Anyone still waiting to hear from Durham?

[PortusCale]

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?

Portuscale yes Durham would be her first choice. She also has Exeter and Warwick as possibles. Warwick has by far the best course - Medieval and Modern History with a term in Venice and an optional year in Melbourne but the History Society Facebook issue has really put her off unfortunately. She can be quite shy and anxious at times so an atmosphere like that would be her worst nightmare. I'm sure Warwick have now sorted it out but she's read all the reports.

If it’s any consolation I applied to Durham 36 years ago and only got my offer on 31 March. Back then we were encouraged to expect universities to take the whole time window . It seems perverse that on the one hand we want Universities to consider each potential student individually but when they do that and therefore take longer we complain.

It seems perverse that on the one hand we want Universities to consider each potential student individually but when they do that and therefore take longer we complain.

I think that people don’t always understand the complexity of admissions. Having recently observed two admissions processes from the admissions side I have even greater admiration than previously for how delicate a task it is to create a fair and unbiased admissions process.

Warwick's course does sound good CBear99 but fully understand your DDs concerns. I hope she gets good news soon and then she can move forward.

I think frustration is more apt a description than complaining. DS has not contacted Durham since his application was sent off and is patiently waiting but it has to be seen that it is extremely frustrating and can, for some, be mentally draining/challenging.

We are all more aware, as a society, of mental health issues and it can be hard when others around you are confirming, insuring, going to offer holder days, making plans for the future and spurred on to do their best and you appear to be stuck in some kind of limbo - probably the closest thing akin to Brexit!

Perhaps it was better 36 years ago when there were no forums or social media to see what was being expressed by others and you really just had the chat between school friends - both for the student and for parents! I am quite sure that admissions is a very complicated business but that on the other side of the fence it is frustrating! Frustrating but understandable.

There is undoubtedly some correlation between the complexity (which includes length) of the admissions process and the selectivity (which includes quality) of the course, PortusCale. Maybe some of your DS’ friends weren’t applying for courses as selective as his choices?

Good luck to all.

After going through this with DS (two rejections, one offer in March) we had the same with DD, though for medicine so we expected it. This time two offers one rejection. Luckily we had the gap year fall back well thought out.

By the time March was over she was emotionally exhausted, and found it hard to pick herself up for A level revision. Not least her three interviews came in the same week as two course works were due. Luckily for her, her predictions were comfortably higher than her offers so it did not matter that she dropped grades in all but one of them. By Easter she could not see herself being ready to start a new challenge that September (other things had happened during the year which had also added to the stress) so she asked for, and was given, a late deferral. Something she does not regret at all. Yr13 is tough enough without a long wait.

If you read my post Goodbye it states 60 places to indie DC and 110 to state school (other).

Based on overall offers I would have thought that they must send out 180 offers to fill the 60 places

oneteen I think you can see that this sentence may not say what you intend to say - I'm actually still not clear what you do mean to say.

And the 42% offer rate suggests more than three offers to every place in any event.

I can understand why you would be confused...my last statement was purely Indie school stats because I believe all the 3 DC waiting go to Indies. The DC who attend Indies accept more of the offers made by Durham so I would expect the offer percentage to be slightly different....hence why I quoted around 180/60 if it was equal it would be 218/60...just for DC at Independent schools.

Where did you find the source for those figures oneteen? Please could you post a link?

The main stats are here....www.dur.ac.uk/student.registry/statistics/summary/

Whst is the relevance of January 8th, btw?

ah that was me marchingfrogs, I mentioned 8 Jan because from memory it was the closing date for UCAS applications? (may be a couple of days out though!)

So my thinking was that the selective universities might wait until then so that they can look at all the applications before making all the decisions - given that there's supposed to be no advantage to applying early/disadv to applying later, they may think that's the best way. (Though we know that some of the Durham offers go out well before then, so that is not the whole explanation!)

I’ve been following this thread with interest, my DD may be looking to apply to Durham in the next year or two, however, her current application has 3000 applicants for 30 places. I know it’s not s competition to the bottom here, but honestly a 42% offer rate sounds such good odds compared to DD!

may be a couple of days out though!

A week, actually UCAS deadline was 15th January. I thought it might be that, but since neither DS1 nor DD has been a Durham applicant, I wondered whether it was another quirk of the university. And yes, some universities, or individual departments, do employ a 'gathered field' process, but as you say, Durham doesn't seem to have this as a university-wide policy, at least.

I think it's really unfair that some universities take so long to put out all their offers/rejections - very hard on the ones who desperately want to go there to have to keep waiting.

DS won't be going to an offer holder day as he has stayed in his gf's college and joined in with meals/other activities, has been to a lecture with her and been to study in the library so I think all boxes ticked there!

There are posts over on TSR re IR applicants being offered Anthropology instead...

Just had a look on student room and feel even more resigned than ever of a rejection especially after reading this:

Highly expecting to be rejected today! I applied for History to Durham last year as well, and they waited until 23rd March (a Friday) to tell me they were not going to accept me. After some quite nice feedback, I decided to reapply. Now, it is around the same time of the month a year later, and I still haven't received a response (aside from an acknowledgement). Half of me has lost all hope and half of me is hoping for a miracle. It is my dream uni!

I saw that last year, too - waiting until the end of March before dumping many hundreds of rejects in a blitz before the 31 March deadline. An FOI request showed that only 1 offer was made in History during March 2018 with several scores of rejections.

This year, however, Durham has been making offers far later - some on TSR have had their offers over the course of this week. So yes, it's late, but not quite midnight.

Slightly an aside, but whenever I go onto TSR (which I admit isn't often at all) I find it the most confusing site ever to navigate.

Therefore I have no contribution to make to the discussion by this post!

Again, as I've said before, fingers crossed you get news today. It's just another weekend to wait otherwise.

Portuscale I've seen the same. The odds are against us I think. Those of you with DCs at grammars (there seem to be a lot of you) don't realise how lucky you are if they are still considered to be state schools -it looks as though they are from the information in this thread yesterday. We don't have any near us so we don't have that option but ones I know of in neighbouring counties are far more selective and academic than my DDs school. Our options were the local state where she would be with the girls who had constantly bullied her for being shy and slightly 'nerdy' at her state primary or for her to get a scholarship to the local girls' independent school which she did and where she has thrived. Her teachers describe her as one of the most outstanding historians they have seen - so it really will be Durham's loss. I hope we get some news today - good or bad so we can all move on.

I agree CBear99 it looks very much as if the odds are against us. I feel very much for the student who posted that on Student Room - to be going through this for a second time seems very harsh indeed. I have a gut feeling we will know more later on this evening as Durham seem to have given out History offers/rejections on a Friday pm. Or maybe we will have to wait until next Friday!

It sounds as though it will be Durham's loss if they do reject your DD. We too have no grammar schools in our area, how I wish we had. A friend of mine in Kent has a few near to her, we don't even have one.

Would your DD consider taking a year out and reapplying to say Oxford/Cambridge - and possibly Durham - if rejected? I think that is what my DS will do ultimately. He has offers from 2 other unis and although he is lucky to have those, they are not ultimately what he wants. I think his determination will see him through to reapplying next year.

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.

I'm assuming that the lack of understanding is coming from parents, rather than academic staff. Neither myself nor my colleagues would give a rat's wotsit if you turned up in tracksuit bottoms and are very keen to recruit students who do not appear as if to the manor born.

Incidentally, this thread / topic ("not heard from Durham") turns up every year on MN!

*GCAcademic" I don't think there's been lack of understanding - frustration maybe at the lengthy process but not a lack of understanding. Maybe if things were more transparent that might help.

And why should it matter what somebody wears - track suit bottoms or otherwise? You say you are keen to recruit students who do not appear as if to the manor born. What do you mean by that exactly?

GCAcademic: with respect, students may opt for jeans over trackies out of mild concern for what their peers might think in terms of 'Is someone here trying to make a statement?' I don't think they'd give a rat's wotsit about admissions staff or tutors! I think you miss the point.