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.

Finally DD heard today that she has an interview at Oxford. It's been a long wait and I think she was the last at her school to hear, but she did know her subject interviews were right at the end of the interview period and she had to do the TSA.
DD is at an independent school.

Relief here. My DS has an interview at Cambridge on the 9th. We will be heading up there on the 8th. . Finally!

Fabulous news both of you x

I know how you feel about Leeds being too far away, HorsePetal - DS really loved Durham and says he'd rather go there than Oxford. Maybe after his interview he'll be re-enthused Oxford-wise. Hoping so as Durham is far too distant for my liking!

He's doing engineering, and it will be 16th, 17th or 18th.

Looks like an Oxford meet up still isn't on the cards.

Well done to everyone whose dc have interviews. It's great to hear from parents going through the same thing.
DS goes to a state school, partially selective.

Exciting to hear about all the interviews, maybe one of your DC will have DDs room in Oxford - she has to totally clear out of it for interviewees.

She's back next weekend and it will be the first time we've seen her since she left eight weeks ago, although I have loved seeing her tagged in photos on facebook in cap and gown / posh frocks / rowing a boat / dressed as an ocelot (don't ask).

Lol at the dressed as an ocelot - that's exactly what Facebook is for - seeing your DC doing weird stuff!

Sounds lovely littlesquid - how is your DD enjoying Oxford?

Any interview tip? DD applying for English!

Bet it's lovely to have her home again

cake DD is definitely firming Durham if she doesn't get Cambridge - she loved it. I'm in France but I was originally from the North East and my parents are still there so it's a bit different for me. I did discover though that Durham and Bristol are approximately the same distance from London just in opposite directions (this when we were selecting uni's).

hatty we're in the south west - it took DH nearly 7 hours to drive DS to Durham. Shame as it sounds perfect for him in every other way. I'll just have to get used to the idea of not seeing him all term, I suppose. I well up just thinking about it.

Oh - yes, it is far from the South West. My DS is in Devon and goes up to my parents regularly, I'll have to ask her how long it takes. I love the college system in Durham, which will be a lot less expensive than if they went into a flat share after the first year.

All seems OK so far, HorsePetal she will be back this time next week (and will freak if I haven't managed to return her room to the state she left it... I've been using it as a convenient dumping ground for clutter for 8 weeks, whoops).

I am an avid facebook user since she went away, I love it when she's posted that she's going to an event, or when someone tags her in a a photo, it's great to have a bit of an insight into what is going on, nothing like when I was at uni and made maybe one call home a week from a payphone. There seems to have been a lot of Christmassy stuff going on in the last week, I've seen pictures of her in front of Christmas trees in the posh hall with a load of young men in black tie and very dressed up girls, and she was petting reindeer at the Oxford Christmas street market the other day.

I assume the work is going OK, she says it is... she seems to work a lot but they all seem to have fun too. I think the college system has been amazing from a social point of view, they organized so many brilliant things for them to do in Freshers week and that really helped her make friends.

Interview tips, gosh I don't know, I'm still mystified about what they are looking for, and as I said upthread DD's interview seemed to go horribly, we were amazed when she got an offer. DD had one practice with school, then I did a few mock interviews with her so she was used to sitting opposite an adult and having questions fired at her. Some info here www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/oxbridge_interviews and here .

Littlesquid - thank you

So good to know that she is having fun and being well looked after!

Good luck to everyone's DC next week.

Knackered after the long drive collecting DD from Oxford. We left her room nice and empty for interviewees...It was nice to see some of her friends and also hear all her news on the way home. She is very tired, and apparently coming home is 'weird'

Good luck for all with interviews coming up, so exciting.

It needn't be the end of Oxbridge aspirations if you don't get in this time round. A colleague's DD missed out on a place despite a string of A* at A level and GCSE. She spent a year at another top rated institution and reapplied - she's now at Oxford and doing extremely well.

Good luck all for the next couple of weeks! Will be wandering around Cambridge on Tuesday if anyone fancies meeting up for coffee! But also happy to amuse myself if no takers, I've never been before so really quite looking forward to it!

Urgh, bloody DS has decided, with one week to go till Oxbridge engineering interview, that he'd rather do physics...

That's going to go down well.

Ooh, stressful! He'll have something to talk about in the interview!

Kitties don't worry! I spent an entire interview with a literature professor explaining at length why I thought the study of literature was pointless navel-gazing. I got in anyway.

A switch from Eng to NatSci once he got there would be fairly straightforward, by the way. He just needs to be very enthusiastic about those areas where the subjects overlap

Good luck to everyone's DC who have interviews this week! Let's hope they enjoy the experience whatever the outcome.

On the other side of the desk, my DH has spent all day tidying his office and reading candidate files ready for a full day of interviewing tomorrow :-)

Good luck everyone, just dropped DD off at Trinity - she is very excited and we've told her that no matter the outcome to just enjoy the experience.

She is in a massive room overlooking Broad Street I wonder if that room belongs to a Mumsnetters DC?

PiratePanda I hope he'll be kind to them .
Nerves are getting the better of DS at the moment.

DH is a gem of an interviewer (I interviewed with him before we were together) as are all the dons I know under the age of about 60. The age of the utterly bizarre question is mostly now over.

But do tell your DCs to swot up on their personal statements - that's frequently where the first question will derive from and it's automatically a black mark if they can't remember what they wrote...