Are Oxford and Cambridge admissions fair?

This is a really big question and one which deserves as full an answer as possible, hence the long video. Even then this is massively incomplete. For more information I recommend that you check out my friend Ryan's interview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEJMjPHUQUw - and the links there for more information on Oxford's access schemes that try and combat the socioeconomic factors which I talk about.

This video is my attempt to explain the admissions statistics that seem to shock people every year - see http://www.ox.ac.uk/about/facts-and-figures/admissions-statistics and http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/apply/statistics/ for the full statistics. My argument is that while the selection process used by Oxford and Cambridge is not bias-free (as no selection process is), the majority of the statistical imbalance can be traced back to the broader education system in the UK. I clearly state my educational background, to allow you to judge for yourself whether my opinion is clouded by other factors. I do feel however that both university officials and national statistics back up what I am saying.
For research papers which have addressed similar questions see http://www.researchgate.net/publication/24095736_The_Effect_Of_School_Quality_On_Educational_Attainment_And_Wages/file/d912f50f0782e268d0.pdf and https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/285082/SFR02_January_2014_FINAL_REVISED.pdf. Quoting that last source, referring to A-level attainment, 'The average point score per student and entry was higher for independent schools compared to all other institution types'.

And if you were wondering about my top, please check out http://www.durrell.org/ - it may be the most important thing you do today.

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I am Simon, a first year PhD candidate at the University of Exeter after completing a masters degree in physics at St Peter's College, University of Oxford. I upload videos on bits of science which are relevant to what I do, and sometimes just because they're really cool.

Vlogs from Oxford students - http://www.youtube.com/oxvlog
My twitter - http://www.twitter.com/simonoxfphys
Free music - http://www.incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/

Видео Are Oxford and Cambridge admissions fair? канала Simon Clark