Jack Edwards

[invisblebird]

Is it just me who doesn't understand why he makes a big deal out of being a first-generation uni student? Maybe I'm missing something because I'm not one. Personally, both my parents went to uni, but that was 30+ years ago in a foreign country with a completely different system. For most people with parents that went to uni, their parents' experiences are outdated and probably not all that helpful?

When it came for me to start thinking about uni, it was my school that explained the application system and me who did all the research. The only way in which my parents were involved was by being supportive of my decision. I'm definitely sure that it might be less likely for parents to be supportive if you're the first one in the family to go to uni. But provided your parents are supportive, I don't see how being a first-gen uni student or not makes much difference?

 

[jjhv]

And on the subject of the book launch: he goes on and on about being a "published author" (he's definitely also mentioned that he didn't understand what else he could've done to make his Oxford application better because he'd written a book). He wrote a uni self-help book, which he got asked to do purely because he's a YouTuber. That's not what people mean when they say "published author". Like, technically yes, but also no.

I'm sorry but how is telling a seventeen-year-old whether or not to bring a colander to university anything to gloat about on an English Literature personal statement? It's an incredible achievement to be published but come on.

 

[not fussed at all]

I'm very happy for Ibz! He has come a long way and now he's going to be a postgraduate at Oxford, however, I'd like to ask a question
I'm not from the UK (as you can tell from my broken English haha) and I don't really know how the applications for Oxbridge work, but I was wondering...how is it possible that Ibz, after years of bashing Oxford, got a place, and Jack, because of doing "a dissertation in 24h", doesn't deserve a place? Didn't you say that the Unis check their prospective students' social media? Did Ibz got a place due to his critical point of views?
I don't mean to excuse Jack's behavior, it's just curiosity about how the applications process work!

By the way, I saw this comment and I laughed out loud haha:

I guess if Ibz is giving genuine criticism to Oxford or if the bashing wasn't of the college or department he's attending, I'm not sure it would matter all that much. Whereas Jack's content can show a poor work ethic and arrogance at times - that's a definite no for somewhere like Oxford.

Like it was said, it's not the deciding factor for admission, but if you've mentioned it in your personal statement; it's going to be a factor in painting a bigger picture of you both personally and academically. I personally don't think Jack is what Oxford are looking for and I really wish he'd stop believing it was the be all and end all. Look at Eve Cornwell for example, she never had any interest in Oxbridge but went to Bristol then UoLaw and seems to be doing very well for herself. Jade, too. Although her university seems like a massive scam, Minerva seems to really suit her and she has gotten lots of fab opportunities, in spite of being rejected from Oxford herself.

I'm saying this as an Oxford student - other universities can work better for different people. There's some really cool universities in the US that rank well for English (Harvard, Yale, Columbia, UCLA, Chicago etc) as well as Edinburgh and UCL which both rank 12th and 16th in the world rankings respectively. He's applied for the best university in the world for his subject and of course he's gutted he wasn't accepted. But I think it shows either arrogance that he believes he can keep applying and will be accepted, or a really sad possibility that he just can't move on.

I mean Jack is so visibly dying for a space at Oxford whilst Ibz is a Cambridge graduate, has done so much for students all around the world and cambridge itself, he’s won so many awards, he’s got a lot of experience etc
On those basis, I would pick Ibz too lol
Because from his videos and his work you can see he cares so much about education and social mobility etc, and he’s going into an education sector so with all of that passion and experience, he’s the perfect candidate for their course

whereas jack, on the other hand
hasnt done much to illuminate his enthusiasm for it, typical white middle class entitled student who feels just cause he got the grades he should be able to go to x university. NO that’s not how it works. People who get the highest a-level/gcse/uni grades get rejected from top universities for reasons following;
You could get a first yet it doesn’t always put you in any leverage towards students who illuminate their passion and enthusiasm for their desired subject, whilst having evidence to prove it, eg Ibz helped build a school in Pakistan, does tutoring globally since he was fresh out of a levels and continues to do so and his determination to assist those who were in the same position as him is so evident

I got an offer from oxbridge & LSE - my gcse graces were so average, half of them a/a*, half c/d’. There was a TSR google sheet for students who got offers to put in their subject, predicted and gcse grades. I was the only student who received c/d’s. 97% of students were all a*-a gcse students. I was shocked yet I also know that I work so hard, I come from a background like Ibz and my personal statement showed how enthusiastic I am about studying history & English, immensely with evidence to supplement it

Having the grades does not guarantee you a seat at a top uni if you’re not passionate enough, the evidence is needed to support your enthusiasm

apologies for the typos, I type so fast haha

There's that famous piece of admissions advice that, paraphrased, goes something like this:

If going to Oxbridge is the most interesting thing about you, then you're not going to fit in here.

That's not exactly the right wording, but it's true. Students at Oxford and Cambridge usually have something that sets them apart, be it something they have achieved or their passion for their subject. They might be ambitious with dreams to go on to be a world leader or to contribute meaningfully to research. They will mostly have fantastic grades - so that alone and enjoying reading and publishing a book isn't really enough imo.

What do I know though? He may well get in this time round. But I just don't see it.

 

[Lola123]

On Twitter he’s boasting he’s worked with beats, umm you’ve picked beats as the product you picked to advertise for curry’s PC world, that’s who paid ya....

 

[invisblebird]

Him acting as though the class divide in the UK is synonymous with the state/private school distinction is such a crude way of looking at things. There is an abundance of excellent state schools especially in the south of England and wealthy families will move into the catchment areas of these schools to ensure their kids end up going there. Meanwhile some parents will make significant financial sacrifices to send their kids to private school. It isn't always cut and dry.

And lol, what do you know... Jack's sixth form college (available publicly on his LinkedIn) is ranked third in the country in terms of A-Level performance. He would've received an outstanding education from there, far better than your average private school. So idk why he is acting so shocked by private schools when he received a top-class education himself. I'm also not sure what he means when he says he didn't know what a private school looks like, because most of them look exactly the same as his sixth form which looks waaay fancier than the average state sixth form.

Thank you so much for this! I'm really fortunate to have attended a private school (though an average one). The state schools in my area aren't very good so my parents made an enormous sacrifice for my education (I am so, so grateful to them!). I was also really lucky to get a scholarship/ additional financial assistance in my sixth form years.
It annoys me when some studytubers, who went to even better schools than me for free, present themselves as disadvantaged.

Also I can confirm that Jack's sixth form college actually looks even fancier than my private school, so I have no idea what he's on about. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought it was a private school! On the website of his college there's a virtual tour, so here's some images from that.

 

[Kcn]

I don’t care what he says, whether there is people around or not he’s setting a bad example, he’s an INFLUENCER and is influencing shitty behaviour
I doubt he cleaned his hands between taking the mask off and touching the book

I think someone said it before on here but being caught without a face mask in a shop can lead to a fine of up to £100. It doesn’t matter if he was the only one in the shop or if there are no people around, rules are rules. Also, what’s wrong with posting a photo in a book shop with your mask on? Or even one step further, a selfie with the book still on the shelf to prevent touching it? I know that might be a bit extreme but everything needs to be taken seriously these days, especially considering he’s in London.

 

[Merpedy]

Thing is, I don't think anyone really feels comfortable about going to uni because it's such a huge change and everyone experiences it differently so being first gen or second gen or whatever makes little to no difference - the only value in it is really within the family circle. Additionally, I'm simply more likely to consult forums or YouTube videos over a book to see what an actual uni experience is like

 

[whatshesaid123]

The pictures on Instagram show he is directly breaking the FUCKING LAW. Not wearing a mask in a shop for a photograph is so stupid- does he not care at all about the virus???? But it doesn’t count for influencers because he has written a book, so the rules don’t apply to him. For fucks sake, use your platform to influence others to follow government guidelines not just to show off about a shit book that is probably nothing more than the usual uni tips that can be found online.

 

[whatshesaid123]

He must be earning loads from YouTube so he should stop complaining about not being able to get a job. He doesn’t need one and there’s so many people losing their jobs and trying to find new ones because of the pandemic so really Jack should think himself lucky that’s he’s able to earn loads from home with relatively little effort

 

[fwooper]

Not sure if it was on this thread or someone else‘s
but didn‘t someone who works in admissions say that re-applying over and over again does not sit well with colleges and won‘t increase your chances of getting in?
If that‘s true then hopefully Jack will focus on getting some experience and then re-apply in a few year when he has enhanced his CV.

I haven't heard this, I wouldn't agree with who said that. Graduate admissions at Oxford aren't conducted by colleges like they are for undergrad, they're controlled by the subject faculty.

You obviously shouldn't apply with the exact same application (you were rejected for a reason), but if you apply again in a new admissions cycle with an improved application you aren't going to get a black mark on your form just because you applied the year before. There's not a mechanism in place that flags re-applicants, unless the person reading your application happened to remember you from the year before. And even then, definitely no frowning - they probably won't even remember you, and in even if they do, they know that people can improve! e.g. say an applicant was rejected because their research proposal wasn't up to standard but they re-applied the next year with a watertight research proposal - the fact that they were rejected the year before wouldn't be frowned upon. It's based on the individual merit of the application.

 

[schmetterling]

If he wants Oxford so bad... why doesn’t he apply to a humanities course there with a much less competitive intake? There are tonnes of MA courses which are 100% reading, theory and writing and I’m sure there are a few at the hallowed Hogwarts Oxford. It’s not the most scrupulous route to admissions but it would also prove he’s somewhat flexible and interested in the humanities and critical thinking in general, not just someone who ‘loves reading’. Heaven forbid, he could even apply to Cambridge

 

[Merpedy]

You can tell he's really lost at the moment, due to the lack of content and 'life updates'. If only he'd applied to more than just Oxford last year...

Man, I'm sure I've said it before but it's genuinely sad he is so set on Oxford. Whatever was weak about his application last year, there's not much he could have done for this year or next year to really improve it because the opportunities don't seem to be there at all - assuming he will be applying again that is.

On the subject of that, I can't really see him at Oxford. He seems to lack passion for his course.

 

[Welshgal]

He‘s definitely read here Love it when they dance as we command on here.

 

[larin_ree]

I hope Jack has properly read through and taken some constructive criticism, I was a fan of his content but there are many things he needs to address. I think he'll struggle with creating content his viewers want this year when he's not studying and I hope he doesn't just go into sponsor after sponsor. I've loved his reading everything videos so I hope we get more content about his passions and interests rather than trying to be on trend and get views

 

[DietGossip]

Playing the mental health card hahah
I didn’t even say anything about him personally, I pasted a comment from here that pointed out how he was incorrect to say x y and that being from the third best state school doesn’t make you disadvantaged as he implicitly implies yawn x bored

This makes me want to "k" him after he's written that whole essay

 

[nrs264]

he is coming across more and more entitled but completely unaware of his privilege and loving putting himself in the victim role

 

[nrs264]

It's his choice, but I always found the fixation with Oxford rather sad when there are so many great postgrad programs out there.

I am not sure what literary era he's going for, but Oxford is not great if you want to study more contemporary literature, which he seems interested in. I did an MPhil in American Literature at Cambridge and now I'm doing a PhD in the same area, and I didn't even bother with Oxford, considering contemporary and American are not their strongest areas. It just seems like he can't let that dream go, when I think he could thrive in a more modern environment.

Random slightly off topic but I love seeing posts like this. This forum is often labelled as trolls, haters , losers etc. But there are people from so many different backgrounds on here, often sharing similar opinions who have successes in various aspects of life

 

[Kcn]

I personally like Jack and I've followed him for a while now but his recent lack of social distancing has made me lose some respect for him. I can understand him meeting up with his girlfriend (I haven't seen my own boyfriend in 5 months so I can sympathise with how he feels), yet since he's moved to London he's been meeting up with different people almost every day it seems. In his most recent Instagram story, Eve Cornwell is at his flat dying his hair, with no social distancing or even masks involved.

I know at this point, many people are no longer social distancing and naturally won't be attacked for it because they don't have a social media presence but as someone with a platform which are often aimed at teenagers/young adults, I thought YouTubers might take it upon themselves not to post stories like that. Honestly, I'm surprised his management haven't called him up on it because Sixteenth (his management company) literally have 'good influence' as their title on their website.

I realise I'm probably being harsh on Jack because like I said, many others are doing the same, and worse, in terms of social distancing but as someone with a platform, I feel he, and others, need to be called out.

 

[3calico3]

Weirdly, it goes against his wish to be relatable too. He really needs to pick a lane. You can't be both 'exceptional' and 'ordinary'.

I always get the feeling that Jack is running as fast as he can away from FOMO, by doing everything he can to make his life the one people envy.

 

[slamvs27]

He has more than enough $$ for books..so shouldn't it be the opposite way around? Like giveaways? No one does these anymore, but the audacity of asking for books when PO boxes are for letters..
Cue the "I read my followers' books for a week!"