<jwb@csse.monash.edu.au> wrote ...
> The UK has a very quaint system. The universities do their selections
> *before* the A-level results are available, so they do it on the
> expected grades submitted by the schools 

They might do some planning that way but you have to actually
get the grades.  

> (plus interviews to make 
> sure that only people with the correct accents get into Oxford and
> Cambridge.)   8-))}

I got into Cambridge and I sure aint got the 'right' accent.