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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

Original poster

Thread 27 Covid Cohort Snow or Like Spring? Let's Do This Thing!

999 replies

OrangeCinnamonCocktail · 21/01/2022 14:21

This is a thread for supporting all young people post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting. It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, please don't within this thread. Please also be sensitive when responding to threads about grades.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue.

Our DS/DD may go down various paths (such as employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will most likely find us within the Further Ed board.

previous thread found here

OP posts:
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11
JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 25/01/2022 15:09

So not that then. Well we're stuck with it for now but I do wish I'd done a bit more research tbh.

crazycrofter · 25/01/2022 15:34

Still waiting for Bath here too @Piggywaspushed. I’m assuming they’ll start sending offers out soon.

sazzy5 · 25/01/2022 15:35

So sorry to hear about the Cambridge no’s it’s such a tough process, the DC are amazing to go through it.
Great news @estherfrewen, sounds like it is getting tougher every year, so a big achievement to get an offer.

EwwSprouts · 25/01/2022 15:37

Fabulous news @estherfrewen! Congratulations.

Commiserations to those who were not so successful. I think the ratio on here shows what a hard year it has been to be an applicant.

Piggywaspushed · 25/01/2022 16:08

DS's mate also did not get a place AND tested positive for Covid today...poor sod.

ZittiEBuoni · 25/01/2022 16:20

Good that your ds is being philosophical isthisjustnormal and not seeing Cambridge as the holy grail.

It's hard to gauge how well dd is doing objectively. Her last mocks were a very mixed bag and she was a bit disappointed, I think, but her teachers were v positive at the parents' evening afterwards, so I think they realise she is capable of achieving more - and so is she. Here's hoping...

Isthisjustnormal · 25/01/2022 16:43

That sounds both difficult and promising @ZittiEBuoni: good that she can see her potential and that the teachers have that faith in her, but a hard mountain to climb and stay motivated them the results aren’t what she hoped :-(

Ds has just come home and shown me his Cambridge rejection and he actually got pooled which he hadn’t mentioned before- given how competitive comp sci is I’m very proud of him (not that any camb course isn’t competitive!). No one from his school (MN leafy comp) got into Cambridge or Oxford this a year so they’ve set up a little ‘losers club’, which is certainly helping too!!

BlueMarigold · 25/01/2022 16:48

Congratulations @estherfrewen!

Delphigirl · 25/01/2022 16:55

@ealingwestmum

It’s a no from Cambridge here. DD is ok, she would be ringing me from school. But she does move on quickly, just feel for her keeping the ok face up all day.

So looks like I’m looking for flights to Montreal to suss it out!

I’m sorry to hear that. Hope your DD is ok… macgill will be exciting though!
Delphigirl · 25/01/2022 16:57

@Piggywaspushed

No here too. I am at work so can't give him a cuddle but I'm sure he's fine. All that effort for no reward.
Oh I’m sorry Piggy, how disappointing for him. DS says nobody at his school has got in (I don’t know if he really means nobody, or just none of his friends - about 4 of them applied and I thought a couple were dead certs)
Delphigirl · 25/01/2022 17:00

@estherfrewen

DS got an offer for history at Downing. Bit flabbergasted to be honest
I’m so pleased for your DS @estherfrewen - a great achievement in a really competitive year!
Piggywaspushed · 25/01/2022 17:00

He seems entirely unbothered. Hard to tell. Think it is a comfort to him that others were also rejected. He did say he immediately deleted the email though!

His poor friend , though!

Piggywaspushed · 25/01/2022 17:01

The boy who took his own life is in DS's class. First lesson tomorrow with that class and there will be an empty chair. DS barely knew him but the poor teacher.

Delphigirl · 25/01/2022 17:10

Oh gosh that is so sad and difficult piggy. I wonder if he is unbothered because what has happened has put everything else in perspective a bit. Anyway I’m glad he is ok - onwards and upwards.

I’m have so say that I’m a little disappointed that none of the oxbridge mums in our group have been rending their clothes and trash-talking other kids who did get in, before starting a thread that might as well be entitled “sour grapes by the overinvested parent” though, a la last year. I really thought you might go spectacularly off the rails in that way @Piggywaspushed 🤣🤣

I feel cheated, obvs

Piggywaspushed · 25/01/2022 17:13

To be honest delphi, he's just built tat way. he hasn't had many setbacks in life but tackles most things calmly.

He gets upset at sad things in films. Or did as a child! But that's it.

Piggywaspushed · 25/01/2022 17:15

The trash talking is definitely not happening although the boy at my school -who is not very nice who I helped with PS and interview and exam prep got in and so did a girl who I helped with PS and setting up with a mentor, and DS didn't . Which did make me cry a little bit.

Piggywaspushed · 25/01/2022 17:16

There is a mum on the Oxbridge thread who might teeter over the edge.... Grin

Piggywaspushed · 25/01/2022 17:19

Ah no, as you were. All is well in that regard...

estherfrewen · 25/01/2022 17:23

Thanks everyone. He is happy but very aware that still needs the grades so not taking anything for granted.

Re black box. DS had one with Admiral which was never accurate - said he was going out at night etc and on journeys he didn’t do. They removed it after three months anyway so seemed a bit pointless really!

ZittiEBuoni · 25/01/2022 17:24

Getting pooled is definitely not an outright rejection isthisjustnormal, so he should feel good about that.

I'm really sorry to hear about all the disappointments though. This is such an abnormal year, with so many students from the 2021 cohort deferring too. I wonder what the stats are and whether this might be the most competitive application year of all time. I wouldn't be surprised.

Horace123 · 25/01/2022 17:24

@Piggywaspushed I'm so sorry to hear about your DS's classmate - I must have missed that news. Tomorrow is my first day back in the office since one of our juniors took his own life and I think it will be very strange to walk past his desk. So hope your DS, his classmates and the teacher are all ok.

Also sorry your DS didn't get the news he wanted today but from memory you weren't sure it was the best course for his subject so maybe a good thing as it would be difficult to turn down Cambridge I imagine.

crazycrofter · 25/01/2022 17:31

Aw no, that’s sad @Piggywaspushed. I mean, great that you supported two kids to get offers, well done! But a bit bittersweet when ds didn’t get in.

Ds’ school have tweeted about one offer, nothing from DD’s school yet although they did get nine Oxford offers, so maybe there weren’t many Cambridge applicants. DD’s friend at school who applied told her not to ask him today - and she hasn’t been at school today so doesn’t know whether he got an offer.

I hope all those with rejections and move past it quickly and start to get excited about their other options.

Piggywaspushed · 25/01/2022 17:37

My only real concern with DS is he ahs that tendency to work too hard, rarely seen in boys. He has not been in school today and I can bet he worked about 3-4 hours minimum, and is now upstairs doing more.

Alsoplayspiccolo · 25/01/2022 17:39

Congratulations to your DS, estherfrewen, and huge commiserations you those not offered places - all who went through the gruelling process to the end should be super proud of their achievements.

No news here. No more offers forthcoming for DD, which is a drag, and she doesn’t think she’s done as well as she hoped in mocks. Results will be in next week and then, I guess, she needs to think about her strategy for choosing her firm and insurance, given that her favourite requires exactly her predicted grades.
Does anyone know what expected improvement might be between mocks and the real thing? I know it’s not an exact science, but is it reasonable to think that going up a grade is doable?

crazycrofter · 25/01/2022 17:47

I hope so *@alsoplayspiccolo! Dd has got a B in both lots of Psychology mocks, with A/A in the other two. Which will be fine as she has three offers of ABB, but I feel a bit concerned about her doing a Psychology degree when it's not her best subject. She seems unconcerned and is still predicted an A in it.

Hope dd gets some more offers soon @alsoplayspiccolo.

@Piggywaspushed what a thing to worry about, I can't imagine it! Do you think he might go overboard in trying to achieve good grades and prove Cambridge wrong? I guess all you can do is try to encourage him to do other things too to add a bit of balance - go out with friends at the weekends/watch films/gaming/football/whatever he's into. Ds' latest obsession is watching through all the top films of the last 40 years on xbox live with his friends, which is a very time consuming interest and doesn't work well alongside study!