Applications for 2011

[Amber]

Colleague's DC, not high flyer, has received reasonable offers from all 5 preferences. There is hope, everyone!

[Marylou]

Nothing for DD yet, but it's early days yet as from what we've heard, only one of her chosen universities has started sending out invitations for interview. It's probably the most competitive course to get onto and DD doesn't have anything like the amount of work experience that we know other applicants will have. We're therefore regarding this attempt as something of a "dummy run", but I know she'll be disappointed if she doesn't even get an interview this year, especially when her friends' plans all seem to be falling into place.

[daughter]

Nothing here - we are not expecting to hear anything before January but offers are trickling in for friends.

[Dibble]

So I think do not be disheartened other Uni's are making offers in the knowledge that students have applied to Oxford.

Duram has a policy of, generally, not offering to candidates who it thinks would prefer Oxford/Cambridge.
It puts applicants in that category if they're predicted appropriate grades and they submit before 15th October.

No other University has a similar policy, and I wouldn't worry - but... they can offer what they like, to who they like, based on whatever information they choose.

It would seem safest to submit including Oxford/Cambridge only before the 15th, leaving other choices open - filling remaining options in and re-submitting well after 15th October. Universities do not directly see a candidates other choices, of course.

[wirral_wombat]

"Durham has a policy of, generally, not offering to candidates who it thinks would prefer Oxford/Cambridge.
It puts applicants in that category if they're predicted appropriate grades and they submit before 15th October".

I am sorry, but where have you got this information from? My daughter is in her first term at Oxford, studying Biochemistry. Her friend (also a girl) is also there studying Engineering. Both included Durham in their 5 choices last year and both had offers. Neither Durham nor anywhere else can assume candidates have applied to Oxford or Cambridge just because they submit before October 15th - many schools have a policy of expecting students to get their applications in as early as possible, simply because many Universities start to make offers as soon as applications are in. No university sees which other universities candidates have applied to.

[Looking for help]

I also know students who have failed to get offers from Oxbridge, but who have been accepted for Durham.

[Dibble]

"Durham has a policy of, generally, not offering to candidates who it thinks would prefer Oxford/Cambridge.
It puts applicants in that category if they're predicted appropriate grades and they submit before 15th October".

I am sorry, but where have you got this information from?

Representatives of Durham University at a recent UCAS conference. The problem with the counter examples cited is that they’re about the past, whereas we’re talking about the current application round.

Of course, anyone can write any amount of total blathers on the Internet and, even though you clearly think I’m an idiot, I admire you incredulity.

The advice is not timely for this application round and rather than try to ‘prove’ I’m correct, I’d really rather people checked for themselves in whatever year they’re applying.

With that aim in mind...
I have no sense that Durham are hiding this – just ask them.
Do you have the same sense of indignation that you cannot apply to both Oxford and Cambridge in the same year? Perhaps Durham are trying to gain the same advantages by whatever means they have available to them?
It’s a ludicrously competitive market and vitally important to be ahead of the game with the application process, don’t just assume it’ll be the same as last year.

Neither Durham nor anywhere else can assume candidates have applied to Oxford or Cambridge just because they submit before October 15th

Well... yes they can :-/ They may not be correct. They may be judged poorly for doing so. I'd rather that they didn't, but... they can, and with some justification. Don't think individuals, fairness and blinkered logic – think statistics, probability and (crucially) a glut of outstanding candidates for undergraduate courses.

[wirral_wombat]

Oh dear.....sincere apologies if I've upset you, that was not my intention at all.

"you clearly think I’m an idiot"...not so, why on earth would I think that? I was interested as to the source of your information...if representatives of Durham have said this then fair enough. I would however be very surprised if this was true for every course at Durham, and would advise people to check with the admissions tutor for the course they are interested in.

"The advice is not timely for this application round" ...well it wasn't meant to be advice....it was describing my personal experience last year.

"Perhaps Durham are trying to gain the same advantages by whatever means they have available to them?"
Given that many of the most academically able candidates apply to Oxford/Cambridge, and that most of them do not get an offer from there, Durham would seem to be depriving themselves of a lot of potentially good students here, but clearly they are free to do whatever they choose. The fact that it's not possible to apply to both Oxford and Cambridge I think has a lot to do with the practicalities of their admissions systems and the tight timescales available for interviews etc - for most of the courses I have any knowlege of, Durham do not interview candidates.

Obviously people need to do as much investigation as they can - but my experience has always beenthat it can also be useful to hear about the first hand experiences of people who have gone through it before. There is a lot of folklore and misinformation floating around - in our experience a lot of it came from the schools! I had two children (twins) go through the process last year so have had recent experience - but my experience is restricted to courses in biology/biochemistry/chemistry. I would be happy to share this experience if anyone has any questions about these subject areas.

[dinah]

DD has an interview at Oxford and an offer of 3 As from Durham. Also an offer from Royal Holloway as yet undisclosed so I think there is no truth in the rumuor that Durham or any other university will only make offers to students who are not Oxbridge candidates.
This however might interest someone who is applying for Vet at Cambridge. A pupil at DD's school was offered an interview at Cambridge which Cambridge withdrew two days later because she was not predicted 3A*s at A2. She was predicted 1A* and 2 As.
In the first place , surely they saw the predicted grades before they made offer of an interview so what went on after this? Secondly, Oxford have ignored the A* and offered interviews to students on the basis of their personal statements and refererences and what might happen at the interview. This seems to contradict the reputation Cambridge has for being more inclusive and left wing .Oxford seems to me to be holding its nerve and interviewing candidates on potential. Cambridge seem to be presenting as having a set rule about grades and in fact change their minds after an offer of an interview has been made if they feel like it.

[Dibble]

DD has an interview at Oxford and an offer of 3 As from Durham. Also an offer from Royal Holloway as yet undisclosed so I think there is no truth in the rumuor that Durham or any other university will only make offers to students who are not Oxbridge candidates.

I hope there isn’t.

I can think of only four variables, any or all could be true.

1/I heard wrong.
2/It varies by department.
3/There’s some advantage in Durham saying they’ll do it, but no advantage in actually doing it
4/They’re doing it, just not very well.

We’re at a VERY early stage for Durham offers, of course, but I have one other example of a student with an Oxford interview and a Durham offer – for combined arts and social science. Looking at trends for next year’s application round, and if it’s not too impertinent, what course did your DD apply for at Durham?

This however might interest someone who is applying for Vet at Cambridge. A pupil at DD's school was offered an interview at Cambridge which Cambridge withdrew two days later

This is unforgivable – what a disappointment. I’d be interested if you ever find out why this happened

Oxford have ignored the A* and offered interviews to students on the basis of their personal statements and refererences and what might happen at the interview.

I think that Oxford have not asked for an A* because they haven’t yet collected the data to support that change, whilst Cambridge have.

This seems to contradict the reputation Cambridge has for being more inclusive and left wing .Oxford seems to me to be holding its nerve and interviewing candidates on potential. Cambridge seem to be presenting as having a set rule about grades and in fact change their minds after an offer of an interview has been made if they feel like it.

As a vast oversimplification I’d say Oxford is slightly easier to get into. Though I wouldn’t say that should affect a student’s choice at all.
For instance, re-sits and AS results have to be declared on the Cambridge SAF which, if the school hasn’t cashed them in, could be hidden from the Oxford application process. Next year you must declare all this on the UCAS forms anyway – so what’ll happen then, I don’t know.