Oxbridge info/ support thread 2014

[lismore]

Does anyone else with a DC applying for Oxbridge this year feel like having someone to share the highs/ lows/ questions- if so, please join in!
I have a DS who has just applied to Cambridge- our family has no Oxbridge background and he's at a state school which gives absolutely no advice so definitely feel at a bit of a loss how to support him.
I think he's incredibly brave even trying, especially as 80% get rejected unfortunately.

Thanks for the support everyone!

So much for the long wait! They phoned her this afternoon and offered her place! Yay!

Congratulations!

Fantastic news. Congratulations!

yay! (Is that another for the-one-with-the-spiders, or the one that used to be New Hall and is now something else?)

Well done!
DD hasn't heard of anyone from her school who has got in from the pool - yet!

lancelottie Thats the latter of your options - the one on the hill....

And she's the 4 th person from her school to be fished this week! Some still swimming....

Hurrah for miniBeck ! All good things to those who wait, and all that.

Anyone still waiting to hear?

Just checked in for an update. Fantastic news Beck. Is that the same college as my dd or the other one? (champagne glasses)

Sorry just read thread properly - I the think it must be the other one judging by what Lancelottie said.

I think it's the other one hattymattie- but great colleges all!

Hi Horatia, my DS is still waiting.

Phew Beck, congratulations to your DD!

Sorry you're still waiting Purple. Here's hoping that no news (for now) is good news in your case.

Of course purple. Fingers firmly crossed.

Still no news here... who'd have thought it would take this long?!

Good grief, how can they take so long?
It must be so difficult for your DS, it's a good job they don't have January modules this year as it must hard for him to focus on much else until he knows one way or the other.

Fingers crossed that he will have good news very soon. And for you in the meantime!

Ask DC/school to ring up. Either DC has been rejected and isn't telling you or possibly something has got lost.

Thanks lismore. Definitely a good job there are no Jan exams - I really feel for DS. The longer we wait the more certain we are it will be a rejection, but it would be good to know for sure!

He's not the only one not to know, purple. - one of DDs friends still hasn't heard.

According to the student room, it can take until the end of January to hear. There is still a possibility of a place up until then - there's a chance that he is held in reserve by a college and then your original college has to send the final letter, and some ( apparently) can take ages.

But I do know that many colleges are responding to emails now and telling you straight if you ask them.

Fingers still crossed for your DS

Thanks Beck - yes, another follower of TSR here - there are at least two others who've applied for the same college/course combination as DS who have yet to hear anything and it's nice to know he's not alone. The college did send rejection letters earlier this week, so we can only assume that his file is with a different college or that it's on its way back to the original one, or that they've sent DS a rejection letter and it's lost in the post...

Will pop home at lunchtime to check the post - this is my daily routine at the moment! DS refusing to phone/email the college as he feels he must be patient and not bother them.

Anyone else a bit unsure about the wisdom of their DC accepting an offer? DS2 has an offer from Oxford, but I'm not at all sure he has the work ethic to match, or knows what he's in for.

Also curious about the Cambridge pool. Are most of those fished from the pool fished to particular colleges or is it all wide open?

I think it is quite common to feel unsure about the work ethic. It is a sad extension of the 'too cool for school' culture which runs deep in the national psyche so that even the brightest and best think it might be painful to do any work at university. It isn't helped by the fact that for decades in the past it wasn't the done thing at Oxford or Cambridge to admit that one was actually spending any time on academics.
The truth is that bright people are happiest when learning stuff and having their horizons extended. If your DS is bright enough to get the grades of the offer, he has the work ethic to match and will soon get into the habit of producing high quality essays. The tutors really are very good and the libraries so readily available that it would take a near moron not to do any work at all.
Lets face it the alternative is to spend half the week in bed, which can get very very boring.
Some do leave after their first year. They find the work too hard: maybe the subject isn't what the wanted to study in the first place or maybe they get sidetracked by the very hectic social and extracurricular activities and fail to pass the end of first year exams. But they are few and far between.

Hi everyone - DS received his rejection letter yesterday. We had got to the point where we were expecting it, so DS was fine and we're all glad the wait is over. He will be off to Imperial, assuming he gets the grades.

Thank you for keeping me company this last week, and for all the and

Sorry to hear that. Agree that Imperial is obviously excellent though.

Thank you funnyperson, what you say is very helpful.

The subject is definitely right and he's not a huge stayer in bed. It's the social and extracurriculars that I think will turn his head and that he might fail to miss weekly deadlines and then get the boot. I can't help thinking he might manage better at Durham (not that he has an offer there yet!) or UCL or Bristol (where he does have offers) on the basis that it's far easier to keep under the radar.