Winchester waiting list for 2014

[yotty]

DS still on waiting list for September 2014. Was assured by registrar I should hear something after the October half term or definitely by the end of this term. No news yet and only one week of term left. Anybody else heard in the last couple of weeks?

[happygardening]

Waves. Was just thinking about you wondering how you were getting on. Still no news how frustrating.

[summerends]

I would consider contacting him at the beginning of next week before they break up. There is likely to be another wave of decisions at the start of next term but that may be too late for you depending on the timings for your alternative choice, especially if any scholarship exams are in March.

[yotty]

Do registrars work over the holidays? ie. if we don't hear anything during next week, should I assume we won't hear anything until next term

[summerends]

I'm not sure but guess that the admissions office is closed for a good part of the holidays. You could possibly leave it until early in the first holiday week but why not ask now if there is likely to be any more information in the near future.

[IndridCold]

Don't despair that you haven't heard yet, quite a lot can still happen next year. The music scholarship auditions are in January, so you may have some places freed up if boys win scholarships to other schools.

The biggest move, however, will probably be after February 28th, which is when parents have to say which school will mark their DCs common entrance papers, i.e. they will have to confirm their final choice if they are holding on to places at more than one school. We heard that DS had a place during the first week in March - at a different school, but the timings will be the same. There can be movement after that (after the big scholarship exams), but it becomes much less frequent.

I feel your frustration and hope things work out for you and DS!

[happygardening]

The Win Coll Scholarship is in May assuming most who are intending to sit it already have places in the school surely this is when the most movement comes up? But that seems like a long wait and contrary to what you've been told. I would have thought more movement will also happen next term as various schools do their scholarship exams, many with places at win Coll would be scholarship material for less academic schools we know of at least two who who turned down their places in favour of scholarships into other schools though of course there is usually no financial incentive to do this and Win Coll does have generous bursary policy.
I personally would speak to the admissions registrar before the end of term, I suspect they are more likely be around after the school goes down on the 13 th but probably not the two weeks over Xmas.

[yotty]

I left a message on registrar's answer phone yesterday afternoon. Now twitching every time the phone rings! However, last time I phoned him, he took several days to come back to me. Trying not to stalk him, just don't want my DS to do some preparation for scholarship for another school over the holidays and then have to change tack in February.

[happygardening]

Win Coll are usually very helpful in all of these sort of things when you actually speak to them but they are not always the quickest to return your calls.

[summerends]

Yotty, most scholarship level preparation your DS will do will make his life much easier for the Winchester entrance exam which is only a week after the Election which is straight after the Easter holidays. Would your DS do scholarship exams for his other school in March? As Indrid has said, the next wave of decisions will be post music awards and beginning of March.

[yotty]

Yes, if we don't hear from winchester he will do the drama scholarship and academic scholarship at the end of February/beginning of March for our alternative school. He won't be doing the winchester election, he's not in that league!
He's just starting to do some practice papers for the March scholarship exams. There are only about 4 weeks of school between the March exams and the winchester entrance exams, because of the Easter holidays. So not much time to practice winchester papers. Plus I need to book flights for us for the March exams, so the dithering is doubly annoying.

[didimama]

Yotty, just a note to wish you luck. I am watching this space closely as my son is in the same boat, albeit a year later (2015 entry). Like your son, he s on the waiting list and has also secured a guaranteed place in another school. I understand that should he receives and accepts a conditional offer from Winchester, he will have to forfeit the guaranteed place at this other school. Just wonder if you know how risky this can be, ie left in no-man's land if he fails to achieve the required grades in the Winchester entrance exam and at the same time not welcomed back by the other school. I was assured by a Winchester master that this doesn't happen often, but I think I am still going to be a nervous wreck if made to forfeit a guaranteed place from an already very decent school!

[Xpatmama88]

Didi, why do you need to forfeit the guaranteed place in the other school? We keep both going until the final minutes to make decision, ( that involved a loss of deposit in one of the school) DS sit both Winchester own entrance exam and common entrance for the other school. Good thing is they sent the papers to his school overseas, which help travelling to UK to do the exam. Obviously, his previous school teachers think I'm crazy to make him did so many exams, the poor boy also needs to do the school year end exam, all spread within a month between May and June.
Anyway, we only make our decision after both firm offers came in.

[happygardening]

Xapt I'm not sure whether or not you done what you've written above or plan to do it. But if my memory serves me correctly I think once you've passed the entrance exam you have to confirm you want your place at Win Coll then pay more money before the CE results are out.

[Xpatmama88]

Happy, my DS was in one of the list, he did not get a place in our chosen house initially. I think because my DS is from international school, rather than from Prep Sch, he did well in his pre-test, but not well enough, and our intitial house was appointing a new housemaster who interviewed my DS. He likes very sporty boy (now we know) and my DS is not.
Anyway, after he passed the entrance exam he was assigned to another
house, and yet we had to meet his housemaster, so bought us some time as we live overseas. We did accepted the offer from Win coll, but we delayed the payment until we visited the house.
Whereas, the other school we already paid the deposit for the place, and the registrar was certainly not pleased when we eventually turned it down.

[yotty]

Well the registrar rang last night. He said he needed to just check with DS's current headmaster that DS was on track and then hopefully he would call next week with some good news.
Watch this space!

[summerends]

That sounds as encouraging as he could be yotty, great news . If your DS likes drama then there are a loads of different types of productions he can get involved with, particularly after the first year. I was there last night and appreciated again how wonderfully atmospheric [think a good dose of Hogwarts] the historical buildings of the school are in winter with the lighting.
Obviously only one part of the experience of being at school there.

[didimama]

Xpatmama88, DS is in a prep school with its own senior school. His guaranteed place is of course with this senior school. So if DS receive an offer from Winchester and decides to take the entrance exam, I don't think we can hide it from the senior school!

[Nibs777]

feel for you yotty..the waiting must be unbearable...but sounds promising

[Nibs777]

Am curious though so a question to those in the know, do all waiting list decisions on senior schools take til the last 6-9 months before joining date? Or do they trickle in depending on where you are ? And do they tell you whereabouts you are on the list at the outset?

[yotty]

I think it does tend to shift in the last academic year. It seems that about now some schools send letters out either asking for more money or part of the deposit back, which concentrates the mind. In the case of Winchester it shifts quite a bit between March and May because the boys are quite academic and may get offered a scholarship in another school and then give up the Winchester place.
A couple of months ago I was told that my DS was in a good position to be offered a place eventually, but I was not given a specific number of boys above him on the list. Don't know what happens in other schools.

[Xpatmama88]

Didi, the senior school know you are trying for another school doesn't mean they will withdraw a guaranteed offer to your son, especially they know your DS abilities. Same apply to my DS Int'l Sch, he still had a place until we gave notice to the school. We can't hide it as we need them to write references and administrate the exams for my DS.

[Boykeeper]

Yotty, our son entered from a waiting list place a short while ago. We did not hear until the spring term of the year that he started. It was a nail biting wait, but we really felt that it was the right school for him and so was worth the uncertainty. He is now doing really well and is very happy. It sounds as if you are getting closer, I hope that you get some good news soon.

[Nibs777]

Not sure when Eton waiting lists generally move or Westminster's but no doubt there will be some who apply to two or even all three of those having one as first choice and may even be on waiting lists for all three!

[didimama]

Xpatmama88, thanks for the advice. If and when DS get the offer from Winchester, I'll talk to the junior school masters to see how to proceed.

[yotty]

Got the Winchester offer today. DS really pleased. Now just have to wait on what house we get offered. Anyone one got the heads up on any that are not ideal?