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?

Cleopatra well done ds2. Dd missed offer holder day cos she was sick but since her train ticket was still valid asked if she could be shown her accomadation and met sober email at the history department. She said they were very helpful and is firing Liverpool and having them as insurance.

I got a last minute rejection from Durham, despite having my grades (all distinctions at access, mature student) in the bag, and a PS/references that Cambridge liked.

Not sure what I could have done better so quite disappointed as they were a very close 2nd choice.

Such good news Coleoptera! After all your DT has been through! I would echo the last few posters - firstly some of the shared rooms are massive and really nice, and also you get a chance to express choices and personality, which the room allocators take into account.
So sorry for all the applicants who haven't got a place - I wish Durham would open up to clearing and adjustment.

I wish Durham would open up to clearing and adjustment.

They did participate last year, though. Or at least, not not intend to participate...
www.dur.ac.uk/study/ug/applicants/adjustment/

If you’re interested in possible vacancies at Durham University you can also find out about adjustment and clearing opportunities
www.dur.ac.uk/study/ug/applicants/

Well that's new! Excellent! Perhaps the other previously closed-shop universities could follow their lead! (eg Cambridge!!!! for ALL previously pooled candidates!!!) This would be an excellent opportunity perhaps for some disappointed applicants.

For all of you worrying about those disadvantaged students ‘weakening’ the academic rigour, don’t worry, they generally won’t.
Here’s some real evidence:
www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Admissions-in-Context-Final_V2.pdf

Remember the universities are only looking at a grade or two difference. And actually some of the ‘advantaged’ candidates get the same A Level grades in the end - having had a higher chance of higher predicted grades and getting in anyway (a bit like me).

Having experience of public, private and state school teaching, as we all know, there is good and bad in each system. I would say, in my experience, private/public school kids are taught to test more which makes sense as the schools need to promote results more. I used to do this as a teacher - my classes’ grades were high so skewed the (state school) department’s scores so much so as I was told off by the Head of Department. I think his lessons were possibly more informative and fun though.

Also, my daughter and I travelled up in the first class carriage to Newcastle last summer. Practically everyone on this packed train was either going to the Durham or Newcastle open day. From the conversations, my Dd deduced she was the only non-privately schooled pupil there (talk of boarding, ski trips and city connections). We were the only two people left in the first class carriages after Durham. The rest of the train got out at Newcastle. This completely confirmed my Dd’s view of Durham applicants and I reluctantly gave in trying to argue otherwise.

My friend went to Durham and studied history in the early 1980s. He was working class from Sunderland. He says there is quite a lot of resentment between rich uni kids v locals, as seen in this article:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/29/students-durham-university-blame-council-selfish

So, if your dc are lucky enough to go to Durham, try and be nice to the locals! If your dc didn’t get in and they are from a private school, maybe the articles above will help. I feel really sorry for those candidates like CBear99’s Dd because it does all feel like a game of chance. However other posters’ talk of ‘what to do with disadvantaged students’ is pretty condescending tbh. I have worked with very bright, disadvantaged students who would possibly be playing pool (the horror) rather than ‘hockey’ whilst others caught up with them in the first year.

My older children didn’t join any of the Facebook or student room groups, they didn’t want to be put off by people’s on line personalities. Lots of those people won’t be on the courses anyway, theit circumstances will change.

Given that we are still more than 4 months away from A level redults day and even further from the actual start of the university term, if he joins in the chat as soon as he gets his college allocation there is plenty of time to get 'into the swing' virtually with potential fellow college members. There will also be lots of students who haven't joined a chat group at all, or who will get in to Durham through it beong their insurance.

I certainly don't think TSR is indicative of the norm in this case coleoptera, most students on offer holder days have their parent accompanying them on their visit. Also, a proportion won't even firm that place. DS didn't engage in any subject group chats or college ones and still found his tribe. Don't overthink this!

Well done to your DS for taking on board the challenge of all that travel.

I've cross posted!

@BigGreenOlives what a shame the visit didn't go to plan!

Now that DD has had a few days how is she feeling??
Intrigued by USP gone wrong...

What are her other options?

BigGreenOlives, at the moment my DS isn't in any of those FB groups. As he pragmatically said, many of those people may not end up at Durham, so what's the point? He's lucky though because it's likely some of his school mates (including close friends) will be going there. Of course, this is assuming that he gets the grades!

Zanda there's always been town and gown - it's not an eigthies thing and certainly not helped by things like this: https: //www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-42128595. Re your DD, you travelled first class so the carriage might have been a bit self-selecting - presumably that was the obvious point.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-42128595

Try not to over think things - my DD decided not to join any chat groups before going to Durham. She did go on the offer holders visit but didn't make any strong connections there. But as she soon as she got to her college (which wasn't her chosen one) she made friends and loved her time at Durham. She always found the "locals" very welcoming and friendly. However, the key ingredient here is that she was always polite and pleasant to them. It works both ways.

DS has also not joined any group chats at all and hasn't been on the offer holder days and won't be going up in April. As others have said, there's a long way to go yet! I think it's important to bear in mind that posts on mumsnet and TSR are a tiny fraction of the views and attitudes of both students, parents and academic staff. If they were, goodness me, we'd all be going to hell in a hand basket!

In terms of the first class train experience, needless to say, that's hardly a litmus test or representative of much.

PortusCale they are friendly to students who aren't obnoxious but there are huge issues about house prices etc.

Coleoptera the TSR/ fb groups are almost wholly irrelevant to what happens during freshers week let alone the first term/ year. Please stop worrying!

Many of your concerns and those of your DS's are absolutely understandable and natural. It's a huge change in the lives of the student and for ourselves as parents. But honestly, I can't think of any one thing that crossed my mind as a worry including the normal 'stuff', like whether DS would manage money, make friends, fall down drunk in a field, work the washing machine, join societies, cope with the course content - not one single one has materialised.

goodbyestranger yes, that's a good point and I can understand the resentment caused if locals feel that they're being priced out of the housing market.

However, on a separate point, we had the situation (as I am sure many do and not just in Durham) whereby DD rented from local landlords who charged extortionate rents and put very little, if indeed anything, back into the properties. One of the houses was shocking to be honest - constant requests to sort out damp was just ignored.

She’s going to firm somewhere else which has the same offer, longer course. Probably.

If you look at the stats for Durham- 66% of children are from state schools, I would also find it hard to distinguish between the DC who were at state grammar schools (plus leafy other state schools) and the DC at private schools, I would go as far as saying that SOME of the families with DC at grammar schools probably have more disposable income.

In terms of offers well done to Cleopatra's DT2 - I am so glad that he has an offer he will consider...well done to everyone else's' DC too and good luck to the DC who are taking up other other offers.

I think some of the Bath offers are very late in being sent out too.

One of my other friends DD's has changed her mind about full-time UNi course and is now hoping to take up a degree apprenticeship and having looked at the details - it looks very attractive with £19k salary and various placements both in and out of London.

I went to an interesting talk yesterday by a very well informed US university admissions consultant who had spent many years as an admissions officer/director at top US universities. She was at pains to point out that top universities are overwhelmed with great candidates and that choosing between them was extremely difficult for universities! Yes, many rejected candidates would feel a sense of injustice and, yes, that sense of injustice might be perfectly rational when they compared themselves to admitted candidates.

Yes, many rejected candidates would feel a sense of injustice and, yes, that sense of injustice might be perfectly rational when they compared themselves to admitted candidates. The problem is that comparing on 'tangibles' such as grades just isn't the whole picture, is it?

There were two girls in my year at school, both 'second setters' who no-one would have marked as Oxbridge material. They got in whereas seemingly brighter ones (on paper) didn't. The difference? I think they were more academic and cleverer in a broader way than some of the others.

Indeed. There is a grade cutoff point below which candidates are on the out pile. But the number of candidates above the grade cutoff is hugely much greater than the number of offers a university can make, based on its yield statistics, and that is where appreciation of qualities not necessarily captured by standardized testing or formulaic national examinations comes into play.

It may well be that a university is totally indifferent to number of A GCSEs beyond 8. So an applicant with 8 A and 12 A* is identical to all intents and purposes. The differentiation factor is elsewhere entirely.