Oxbridge again

[ucasfracas]

I know there are threads on this but difficult to trawl through them to get the information I would like.

Anyone who has or knows of DCs who got offers,

What grades GCSE did they have?

What was the offer?

What was the subject?

Did they have to sit a 'special' exam as well and how much did this affect the outcome.

Answers to any/some of these would be gratefully received.

Webwiz subject and Oxbridge really, she may just be being realistic about her own conscientiousness! Don't think she will be changing subject but it will be a means to get a degree - does that sound terrible?

No she hasn't been offered any extra curricular academic opportunities and I have never sought them out!

funnyperson it sounds like your dd will really enjoy it. All that talk of new clothes does, however, make me wonder if my child was right to apply. They've never bothered with the school balls.

Never heard of Villiers Park before.

Thanks, Betel! You really are a mine of information.

ellis, you don't have to go to balls....

sieglinde, I know - but you'll probably be rather left out if you don't.

Hadn't heard of most of the things mentioned in that UCAS list, although my child has done more than enough volunteering to obtain any certificates they mention. Would possibly have sent them to Villiers Park if I'd known of it, they probably would have enjoyed it. They have other things to record for UCAS (the problem was what to leave out) but another reason to feel the school's career guidance is not as good as it should be.

ellisbell I will fill you in as to whether the ball gown got worn in 9 moths time! Its at the bottom of DD wish list of things to be wearing! Its one reason she chose Wadham- its possible to wear normal clothes there. Balliol is another such college apparently

sorry-months

This will cheer everyone up:

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/02/oxforduniversity

[Hmm] That article is too simplistic. Too much written like a journalist. All extreme and no subtlety. Normal people also go to the Oxford Union. Anyway the films watched by that person mentioned at the bottom of the article are somewhat strange.
DD knows more than 40 people going to Oxford this year and they are all normal. She likes some of them, she wants to avoid some of them, some are very good friends.
Many of my colleague's children go and they are all normal. None fit into the three categories described by that article!
But I have heard it is possible to be lonely and disaffected in Oxford- as at any uni. As a parent one cannot help but worry.

You're too kind funnyperson. It's an appalling article, embittered nonsense. It's an article which goes viral from time to time and has been annoying students and freshers again. DD2 showed it to me last night and had no kind words for the author!

It's a diverse place, room for everyone given a place regardless of drugs habits or ball habits or clothes.

Well it didn't cheer me up. Have to say my heart bleeds for her - attending Oxford obviously did not help in any way her becoming a reporter on a national newspaper...

Her description of the various types could be applied to many Universities I think, it is a time of significant change in a young person's life and some people are bound to be disappointed.

I think it's a ridiculous article. The bit that upsets me most is "But nobody was learning. We were cramming."
I absolutely disagree with that-yes I was doing a different degree, and probably I'm much much older than her, and I went to Cambridge, but I can't believe what she says. In fact, when I went on to a medical school the contrast was HUGE. Yes indeed, there we were given facts and had to learn them, with no debate or discussion, and I was very depressed at first by that learning style. I adapted of course, but I looked back fondly to my Oxbridge years. Hopefully others had better experiences at their medical schools.

The reporter lost her way (and I'm sorry she had a bad time) but that is colouring her view and she seems to want to lay all the blame on her University.

She was at Merton, and Merton is not Oxford. It's possibly the most academic hothouse in town. (Yes, I was there.) I missed the part where she said what she'd read. Was it Modern Languages? I too am sorry she had a horrible time, but it's interesting that she's so sure none of it was her fault.

She didn't say sieglinde. Mine have avoided applying there for precisely that reason, despite it being exquisite to look at, and despite it having the best Oxford squirrels.

Hi Yellowstone and funnyperson. Not sure if you will remember me from anxious blogs earlier in the year. Well.... DS has decided not to go through with his offer from Durham ..... Obtained A*AAA which I thought was pretty good considering he was sooo disappointed at the post interview rejection last Christmas. As time drew near for commencing at Durham he became more reluctant to discuss any arrangements etc. Offered him chance for gap year and re-application which he decided to accept. No point in carrying on with something he was looking forward to whatever this year brings for him. Now re-drafting Personal Statement etc.

Hello floco these mumsnet names are really memorable so yes. Your DS got great grades . Congratulations! So I take it he is wondering about Oxford or Cambridge again then? Why not? There was an interesting candidate called Bax-man on TSR (not my DC) who is an Oxford fresher this year - going up to read PPE and the year before failed to get a history offer from a different college.

wolfbrother re medical school. Some (many) teachers at my medical school were inspirational at preclinical and clinical level. Its true there were a lot (loads) of facts to learn, but the best teachers wouldn't bother going through what was in the text book which we could all read and learn anyway but would stand up and tell us about their clinical research/interests. or demonstrate to us in clinic their art/science of patient communication examination and diagnosis. Neurology at Queens Square, Gynaecology in Soho, paediatrics at Great Ormond Street, Ophthalmology at Morefields, the whole thing was an intellectual and emotional eye opener day after day, time after time. We learned 35 hours a week 'contact time' and all of us learned from our textbooks outside of that. Even so, we socialised loads, got some exercise in London's Parks, and by walking everywhere, and went out to the theatre/opera/music/ every week.

None of us thought of it as 'cramming', though bits of it were very boring until the clinical years made us realise how relevant it all was. To this day it never ceases to amaze me that some people come out of university without any intellectual curiosity. Perhaps these are the poor people to whom learning is 'cramming'.

Sorry for the long post.