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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

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Applying to Oxbridge for 2023 the offers are coming in

257 replies

bettbburg · 29/10/2022 14:01

New thread

OP posts:
rifling · 29/10/2022 14:03

Following!

Juja · 29/10/2022 14:05

@perseverence what bad luck. I would suggest your DD emails then on Monday calls the Admissions tutor at the college where she applied/ where she has been allocated and let them know she has tested covid and ask what their arrangements are for those who are ill on the day of the test / still testing positive.

goodbyestranger · 29/10/2022 14:23

This is the guidance on the ox.ac.uk website:

Illness on the day of the test
If a candidate is ill on the day of the test but decides to sit the test anyway, they may apply for special consideration. If a candidate does not take the test at all due to illness, the decision about whether or not to shortlist the candidate will be taken by the college considering their application. In the case of BMAT, candidates who fail to take the test are not considered further, unless there are very strong mitigating circumstances.

Jeelba · 29/10/2022 14:26

Thank you for the new thread!

goodbyestranger · 29/10/2022 14:29

I suppose that there's also an issue as to whether a school will allow a student who is infectious to sit the exam on the school site. And yet if a student doesn't report that they're positive, they won't be able to put forward mitigation corroborated by the school, and that mitigation would be extremely weak. It would be good to think that schools could find a separate room for infectious students to sit the aptitude test but I suspect the policy will vary massively.

princesdando · 29/10/2022 14:36

@bettbburg

Thanks for the new thread!

babysteps22 · 29/10/2022 14:44

Following. Ta for new thread.

multivac · 29/10/2022 14:59

Thanks for the new thread; really sorry to hear that about your daughter, @perseverance . Contacting the Admissions tutor sounds like good advice to me.

goodbyestranger · 29/10/2022 15:11

Admissions will simply repeat the guidance on the website, that's why it's there. Admissions are incredibly busy at the moment so it would be a bit annoying to have an applicant chase them simply to ask them to repeat what's on the website.

If the DD tested positive today she can go into school to sit the test on Wednesday. If she's unwell on Wednesday she'll have to either not come clean with the school and take the test but do without mitigation OR not take the test and apply for mitigation with medical evidence to back it up.

goodbyestranger · 29/10/2022 15:15

The school is probably a much better port of call, since the school exams officer will have all the guidance from CAAT concerning illness, and will also be in a position to know what the school's approach will be for a student still testing positive/ with symptoms of Covid. No Oxford college can make that call, so a phone call will be a waste of everyone's time.

perseverence · 29/10/2022 15:42

goodbyestranger · 29/10/2022 15:11

Admissions will simply repeat the guidance on the website, that's why it's there. Admissions are incredibly busy at the moment so it would be a bit annoying to have an applicant chase them simply to ask them to repeat what's on the website.

If the DD tested positive today she can go into school to sit the test on Wednesday. If she's unwell on Wednesday she'll have to either not come clean with the school and take the test but do without mitigation OR not take the test and apply for mitigation with medical evidence to back it up.

Yes that is what I figured.
As we speak, stuffed full of nutritious smoothies etc she is a lot better than last night so should be okay for wednesday. Thanks for the posts though.

perseverence · 29/10/2022 15:43

Thanks for new thread also.

goodbyestranger · 29/10/2022 15:50

Glad to hear she's feeling better. It would be a huge risk to not take the test, so if it's even remotely possible I'd go for it. I would only have advised my own DC not to take their tests if they were really, really ill and the mitigation was going to be very, very strong, and that advice would have held good even with DC with no flaws at all on the paper application. Fingers crossed she'll feel completely refreshed by Wednesday.

redtulip12 · 29/10/2022 16:45

Sorry to hear she tested negative @perseverence . It does seem like she could take the test though as long as feeling up to it and there are also special consideration forms that can be completed. We have banished dh to bedroom and are all keeping apart as much as possibly in the hope that dd hasn't already been infected! Such bad timing

HoneyMobster · 29/10/2022 17:08

Sorry to hear of sickness around. Touch wood DS seems to be full of beans. He's had a good half term interspersed with training and school work.

Karwomannghia · 29/10/2022 17:24

Hope she’s better soon. Ds had it recently but still did lessons via teams as he didn’t feel very ill. Hopefully she’ll be fine by Weds.

usedtobeboss3 · 29/10/2022 18:06

Following

ofteninaspin · 29/10/2022 18:15

Hope your DD continues to feel better @perseverence and is able to sit the test on Wednesday.

DS applied for special consideration via his school as he was unwell for the admissions test (2020). He had noticeable weight loss and fatigue during the first half of the school term which we put down to a busy schedule alongside a significant growth spurt. It turned out he was hosting a rare parasite which chose the morning of the test to manifest itself. He went ahead with the test on the advice of his school and they took care of all the mitigation admin.

perseverence · 29/10/2022 23:37

redtulip12 · 29/10/2022 16:45

Sorry to hear she tested negative @perseverence . It does seem like she could take the test though as long as feeling up to it and there are also special consideration forms that can be completed. We have banished dh to bedroom and are all keeping apart as much as possibly in the hope that dd hasn't already been infected! Such bad timing

Sorry she didn't test 'negative' it is all fine.
Don't panic people.
Guess you have got enought to worry about at your end.
All fine here.

perseverence · 29/10/2022 23:38

ofteninaspin · 29/10/2022 18:15

Hope your DD continues to feel better @perseverence and is able to sit the test on Wednesday.

DS applied for special consideration via his school as he was unwell for the admissions test (2020). He had noticeable weight loss and fatigue during the first half of the school term which we put down to a busy schedule alongside a significant growth spurt. It turned out he was hosting a rare parasite which chose the morning of the test to manifest itself. He went ahead with the test on the advice of his school and they took care of all the mitigation admin.

Thanks oft.
Goodness sake things happen don't they?
Thanks for this info.

hiltz · 30/10/2022 09:04

Thank you for the new thread.

CeciCC · 30/10/2022 10:16

Thanks. for the new thread.
Any DCs sitting the TSA next week? My Dd is and doing past tests.

perseverence · 30/10/2022 10:18

CeciCC · 30/10/2022 10:16

Thanks. for the new thread.
Any DCs sitting the TSA next week? My Dd is and doing past tests.

Yes my DD.
Doing past tests also but gently as she is in recovery from Covid.

EmmaStone · 30/10/2022 10:32

Thanks for the new thread. Had confirmation from college, and now preparing written work submissions (very, very slowly, and driving me mad!).

princesdando · 30/10/2022 10:35

CeciCC · 30/10/2022 10:16

Thanks. for the new thread.
Any DCs sitting the TSA next week? My Dd is and doing past tests.

Yes my DS also doing TSA on Wednesday. He's practicing with past question papers.

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