Help! Receive offers from 2 top schools, Can't make tough decision. Need advice please!

[TigerPaPa]

DS received offers from both Magdalen College School (Oxford) and The Perse (Cambridge) 2019 Sept.

DS is good in academic, he likes read books. He interested in maths and science. He loves sport, football. He achieved grade 3 piano. He likes challenge and he is a hard working young boy. He would like to explore more in the area of drama, music, orchestra. He also likes to try different type of sport such as cricket, rugby, rowing, sailing.. Etc.

He survived both entry exams and passed MCS interview. We have visited both schools (prep and senior) open day. The pupils are bright and talkative. Also compared their GCSEs & A levels results, Oxbridge successful rates. Statistically, A~A* grades are almost the same (not much difference). We also have read their inspection report and it history. Both school teachers are lovely and professional. MCS Admin team are very organised and friendly. Perse exam are more straightforward, no interview needed.

We lived in a town in the middle between Oxford and Cambridge. We are ready to relocate and travel to work.

DS has No preference in favour of any one school. I like Magdalen more while my wife prefer Perse. It is a very tough decision to choose because both school are outstanding.

If you are in my situation, what would you do? Thanks in advance and I appreciate any comments would help.

My db went to the Perse a long long time ago! If your ds likes football check what sports they do! Not all schools do football. Isn't hockey the major Perse sport these days??
If it's such a tight choice think about where you want to live and commute etc. Which is the nicer town to live in. Also how your son will they to school, after school cubs, I think the Perse has their own version of scouts. Also does mcs have girls? This may or may not be important to you. Mcs is more central whilst the Perse is out of town. Where are the sports grounds etc. Are you expected to do lots of Saturday sports. It sounds like it might be down to the other details. Also do you have other children and where might they go in that town?
Good luck!

Sm40.. Thanks for your advice. We don't mind Co ed or boys school. And we have 1 child only.

Make the decision based on which city you would rather live in, housing costs, commute to work, journey to school etc. Both O & C have terrible traffic issues.

Yes, cars are basically the devil in both towns! Think they have both removed traffic in the centre of town by removing cars! However my childhood was spent in a traffic jam trying to get to And from school in Cambridge so do check that out.
Also you mentioned Oxbridge up thread. Is this something you want to do and do you know which one? I lived in Cambridge and was so over it by the time I was 18 I went to Oxford! Living in your preferred uni town may or may not be a good thing at 18??

Poppyred25. Thanks for your comments. Yes, I agree with you that housing price is higher if we want to live near school.

Sm40. Thanks for your reply. Traffic jam is definitely an issue. You remind me, my childhood school journey was also the same, always stuck in bus or walk miles away in snow.
Honestly, Oxbridge sucess is one of the reason (but not main reason) for MCS and Perse that we choose them. DS have no preference but would like explore more. Spoke to MSC teachers, they said it is funny to see the boys end up went to Cambridge Uni because they wants get away from their parents =D
Would you mind to share your valuable experience from Perse's Sport, Drama and music please? How was your DD doing there?

Personally I like Oxford better and think the links to Oxford uni are great at MCS. It would be my choice. See what they have for minibus routes as most of the private schools will have extensive bus routes. Then you can choose where to live. Good luck!

Thank you for sharing your view, Idaldes.
May I ask you if you are/were MCS parents? Do you mind sharing your experience with me? Thank you.

DHs father taught at the Perse and we turned MCS down for Abingdon.

Oh wow, you must have lots of knowledges about these 3 schools and their differences.
Do you mind sharing the reasons why you turned down MCS?
And between Perse and MCS, what are their major differences and what made you choose MCS (apart from the uni connection)?
Thank you very much, Idaldes.

I think you'll be hard pressed to find many who have made the decision between MCS and the Perse as they aren't even remotely in the same geographical location.

We chose Abingdon because it seemed to be a better fit for our DS than MCS. In general, Abingdon boys seemed to be confident but not arrogant. They don't just pay lip service to a rounded curriculum, it's timetabled in their "other half" program. At the same time they robustly cater for their top set boys and consistently send a decent sized group to Oxbridge. I wanted less pressure than MCS for our DS. I don't want him to feel like a failure if he gets a 7. I want him to choose subjects he feels passionate about not necessarily the ones he's strongest in. I didn't want a school that guards it's league table position so much that it sacrifices the boys. My top factor was the quality of teaching. Abingdon takes a much broader cohort than MCS and still gets very good results. Their teaching is what sold me.

I am in no way slagging off MCS. It's a brilliant school but it wasn't right for us.

I wouldn't choose the Perse simply because Grandad wasn't terribly complimentary BUT he left a few years ago.

My son is at The Perse now joined in yr 9 and now in 6th Form and we/he love(s) it. As I have no experience of MCS I can't comment on it but as another poster said my son will apply to Oxford for uni as we live in Cambridge.

There is of course the fab new Peter Hall Performing Arts Centre at The Perse, named after the founder of the RSC an Old Persean. Drama and music feature heavily as well as sports.

The main boys sports are rugby and hockey with football up to year 8 and again in 6th Form.

I am surprised your son didn't have to have an interview. Is he going into Prep rather than Upper?