Oxbridge applications 2019 (part two).

[Justanothermile]

New thread, I hope it's okay to start one.

Good luck today for those still waiting for interview news, which includes us.

Congratulations to those already with dates.

Good luck everyone :)

Best of luck everyone. Fingers crossed for you all.

Good luck to everyone interviewing this week, hope travel is smooth and the weather is kind.

Just think this time next week, we’ll all be at home relaxing with 🍷, as all will be over! - some of them carry over into next week, don't they?

Good luck all!

Good luck everyone! I’m feeling very nervous being at home, but it’s probably best I’m not there. Dad is better at keeping it calm!

Ds is leaving in about an hour to go up to Cambridge for his interviews today (train). I am feeling a little nervous but he isnfairly relaxed. I am more bloody nervous about the call I need to make to his 6th form college today to make yet another appointment to come in. We have decided he is not returning to his FM class for the rest of the year (massive problem and incident with teacher) so ds will essentially be self teaching the rest of the year including STEP as the same teacher does that. Ds is going to find out today if he can add this info to wh supplemental form that was already sent to the Cambridge college as it asks about any problems with teaching etc and at the time it was filled out by ds, he said no. We all think now this is information that the admissions people should have.

Good luck to everyone else today!

Good luck to all having their interviews today, fingers crossed for your DC.

DD's interview isn't until next week, there are quite a number of subjects not scheduled until next week at Oxford.

Looking forward to hearing about this weeks experiences though!

Wiifitmama my own view, fwiw, is that it would be quite wrong and potentially an irritant for the tutors for your DS to arrive in Cambridge and try to add comments to the SAQ which are not currently founded on anything very objective, such as prolonged absence/ disciplinary proceedings. It's only a matter of weeks since he said 'no problems'. His achieved results weren't affected by this teacher since he was home schooled. If there's a problem going forward then - assuming an offer, which is more likely with Maths than for any other subject - contacting Cambridge prior to sitting his exams in the summer would be the way to go. I could never have home schooled so all credit to those who have the ability and patience but I do think it must be a difficult transition to mainstream school and the juxtaposition and timing is plain to see on the UCAS form. In addition, the school itself may be contacted and will almost inevitably back the teacher unless and until disciplinary proceedings are in train. Bear in mind also that not all schools offer FM, so there will be students with no teaching in it at all, from the outset. In short, you may well find that flagging this issue does more harm than good.

I think I would wait until after any offer comes out at the very least, then flag it if things aren't settling down and there's a danger of him missing his STEP as a result. (FM should be straightforward compared to STEP)

Thank you. That is really helpful. To be clear, he was certainly not going to bring this up in any interview today. He just wanted to find out who he emails to add anything to the supplemental. And yes, there will most likely be disciplinary against the teacher - this has nothing to do with a transition from home ed to school - he is their star pupil at the college and completely trouble free. The teacher behaved in a completely outrageous and unacceptable way which is being investigated.

She has finished! Her brief texts say she had a good chat, but she said a couple of silly things! Hopefully I’ll hear more later. Now the waiting.... Good luck everyone.

Fwiw, my 4 found the transition from home education (most people in this country don't say home schooling) to school remarkably easy. I know of very few home ed kids who had any significant problems actually.

Very sorry to hear things have deteriorated Wiifit. Hope it hasn't unsettled him for today and things go well

Lilili - that must be a relief! My ds has his first one at 3ish and then another after a break so I have a long wait for any text!

Atia -thank you. I too hope it has not unsettled him today. The timing of it all is not great. However, I have told him to have confidence that his dad and I will sort out he college situation and he can just concentrate on enjoying today!

Hope she comes home happy Lili

I did not realise that the interviews are over two weeks at Oxford. I thought all were done this week only, so good luck to all DC during the entire interview period :)

Maybe it's a hangover from my Californian days Atia.

I meant it must be difficult for the parent suddenly ceding teaching control to the teacher, not difficult for the DC themselves. I'd assume there were more clashes than usual between such parents and schools. Pure assumption however!

Yeah, it is the usual American term. We don't like it though

But - did you just call Wiifitmama a control freak who can't deal with her son being at 6th form college? That's blunt, even for you!

Thanks Atia, but I am letting it wash over me That response to home ed is fairly typical as I am sure you know! Everything my son has achieved, he has done on his own - not with a control freak mother. I have had a completely hands off approach at the school and let him deal with things on his own. I have only had to step in this year when this teacher completely over stepped acceptable teacher behaviour and we made the decision (as a family) that being in that class was detrimental to ds achieving the A* he is fully capable of and was predicted by a previous FM teacher. This really was not a home ed issue at all.

In other news, and not to derail this thread, ds texted me when he arrived at Cambridge to say he passed a sobbing teenaged girl leaving He presumes that her interview did not go well. So much pressure on them all!

No Atia, I did not. All I said was that there are likely to be more interventions by parents who've previously home educated their DC than by those who have not, and even if there aren't, statistically, across all schools, I expect most people, including tutors, would think that there are. So flagging up to Cambridge that there are problems with a teacher who's only taught the DC in question for a number of weeks is almost certain to get a dusty response. Far more tactical to leave any contact on the subject until just before summer exams.

So you're making a huge old leap there really.

It is about the 'fairly typical' response to home education though - I don't think tutors will be especially atypical on that. It's hard to prove a negative though, so much better to hold off.

DD had her first interview (Oxford) this morning - she seems to think it was ok and was somewhat distracted by one of the tutors being Prince William's double.

She's gone from stressed and scared on arrival to playing pool in the JCR with four new friends. I think I can relax a bit...

Royal Cars - very reliable if you give them warning; can't always respond if you phone at the very last minute: 01865 777333.

It would be very unusual not to be released until 7pm on Friday - minimal chance.

Enjoy your lunch :)

In fact you might be quicker walking to the station from the centre anyhow?