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Higher education

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Original poster

Anyone still waiting to hear from Durham?

807 replies

PortusCale · 11/02/2019 11:11

Just wondered if anyone else is waiting to hear from Durham for an offer for 2019 entry?

See that offer holder day bookings are now open and I understand college allocation has begun.

DS still waiting here, DS application went through in November.....does this mean a rejection will likely be on its way?

OP posts:
Bowchicawowow · 20/03/2019 10:29

It may be 'studiedly casual' to your dc goodbye but I can tell you with absolutely no fear of contradiction that it's de rigueur for these lads.

goodbyestranger · 20/03/2019 10:34

What I said was that I would expect my DC to have thought that others might look at trackies as studiedly casual. I don't think my DC would have any views at all about people turning up in trackies, but I think they'd think other people might. Easier to pull on some jeans! It's not a big deal.

MariaNovella · 20/03/2019 12:09

I agree with goodbye that a pair of jeans would be less of a statement than trackies at an open day.

Bowchicawowow · 20/03/2019 12:17

They are aren’t making a statement though. You really can’t grasp that can you?

MariaNovella · 20/03/2019 12:19

Yes they are. They aren’t making a statement when they wear their trackers in their home environment but they will be making a statement when they wear them in an environment where trackies aren’t the norm.

MariaNovella · 20/03/2019 12:20

Autocorrect keeps writing trackers...

ApolloandDaphne · 20/03/2019 12:21

I haven't read the entire thread but i just wanted to add my DD's experience of dealing with Durham. It was her first choice and she got offered a place on the course of her choice and the college of her choice. Bristol was her back up. She got her results early (IB) and missed her Durham place by one point. She thought she would be rejected outright but they said she had to wait until the A level results came out. Bristol offered her a place and by then she had decided that in fact she would rather go to Bristol than to Durham. Durham seemed to not quite believe she was choosing to turn them down and not wait and she had to jump through hoops to reject her place.

She is now almost finished her degree in Bristol and has loved every second of her time there. She does not regret turning down Durham.

I guess the moral of my story is that it is likely your DC will have a blast at whatever uni they go to. The whole admissions process feels like torture at the time then they get a place and off they go.

I can't believe my DD is almost finished. It seem like no time at all i was on these threads angsting over admission too!

Bowchicawowow · 20/03/2019 12:22

They aren’t aware that everybody doesn’t dress that way Maria so how can they possibly be making a statement? They are just doing what is normal to them. I can advise my DS that he may want to adjust his clothing to fit in but I can’t have that conversation with his friend. Reading your comments, it’s a given he will be judged but hopefully his fantastic academic achievements will outweigh him not looking right Hmm

MariaNovella · 20/03/2019 12:25

Durham seemed to not quite believe she was choosing to turn them down and not wait and she had to jump through hoops to reject her place.

I think that UK universities don’t quite grasp that students with the IB/French bac/other diplomas whose results come out earlier than A-levels aren’t always working to the same personal timetable as A-level students and that they are very keen to know which university they are going to as soon as they get their results in early July.

MariaNovella · 20/03/2019 12:25

They aren’t aware that everybody doesn’t dress that way Maria so how can they possibly be making a statement? They are just doing what is normal to them.

You are making them sound naive/gormless!

Bowchicawowow · 20/03/2019 12:28

They are both of those things Maria to be honest.

MariaNovella · 20/03/2019 12:29

Academic achievements are great but being a bit streetwise is also important...

ApolloandDaphne · 20/03/2019 12:29

MariaNovella You are absolutely right. And if DD had waited then been rejected by Durham she would have been too late to apply for halls at Bristol. She just wanted to know where she was going and not have to hang on.

Bowchicawowow · 20/03/2019 12:32

They are definitely streetwise. They live in a place where drugs and crime are rife. DS gets approached all the time by drug dealers on his way to college. His mate had to defend himself in a fight last week from another boy. They go to clubs and pubs which make my hair curl with fear. So streetwise yes, but still both as daft as brushes.

TapasForTwo · 20/03/2019 12:32

I have been to several open days, campus tours, offer holder days with my DC, and can safely say that I don't recall seeing any potential students in trackies. Jeans seem to be de rigeur - usually skinny and black.

MariaNovella · 20/03/2019 12:33

They are streetwise in their streets, IYSWIM. They need to learn to be streetwise in other places. It is not a sign of great intelligence not to understand aged 18 that you should adapt your self presentation to the circumstances.

Bowchicawowow · 20/03/2019 12:35

In all honesty I agree Maria. This is what worries me. If they are trying to speak to a tutor and a pointy elbowed parent barges them out of the way they'd both be too gormless to object.

Bowchicawowow · 20/03/2019 12:36

They are both intelligent though.

chemenger · 20/03/2019 12:51

I wouldn’t worry about wearing trackies. I’m an academic at a university with it’s fair share of privileged students. I’d rather speak to a bright student dressed comfortably than a pointy elbowed mother any day. We get all sorts of outfits at out open days from suits and ties to shorts and vest tops (on the odd occasion it’s warm). It doesn’t matter. Plenty of my students come to class in trackies every day, as long as they wash I don’t care. It’s more about whether he would feel uncomfortable than whet others think. Probably when he settles in to an environment where the “uniform” is different he’ll change what he wears, or maybe not.

chemenger · 20/03/2019 12:55

There is no way a pointy elbowed mother with her typed list of questions barges through actual potential students to speak to me, I’m a match for her, believe me.

Bowchicawowow · 20/03/2019 13:02

That’s reassuring chemenger. I have no doubt that if (very big if) they both got in they start off looking like a pair of scallies then come back home looking like Withnail and I. I love daft teenage boys!

bigTillyMint · 20/03/2019 15:21

In a seminar discussing politics/English/ economics/philosophy etc you want people with a variety of views and life experience.
What you said Zanda.

Original poster
PortusCale · 20/03/2019 15:44

Agree bigTillyMint and if you get an interview at Oxford / Cambridge then you have the opportunity to display that. However, when you are only submitting achieved GCSEs, predicted A levels and a PS then that is somewhat limiting and it makes me wonder on what basis those final decisions are made.

The subject my DS is applying for doesn't offer interviews at Durham or St Andrews - or in fact any other university that he has applied to. Perhaps that is the way to go?

OP posts:
MariaNovella · 20/03/2019 15:47

and it makes me wonder on what basis those final decisions are made.

We can only hypothesize, but it is quite easy to imagine that admissions, in this day and age, might sort applicants according to school type and apply a few rough quotas...

Freedobby · 20/03/2019 17:18

I don’t have a vested interest in the UCAS process for this year but was reading this thread as my DC may look at Durham for next year and I was compiling a short-list for open days. I don’t normally comment on things but I am quite surprised at what appears to be the lack of understanding being shown to those students who would be applying to the top universities from less privileged backgrounds. Yes, you would think that a student with top grades across the board would be high up in contention for a place. They have worked hard to achieve those grades. However, places are limited and they may have students who achieved wonderful results, maybe not all with * on them, which would be classed as outstanding based on external factors (including which school/college they went to) or showed exceptional improvement under Progress 8 which may continue at A/degree level. They may be pupil premium students so their parents could not afford D of E/ music lessons/travel to master classes/museums etc to put in their PS. The university may then look at their application on what they think the pupil could achieve with them and if it’s the same as those applying with top grades across the board then they are probably given equal consideration rather than dismissed early on in the process as some of their grades may be slightly lower.

Btw, in my opinion, whatever a student wears to an open day should not matter. The fact that they are prepared to go, are taking an active interest to look at all options to study and progress should be applauded.

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