son deciding on gap year after applying?

[Muddiboots]

DS2 has applied to read English, he hasn't had an interview from Oxford which is not surprising as he is a feckless child that has coasted for his entire school career. His plan is to reapply next year and enjoy a Gap year in the meantime. Is this going to cause all sorts of problems? is he better choosing one offer and asking if he can defer it and keep it as his insurance choice? surely you need stellar grades to get in to Oxbridge post A levels? Any advice appreciated, am unable to find much by googling.

Do you think its a real plan to reapply next year or just a reaction to the disappointment of not getting an interview?

If it was my DS I would be encouraging him to stick with this years application process with the get out that he could take a gap year if he had a realistic plan for what he was going to do with the time.

He has said he would take a gap year if didn't get Oxbridge all along. Have said will only countenance it as a plan if he provides me with a plan of action for said gap year. The ucas issues worry me though.

If he wants to defer one of this years choices he would have to ask the university if they are willing to do this. Then he would go through the same process as everyone else in Aug when results come in as to whether he makes the offer. If he does he can have a gap year knowing his university place is secured.

If he wanted to apply to Oxbridge again he would have to start again and make a fresh application to UCAS next autumn.

He can choose his firm and insurance as everyone does, then change his mind at any time. DS changed his mind on results day, and took a gap year and reapplied for a different subject. All options would be open this way. If he makes his grades, great! If he exceeds them and gets Oxbridge grades, why not reapply? It's so much less stressful applying with known grades!

ds changed his mind too the night before results day - deferred his firm than changed his mind half way through the gap year and decided to apply elsewhere - got released, went through clearing and traded up.

Agree applying with known grades is so much less stressful - don't think it will ever happen though but wish Ucas would adopt the CAO system that the Irish use - so much more straightforward and seems to work for them- no firms or insurances you apply for up to 10 and just go to whichever your highest choice was for the grades you get.

My DS has a similar plan. He has decided that if he doesnt get an offer from Cambridge or Imperial then he will choose a firm and insurance as usual but then when results day comes if his results are good enough he will decline, take a year out and reapply. As far as i am aware our son cant keep a deferred offer as insurance AND reapply, however, he has to start a new cycle from scratch.

*your son

Brilliant information thanks all. Really good to know other people have done this and don't think he knew he could keep two choices up to results day, I assumed uni would get the hump with that!

Yes you are right, you can't start a new cycle if you are holding anything from a previous one. ds had to be released from the deferred place in order to start a new cycle - it was just a formality though because ucas merged his accounts and he kept his old number and was able to use his old personal statement albeit with an edit to include his gap year exploits.

He just told ucas that he wanted to be released from his uf - don't think he even contacted the uni concerned, iirc Ucas did it all. He had spoken a few times to the admissions people where he wanted to go and they offered him a place a few days before results came out, he just had to wait for results day to make it all official by going through track which he couldn't do until clearing opened.