Thread 30 Covid Cohort, Mad March Hareing Towards Exams

[OrangeCinnamonCroissant]

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 29

I've made this one a little bit earlier as things are so busy, at home and on thread, so please feel free to use up previous thread first

The feedback was 3 1/2 sides, including graphs!

That’s demoralising, Piggy.
What a lot of feedback, though.
My nephew interviews for Oxford last year, for law. In one of his interviews, he was told his 7 in maths wasn’t good enough. Like your DS, he wondered why they’d bothered to interview him, if so.

If it’s any consolation, DD has a friend with 9x9s and an 8, predicted 3A*s, private school, didn’t get into Cambridge, and in fact her school got no Oxbridge offers at all this year, which is unheard of.
DD’s school got 2 Oxford offers, no Cambridge - a lot fewer than previous years.

It feels like a crapshoot at the best of times, but particularly this year, post Covid.

Sorry it's demoralising @Piggywaspushed. I guess when there are 10 outstanding applicants for each place they have to clutch at the tiniest of straws to draw a line. It is a lottery. You might have seen me put before that DS's friend who is personable, has 9x9, an A in hand from yr12 and is predicted 3A (and will get them) and Olympiad fab scores etc was rejected.

Wow, that’s a crazy amount ! I guess it would be helpful if he wanted to try again, but otherwise not really. There’s so many highly able rejects though. Two of DD’s friends from her old (independent) school didn’t get in, despite all 9s at GCSE, four A Levels predicted A* and the confidence that comes from being involved in high quality drama since year 7 (dd never got through the auditions for drama production!). The margins are very slight, they probably just decide on random things in the end.

@Monkey2001 - fingers cross for Newcatle and that this is the week :-)

@Piggywaspushed - what a lot of feedback and such a shame for your DS that he's left feeling that way. Hopefully will be able to look back after Birmingham feeling that it was the better place for him and he's loved every minute.

@Piggywaspushed - sorry if he's sad about the feedback but I think moving forward instead of looking backwards is the way to go.

My DD was predicted AAAA and for the course at Oxford she considered there were 8-12 candidates per place each year and her predicted grades would put her in the bottom 40% of those they accept (if she got AAA on the day that would put her in the bottom 3-4 candidates and this was the typical offer for the course). She decided in late June once she knew this and the fact it would only be catered colleges (she loves cooking) and a couple of other things not to bother applying. She didn't want it that much.

It sounds as though based on his GCSEs and A level predictions plus the large numbers applying it was always going to be a long shot and he really had to impress at interview. He should be proud he got to interview and take positive vibes from the genuinely impressive knowledge comment.

@Zebracat there are some clinical papers on the link between Shingles & a latent Covid infection. My sister, a geriatrician said anecdotally several more of her patients than normal had Shingles in the first wave.

@piggy dd's friend got into Cambridge the second time around. She was properly prepared & trained for the interview & that made all the difference.

@Cantonet. Gosh that’s interesting.
Cambridge feedback is just depressing. Ours interviewed for foundation year today. Might not encourage her to seek feedback.

Sorry to hear about the feedback @Piggywaspushed. I’m certain he has greater things to come in Birmingham. Anecdotally, my sister was at Birmingham doing social history (hated it) & shared a flat with 3 medics. They loved their course. They inspired her to train as a nurse in London after graduating. She then moved to Australia (still nursing) & she’s in touch almost 30 years later with all 3 who are all Consultants now, 1 who is still based in Birmingham.

That's very lovely!

Ironically, DS actually wanted to do social and economic history but only Glasgow offer it!

@Piggywaspushed it’s been a really tough year for Oxford and Cambridge, our school had DS rejected pre interview that were excellent candidates. So your DS did very well to get that far.
@Monkey2001 it’s so stressful for us parents, not knowing is so unsettling, I could see my DS getting more and more upset as his friends got all their offers through. It’s a horrible process.

He also had a tricky sociology exam today so I guess it hasn't been the best. He works so very hard . I cannot understand how he exists in the same universe as the students I teach!!

On the plus side, he has bought a ticket for the prom. Big times! He is going OUT!

Ooh exciting times @Piggywaspushed! Maybe he’ll get a taste for partying and totally make the most of Birmingham

Dd works nowhere near as hard as she used to at her old school and nowhere near as hard as your ds! She got her Psychology mock back today - a B, which she was quite pleased with as she only did 2.5 hours revision for the second paper. She feels now that she can make her Nottingham offer with minimal revision so although she’d like to get As, she’s not stressed about it. I just hope the hard work that she thinks she’s going to do for the real things actually materialises as I think she’ll regret it if she doesn’t do her best.

We bought prom ticket yesterday too @Piggywaspushed - really hope it’s a good night for them having missed out on their y11 prom…

How much were your prom tickets, out of interest? Dd is going to new school’s and old school’s and both were around £35-40 which didn’t seem too bad, given there’s food.

DD has Firmed :-)

Nottingham - Firm
York - Insurance

@crazycrofter I know what you mean. DD isn't working as hard as she did for Yr12 end of year exams yet. She got some mocks results back for today. Psychology A, Biology paper 2 C, Biology Paper 3 C (1 mark off B apparently). She seems pleased getting so close to a B (what she needs), as first time for paper 2 & 3 apparently, and they hadn't yet studied everything covered. She knows she didn't revise as much for Mocks as she intends to for actual exams.... I really do believe she will switch on fully soon.. (god I hope so). I do believe she can achieve A*AA but equally on a bad day could be BBB (I just hope not lower). BBB would see her going to York which isn't all bad, although she is really hoping for Nottingham so she had better start revising :-)

DD isn't getting a prom at her school! Usually the head girl team sorts it out but everytime they tried to raise money the SLT team told them no, they can't do that, so nothing has been done. Bit more too it I believe, but buttom line is that nothing is arranged. I am surprised DD hasn't been moaning about it more. I think she is just focused on A levels and holidays during the summer...

Oh that’s a shame @heifer but at least she’s not too bothered. Well done on pressing the button! Meant to get dd to do it at the weekend but failed!

I also think dd will get A,A,A (maybe even a second A) if she revised but could easily get ABB (her Nottingham offer).

Gosh the Oxbridge process seems to have been particularly brutal this time - our school (state) usually gets 4-5 into Oxbridge but has not a single offer this year.

Glad to hear of more decisions made, fingers still crossed for those waiting and hope all who are under the weather feel better soon.

I'm travelling a fair bit at the moment with work and can't help assessing each city's potential for student fun. I'm in Glasgow tonight, which always feels like one of the most exciting. Having said that, I'm already in bed, having been on an excruciatingly early train this morning 😴

@crazycrofter: £35 here too, inc food. Agree it seemed pretty fair.

Sorry to hear of Cambs feedback Piggy. It's all so negative and dispiriting.

Prom £50. He got menu choices yesterday.

Well done Heifer. Love the green button.

Ds did get all 3 PwC offers of Reading, Notts and Queen Mary. Reading have a PwC open day today so he's going alone to that. The PwC Notts one is the day we fly to Majorca 6th April, so instead I've now taken this Friday off and we are going to drive up and have a look independently. Was practically the only day I could do.

I suspect he will firm PwC Nottingham. Insurance Durham.

Crazy and Heifer, I am concerned at how little work Ds1 is doing. He seems far too casual. I am not impressed how easy he finds things. He got ABB in mocks recently, both the B's were 2 marks off an A. When pushed he said he'd made 3 or 4/10 effort.

I told him that Durham contextual poor household lower offer had made him cocky. But now PwC expected AAA so he better pull his socks up.

Piggy sorry to hear about the Cambridge feedback. A friend"s DS who is really passionate about Physics had a similar experience last year, they said interview was impressive, but admissions test not as good as others. As his school had given him no support at all and his parents are arts people (Dad is a musician who lives in Penarth, Piccolo probably knows them!), he was completely on his own for test preparation, and not surprising that was the weakest part of his application. He is happy at Manchester though. I think the applicants whose interview is their strongest bit are really not helped by on line interviews, a friend who is an Engineering Admissions Tutor said they have relied more on the other elements because the in line interviews are less effective.

Prom £40 here and will be in Bristol zoo, which should be fun. They have the opportunity to do the high ropes trail, but not sure that is a great idea in formal dress - it ends in a zip wire, so would be tricky in a long frock!

That’s great news Oblomov!
Really sorry to hear about the Cambridge feedback Piggy
Not sure about DS’s prom, there are mutterings about a castle and we are owed money from year 12 so hopefully won’t be much to pay.
DS unwell so will be off for the week whilst he has bloods and then sees GP Monday. The downside of being away from home, very hard to arrange GP appointments.

Am hoping they can get his medication sorted before A levels but I think it does take time to get the right dose. Will encourage him to submit mitigation circumstances form to Bath I think and he can put bereavement down too whilst he’s about it.

Piggy sorry to read about Camb Feedback. Sounds a brutal system.

Oblomov - great news to have so many choices.

I'm guessing DD is going to be too ill to make the Swansea open day this weekend. I think that means she'll have to decide without seeing Swansea which is a shame.