Oxbridge `scares' away state pupils

STATE SCHOOL pupils are intimidated by the selection process at Cambridge and Oxford, the universities admitted yesterday.

A survey of more than 2,000 students at state schools and colleges showed that four out of ten were put off by the interview system operated by both universities. Nearly two-thirds of teachers questioned in the survey carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research and commissioned by Oxford and Cambridge thought interviews discouraged their students from applying.

More than a third thought their pupils found extra tests given at Oxbridge off-putting.

Last year, a state school pupil who applied to Trinity College, Cambridge, said that she was reduced to tears in an interview after a don mocked her accent and her intellect.

Both universities are trying hard to attract more state school pupils and yesterday hosted a conference for 1,000 sixth-form and college students at Wembley, north London.

Students who apply to Cambridge may have to face three or more interviews at a single college and those who fail to win a place at their first-choice college will be interviewed again. For some subjects, a written test is also required.

Susan Stobbs, Cambridge University's director of admissions, said: "It is clear that our selection process is intimidating. We have produced a new booklet on interviews which relates some current students' experiences and gives advice from admissions tutors. We remain convinced that interviews are the right way to select the best students, but we clearly need to demystify the whole process."

Guidelines on how to interview students are issued to dons at both universities.

Oxford said it believed interviews enabled tutors to differentiate between very able candidates. Dr Colin Lucas, the vice-chancellor, said: "We fully recognise that teachers and students have identified the interview as a potential deterrent. We intend to unveil measures aimed at making it more transparent and less intimidating."

Despite repeated efforts by Oxford and Cambridge to dispel their "Brideshead" image, 47 per cent of pupils said they feared they would not fit in socially. Almost all the teachers questioned thought worries about elitism had at some time discouraged their students from applying. Teachers were more likely to encourage bright boys than bright girls to apply to Oxbridge.

Dr Lucas said: "Sadly, many of the perceptions revealed about Oxford and Cambridge are out of date and plain wrong. For example, we have a varied social mix and we do not cost more. We are planning fresh measures to combat such misconceptions, and, as the survey confirms, it is with teachers that we must do much of this work."

Students were attracted to Oxbridge because of the type of courses, the quality of the degrees, the universities' reputation and the tutorial methods.

Both universities are running a series of initiatives to attract more state school candidates, including summer schools for pupils. Cambridge is running a poster campaign and Oxford is inviting state school teachers to spend a week at the university.