Oxbridge Applications 2019 (Part Three)

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Today is a big day for many... time for a new thread too

We're in London and neither of my boys wanted to apply to a London university. Of course it helped that the courses they were/are applying to are well represented elsewhere and London universities didn't stand out particularly for either of their subjects. Many of their friends who are medics, lawyers, engineers or mathematicians did apply or are applying to London universities as they are often the best in their field for those subjects.

My younger son who's currently applying wasn't interested in Durham (which didn't offer the course he wanted anyway) or St Andrews as he saw them as too small.

It's about social life too Bowchicawowow, or that seems to bother a lot of young people from a distance away.

I heard that lots of London kids want to go to Leeds. No idea why Leeds is so popular at the moment.

I would expect that somewhere like Durham will have plenty of strong students from schools where Oxbridge was 'not for the likes of us' and London was 'too big and expensive'.

Again lots of good ootions for academically able DC.

Yes goodbeye. DS is thinking about LSE but has been led to believe nobody talks to you. He’s going to have a chat to current students to see if that’s true.

It upsets me to read the phrase ‘not for the likes of us.’ Out of the three family friends who have had Oxbridge offers in the last couple of years one hates it but is sticking it out, one hates it and is leaving after his first year and one didn’t take up her place.

Every student will have their own criteria and they'll weight them differently - course, prestige/ranking, size of city, cost, distance from home, facilities for particular sports or other activities. One of DS2's subsidiary ranking factors was the indie gig scene in the city - not more important than the course, but something to think about when choosing between, say, Bristol and Durham (neither of which offered the course he wanted anyway).

Bowchicawowow There are lots of vlogs from current LSE students which seem to counter a lot of the negatives people always bring up. Ds has been watching them over the last few days and is very excited about his LSE offer.

Bowchica

1. I am not sure if the Leeds thing is true. My (rather posh) niece went to Leeds as she failed to get the grades needed to meet her Exeter offer, and acted like she was spending 3 years in Siberia, with weekend paroles in London.

1. LSE. Horses for courses. Rugger-bugger types do fine as a lot of the wilder social life is centred around the athletics union. DS did fine as he was completely absorbed in his subject and met plenty of like minded friends. I actally dont think it is as bad as its reputation. The student population is scattered which means lot of the social life is on campus. So if you join things you will meet people. A contrast to Bristol where no one apparently goes to the SU building other than drama or SU types, but there is a massive clubbing scene in the city.

I will mention those to him hypotype. Thank you.

"My (rather posh) niece went to Leeds as she failed to get the grades needed to meet her Exeter offer, and acted like she was spending 3 years in Siberia, with weekend paroles in London."

I daresay that with that attitude the other students probably didn't like her very much

Leeds is a very vibrant and cosmopoloitan city, and has much more going on than, say, Sheffield.

After a chat with dd she said that she thinks Monday's decision is going to be difficult either way. She sees it as either
A rejection disappointment. Or
B here's an offer with grades that will be really stressful to ensure she meets.

I agree with her.

Not at all. She had loads of friends, most with London/boarding backgrounds. However she, and they, would probably have preferred Edinburgh, Bristol, Exeter, or possibly Newcastle, which are perceived as more social Universities.

It was a response to a pp who suggested Leeds was popular with London students. Yes we know one, who again went as insurance, and who is having a good time. But generally I have not noticed it being popular. Sheffield, in contrast, seems to attract good engineers.

Thatis because of the AMRC that is owned by the university. It is certainly going places, and long may it continue.

We live in London and ds applied to 3 London based Unis. Cambridge and York were the only non-London ones and York is bottom of his list. If he ends up at a London one, he will live at home to save costs for sure.

"Out of the three family friends who have had Oxbridge offers in the last couple of years one hates it but is sticking it out, one hates it and is leaving after his first year and one didn’t take up her place."

Is that for academic or social reasons that they hate it Bowwow? And why didn't the third take up the place?

It does sound from rl comments (and schools' advice has also been to this effect) that O/b is much more stressfully hard work than some other univs including some top RGs - and as another poster has said, holidays (except summer perhaps) are also for academic working. Not saying that students do not work hard at other universities - ime they do, certainly much harder than in my day! - but for various reasons the stress factor is higher at Oxbridge. It is not for everyone.

I too have heard of the London to Leeds factor. I think there are many more London students there than at say Sheffield - though that is purely impressionistic!

Yes I think London is a big no no for some students. We positively encouraged DS not to apply to London universities because he is a Londoner born and bred. Surely the point of university is to experience the new?

iwantedthatname It’s social reasons. Not feeling that they fit in. They can manage the work no problem. The third was convinced she wouldn’t fit in after visiting a few times.

DrMadeline I'm with you on that one! DD2 has decided that she isn't getting an offer from Cambridge. That way, she's either proved right (no offer) or pleasantly surprised/shocked. Until her 1st driving test, she'd never failed anything in her life.

Goodbyestranger DD2 still hasn't heard anything other than an acknowledgment from Durham and she's applied for a science degree. We think they may be waiting until after Tuesday's closing date so they give equal consideration to all, but the fact that others have received offers starts to rule that out. What will be will be.

Really sorry to those disappointed from Oxford. 2 of DD's friends got offers from there, but at least 2 more were interviewed then rejected. There are around 10 of them waiting for Monday. Deeply irritatingly, I have just spent 8 hours driving DD1 there for the Lent term, then coming home again. Gin o'clock is now!

My DD didn’t apply to LSE as she worried about living in such a big city, but thinks maybe she could do a post graduate course there as it probably is the best for her subject. She applied to smaller or college or campus universities.
Today she has been very upset. I thought that, although she has wanted to go to Cambridge for years, she was quite cool and collected about it. Today she has said she is very worried about probable rejection on top of some other ‘rejection’ issues with friends. I think she probably feels the expectation too, from school and friends and family, although we have tried hard not to show any.

Malbecfan I can only assume that there's some method in what can seem like the madness of Durham admissions. It doesn't seem to be the strongest applicants who necessarily get the earliest offers - I've genuinely no idea what gives, though it is true that Durham can be a good insurance for Cambridge science, grades wise, so worth hanging on because it's very unlikely that (for sciences) a Cambridge offeree won't get a Durham offer, although one does come across it relatively often with the humanities.

I don't envy you eight hours. Gin is well deserved after that.

Leeds is my home town, I confirm we've moved on from flat caps and whippets...😂. There are even......night clubs!

Neither of mine considered London universities due to cost considerations being honest. DS's friend is at Kings and his accommodation is £££.

Mind if I ask a non Oxbridge Q? I'll bugger off then. DD's has two top choices now Oxford isn't an option. Her next highest offer grade requirement other than Oxford is one of these two, but they have offered an unconditional if firmed. Great, as it's a course and place she likes very much. The other choice is slightly lower re grade requirements, but if she firms with this choice, then her insurance choice grade requirements would be higher than her firm. How does that work? It's hardly worth putting a second choice.

She's pretty much discounted the other two choices.

Hope that's clear!

malbec - I've done the university drop off today too, not Oxbridge but a fair round trip. Enjoy the gin!

It doesn't seem to be the strongest applicants who necessarily get the earliest offers

That's what lead to my speculation upthread, it might fit if they don't want to give offers to people who'll put them as insurance below Oxbridge or not pick them at all.

Lots of London kids at Manchester too