How do some people honestly even get into Oxbridge?
I’ve been browsing through LinkedIn and Tiktok and TSR and Reddit for the A-level grades/test scores students who got into Oxbridge achieved. Most of the times these scores are really good.
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
I would guess that it’s all about having a holistic application. For example, if someone talked about impressive achievements+clear passion in their personal statement, and their GCSEs were good but their A Level results & LNAT/TSA score were not as impressive, they might be considered for an interview. And after that the interview is all that matters at that stage.
Of course, it’s not a 100% fair system but I would definitely say that having one ‘wow factor’; be it your personal statement or your grades, increases your chance of an interview by a bit.
And everyone is considered equally after the interview stage- no matter what your grades etc are! 🙂
I might be entirely wrong though haha this is just my opinion 😂
Of course, it’s not a 100% fair system but I would definitely say that having one ‘wow factor’; be it your personal statement or your grades, increases your chance of an interview by a bit.
And everyone is considered equally after the interview stage- no matter what your grades etc are! 🙂
I might be entirely wrong though haha this is just my opinion 😂
Original post by m_040106
I’ve been browsing through LinkedIn and Tiktok and TSR and Reddit for the A-level grades/test scores students who got into Oxbridge achieved. Most of the times these scores are really good.
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
For Law at Oxford the entry requirement is AAA. Providing a candidate is predicted at least these grades then they stand an equal chance as someone predicted 3A*. Oxford also takes into account GCSE grades, and looks for a good academic profile as measured by exams taken and to be taken. It's also important to note the LNAT score is a relative measure, and not a set hurdle to cross. Provided someone gets a score in the upper quartile then again they stand a good chance of getting through to the next stage, interviews. Lots of people look good on their UCAS form but whether someone can think on their feet during the interviews often determines whether they receive an offer. The admission tutor will also be looking at what this person would be like to teach, particularly in a tutorial setting for one hour each week.
Whether an applicant is successful depends on more than just good grades, and factors such as subject exploration, PS and contextual data are also important.
Original post by m_040106
I’ve been browsing through LinkedIn and Tiktok and TSR and Reddit for the A-level grades/test scores students who got into Oxbridge achieved. Most of the times these scores are really good.
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
Particularly bad scores on an admissions test could be due to e.g. extenuating circumstances on the day being taken into account - also the nature of averages means some people will do worse than the average score. 24, 25, 27 are all above the average for the LNAT as a whole so it isn't like they are shockingly bad scores.
Relatively low grades - grades are sort of like getting your foot in the door. You have to meet that requirement to be considered pretty much but once you are over that hurdle it's a holistic process and grades are one of many important factors. Grades below the offer could be due to leniency shown for a near miss on the day (or e.g. in the 2020 A-level cohort, lots more people got accepted than usual because of the problems with the grade assignments used in place of exams).
Interviews are also a huge part of the process, and people who look like incredibly good candidates on paper might struggle here - the style of teaching at Oxford/Cambridge is very specific and doesn't work for everyone. The interview is kind of designed to see who would get on well with the tutorial/supervision style of teaching. You could get all A*s in A-levels mostly by rote learning (impressive nonetheless) and have little critical thinking capability within your chosen topic - if that is the case you're probably not going to get on well at/enjoy Oxbridge.
I got A*AAA in my A levels so just met the offer for my course, did well but not outstandingly well on my entrance exam, and then went to Oxford and graduated top of my cohort. It is a holistic selection process and tutors know the Oxbridge system well and know what is required to thrive in that environment. I do think there is a certain degree of luck too and I'm definitely not saying they predicted I would do so well despite my fairly average (by Oxford standards) stats - more that stats on paper aren't everything and tutors know this (that is why they interview).
Original post by m_040106
I’ve been browsing through LinkedIn and Tiktok and TSR and Reddit for the A-level grades/test scores students who got into Oxbridge achieved. Most of the times these scores are really good.
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
Original post by m_040106
I’ve been browsing through LinkedIn and Tiktok and TSR and Reddit for the A-level grades/test scores students who got into Oxbridge achieved. Most of the times these scores are really good.
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
i mean, the oxford admission grades for most humanities are AAA, and if grades are pretty close (for example one or two marks off a third A, or extenuating circumstances such as getting an adhd diagnosis too late to be given extra time and so forth) they often let AAB in? but it’s also not all about grades - i got AAA and am studying at oxford, for clarification - and they don’t just pick people with higher grades, they pick people who are a) genuinely interested in their subject (i.e., passionate), b) are suited well to the tutorial style of teaching, which is what they measure in the interviews, c) do well on the admission tests, and d) provide good written work. i believe it’s something like 40% interview, 30% test, 10% written work, 10% grades, 10% personal statement? the percentages might be wrong because i was told them in 2023 and i have mostly forgotten but the gist of it is the same - they grade things like interviews in “most likely to get a first” “most likely to get a 2:1” and so forth. you can usually find the way they grade interviews and stuff if you scour the internet enough! i hope this helps :3
Original post by m_040106
I’ve been browsing through LinkedIn and Tiktok and TSR and Reddit for the A-level grades/test scores students who got into Oxbridge achieved. Most of the times these scores are really good.
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
Academics at Oxford and Cambridge trust their own judgements. They do not assess candidates simply by reference to predicted or anticipated grades.
The selection process is not perfect. It makes errors of commission and omission. But it does not appear that the process produces the wrong outcome more often than the right outcome.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by m_040106
I’ve been browsing through LinkedIn and Tiktok and TSR and Reddit for the A-level grades/test scores students who got into Oxbridge achieved. Most of the times these scores are really good.
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
However, more often than I would have thought I have come across students who study at Oxford or Cambridge who achieved relatively low grades such as AAA at Oxford or A*AA or even sometimes AAB. This is somewhat similar at Cambridge.
I want to study law and so the admissions test is the LNAT and most Oxbridge law students I’ve met or talked to have good score but I’ve come across some who have relatively bad scores such as 24/42 or 25/42 or 27/42 when the average is 29/42 for Oxbridge.
It just makes me wonder how on Earth some of these people got into Oxbridge when Oxbridge rejects applicants with 4A*s in their A-levels and much better admissions test score.
There obviously must be a reason but I want to know what.
How are these people getting in?
AAA is the standard offer for most arts courses at Oxford. A*AA is the standard offer for most other courses as I understand at Oxford (and the standard offer for arts courses at Cambridge). These are not "low" grades, even in relative terms.
Also, it's not all about the grades on paper. A very big part of the Oxbridge admissions process is the interview, where they are looking to see how "teachable" you are in the supervision/tutorial format. Plenty of students might just get very good (rather than excellent) results on exams but be intellectually curious, insightful and thoughtful about their subjects, which probably lends to much stronger interview performance. And if they get a standard offer of AAA for an arts course at Oxford, it doesn't matter whether they get AAA or A*A*A* - they've still met their offer.
In terms of those who miss their offers but still are accepted (e.g. students who get AAB), the university can accept those students at their discretion. They aren't obligated to but if they interviewed a candidate who was extremely strong and just missed out on their offer like that, they might be willing to accept that on the basis they feel it's more likely to have just been an off day rather than representative of any serious academic deficiency.
They may also see plenty of students predicted 4 or 5 A*s (who may even go on to achieve them) who simply aren't engaged with their subject, have little ability to apply their knowledge outside of rigid A-level exam rubrics, and are very good at taking tests and exams but are not really...that smart where it counts in all honesty? Who are probably going to be less impressive than the above. And I say this as someone who has seen a few such students at my uni (UCL).
Having met several current and recent Oxford undergraduates, I can reassure the OP that standards are as high as ever. Oxford is a smart enough organisation not to measure academic excellence by sixth form grades alone.
I assume that the OP's concern is the public spirited one of maintaining standards, and that this isn't one of those "I got ten A Stars and those buffoons at Oxford wouldn't let me in" threads.
I assume that the OP's concern is the public spirited one of maintaining standards, and that this isn't one of those "I got ten A Stars and those buffoons at Oxford wouldn't let me in" threads.
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