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Vacancies at oxbridge

Itsallgood

2) Getting an A as Kizer said is not hard at all...if you can't manage it, can you manage the academic rigour of Oxbridge?!

Um actually I said that the school you go to plays a massive role in the grades you get, and therefore A-levels aren't the best indicator of your own personal potential, but your school's ability to get people As.

And Helenia neatly points out why someone getting a B might still be more suitable anyway..

As for the admissions process not being flawless - the process is not designed as a predictor for who will get straight As! It is designed to find those who will do best on the courses. Oxbridge will take those who they think are these people. Adding a new round of interviews would make the admissions process worse, becuase the tutors would be looking at candidates at two separate times, so they couldn't make a fair judgement on thje first group (they are gambling on the ability of the second!) The only fair way to do it is to have everyone assessed at the same time, which is why I am saying people who do better than expected should apply in the next cycle.

Reply 21

kellywood_5

17

Itsallgood

1) The diff between candidates who get offers and who don't is so marginal. Just because you have an Oxb offer it doesnt make you better than someone without one. The admissions process is by no means flawless.
2) Getting an A as Kizer said is not hard at all...if you can't manage it, can you manage the academic rigour of Oxbridge?!
3) You make the assumption that people rooting for places on results day, are those who failed the first time round. - A lot arent. And why should they wait a year to reapply, to get a place, when they could over the summer?

1) No, it doesn't make you better, but surely it has to mean the admissions tutors thought you were more suited to the course than someone else and I don't see why them getting slightly better A-level results than you should change that
2) I agree with that, but as Helenia said, a lot of it depends on the course you've applied for and whether the subject you didn't get an A in is relevant to it or not. To use her example of MML, why is someone with AAA in French, German and maths automatically better than someone with AAB in the same subjects when maths is completely irrelevant? The second person might be better at languages than the first and that's what matters
3) Because it's not fair on those people who did apply the first time and had to go through a stessful application process. Why should someone be able to phone up on results day and be handed a place on a sliver platter just like that when all they did was get As in their A-levels? You said yourself that getting an A isn't hard.

Reply 22

Jigglypuff

16

Helenia and Kellywood basically summed up what I had to say in response to Itsallgood. And with regards to me missing my grades, it's not necessarily that I 'can't manage it'. In English Literature, I often get As but sometimes I misunderstand the question slightly, go off on a tangent, don't include enough language analysis blah blah, resulting in a B, C or even D grade. Failure to fulfil exam criteria for a subject not wholly relevant to my course, in my opinion, does not mean I cannot 'manage the rigour of Oxbridge.' The interview and written test are surely much more indicative of my aptitude, and I'm sure most Oxbridge admissions tutors would rather take someone who misses a grade in an irrelevant subject to someone who did well in the irrelevant subject but showed less enthusiasm and aptitude for the subject in question. Unless, of course, a good understanding of Chaucer or Shakespeare is fundamental for a Philosophy degree. In which case, I take it all back. :biggrin:

Reply 23

passthesaltplease

5

Check out: www.oxfordstudent.com - very interesting article on this topic.

Here's a quote: "Oxford’s Educational Policy and Standards Committee (EPSC), one of the five most senior bodies in the university, was told that 300 people failed to achieve their predicted grades to get into Oxford colleges last year, but that 150 of these were let in despite this. The government was motivated to change the current system by statistics from the university admissions service UCAS suggesting that 55% of predicted grades are wrong."

Reply 24

danileigh

1

Ok how bout this one...you've been accepted to do an MPhil but ended up in a college other than one you would have picked for yourself. If some places remain in those you WOULD have picked, can you wriggle your way in??

Reply 25

Nutter

14

danileigh

Ok how bout this one...you've been accepted to do an MPhil but ended up in a college other than one you would have picked for yourself. If some places remain in those you WOULD have picked, can you wriggle your way in??

I do believe that once you're given a place, you can state your top 3 college choices. Therefore, the college eventually assigned to you will probably be your final one. Chances are your preferred college would have no more places to begin with.

Reply 26

passthesaltplease

5

danileigh

Ok how bout this one...you've been accepted to do an MPhil but ended up in a college other than one you would have picked for yourself. If some places remain in those you WOULD have picked, can you wriggle your way in??

I doubt it... Why don't you phone graduate admissions and find out what happens if you decline your college place.

What college did you get again, was it Pembroke? Are you sure its that bad?

Reply 27

danileigh

1

Actually it's St. Anne's, and I accepted their offer today. I'm betting it's quite loveable :smile:

Thanks for the responses.

Vacancies at oxbridge

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