New Year 12 starters parent support thread (snappy title eh?)

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

here we are.

MsMermaid DD and DH were at a remarkably similar talk earlier this evening. I suspect it was the same one?

Trying to keep up with everyone but I currently have a job which is obviously brilliant, particularly on pay day but I'm not used to working nearly full time and doing extra curricular stuff x 3 sporty DCs. Very oddly happy to know they've found someone to fill the job (I'm normally very part time!) and I will have more time to devote to my beloved MN, will ignore the bit where I don't get paid if I don't work, so inconvenient. Mostly potato weeks good for everyone anyway.

DS1 happy as anything at school doing all the subjects he loves, A in his first test for Biology and everything ticking along nicely. Mainly posting because I don't want to miss you all rushing off to a new thread and leaving me lost in the wilderness .Happily the super (supra?) curricular needed for his degree choice is sport, outside and lots of it which we have coming out of our ears.

I love the idea of being on a thread with the Oxbridge meeting types, we are going for the old school version of 240 UCAS points and any more than that would be a miracle. DS2 got his GCSE predicted grades and they are very similar to what DS1's were before he crashed and burned not coping with the courses so large pinches of salt being heaped on them even though DS2 is NT (still not Oxbridge material though, he wanted to go there to do maths but when I pointed out that meant getting all A/A* grades in every subject he said 'well that's just stupid' and we've heard no more of it since .

Dd has no idea what she wants to do. Certainly not Oxbridge material. Did anyone here know what they wanted to do at 16/17? I do envy those with a vision/vocation.

Well, I'm thinking more apprenticeship than university for DS2, so we are a truly mixed bag. He's nearly finished his first two assignments for his BTEC so hopefully we'll have a better feel for what he may end up with once they are marked.

I went to one of these Oxbridge type talks at DS1's sixth form. Yes, super curricular was the buzz phrase. That and 7 to 8 A at GCSE being the average results for those successful at interview. Not to say some with only 4 A weren't successful but only as many as those with 12 or 13A*! At this point DS1 switched off.

He made the right decision for him. For maths at Cambridge the offers (for his friends) were AAA* with grade 1 in STEP 2 and 3.

He's very happy at Warwick, though.

Ah, that should be offers of A A A*

I am not sure if dd is 'Oxbridge material' though her grades suggest she might be. However neither Oxford or Cambridge do what she wants to study so it is irrelevant. I am actually quite glad about that as I don't think she needs the added pressure.
Also there are lots of other excellent universities which provide good degrees even if they don't have the same networking potential as Oxbridge.

No talk of universities at DDs school but it's a whole school walk today!

Raspberry I think it may have been the same one. I rather suspect we know each other.

I'm not sure Oxbridge will be quite the right place for dd, but it doesn't hurt to look into it. She'll be happy as long as she can study physics with like minded people. Personally I'd be happier with her a bit closer to home so she can come home/I can go and see her more easily, but that would restrict her to universities in the north or Scottish universities.

Waves at MsMermaid, I think we do. We should meet up in RL, would be nice to catch up!

DS1 is doing MPhys an hour away, because having looked all over the country it was his favourite course. He DID have a go at Oxford but not really single mindedly as he preferred the other course. But it's lovely knowing he's just down the road.

Ex-H was considered 'Oxbridge material' but didn't want to go so got an excellent degree somewhere else instead, also my friends super intelligent, musical, sporty all rounder daughter went but it just wasn't for her at all and she came home before the first year was up and is now doing something completely different very happily. It's not just about grades is it, there's a certain head type that fits in there and if it's not you then it's not you.

DS1 has known what he wants to do at uni (and forever after that apparently) for a little while now. I think that might be the ASD obsessive though, also he likes to know what's happening or he gets a bit freaked out. Our trouble is going to be making him accept that he has to apply for more than one course because he might not get in to the one he has his heart set on. He doesn't want to be far from home which is good because he is very emotionally immature but bad because we are miles away from everywhere

One of my friends went to Cambridge and hated every minute, found the pressure and atmosphere too intense. This is despite being top of her year each year she was there.. I think perhaps you have to be able to deal with this aspect (pressure) quite well as an individual.

The entry offer for DN for Warwick is AAA* if that helps. Physics.

DS isn't sure either re Oxbridge. He thinks he's not Oxbridge material. This is based on the fact he thinks he's not 'top of the tree' in his chosen subject of the moment. And THIS fact is based on him getting 197/200 overall marks for GCSE and his best mate got 200/200.

I've just told him to keep and open mind and we will be happy with whatever he chooses.

MsMermaid I'm not sure either for DS re the right environment, but we will see.

We are starting to think about uni here although dd doesn't know what she wants to study yet. School have arranged a few visits. All of year 12 were taken to an open day at Lincoln last week. A smaller group (including dd) are visiting Oxford and she is attending a day conference on Russian history at Cambridge. I don't see her applying to Oxbridge though (3A*,6A) at GCSE - bright but not Oxbridge clever I think. Really don't think it would be her type of place anyway. I had a great time at uni (surrey - and met dh there ) but definitely wasn't all work, work! We are having a couple of days in Sheffield at half term and have booked on a campus tour.

Having a proper read through catch up now am at ket (wouldn't that just make you go to sleep, I don't understand!) and at dope at pony club. Sorry. I think DS is going into the bubble of not being in a particularly druggy area. His end of GCSE celebration was camping with his gang and he was aghast at the idea of anyone taking alcohol (no one did, weirdos, I'd have been trashed ).

NoHaudin the idea of % probability is making me chuckle, I love that.

Interesting. What constitutes Oxbridge clever then? DS has 6A's, 5A's and a C (also in German). A's in all the STEM subject, his area that he will study. Do they look at these, or predicted A Levels?

My understanding is that Oxford looked more closely at GCSEs and Cambridge at AS level results. That is all up in the air now that AS levels are decoupled.

There is talk of Oxbridge going back to doing their own entrance exams again as they used to (and as they still do for maths.) The STEP exams are Cambridge and there is something similar for Oxford. STEP, as its name suggests, is taken in the sixth term, which is much better than the fourth term papers that were the norm when I went to uni. At least you have covered the whole A level syllabus but they are much harder than A levels.

DS1's offer for maths at Warwick was A (in maths) A (in FM,) A and grade 1 in STEP or A (M) A (FM) A with grade 2 in STEP or A A A with no STEP.

For other subjects the offers aren't usually quite so high. My friend's DS is doing PPE (I think, definitely Politics) at Oxford with A* A A in relevant subjects. Maths is a bit of an anomaly as if you have a maths aptitude it's possible to get really good results as it's black and white marking.

Oxford had exams for most subjects already, Cambridge are introducing them I think.

DS Physics exam was early in November. There was a cut off mark for interviews, DS was 2 marks off it. They do interview a few below but not many.

His uni offer for where he did go was AAA with the A in Maths or Phyics, exactly the same as Oxford's standard Physics offer.

Waves back at Raspberry. I'd love to have a rl catch up, I feel like it's ages since we caught up. Dd fancies the university just an hour away, she thinks the course looks more interesting than a lot of other places.

Dd has a friend who got a scholarship for physics somewhere because they got A,A,A when the offer was A,A,A. It's £2000 per year, so not to be sniffed at.

DS' uni offers £2000 for any subject MsMermaid, with 2 or more A*. Just a one off payment though. They have to have been firm choice.

He absolutely shouldn't discount oxbridge if he likes the look of it. So many people discount themselves that shouldn't. There are various taster sessions that they run next summer that he could look at if he thinks he might be interested.

There is talk of Oxbridge going back to doing their own entrance exams again as they used to (and as they still do for maths.)

Oxford has used pre-interview tests for (most) subjects taken in the Autumn of year 13 for a long time and will continue to do so. The Oxford maths test (MAT) can also be offered to Imperial, who usually require either MAT or STEP as part of their maths offer.

Cambridge has this year introduced entrance tests for many subjects taken in the Autumn of year 13. Some subjects are excluded from these tests, such as Maths. Maths will for the time being continue to set college based tests at interview and offer based on STEP.

One C in German would have no bearing on getting an interview/offer for Natural Sciences.

Ah, must have got wrong end of the stick about Oxford. Shame if Cambridge go back to fourth term exams. I can remember when mostly only students in private schools had a 'year out' gap year and took the Oxbridge exams after tutoring in their 'seventh term' at sixth form giving them an advantage over state school pupils. I wonder if that will still be allowed?

I think if you are bright and want to have a punt at Oxbridge, why not go for it? It still will open doors for you that a degree elsewhere will not. DS1 half fancied Cambridge but not enough to actually apply after going on one of the open days. Right choice for him as he wouldn't have got the required grades in STEP 2 and 3.

Y12 not going well for DS1 from an academic point of view so far. Target grades are CCC.

History: going OK, a C might be achievable.

Maths: current attainment is U despite hours of effort, really doesn't 'get it'.

Biology: current attainment is E, completely hates the subject.

Had a meeting today with Head of Sixth Form & Deputy Headteacher. They are offering the option of switching Maths and/or Biology for alternative subjects if done before half term.

This would obviously involve a fair amount of catch-up work, but that's one thing that DS1 has demonstrated he's able to do.

The Deputy Head taught DS1 English for GCSE and thinks that English Literature would be a viable option for him.

Thanks for the information about Oxbridge, really useful. Appreciated.

Oh TheSecond, your poor DS. How is he in himself? Would he feel ok switching subjects. Is the school being supportive in a pastoral sense?