‘You got into Oxbridge?’ Under‐represented students’ experiences of an elite university in the south of England

Stubbs, Joshua; Murphy, Emily

doi:10.1111/hequ.12251

Cited by 4 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Similar to Stubbs and Murphy (2020) this was congruent with the noGon that it was not unGl naGonal assessments that students really started to benchmark themselves in terms of achievement.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

“…For the high achieving parGcipants, there was a sense of being on a treadmill of grade comparisons, beginning with their SATs in year 9 before moving on to GCSEs and then A-levels. This was similar to Stubbs and Murphy (2020) in the noGon that it wasn't unGl naGonal assessments that the high achieving students really started to benchmark themselves. For Helen, it was about compeGGon with herself when asked what her experience of being high achieving was like:…”

Section: The Experience Of Being High Achieving At Sixth Form Collegementioning

confidence: 56%

“…For many parGcipants, they experienced twin demarcaGons of their ability at the same Gme -firstly they received external verificaGon in naGonal tests regarding where they stood in terms of ability in the form of GCSE results and secondly, gaining a place on the STAR cohort. Similar to Lo and Parath's (2017) modern idenGficaGon paradigm (in chapter 2) and mirroring Stubbs and Murphy's (2020) research, these key definers of difference marked out to themselves and other people that they were in their eyes officially 'clever'. The impact of this was the experience of unrelenGng expectaGon and pressure to achieve high grades.…”

Section: Student Experience Of High Achievement At Collegementioning

confidence: 71%

“…Planting of the seed: Becoming 'Oxbridge material' Before all the interviews, tests and challenges of making an applicaGon to Oxbridge, students need to make a decision to actually apply. Similar to Stubbs and Murphy (2020), the influence of key personnel and the prevailing insGtuGonal culture can be quite pivotal for a STAR student considering themselves as 'Oxbridge material'. This could range from a teacher staGng that a students' grades might be indicaGve of a need for a bigger challenge when considering university to the almost 'tap on the shoulder' culture of being told that they should apply to Oxbridge.…”

Section: Focus Group Initial Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A different approach to considering decision-making for the students is provided by Stubbs and Murphy (2020) who looked at what support measures were in place for successful Oxbridge applicants from under-represented groups. Through interviews with students they found there existed a 'staggered process of an imagined future' with features such as the role of former successful applicants offering advice and the influence of key teachers making a difference in their own self-concepGon in considering themselves as 'Oxbridge material'.…”

Section: The Oxbridge Application Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding Experiences of High Achieving Sixth-form Students Through the Oxbridge Application Process

WIndle

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This thesis seeks to understand the experiences and decision-making processes of a distinct sixth form student cohort of high achievers based in a sixth form college in the North West of England. These students are identified as having gained seven grade 7s at GCSE upon entry to the college and are therefore placed on a separate pastoral programme known for the purposes of this study as the STAR cohort. Being a pastoral manager of the STAR cohort, I have witnessed the students hopes and disappointments in applying to elite universities and was conscious that studies of such groups remained an under-researched and under-theorised area of study (Mendick and Francis 2012). Therefore, this thesis seeks to understand this lived experience of being a high achieving student, shining a light on their preparation and decision making in applying to Oxford and Cambridge universi6es and also documenting and explaining how their understanding is informed. Undertaking research during the Covid-19 pandemic and utilising ethnographic techniques of interviews and focus groups informed by Bourdieusian field theory, this thesis finds the experience of these students to be one of pressure with a systema6c and relentless focus on grades. In addition, the student experience of applying to elite universities was often an obscuration: lacking transparency and clarity at each stage of the process and more akin to an arbitrary game of chance than a fair process. The STAR cohort felt that they bore full responsibility for any failure during the application process, resulting in low confidence and a sense of being a hesitant underdog. Moreover, the research suggests that the move to online interviewing and online Widening Participation programmes by Oxbridge post-lockdown only intensified this obscuration of the application process. Therefore, this thesis will contribute a fresh understanding in explaining the experience of being a high achieving sixth form student and will also address potential issues in the application process for how students in England apply to Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Thus, this study will be of use to teachers and educators in the post-16 sector and stakeholders and admissions tutors involved in the Oxbridge application process.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Section: The Experience Of Being High Achieving At Sixth Form Collegementioning

confidence: 56%

Section: Student Experience Of High Achievement At Collegementioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Focus Group Initial Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Oxbridge Application Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding Experiences of High Achieving Sixth-form Students Through the Oxbridge Application Process

WIndle

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Recognizing the diversity in how students define belonging: evidence of differing conceptualizations, including as a function of students’ gender and socioeconomic background

2023

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Sense of belonging is a fundamental human motivation and, in higher education settings, has been associated with students’ motivation and academic outcomes. However, less is known about the nuances of how students define belonging within a university context, and how their gendered and socio-economic identity-based experiences inform these definitions. Using a qualitative approach, we interviewed 36 UK university students to better understand (1) students’ definitions of belonging to university, and (2) how these conceptualizations are shaped by their experiences in terms of their gender, their socioeconomic status, and the intersection of these two identities. Interviews showed that students defined belonging in terms of social belonging. These definitions were shaped by their (a) cultural capital about university, (b) socioeconomic or gender identity experiences and (c) perceived similarity with other students. Indeed, despite the fact that students’ definitions of belonging were associated with how they have experienced belonging to university, identity-based experiences were mostly mentioned when they perceived they did not belong, which was framed as a “sense of anti-belonging”. Otherwise, students defined belonging as (a) being authentic, considering—for example—gender identity-based experiences of acceptance in university, or (b) sharing similar experiences with others, considering the importance of perceiving similarity with other students to feel they belong and, in some cases, being necessary to learn about university culture to perceive similarity with others. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in terms of how belonging conceptualisations are bound up in identity and context, opening questions about the consequences of inclusion and diversity policies in higher education.

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Tsinghua or Beida? factors affecting high school students’ selection of prestigious universities in China

Zhang,

Zhu

2023

Asia Pacific Educ. Rev.

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‘You got into Oxbridge?’ Under‐represented students’ experiences of an elite university in the south of England

Cited by 4 publications

References 34 publications

Understanding Experiences of High Achieving Sixth-form Students Through the Oxbridge Application Process

Understanding Experiences of High Achieving Sixth-form Students Through the Oxbridge Application Process

Recognizing the diversity in how students define belonging: evidence of differing conceptualizations, including as a function of students’ gender and socioeconomic background

Tsinghua or Beida? factors affecting high school students’ selection of prestigious universities in China

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