Tabs Go Down On Oxford
OXFORD UNIVERSITY HAS seen a rise in the number of applicants this year, while the number of students applying to Cambridge has suffered an alarming drop. This is against a predicted backdrop of an overall rise in applications nationwide.
Applications were up by 2.2% at Oxford, which the university attributes to a recovery in the number of applicants from the independent sector, following last year's significant fall.
Thus Oxford appears not to have been unduly set back by the prolonged Gordon Brown fiasco. In contrast with recent trends, though, numbers of state school applicants have dropped slightly since last year.
Vice-Chancellor Colin Lucas admitted he was "disappointed" by the slide in the number of state-educated students choosing the university, and vowed to "continue undeterred, encouraging every bright student, irrespective of background, to consider applying."
Meanwhile, at Cambridge applications have fallen by a disastrous 10 per cent, which admissions staff refused to explain fully until further analysis had been carried out. However, an official statement by Susan Stobbs, the Director of Admissions, implied that a change in regulations for prospective veterinary science students might be responsible for the exceptional drop. This year's candidates could only nominate four universities, compared with the normal six for all non-medical subjects, on their UCAS form. Applications for medicine, dentistry and veterinary science have fallen everywhere this year, largely due to the earlier deadline of 15 October. But this would not excuse Cambridge, which, like Oxford, has always set this as its closing date.
Nevertheless, Oxford students had their own explanation for the plunge in interest in Cambridge - "it just goes to show that Oxford is a far better university", said one state-educated first year.
UCAS Chief Executive, Tony Higgins, also noted that the most dramatic change concerning applications was in the number received via the internet. More than 36 per cent of candidates so far this year have used the Electronic Application System, which saves students from having to write the notorious personal statement by hand.
9th Nov 2000