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.

Well the hoodie thing sounded seriously annoying to me. I was very gracious about it though :)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh. Embarassing .

And a bit sad!!

Blimey, I seriously do not understand the mentality of going to such lengths to try to fool people!

My ds seems pretty sure he wants to go elsewhere than Cambridge - as everincreasing says, it might be a different story if he were to get an offer in January! But his reasoning seems sound.

Given that possibly the tightest constraint on student numbers in Oxford and Cambridge is accommodation, you could perhaps argue that turning down a place this year means they can have an extra person next year. I think applicants have to do what's right for them really, and if that's waiting for a couple of months until they've visited and made sure, or turning down the offer, that's up to them.

Blimey! Just why would you spend that amount of time bullshitting? I don't get it.

wiifit out of interest, how did she/he get outed, if you know? I am unsure what a pbp is?

Pbp = previously banned poster, i.e. someone who's namechanged and tried again.

And there was me wondering whether I should say something soothing and wondering if her dd was a triathlete. Ah well.

"I think applicants have to do what's right for them really, and if that's waiting for a couple of months until they've visited and made sure, or turning down the offer, that's up to them."

I agree with that. Also, is the problem of late rejections any worse for Oxbridge than for any other oversubscribed course - LSE for example admits fairly small numbers (haven't done a comparison I admit!). In every case where numbers are capped there's a risk of an empty space if someone rejects at the very last minute, because the reserve list has now accepted other offers through UCAS.

Can universities can make empty spaces available in August as well - to those who have done better than they expected in A levels for example - is that what the Adjustment mechanism does? (Would mean there was a logistical issue of putting on additional interviews in August I realise, but I think that is what some med schools do, so it can be done)

Surely, the place would only be empty if the colleges did not over-offer and all applicants achieved their offer grades.

Isn't this a non-issue?

Surely, the place would only be empty if the colleges did not over-offer and all applicants achieved their offer grades.

Isn't this a non-issue?

Almost certainly - and yes - one would have thought.

Cambridge must surely vastly over-offer for Maths, for example, due to the proportion of applicants who fail to make the grade in STEP?

LSE participates in neither Clearing nor Adjustment, iirc.

Not sure that is true about Cambridge vastly over offering for Maths. The college ds has applied to there for maths told him that they have 12 places - last year only 6 people met heir STEP offer and were accepted. The other places were filled with those who did not make their STEP grades but discretion was used. So I think, for that college anyway, they do not over offer or not by that much.

Yes the open offer system at Oxford works to fill in the gaps and there is a degree of over offering. But I think that each offer letter that's come my DCs' way has asked to please reject as soon as possible if that's the intention, specifically so that the place can be offered elsewhere. So it must be of some importance to the college and uni, or they wouldn't ask.

I agree that students need to be comfortable with their choice. I can't remember many of mine accepting straight off, but then they never intended to reject. Some were still waiting for Durham to reply so that they could put that as insurance. My comment about there being an onus to reject was directed towards the DD of oldandgold, had she been thinking of hanging onto an offer for a while purely for bragging rights, because she certainly didn't seem keen.

(I now assume the DD is a fiction also. No idea!).

I can't remember the over offer numbers for Cambridge maths but they are very high. Remember some colleges don't take any or very few pooled candidates.

Wiifitmama the official statistics published by Cambridge and linked to at the top of the thread show that the uni does over offer for Maths very significantly.

Also Wiifitmama what the college says doesn't in itself imply anything about the number of offers made. Just that a judgment call had to be made about how to fill the six residual places. And that lots of offerees miss STEP!

Sshhhhhhh.... let me live in my little bubble for a while longer believing ds will get an offer and all will be well

So another statistic - one you may prefer Wiifitmama - is that vastly more DC whose parent discusses their application on MN get offers and the grades required than in RL :)

True. So many MNetters seemed to get offers last year - or their offspring to be exact!
I don't know if this helps Wiifi but in my DDs college - 6 achieved their offers and 6 came from the summer pool. So they did over offer a bit but replaced with those near misses who applied to Cambridge as a whole.
Very good luck to you

I'm so thoughtless wiifit yes lots of people who miss their step get a place. Try not to worry. It's awful I know, but one thing at a time. First - no worrying allowed until after NYD. That's an order.

This time next year you'll be welcoming your ds home from uni looking back at all this stress feeling sorry for the next generation going through it.

In the meantime

In Maths I mean

Thanks all! Goodbyestranger - that is so funny! This thread certainly helps with the stress of it all!

Participation in MN threads is clearly the perfect medium for parents who are engaged and supportive but who don't want to be hassling and stressing their DCs.

Can I pick some brains and ask a silly question? When do DC sit STEP? Is it the Spring before or after applying?