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Oxbridge Applications

people are paying for a glimpse of hope :P:

i just came back from one yesterday.
i would highly suggest you don't go...
I had 2 interviews and the first one went horrifically bad.
i'm applying for CAAH and on my personal statement (which i emailed them a week ago) says I haven't studied it before...
but they hadn't even read it before i got there.
My actual interview letter from Oxford said they'd no presume any knowledge on the subject unless i'd studied it before...
They basically told me I was rubbish because I had no knowledge...
Despite reading 7 books thoroughly I was graded an E (on a scale for A - E) for outside reading..
The interviewer even asked me "did you even enjoy any of these books" and suggested that I hadn't even read them...
The interviewer even told me that I was applying for an academic university and I wasn't interested in the subject.
I'm not that confident a person and I left in tears feeling totally worthless and that I didn't even stand a chance. To show how rubbish they were, in my second interview I was graded an A for most things.
As I only had 2 interviews I'm not sure whether my overall D grade or my A grade applies to my performance.

It's rubbish!
Don't go!

I went there to try and overcome my confidence issues, and now I just feel even more scared! Plus, my bank accounts running low!

Reply 82

xangeldelightx

Andymc

Poor thing...

One of my friends is at the Manchester one today, and if that's what they're like, she'll probably come back in a state too :frown:

...

hopefully not!
maybe it was just my experience of it! and a not so nice interviewer!

Reply 83

BurningSpark24

I think I might be out of date here but I went on an Oxbrdige Applications day last year and not only found it really useful but actually had a great time.

I just found that it really helped my confidence and was a great chance to practice my interview 'technique' before the real thing. I also think that sort of help will benefit me later when I start going for job interviews. Plus the Interview Skills guy is fantastic and really fun.

I met one or two of the OA staff who were really friendly, both from state schools and were clearly really keen to meet and help students. Plus they have loads of free information on their website www.oxbridgeapplications.com and run an Access Scheme where you can apply for a free place on one of their events.

Reply 84

Donald Duck

15

Maybe they are good with helping your PS, but for the rest it wont matter much what they tell you.

Reply 85

aaloo

15

If you get EMA, you may be eligible to go on their most basic course for free, provided you can show the documentation.

Reply 86

RollingStoneBoswell

i went on one of these days, my school forced me too. it was awful. the communications guy was just terrible, i hated it. he kept picking on people and making them feel bad... then my mock interviews were by people who hadn't even studied my bloody subject! gah, not worth it!
if you're meant to get in, you will!!

Reply 87

TOMBOH

I am literrally stunned by the comments above. I was on Oxbridge Applications access scheme last year, which they provide for free as I was on EMA - they really are an outstanding bunch of peeps. The fact that 3% of schools get 30% of Oxbridge offers is just crazy and these guys allow the best preparation to be made available to all, without having to pay hundreds of grand in schools fees. They've been doing this for over 10 years, they have something liek 600 grads interviewing for them and many of their tutors have been through the programme I think. Clearly not everyone is going to be 100% happy all the time, the success of their model speaks for itself I think. Don't believe the above the programme is not about becoming a robot, it's about knowing what these tutors are looking for and getting used to talking about your subject to people you don't know, which is something Oxbridge advises. It worked for me, controversial I know given the above, but hats off to them...!

Reply 88

Teebs

16

TOMBOH

I am literrally stunned by the comments above. I was on Oxbridge Applications access scheme last year, which they provide for free as I was on EMA - they really are an outstanding bunch of peeps. The fact that 3% of schools get 30% of Oxbridge offers is just crazy and these guys allow the best preparation to be made available to all, without having to pay hundreds of grand in schools fees. They've been doing this for over 10 years, they have something liek 600 grads interviewing for them and many of their tutors have been through the programme I think. Clearly not everyone is going to be 100% happy all the time, the success of their model speaks for itself I think. Don't believe the above the programme is not about becoming a robot, it's about knowing what these tutors are looking for and getting used to talking about your subject to people you don't know, which is something Oxbridge advises. It worked for me, controversial I know given the above, but hats off to them...!

How much do you earn per year from them? For some reason I have my doubts that a customer of theirs would really be so outraged by people not being fans of the organisation that they would sign up to TSR just to counter that.

The idea that a commercial organisation charging students for its services makes access available to all is insulting to the intelligence of the people that post on this forum.

Saying the success of their model speaks for itself is all very well, but you don't actually have any data on what their model is, how success is measured or on the results that come out of it (simply saying they get x% of their students in would be a horrible case of confusing correlation with causation).

Reply 89

BJack

19

Further to what Teebs has said:—

TOMBOH

Clearly not everyone is going to be 100% happy all the time, the success of their model speaks for itself I think.

You could say the same about homeopathy. The success of their model speaks only for its viability as a business.

the programme is [...] about knowing what these tutors are looking for and getting used to talking about your subject to people you don't know, which is something Oxbridge advises.

Amazingly, you can get all this without handing over excessive amounts of money.

Reply 90

rkd

12

Teebs

The idea that a commercial organisation charging students for its services makes access available to all is insulting to the intelligence of the people that post on this forum.

To be fair, Teebs - they do have an Access Scheme for people on EMA, which isn't publicised as well as it should be. I found out about it through a friend and applied, and got (I think) their platinum interview package for free. It wasn't exactly like an Oxford interview, but it was a damn sight better than what my school provided (viz. I got asked what I thought about Thatcher, and had to pick my chair from a selection of five different ones because that's what my stats teacher's nephew had to do).

Reply 91

hobnob

14

rkd

To be fair, Teebs - they do have an Access Scheme for people on EMA, which isn't publicised as well as it should be. I found out about it through a friend and applied, and got (I think) their platinum interview package for free. It wasn't exactly like an Oxford interview, but it was a damn sight better than what my school provided (viz. I got asked what I thought about Thatcher, and had to pick my chair from a selection of five different ones because that's what my stats teacher's nephew had to do).

Even that is hardly "available to all", though. You have to fill in an application form, provide them with all your grades and write them a little personal statement, so they can scrutinise it and "offer places on the Access Scheme to those who we feel will benefit most from our support". All you have to do to get a place on one of their regular seminars / preparation thingies is pay up...