Looking for the helpful Cambridge admissions tutor who posted a while age..

[seeker]

......if you're around, could I ask a couple of questions, please?

Here we go- everyone knows me so much better than I know myself.

And there was me thinking we'd moved on and were having an interesting discussion. I was particularly pleased that Russian was talking to me again.I should have known better. All we need is for whateverhercurrentnamethestalker to arrive and oh, what fun we'll all have.

What a shame.

Seeker I'm happy to engage with you on this subject because you aren't being unreasonable. And I've got huge sympathy with your position, because my DD1 is going to be in exactly the same position as yours, although for sadly less enjoyable reasons. Even in the circumstances in which she has had to do her exams, she will likely do well (in new paradigm terms) in her chosen subjects. She will nt do well in the stuff designed to disadvantage people with her SEN issues. She won't have the grades for top unis even though she is easily capable of doing well in her chosen subjects anywhere. Despite having played the game and won myself when young, I still think, in the light of what I see now, that it's not the best game it could be. So I feel your pain.

But honestly - I wasn't being mean, really, but for you to deny being pushy would be like me denying I'm neurotic. Nobody will buy what we are selling! FWIW I'd rather be pushy than neurotic. I suspect you are doing a better job for your kids than I am for mine.

Oh seeker stop bveing so melodramatic...

Surely you can see the funny side of it? You start a thread to track down a Cambridge admissions tutor to ask some questions for your DD...

but to be fair pore ol seeker gets an awful lot of stick

she is consistent and always calm, fair play to her.

Oh aye she does.

But if you can't laugh at yourself, I think you're fucked in this life ...

And for what it's worth, I don't think anyone was criticising seeker for her interest in her DD's academic career. Certainly I wasn't. I'm pushy as fuck. Guilty as charged....

But I don't get why it's ironic she's taking an interest...? (sorry to be talking about you seeker) That doesn't conflict with her views on selective education or pushiness as far as I've noticed?

But she isn't being pushy. She's trying to work out what happens if you've got a child you didn't push academically during GCSEs, and you don't regret not pushing her, but now she's doing well academically.

yeah

see?

ner

Taking an interest involves a parent saying 'really, love? that's great. Why don't you meet with your HT and discuss it?'

Pushy, involves immediate trying to track down an admissions tutor...

Look, I'd do the exact same thing myself . I'm so not criticising...

Blimey you think that's pushy?

Hully - actually, she isn't always either (consistent or calm) Because she is human not a robot or a sick puppet. :)

Ok, I haven't seen her not be both

LRD I don't think this thread is particularly pushy. I think some of her other threads and some of the things she has been happy to say she does (including looking in her children's school books etc, complaining about teachers missing parents evening etc) are. As I said upthread I'm far from convinced that within certain limits pushiness is a bad thing. But my main thing in this thread was her saying she isn't pushy! Because, you know, evidence.

But anyway this has gone way off topic. I'm interested in seekers current dilemma because for various reasons I think my DD will be facing similar problems.

LRD - all that notwithstanding though, what actually happens in the ideal world is that the young person finds out for themself.

But then we are back to definitions of pushiness, all different

I'm interested too.

I think the confirmation that GCSEs are so important, not just to Oxbridge, but to many other universities, is well worth noting!

Well it's not exactly news though is it.

To be honest, I don't think I'd clocked that they were as important as they are! I thought the AS level grades would take precedence.

If a child really comes into his/her own during A levels (or whatever final school leaving examination programme he/she is taking), the best thing is to take the exams, get the stellar results and then apply to university, grades in hand.

Bonsoir - that's what I was suggesting. Not only might it help with Cambridge, or indeed Oxford, it would also help with other high end universities which might also be put off by GCSE anomalies.

Lots of French DC do this. It is quite hard for admissions departments to assess French pupils, as they only have the brevet (end of Y10 and not very substantial) and the two or three bac exams taken at the end of Première to go on by way of official examinations. Cambridge asks for high school transcripts (basically copies of the school reports from the previous two years) but they are very unreliable as some school mark much more leniently than others. So French DC are often better off maxing out on their bac, doing a year of Prépa and applying to English universities during that year.

When French pupils are applying to British universities, of course.

Bonsoir - Agree.

And if you can't bear to do that, at least wait for the AS results.

seeker - what subjects is your dd doing at AS and will she continue with the same subjects to A2? I seem to remember she was struggling with physics and about to give it up.

Seeker Yes Cambridge do allow for school when taking gcse into account: they have a computer programme which does the adjusting tsking data from the Sutton trust.

Its true, this business about extra currics vs working hard to get excellent rather than just good academic results is a lifelong conflict actually. For the very brainy and organised of course there is no issue as it is easy enough to get loads of As at gcse and do lots of extracurrics. I do feel organisation is the key, and this is where lots of schools and children and families fall down.
For the not so brainy (and with due respect there needs to be a very very good reason in my opinion why a student gets a B in English gcse and she/family/school still thinks she can get to Cambridge: there is something very strange going on here) there are the issues of a) teaching b) family circs c) being a late developer d) organisation organisation organisation. Filing. Having the exam spec, having the correct syllabus and access to marking schemes, putting in the extra for coursework, filling in the self assessment to the best of ones ability, little things to help the brain translate knowledge into marks.

The Bartlett is all about the portfolio and as I recall wants loads of gcses at A star. I believe there is a student exhibition there 22nd-27th June and your daughter might want to visit to see if she might be capable of the stuff they produce. It is very very intensive there, and personality has to be robust to take the tutor criticism which is merciless. It is, however, outstanding, and she could talk to the tutora at the exhibition and find out what they look for at gcse.

Anyway good luck. In my mind I havent resolved the extracurric vs hard work issue. I was a nerd with no imagination wo hated parties so it was easy to me. But I want my own children to laugh more. So naturally though they are more brainy they dont do as well. Genius is 99% perspiration etc.

funny I know someone who got an exhibition to Trinity, in maths, who had a C for English GCSE. I'm just sayin'. And there are SEN conditions which might be more of a handicap at GCSE level than at either A level or degree.