge face rejection in sought-after subjects.
Application forms no longer identify the other universities to which candidates apply, but Prof Eric Thomas, Bristol's vice chancellor, says that admission tutors can often tell.
Even the strongest candidate in English, history, economics or law, the most over-subscribed departments, may lose the chance of a place by disclosing that their first choice is not Bristol but Oxford or Cambridge.
"We are now seeing significant distortions on Ucas forms," said Prof Thomas. "Some personal statements are entirely focused on the course being applied to at Oxbridge, with scant attention paid to why they are applying to the other universities.
"Why should they offer a place to someone who makes no mention of the special characteristics of their course when they have literally hundreds of applicants who do?"
He warned teachers and parents not to see universities such as Bristol as back-up for Oxbridge applications. "They are places in their own right."
Bristol, a member of the Russell Group of leading research universities, has indicated that it is likely to charge £3,000 a year fees across the board and is seeking more students from poor homes to satisfy the new regulator that it is doing enough to attract them.
People who fail to get into Oxford or Cambridge should not see themselves as "Oxbridge rejects", and parents should not see higher education through an "Oxbridge prism", said Prof Thomas.
"Even the most balanced parents don't seem to be able to suppress their negative emotions in front of their children and the term 'Oxbridge reject' rears its ugly head. Every year 25,000 or so of our brightest young people apply to Oxbridge and there are only 7,000 places."
Prof Thomas added: "Those who do not get places are massively talented young people and only a country still driven by snobbery can continue to use the term 'rejects' to describe them."
A spokesman for Bristol University said that a candidate who had indicated enthusiasm for a particular course at one university could hardly be surprised when others did not rush to offer them places.
This is stupid!
Bristol University has admitted that applicants who put it second best to Cambridge face rejection in sought-after subjects.
Application forms no longer identify the other universities to which candidates apply, but Prof Eric Thomas, Bristol's vice chancellor, says that admission tutors can often tell.
Even the strongest candidate in English, history, economics or law, the most over-subscribed departments, may lose the chance of a place by disclosing that their first choice is not Bristol but Oxford or Cambridge.
"We are now seeing significant distortions on Ucas forms," said Prof Thomas. "Some personal statements are entirely focused on the course being applied to at Oxbridge, with scant attention paid to why they are applying to the other universities.
"Why should they offer a place to someone who makes no mention of the special characteristics of their course when they have literally hundreds of applicants who do?"
He warned teachers and parents not to see universities such as Bristol as back-up for Oxbridge applications. "They are places in their own right."
Bristol, a member of the Russell Group of leading research universities, has indicated that it is likely to charge £3,000 a year fees across the board and is seeking more students from poor homes to satisfy the new regulator that it is doing enough to attract them.
People who fail to get into Oxford or Cambridge should not see themselves as "Oxbridge rejects", and parents should not see higher education through an "Oxbridge prism", said Prof Thomas.
"Even the most balanced parents don't seem to be able to suppress their negative emotions in front of their children and the term 'Oxbridge reject' rears its ugly head. Every year 25,000 or so of our brightest young people apply to Oxbridge and there are only 7,000 places."
Prof Thomas added: "Those who do not get places are massively talented young people and only a country still driven by snobbery can continue to use the term 'rejects' to describe them."
A spokesman for Bristol University said that a candidate who had indicated enthusiasm for a particular course at one university could hardly be surprised when others did not rush to offer them places.
This is stupid!
Wherebsis u come across this??
TheWolf
This is stupid!
This is stupid!
Quite fair.
That's a bullshit story.
He said they'd reject people who sent applications that didn't seem to have much relevance to the course applied for, NOT that they'd reject Oxbridge applicants because they'd applied to Oxbridge.
If people can't be bothered enough to make their UCAS form even vaguely relevant to all the unis they are applying to, why should they get places?
He said they'd reject people who sent applications that didn't seem to have much relevance to the course applied for, NOT that they'd reject Oxbridge applicants because they'd applied to Oxbridge.
If people can't be bothered enough to make their UCAS form even vaguely relevant to all the unis they are applying to, why should they get places?
llama boy
That's a bullshit story.
He said they'd reject people who sent applications that didn't seem to have much relevance to the course applied for, NOT that they'd reject Oxbridge applicants because they'd applied to Oxbridge.
If people can't be bothered enough to make their UCAS form even vaguely relevant to all the unis they are applying to, why should they get places?
He said they'd reject people who sent applications that didn't seem to have much relevance to the course applied for, NOT that they'd reject Oxbridge applicants because they'd applied to Oxbridge.
If people can't be bothered enough to make their UCAS form even vaguely relevant to all the unis they are applying to, why should they get places?
yea, ok. But doesnt everyone who apply for oxbridge takes Bristol as a 2nd choice? or perhaps 3rd choice, as bristol is behind many universities in terms of ranking such as ucl,lse,imperial..
I made my UCAS application non-specific to Oxbridge. I was accepted at Cambridge and 4 other universities, but not Bristol. It really got me down, especially because I got my Bristol rejection before my Cambridge acceptance. I'm ok now... I just poke my tongue out when I drive past on my way home from CAm 
TheWolf
yea, ok. But doesnt everyone who apply for oxbridge takes Bristol as a 2nd choice? or perhaps 3rd choice, as bristol is behind many universities in terms of ranking such as ucl,lse,imperial..
Rather a sweeping generalisation. I didn't give Bristol more than a cursory look - didn't attract me at all. My 2nd choice would have been Newcastle, but they rejected me.
If Bristol were to reject applicants purely because they had applied to Oxbridge (which they technically can't now do), that would have been unfair. But if the applicants are stupid enough to tailor their entire PS towards Oxbridge, then why should they offer them a place if it's obvious where their obsession lies? Oxbridge give you an extra application form to write extra information specific to them on it, so why wreck your chances at other unis on your main PS - what if you get rejected?
Mine was general, based on why I wanted to do Medicine, and though I did mention I didn't like PBL courses and wanted a more taught one, that was relevant to all the unis I applied for. I got 3 offers and one rejection. At my Nottingham interview (which was before my Camb one) I got asked some very sticky questions about Cambridge - this was 2001, when they still knew where I'd applied - and what made Nottingham better. I really had to convince them that I was seriously considering the place (I was!). If candidates are blatantly only aiming at one place, why should the others consider them?
The fact that my form was in early indicated that I had applied to Oxbridge, but I seriously thought I would never get an interview, let alone an offer. Bristol was really what I was aiming for and if I hadn't been accepted by Cambridge I would be at Exeter now (my mum went to Exeter, and it's a good unviersity ) and probably quite unhappy. I can see a lot of people's chances being ruined because of Bristol and universities like it.
my personal statmemnt was faily neutral, i mentined I would enjoy the interrelationship inbetweenphysical and human geog because that's true. i got offers from ox, durham, southampton, exeter and nottingham but got rejected from bristol (who i wanted as my insurnace offer) It really got me down as I got the rejection before my Ox offer, and also very strange as the 3 oxbridge applicants for geog form my school (2 got in) were rejected from Bristol, and the non-oxford person (who only got a B in AS geog) got an offer from Bristol (incidently she is not doing to accept it, choosing southampton and Sheffield instead) am I annoyed?? ONLY SLIGHTLY GRRRRRRRRRR
Tek
As far as I'm concerned Bristol is stuck up its own a*se on this one.
Besides, if it actively discriminates against public school boys then the place isn't even worthy of my application, and I can thus assure you that I will certainly not waste my time adding "Bristol" to my UCAS form.
Besides, if it actively discriminates against public school boys then the place isn't even worthy of my application, and I can thus assure you that I will certainly not waste my time adding "Bristol" to my UCAS form.
what universities are you applying for - many universities are very anti-public school at the moment, which is just slightly unfair
blissy
The fact that my form was in early indicated that I had applied to Oxbridge, but I seriously thought I would never get an interview, let alone an offer.
Oh, of course - I forget that, cos my form had to be in early anyway, so for Medicine they can't possibly tell, unless you're really stupid in your PS. But surely lots of good applicants will have got their forms in early so that they are considered more quickly? That's what we were told at school.
It's wrong that they are rejecting you on the suspicion that you might have applied to Oxbridge, which seems to be what happened to you. That's discrimination, and I'm v glad you got into Cambridge anyway just to annoy them!
TheWolf
what universities are you applying for - many universities are very anti-public school at the moment, which is just slightly unfair
Would it be better to not have to state your school and your school type on your application form (although in interviews they could probably tell). But then I suppose universities would be criticised no end if they didn't have a suitable proportion of state and private school students.
Bristol should get over themselves, loads of people apply oxbridge as a shot in the dark and Bristol should recognise this instead of rejecting anyone who might have applied oxbridge, but its only them that are losing out on bright students.
Just wondering though, I was accepted at both Bristol and Oxford, does that mean bristol thought I wouldn't be offered a place at oxford?
Just wondering though, I was accepted at both Bristol and Oxford, does that mean bristol thought I wouldn't be offered a place at oxford?
If you have made clear on your UCAS form that Oxbridge is your first choice and Elsewhere your second does it not make sense to offer candidates who have Elsewhere as a first choice and Somewhereelse as a second rather than create unnecessary hasstle and paperwork by keeping places open for people who end up going to Oxbridge?
If you disagree then ask yourself why you are not allowed to apply to both Oxford and Cambridge. Is the reason not similar?
If you disagree then ask yourself why you are not allowed to apply to both Oxford and Cambridge. Is the reason not similar?
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- 3 or 4 Alevels for Oxbridge
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