3 Lessons for Oxbridge Applicants from my Grammar School (Expert Oxford & Cambridge Application Advice)
We all see the stories in the news. Private school pupils make up only 6.5% of the UK student population but consistently receive over 40% of offers at Oxford and Cambridge. Although improving, much is needed to be done. Explanations of this imbalance are varied, but the vast majority tend to blame Oxbridge for their archaic way of assessing performance, plain discrimination or links with UK private schools.
I am a grammar school pupil myself. Furthermore, I failed to get into Oxford the first time I applied. I’ve spent a long time thinking about what went wrong, and after speaking to several other applicants and tutors my own conclusion seems to be against mainstream thought, to a certain extent. Whilst many of the issues raised in general have some truth in them, I think part of the problem lies in grammar schools. This isn’t to say grammar schools are to blame, only that the problem is located there.
The first thing my politics tutor said to me, perhaps unfairly, during my reapplication interview was “Your school is rather good at getting students into London universities isn’t it Kes?” I nervously agreed, naively assuming he was easing me into the interview. “It’s not very good at getting students into Oxbridge though- why is that?”
I had had a year to think about my answer to this question. The year I applied I had failed to make any kind of mark at all. Yet my school was a prestigious grammar school; one that was far better at getting students into Oxbridge than other grammar schools. Nevertheless, my tutor still felt he needed to ask me this question; perhaps because compared to other private schools my grammar school was less effective at getting students past the barrier of the interviews.
During my impromptu gap year, I spent a lot of time ensuring I was fully ready for my reapplication; I would have equally loved to have gone to another good university. However, I wanted to give Oxford my best shot. I spoke to my friends who had got in, mostly at other schools. I also spoke to those who did not. A clear dividing line emerged; private versus state/grammar schools.
My grammar school had a real focus on exams; it churned out some of the best grades in the entire country, consistently. Afterall, it was assessed by government measures on this basis. Conversely, my friends at private school focused on things that they were never going to examined on: school debating and Oxbridge field trips.
Why, one might ask, would you pay huge sums of money to have your children not focus on exams? I think the answer is best explained through a short childhood story.
Whilst studying for my A-levels, I set up the school debating society. One of our first actions, to get our name out there, was to start competing in interschool debating competitions. Our first competition was held at a local private school; our headmaster kindly volunteered to drive us to the event. As we entered the beautiful grounds, with the historic buildings overshadowing us, one could almost feel the entitlement in the air.
The whole team was clearly anxious. As we were about to enter, our headmaster turned around to us and said: “Never be intimidated by wealth; it only gives them a further advantage.”
He was right; we did terribly throughout the competition, mainly because we did not have the confidence to compete. We were in a wholly unfamiliar environment and couldn’t help but feel out of place. We also felt like we had to lose because it would be impossible to compete with people who are trained in a place such as this.
Unfortunately, I've seen many Oxbridge applicants from grammar schools suffer the same issues we did during that debate. They allow themselves to be intimidated by their surroundings, either causing them not to apply in the first place or suffer from a lack of confidence at interview.
It's not their fault - they are not used to academic discussions in those surroundings. Their private school counterparts, however, have had years to get used to them. I remember some of my friends at Oxbridge, who came from private schools, describing their schools as more Oxbridge than Oxbridge; given my experience, they’re not wrong. Oxbridge makes some effort to accommodate students from all walks of life. Some private schools, however, feel like caricatures of Oxbridge itself.
This explains why my school debating club was extremely helpful during my application; I would encourage all grammar schools to support their own. A key part of the process is training students to get used to academic discussions in academic environments, so when it comes to the real thing applicants will not feel as intimidated. I hope that it allows us to work towards providing grammar schools students with the confidence they need.
I still remember during my interview, one of the grammar school students was teased about the fact that she didn’t come from a private school. She broke down in tears at the dinner table and ran back to her room; the pressure of being in this unfamiliar environment was too much for her and the private school students knew it. One turned it to their advantage by exploiting her fear. Needless to say, she didn’t get in, but the private school student who teased her did.
I wished at that moment there was something I could do, and in many ways, our service is my attempt to do something. The key point here for grammar school students, which I started to learn all the way back during my school debating trip, is to have confidence and not to allow yourself to be intimidated by wealth.
Lesson 1: Have confidence and do not allow yourself to be intimidated by wealth.
That is my first answer as to why parents pay huge sums to send their children to private schools, not to entirely focus on exams. There is a second, more academic point as well. This was something I figured out over my gap year, after attending an open day at Oxford and talking to one of the tutors there.
I asked, privately, why it was grammar school students struggled to get into Oxbridge. According to the tutor, it had nothing to do with the level of their knowledge; in fact, they were often more knowledgeable. They could reel off a series of facts with ease and often knew far more than their private school counterparts. However, whenever asked for their opinions they had no answer.
This is what the tutors look for; they need students who will engage in tutorials and are willing to defend themselves, as well as challenge their tutor’s opinions. Years of debating and interview practice fosters this ability in private schools. Students are encouraged to think critically at a young age in these establishments. Hence the importance of grammar schools supporting school debating societies; that and encouraging the study of critical thinking.
Having spoken to numerous tutors at Oxbridge, there seem to be many who think this is the key issue. I remember talking to one tutor who hated seeing grammar school students struggle in this manner; when possible he would take the grammar school student anyway, in hope that they could learn how to think critically along the way. Not all tutors, however, are willing to take such risks.
The key to acquiring this skill is to participate in academic conversations. Students should be debating as much as possible and trying to defend their academic opinions. Furthermore, interview practice is a great way to learn this skill, as it forces students to think critically in a high-pressure environment.
This interview needs to be tailored to the student to ensure they are challenged in the correct way. I remember, during my gap year, I went on a practice interview day at a large company. Needless to say, it was unhelpful; I could have looked up all the questions online myself, the interviewers were under pressure to rush through applicants and no one was interested in properly tailoring their questions to challenge me.
The interviewers will tailor their questions, so interview practice should do the same.
Lesson 2: Learn how to think critically and practise.
My last recommendation to grammar school students is a rather simpler one. Let your passion speak.
The grammar school students I knew at Oxbridge tended to be more passionate about their subjects than their private school counterparts. Perhaps this is because they are overcompensating compared to their private school counterparts or perhaps it is because coming from a less affluent background encourages one to take refuge in their subject. I really do not know. However, I do know that the tutors absolutely love it.
Tutors take note of when someone has truly taken steps to explore their subjects beyond the confines of their syllabus; especially when from a grammar school where academic resources may not always be as plentiful. It is important for grammar schools to encourage this, as my school did, to ensure grammar schools students can make the most of this advantage.
Furthermore, if one is truly dedicated to their subject and has confidence in their passion, other things seem less intimidating. It acts as a shield, as they can be confident in the fact that they know their subject inside out, even if they are not used to limestone pillars and oak dining tables.
This also complements the other two lessons I’ve mentioned.
Lesson 3: Be passionate about your subject and, if need be, let this be your refuge.
I hope some of these lessons are useful for grammar school students applying this application cycle. As far as I’m aware, from the conversations I have had from grammar school pupils, they are not lessons taught in most grammar schools. My own grammar school has come leaps and bounds, through the introduction of programs set to mimic Oxbridge training at private schools; this tells me it is very possible for grammar schools to adapt. Whilst funding and government targets are restrictions, there are small improvements all grammar schools can make to foster an environment to better prepare their students for the Oxbridge interview.
This leads me to believe that we need to start looking at grammar schools, and the fact that these skills there are not taught, rather than consistently blaming Oxbridge. The government is partly responsible for this issue, having not provided appropriate resources to enable grammar schools to implement these programs. In the meantime, there are small changes grammar schools can make.
Oxbridge just want the best students and those who will offer the most insightful opinions during tutorials.
In the meantime, we are trying to do our own bit with our Oxbridge grammar school service. Perhaps it is a small gesture, but I hope we can help some grammar school pupils in a way in which I would have liked to have been helped all those years ago.
Lesson 1: Have confidence and do not allow yourself to be intimidated by wealth.
Lesson 2: Learn how to think critically and practise.
Lesson 3: Be passionate about your subject and, if be, let this be your refuge.
This article was written by Kes (Oxford - PPE).
If you find this content useful, please visit Kes' profile for further information on applying to Oxbridge. Alternatively, book support now with Kes, using the form below.
Author: Kes - Oxford
BA Philosophy, Politics & Economics
In my mentoring, I like to focus on building critical thinking and communication skills, which are fundamental to both PPE. In my experience, the best way to build these skills is through understanding argument structure and then applying it to different scenarios.
