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

[OrangeCinnamonCocktail]

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

Good grief : that's quite the marathon!

I don't think he is in to proving people wrong, fortunate. He is just dutiful and meticulous. It's possible hard work gives him pleasure, I suppose!

Congratulations to those with Cambridge offers and sorry to those who didn't get over the line. It seems a long time since DS got his no from Oxford ( before interview) and he hasn't really spoken of it since. He was pleased for a classmate who got an offer today and supportive of a close friend who didn't. They hadn't really discussed offers much before today but it turns out five of his group have offers from the same uni, in five different subjects. Hopefully that will reignite DS a bit as he's been a bit down and uninterested recently.

Congratulations to your DS @estherfrewen!
Commiserations to others in our Cambridge gang- it’s ‘fine margins’ that decide the offers in an Oxbridge application and I reckon that this year has been more competitive than ever.

@Piggywaspushed

Good grief : that's quite the marathon!

I don't think he is in to proving people wrong, fortunate. He is just dutiful and meticulous. It's possible hard work gives him pleasure, I suppose!

He might have had a lucky escape then. My brother was similar, always worked really hard and he went to Oxford. He didn’t struggle with the work particularly but there was so much of it, 2 essays a week to be discussed in a tutorial. He found it quite stressful and I don’t really think he enjoyed the whole experience. He didn’t really make friends either, probably because he was working all the time! I think maybe you need to be the sort who can wing it a bit/does ‘just enough’ to get the most out of Oxbridge?

Ds says he doesn't know of anyone at school who applied to Oxbridge. I am sure some must apply. Ds1 only knew of one lad in his year, quite a good friend of his, he's at Cambridge. There is a board up in the 6th form hall, with a list of names of students who went to university the previous year, the university they are at and what they are studying, when ds2 attended the 6th form open evening we saw the board and ds1 was on there. I must pay attention to it next time (if I go again!) to see if oxbridge is on the list I think it's a fairly good school, with high grades, it isn't on any lists of schools qualifying for contextual offers. Maybe those applying keep it quiet.

Lots to catch up on. Congratulations to those who got places and passed driving tests and commiserations to those who didn't. Such a tough time when you've done all the prep.
Yes that poor teacher missing her student tomorrow Piggy and the lad's close friends coming back and seeing his empty chair - so sad.

DD has her last interview tomorrow and is prepping now. She is so tired and over all these interviews but we've said just give it one last push as it's the last one and the one she feels she wants to go to. Decided not to go up the night before as it starts at 12noon and DH can now take us. We're going to scout out the town and train station etc whilst DD at interview. Thank goodness it seems dry tomorrow.

@Alsoplayspiccolo the amount of progress between mocks and real thing will depend heavily on the mocks policy - are they making mean it generously, how narrow was the part of the syllabus being covered, how much work did the student do.... We know the grade boundaries will be generous this year, so there is definitely hope! And if they don't quite get the grades, there is Clearing.

Well done @estherfrewen 's DS! Daks would be so proud...

DD feeling positive about today's interview - day off tomorrow then another on Thursday.

She passed her test this time last year, and we have used Admiral - the only one where our London post code didn't bump it up stratospherically.

I think I must just be mean because I don't want to pay £500 to insure DS to drive!

Congratulations to your DS @estherfrewen - wonderful news!

Thinking of you tomorrow @AnneOfCleavage - hope it goes well. Your DD has impressed and done well at all the others so hopefully she can go in with some confidence. It's so draining for them isn't it having to do interviews when friends are just getting offers straight away. My DD has an interview tomorrow but still hasn't heard from one of her top choices.

Congratulations and commiserations to the Cambridge gang and the driving test takers.
Sounds like those who missed out on Cambridge have other, exciting, plans on the table - everything happens for a reason.

Keep trying to comment and failing. I have flu, I think, but commiserations and congratulations to all with recent news.

Thanks everyone. His friends at school who didn’t get Oxford or Cambridge all seem to have got Durham so are very happy. Always popular choice where we are as not that far away. DS has decided Lancaster for second choice as really liked it there.

@KingscoteStaff - can’t help but think Nicola wouldn’t approve of picking Cambridge over Oxford….!

Hope you feel better soon @Zebracat

Get well soon @Zebracat

Hope you feel better soon @Zebracat

Get well soon @Zebracat

Take care of yourself @zebracat

Hope you're dosed up and cosy zebracat.

I have a question about the UCAS search tool…. At the moment it shows all courses that are available for 2022 and all courses have vacancies. Will this change after today as the deadline passes? Will some courses start to show as full?

@BlueMarigold you can turn on filters and just search courses with availability. Yes, once 26th January passes the list of available courses should be reduced.

Hope you get better soon @Zebracat

Are we taking bets on when some of the hold out courses start offering

We are still waiting on Leeds

Anyone still waiting on Kings?

beggsie, we’re still waiting for Kings…and RHUL…and Southampton.