If in doubt check it out...
|
If the whole application process for Oxford and Cambridge is an unknown quantity then you can't go wrong reading as much about the topic as possible. There are some useful tips regarding A-levels and the run up to interviews in this book. It is at least worth pulling out of your local library.
If, however, you are a fairly mature and independant adult with a little knowledge of what to expect then I would not recommend this book. The author is not only regularly factually incorrect about many different issues pertaining to both Oxford and Cambridge (some statements are outdated, sometimes she is ill informed, and sometimes she lies unashamedly) but she is patronising, judgemental and has an inferiority complex. It therefore makes what would be an average and often uninformed book, a very frustrating read. If you want help getting yourself or your child into Oxbridge, reading this book may encourage prejudices which will actually inhibit your entrance. Make sure you read around the subject and take everything in this book with a large pinch of salt.
|
|
Good, useful tips but some advice may be outdated
|
This book confirmed a lot of what I have read about Oxbridge entrance but provides a useful guide to what a student must do to prepare properly (and there is lots of preparation). It also discusses many of the inequalities of the current selection process (which will make your blood boil, depending on where your child is being educated). Apparently, if you're in the state sector, it helps immeasurably if the student's parent is a teacher (so bad luck if you're not part of a teaching dynasty). And there's no doubt that if your child is in a middle-ranking comp, he/she faces an uphill struggle. Two things that put me off this book slightly are that its findings and research were undertaken in 2001/2, so it didn't feel completely current (more recent updates are pretty thin on the ground). Also, I found the number of typographical mistakes rather annoying (and inappropriate).
But it's worth reading, especially if you're coming to the subject with little or no prior knowledge.
|
|
|
It was a book but...
|
although I did enjoy reading this book, and although I do think it would be useful for those it is aimed at(thus my 4 stars). I would not say that I am absolutely pleased with it. One of my main reasons for this is because of the authors patronising attitudes to public school students and also her over-emphasis on getting into whatever subject rather than giving an insightful approach into getting into the subject you want. Although there is a good separate section for medical applicants- it was not anything that we did not already know- and not only this but not much else has been said about how to get into any of the other courses at Oxbridge- suggesting that they are easier to get into- which compared to law and medicine- yes they probably are- but they are still not as easy as the author makes it out. All in my mixed feelings about the book, make me give it a 3.5- which I can't so I'll just give it a 4, because I do feel that it is an inspirational book for those students that think that Oxbridge is far higher up there than it is.
|
|
The true story
|
|
This is the only Oxbridge guide which tells you the truth. Families are helped to understand the far-from-perfect admissions process, so a bright student can get the right kind of support. The advice given to sixth formers on academic preparation is excellent and designed to bridge the yawning gap between A-level work and the level of knowledge Oxbridge seeks. Students to whom I recommended this book handled their interviews well and very often got in.
|
|
|
Outdated, insulting, and completely misguided
|
I bought this book, along with "Getting into Oxford & Cambridge" by Sarah Alakiji, last summer to help with my oxbridge application this year.
From the start you quickly realise that this book is intended for parents of able kids who feel it is their decision to force their child to apply to oxbridge. Many of the ideas stated are simply incorrect and and are in direct contradiction to what the real admissions tutors will tell applicants. This book supposedly attempts to quell some of the myths surrounding applying but in doing so creates many, many more. It overemphasises the need of extra-curricular activities and attendance of private school when in fact what the admissions tutors are really looking for is not much more than academic potential and enthusiasm. In my honest opinion, you would do much better to not read this at all, it will only make the whole application process seem a lot more daunting that it actually is.
If you feel the need to buy a book about oxbridge applications, I would recommended the Alakija one. Not because it was hugely helpful, but just because it was far far far superior to this and it's college statistics and descriptions were quite informative.
And by the way, I come from a state school and I was successful in getting an offer to do Engineering at Cambridge (not that it should make ANY difference).
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada