Question re Oxford process

[Anonymous]

My DC will be interviewing for Oxford next week. Two separate colleges have set up interviews, and it is cross-disciplinary so two interviews each.

DC is also waiting on an ED that will come out likely next week.

Any thoughts on the odds of Oxford acceptance when you get to this stage and does more than one college showing interest mean anything positive?

DC is preparing for the interviews and is likely a strong interviewee.

Any insight appreciated.

[Anonymous]

The department portal will have all the admissions stats for each phase. I think I had read that they take only about 1/3rd of the interviewed candidates. Good luck to your DC!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC will be interviewing for Oxford next week. Two separate colleges have set up interviews, and it is cross-disciplinary so two interviews each.

DC is also waiting on an ED that will come out likely next week.

Any thoughts on the odds of Oxford acceptance when you get to this stage and does more than one college showing interest mean anything positive?

DC is preparing for the interviews and is likely a strong interviewee.

Any insight appreciated.

It depends on the specific field. Oxford is super transparent, so all stats are on its website. For instance, PPE has the following numbers (1 in 3 gets an offer after interview stage):

Interviewed: 38%
Successful: 12%
Intake: 229
*3-year average 2022-24

By the way, you are not supposed to ED1 anywhere in the US if Oxford is the top choice. Or rather, if your DC gets into their ED school, there is no out unless you break the ED contract.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC will be interviewing for Oxford next week. Two separate colleges have set up interviews, and it is cross-disciplinary so two interviews each.

DC is also waiting on an ED that will come out likely next week.

Any thoughts on the odds of Oxford acceptance when you get to this stage and does more than one college showing interest mean anything positive?

DC is preparing for the interviews and is likely a strong interviewee.

Any insight appreciated.

It depends on the specific field. Oxford is super transparent, so all stats are on its website. For instance, PPE has the following numbers (1 in 3 gets an offer after interview stage):

Interviewed: 38%
Successful: 12%
Intake: 229
*3-year average 2022-24

By the way, you are not supposed to ED1 anywhere in the US if Oxford is the top choice. Or rather, if your DC gets into their ED school, there is no out unless you break the ED contract.

Thanks. We are fully aware that ED is a contract, I have thought about whether DC would want to withdraw ED before the decision comes out, but I think DC will stick with ED.

[Anonymous]

I heard from an Oxford admissions person that they actively try not to offer to US students exactly because they have Ivy options they often prefer and that leaves a gap in the acceptance matrix.

We are in the UK and my DD applied to Oxford for 2025 entry (she is not there) so I investigated this thoroughly last year.

Whatever happens, do not mention the ED application or other applications to US colleges in the interview. Though I suspect you'd guessed that already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I heard from an Oxford admissions person that they actively try not to offer to US students exactly because they have Ivy options they often prefer and that leaves a gap in the acceptance matrix.

We are in the UK and my DD applied to Oxford for 2025 entry (she is not there) so I investigated this thoroughly last year.

Whatever happens, do not mention the ED application or other applications to US colleges in the interview. Though I suspect you'd guessed that already.

this makes no sense. my kid got an offer to Oxford and took an Ivy. as did a classmate. and I have zero reason to think Oxford cared even a little. it happens at least every other year in our HS and they still are willing to give offers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I heard from an Oxford admissions person that they actively try not to offer to US students exactly because they have Ivy options they often prefer and that leaves a gap in the acceptance matrix.

We are in the UK and my DD applied to Oxford for 2025 entry (she is not there) so I investigated this thoroughly last year.

Whatever happens, do not mention the ED application or other applications to US colleges in the interview. Though I suspect you'd guessed that already.

Shouldn't ED binding just limited to schools in the US?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard from an Oxford admissions person that they actively try not to offer to US students exactly because they have Ivy options they often prefer and that leaves a gap in the acceptance matrix.

We are in the UK and my DD applied to Oxford for 2025 entry (she is not there) so I investigated this thoroughly last year.

Whatever happens, do not mention the ED application or other applications to US colleges in the interview. Though I suspect you'd guessed that already.

this makes no sense. my kid got an offer to Oxford and took an Ivy. as did a classmate. and I have zero reason to think Oxford cared even a little. it happens at least every other year in our HS and they still are willing to give offers.

Good to know. Thanks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC will be interviewing for Oxford next week. Two separate colleges have set up interviews, and it is cross-disciplinary so two interviews each.

DC is also waiting on an ED that will come out likely next week.

Any thoughts on the odds of Oxford acceptance when you get to this stage and does more than one college showing interest mean anything positive?

DC is preparing for the interviews and is likely a strong interviewee.

Any insight appreciated.

Sounds like your kiddo is academically strong. Just curious did your child compare the curricula to make such a decision to apply to both top schools in the US and UK? Does Oxford fare better in terms of academic or research output than the top schools in the US? My child is young but we are also considering schools in the UK

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard from an Oxford admissions person that they actively try not to offer to US students exactly because they have Ivy options they often prefer and that leaves a gap in the acceptance matrix.

We are in the UK and my DD applied to Oxford for 2025 entry (she is not there) so I investigated this thoroughly last year.

Whatever happens, do not mention the ED application or other applications to US colleges in the interview. Though I suspect you'd guessed that already.

this makes no sense. my kid got an offer to Oxford and took an Ivy. as did a classmate. and I have zero reason to think Oxford cared even a little. it happens at least every other year in our HS and they still are willing to give offers.

Yes, they do give offers to US students, of course they do, and US students attend Oxford along with other internationals, but the admissions dept actively try to limit[b] those offers for the reasons given. I was told this, it's not something I know about in more detail, sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard from an Oxford admissions person that they actively try not to offer to US students exactly because they have Ivy options they often prefer and that leaves a gap in the acceptance matrix.

We are in the UK and my DD applied to Oxford for 2025 entry (she is not there) so I investigated this thoroughly last year.

Whatever happens, do not mention the ED application or other applications to US colleges in the interview. Though I suspect you'd guessed that already.

Shouldn't ED binding just limited to schools in the US?

Maybe I’m misinterpreting what you are attempting to ask (there’s at least one word missing in your post), but no, when you agree to ED to a school, you agree to go there even if you later get into Oxford. It’s a binding agreement no matter where else you are applying US or abroad.

But the pp was advising not to tell Oxford interviewers about the ED application because it makes the student a less serious applicant and more likely that Oxford would not admit them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC will be interviewing for Oxford next week. Two separate colleges have set up interviews, and it is cross-disciplinary so two interviews each.

DC is also waiting on an ED that will come out likely next week.

Any thoughts on the odds of Oxford acceptance when you get to this stage and does more than one college showing interest mean anything positive?

DC is preparing for the interviews and is likely a strong interviewee.

Any insight appreciated.

Sounds like your kiddo is academically strong. Just curious did your child compare the curricula to make such a decision to apply to both top schools in the US and UK? Does Oxford fare better in terms of academic or research output than the top schools in the US? My child is young but we are also considering schools in the UK

She was very focused on the specific programs she was interested in along with personal location criteria and she did her own research, she was not focused on comparing the academic output of institutions.

The reality is there are many strong unhooked students applying to elite US schools with abysmal acceptance rates and opaque admissions criteria. I don’t believe getting in is a lottery but it takes both strategy and luck. Easiest strategy is to be a strong student applying from South Dakota.

There are great UK and Canadian schools with a much more straightforward process so she cast a wide net. Oxford is a reach for most including her. Her other international schools were very strong target schools that she would attend over most US safeties she is considering but they were effectively safeties because of how clear their admissions standards are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard from an Oxford admissions person that they actively try not to offer to US students exactly because they have Ivy options they often prefer and that leaves a gap in the acceptance matrix.

We are in the UK and my DD applied to Oxford for 2025 entry (she is not there) so I investigated this thoroughly last year.

Whatever happens, do not mention the ED application or other applications to US colleges in the interview. Though I suspect you'd guessed that already.

Shouldn't ED binding just limited to schools in the US?

Maybe I’m misinterpreting what you are attempting to ask (there’s at least one word missing in your post), but no, when you agree to ED to a school, you agree to go there even if you later get into Oxford. It’s a binding agreement no matter where else you are applying US or abroad.

But the pp was advising not to tell Oxford interviewers about the ED application because it makes the student a less serious applicant and more likely that Oxford would not admit them.

I thought the exception was that you could reject for financial reasons since you don't know what package they will give you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard from an Oxford admissions person that they actively try not to offer to US students exactly because they have Ivy options they often prefer and that leaves a gap in the acceptance matrix.

We are in the UK and my DD applied to Oxford for 2025 entry (she is not there) so I investigated this thoroughly last year.

Whatever happens, do not mention the ED application or other applications to US colleges in the interview. Though I suspect you'd guessed that already.

Shouldn't ED binding just limited to schools in the US?

Maybe I’m misinterpreting what you are attempting to ask (there’s at least one word missing in your post), but no, when you agree to ED to a school, you agree to go there even if you later get into Oxford. It’s a binding agreement no matter where else you are applying US or abroad.

But the pp was advising not to tell Oxford interviewers about the ED application because it makes the student a less serious applicant and more likely that Oxford would not admit them.

PP you are referring to. Yes, this is exactly what I was advising and why.