support thread for those of us who have DC submitting UCAS applications in the next few months

[mumoverseas]

Thought we should all get together and calm each other down/mop fevered brows/hand around glasses of wine etc. We've seen other go through it over the past few months and it will be our turn soon.

DS has just got his AS results which were not too bad. AAAB. The B suprised him as it was for maths and we'd expected a B for french which he had not studied for a few years as sat his GCSE early. He says he will re-sit one of the maths modules and one of French ones to get a higher A

He (we!) has been considering various Unis over recent months and has visited 4.
PS is all in hand as is extended project (whatever all that is about) but time is creeping by and not long now til his mid Oct deadline (one of his choices is Oxbridge)

There has been so much in the papers over recent days about the lack of places at University at the moment and stories of how so many good students did not get places as they didn't put 'insurance' choices.

How is everyone else coping and how do we get our children to make realistic choices?

Can any of you please enlighten me on this date of application business as far as Oxbridge/the rest is concerned?

DS has decided he definitely will try for Oxford, & his college advisor said he has to put his full 5-choice UCAS application in by 30th Sept (this is his college's own deadline obv, not Oxford's)

Durham is not on the list (it's too small apparently ) - his other choices are Sheffield, LSE, Edinburgh & York. Probably.

Do any of these care if you've already applied to Oxford? Should he be doing a 2-stage application or something? If so, how should he go about it?

Ponders You apply for all unis you want at the same time. Oxford ,cambridge, and also medical sciences ( including Vets) have to be submitted by mid October. So that's why the college want them in by September 30th. It gives them time to look at everything and let students know if there is anything they've mised aslo a tutoe has to put a referance on the application.

That's what DS was told, mumeeee, but there are a few posts up the thread about doing a 2-part application?

Ponders, we've been told by DS's school that he can do a 2 stage application as he wants to apply for Durham who apparently won't touch you with a bargepole if they know you have applied for Oxbridge. Apparently a few of their students did the 2 stage application last year and DS is doing it this year. He will be applying for Oxford and one other by 15th October and then a month or so later will apply for Durham and two others.

He has to have everything in at school by 24th September for references and other administrative things to be done.

thanks, MOS - must have been your post/s I saw!

So how is it managed? You submit 1 UCAS application with 2 nominated universities, & then update it later? Is it only Durham who care if you've applied to Oxbridge, or are there others?

It's all very arcane

Not really sure how it all works Ponders. The first I heard of it was at a talk at DS's school a few weeks ago about life in U6 and UCAS applications and it was mentioned then. Durham was specifically mentioned as not liking it when students apply for Oxbridge and as DS is considering applying for Oxbridge and Durham, he made enquiries and has been told he can make the 'normal' application for Oxbridge (and perhaps one other) and then a later application for up to three others.

I will ask him to find out more and report back.

Oh that's very kind, thank you, MOS!

DS now has until the end of next week to sort this out (after a month of umming & ahing)(is that how you spell it??? )

Anyway he is supposed to take his PS to the college advisor tomorrow so I'll suggest he also ask her about a 2-stage UCAS application, in case it turns out to be necessary.

Also her own son is currently doing PPE at Oxford, & she has given DS his phone number so he can talk to him about it. (As DS isn't doing AS Maths I think he needs some advice about which are the best - or least worst - colleges for him to apply to.)

Ponders. I think I know what they mean by a 2 prt application. Students used to apply for 6 universities. Now they apply for 5 but sometime after April ( I think it's April anyway). There is what they call extras if the student hasn't got any offers they can apply for another university using this system. I don#t think it would aork with oxbridge or the medicalcourses though as the ofers for those would all be given out by then.

Mumee, we have specifically been told to apply for 2, Oxbridge and one other before the 15th October deadline and then a few weeks/month or so later apply for up to 3 more.

Clearly this plan does not work for those wishing to apply for medicine/vetinary courses as the deadline for those is 15th October, same as Oxbridge.
I don't think it would be very sensible for people to risk making applications after 15th January

Is it unwise to apply for 2 courses at the same university? ie International Politics as well as International Politics with Law? The latter having an admissions criteria of 20 ucas points higher than the first one?

DS1 applied for 2 courses last year at Durham. We were told beforehand that they are looked at totally seperately. He got offers for both, and accepted one as firm and the other as his insurance. So it caused him no problems. But you have to make sure that the personal statement is suitable for both. If it has no reference to law then he might be rejected.

mumoverseas. You are right the main application for uni has to be done before 15th January or if you are applying for oxbridge,vet or meds courses. The xtras thing is fairly new and you can only apply using that if you have not got any offers from the unis you applied for on your main application. The extras doesn't start until after march or April and universities put up what places they have left.

I don't think the "Durham won't look at Oxbridge candidates" is true or wasn't last last year anyway.

DS is going to Durham in 9 days (for history). He applied to an Oxford college and, after interview, was not given an offer. Durham offered and that ended up to be his first choice. 3 of his school friends applied to Oxbridge and, like him, had interviews and were rejected. All four of them are going to Durham. None did any 2 part application, as far as I know.

In case it's any help to anyone, DS had Edinburgh as his insurance (or second)hoice.

Last year at least it offered BBB for almost all it's courses even though it's a v good Uni. However, we were told that they only make offers to those predicted at least 3 x As. Scottish degrees are mostly 4 years long but the fees are cheaper that English ones but with the extra year's living expenses it works out to be v similar.

It was v reassuring to have whilst waiting for results.

That is very interesting pippop as we were categorically told by the head of 6th form and the university liasion teacher that information about Durham. There apparently are few others that get a bit funny about applications to Oxbridge but Durham was the one they specifically mentioned.

oh well, DS's application has been submitted online today to the teacher that does the references and other bits of pieces that need doing so it is 'watch this space' time.

Good luck to everyone and DC

I mentioned it to my son as I'd never heard that about Durham (and I did as much research as I coud about Uni choices) and he said that at the Open Day they had said it was a myth! Anyway, he's in and he definately applied to Oxford.

I found a website called The Student Room very useful for non-prospectus questions like this. Always seemed to get a variety of opinions on everything.

The suggestion that pupils apply for Durham again after the 15th Oct deadline is just something 'A.N School' has advised, not an 'official' deadline from UCAS. It is something some pupils and/or schools do, to try and fiddle the system, as it were!

There are two deadlines: 15th Oct for all Oxbridge, medical, dental and vet school applications and 15th January for all other courses/universities.

It has always been a rumour that Durham will turn down Oxbridge applicants, even since I was at school (late 70s :)).

At my DCs highly selective grammar school, many are successful for Oxbridge and some are not but are merrily off to Durham as their second choice.

This sending off applications, leaving out Durhan, and then 're-sending' the form with the addition of Durham is just another way of some schools trying to advantage their pupils in some way. Hopefully Durham will get wind of it soon and see through it all.

Can I ask ,is it the case that unless you have a minimum of 6 A stars at GCSE there is no point in even considering Cambridge?

Don't think so mrswoodentop. I'd heard similar rumours (in addition to what appears to be the wrong one about Durham) but apparently that is not the case. I certainly hope not

she obviously had a very good tutor

I've heard the 6A GCSE for oxbridge thing too (not from any reliable source). However, I've also heard it cited as 6As or As, so is one just a tale that has grown in the telling I wonder? I think whatever the cutoff is (if indeed there is one) there would always have to be exceptions made for children like riven's dd who have either taken fewer or done less well than they should due to unusual personal circumstances.

snorkie I really hope your version is the correct one as DS didn't get 6 A although quite a few As and a couple of A

Riven, like your idea ref time served/lived abroad and unusual hobbies. DS is more than a little unusual. He taught himself arabic, qualified as a diver at 10 years and did a charity parachute jump a week after his 16th. Hopefully this makes up for him being totally pants at sports and always being the one handing out oranges.

Do keep us posted on how your DD gets on Riven.