Oxbridge applicants 2018 part 2

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Hopefully this is in time!

Ah that's great news Risotto, glad it's all sorted at last.
Is anybody else's dc going to offer holder days next weekend?

That's great news Risotto :)

dds college don't seem to be holding an offer holders open day. It's a shame, I wouldn't have minded tagging along as I've not been in there yet.

thanks Lobster and Kitten.

If the college does offer holders' day, the offer holders should be getting invites right?

luckily i found that DS college does host parent visit and chat on their first day of fresher week! we plan to stay till then and fly back to HK the day after!

just come back from a offer holders days. Was so glad DD let me tag along. Very beautiful college. supplied with tea and cake and chatted to other mums and one grandmum. My DD met some really nice students so that eased some worries.

so nice to walk around - I feel she is so lucky to have this chance, such an opportunity.

Good luck to all others who visit.

*an offer holders day!

DS didn't get an invitaation to an offer holder's day, as far as I know. hope he hasn't overlooked an important email. Anyone else for Clare College Cambridge?

I'd like tea and cake in a beautiful college

Not a single one of my DC has ever had an offer holders' event. Either they're a new invention or mine by co-incidence have chosen colleges which don't go in for this stuff. Also Risotto, manage your expectations: parent tea and chat when you drop them off can often be a polite way of gently calling time and indicating to parents that their job is done (lugging boxes etc) and that they should now leave and let the DC get on with their new life :)

I found it a bit odd last year that there was no offers holder days when DS received a Masters offer from Oxford last year. There was no interview either and colleges were allocated quite late. Given academics at DS' University, who had also offered him a Masters place, were more than happy to tell him why he should stay on, it became a bit of a no-brainer. (Fees for the shorter Masters courses are often the same as for a whole Undergraduate degree, so at minimum there is an investment decision to be made.) The first communication from Oxford was a survey asking why he had not taken up their offer. He now has a PhD offer from the States, and is hoping for more. They have offer days, and indeed some will pay travel expenses. Unfortunately though, there are no parent tea and chat sessions. (Or at least that is what he tells me )

Although to be fair Needmoresleep if you're already at Oxford and are thinking of postgrad they'll do the same for you there. Isn't that simply a reflection of already being at a particular institution?

Sure. He did not expect an offer holder day where he was. The surprise was that Oxford appeared to make no effort to explain to him why he might consider them.

It did not particularly bother him, as he had enjoyed his undergraduate degree and knew which courses he wanted to take at Masters level. However as parents we were keen for him to consider other options. Oxford would have meant living somewhere other than central London, perhaps a different sort of learning environment and teaching approach with exposure to different thinking, perhaps a chance to mix with people not studying social science, and (a big one for his dad, though a deterrant for DS) a requirement to finally write an essay.

Its fine. Staying where he was was pretty risk free, and there are real advantages to taking a Masters at a place where you are already known. Pus if he had really wanted he could have asked. However I do think that offerholder days are useful for both UG and PG courses which don't interview. If the Americans do it, why not Oxford.

Having lived for two years in the US, I can safely say the ethos is very definitely different! Surely LSE is more highly regarded than Oxford for Economics anyway, no?

Not really, just different. Technically Oxford appears to be ranked No 1 and LSE no 2. However LSE Econometrics (I said he was avoiding essays) is generally regarded as the top technical economics Masters in Europe and thus a good gateway for a PhD. Which is sort of why we wanted him to look closely at both. Oxford is two years, LSE, 10 months. On a personal/social level I assume being at Oxford is very different, but honestly we dont know. At LSE all that happens is that PGs drink in The George rather then The Three Tuns. Plus the student mix changes to include a number of ambitious Europeans and Americans. Again no real idea who goes to Oxford and why.

There was no such thing as a bad decision. It was just odd that Oxford did not try and sell themselves a bit. Even very top US Universities seem to take "marketing" as a given.

Not Oxbridge but Daughters med school had tea and cakes ( very delicious ) and welcome on drop off day .Lots of tutors including the dean were there and making great efforts to chat to students and parents , also medic parents greeting their offspring .It was very reassuring and much appreciated.

I only saw the email briefly, but we are invited for brunch, then various meetings, talks and accommodation tour followed by afternoon tea!
I'm so glad it's on a Saturday so that I can actually go with her.
I didn't go to any open days etc with her, so haven't actually seen inside a college yet. And she was accepted to a different college to the one she applied for so hasn't really seen much of her college, apart from very briefly when she was interviewed there.
So we're both excited to go and have a good nosy!
I think if there hadn't been an offer holders day we would probably have asked for a look around anyway.

Well we (by that I mean DD) seem to have finally come to a decision and she's going to firm her Oxford offer.
She has been to and froing between Leeds and Oxford with the required grades exactly the same for her course. She seemed to prefer the course at Leeds but after doing a huge spreadsheet of all the variables and visiting Oxford for a couple of days last week she's decided that she would be crazy not to accept their offer and that she was really just a bit scared of the whole Oxford Uni thing.
Leeds, northern familiar city, great gig scene was a 'safer' option for her. She hangs out a lot in Manchester where we live so big cities don't phase her and Leeds felt like home. Once she had realised that Oxford terms are 8 weeks and that she would be here more than there she's decided.

Anybody else's DD/DS been having wobbles?

Oh and her college have THE most adorable welfare dog 😂

Now it's just the exams to get through!

Which college is she going to Lucy?
DD was talking about a college welfare dog the other day (although I imagine lots of colleges have them!)
DD is (hopefully) going to Exeter.

HesMyLobster - Wadham College. Their college 'cat' is called Jonah - the colleges aren't allowed dogs so he's the honorary cat 😻

We met college cat too.
Well done to your DD lucycat. Hope it all works out.

It was just odd that Oxford did not try and sell themselves a bit. Even very top US Universities seem to take "marketing" as a given.

No need to bother for heavily subscribed masters degrees.

And "marketing" for top PhD programme offers usually comes directly from the PhD supervisors, not from centralised marketing teams.

Having worked for many years in a department with a heavily over-subscribed Masters (cash cow) - there is no way that anyone would have bothered chasing students to accept. TBH there is also a certain amount of Oxbridge arrogance.... thinking that of course they will accept.

A2 revision is a joy isn't it!! So is DS exam time table - 3 days with 2 exams on each.

How's everyone doing? It looks like we are getting closer to the end of this thread :) dd is very sure of her choice now, so it's just a case of head down, do the work and cross her fingers.

It occurred to me that if they don't make their offer, then shopping for what they take with them might become quite different in terms of kitchen equipment and bedding etc. I guess like all university applicants they need to get their head around the idea of looking at what ifs in terms of accommodation.

The requirements either way really are minimal and there's plenty of time to shop between mid Aug and October - so not something to worry about.

And bedding is the same surely? Only one college has ever provided ready made up beds for my DC and even then we'd gone armed with own duvet etc which was markedly more sanitary.

My DD made her choices and pressed the button.

Have to wait and see now as to how it all goes. Things to buy will have to wait until after results.

Am trying not to show my nerves for her. Should be fine but exams can surprise.