Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

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:
bigTillyMint · 11/03/2019 07:47

CBear99 and others waiting for History offers, DSs gf (who is studying History at Durham) asked a tutor why some students hadnt heard yet and he said they were probably on the "maybe" pile, and the university is waiting to hear back from all of those they have already made offers to so they know how many places they have left.
So the waiting goes on...

CBear99 · 11/03/2019 08:22

All I can say is that it must be an enormous 'maybe' pile of extremely capable students......no one has heard at my DDs school for either History or English which is unusual to say the least.

putthehamsterbackinitscage · 11/03/2019 10:36

I would imagine there are a significant number of offer holders who got their offers in the last month or 2 and haven't yet made their firm and insurance choices.

My DD got her offer for law late January, having applied before the Oxbridge deadline, and is booked on an offer holders day in late March - she will probably not firm anything until after that and DH and I will be abroad - so if she waits to discuss with us, maybe not until mid April.

If that is true for other offer holders there could be a late flurry of further offers close to the final dates?

It's not great for those waiting but I suspect it could be last minute for some.

Backtosigninoptions · 11/03/2019 10:59

It would be interesting to know how many applicants lose interest or get put off by the 'ok I'm a maybe, in that case I'll head somewhere where they really want me.' (Though I'm not sure those waiting are maybes - - with so many applications they may just not have been looked at yet. Would be good to have a Durham AMA). But then, with so many applications, the university may not be too worried about losing a few due to the later offers.

Amelie2505 · 11/03/2019 11:46

My DS is still waiting to hear re history. No-one at his school has heard either. The last post-offer visit days are the 26th and 27th March so it's leaving it pretty late. As far as I can see, making offers late in the admissions cycle for certain courses seems to be the norm at Durham each year although it doesn't make it a comfortable wait for anxious students (and parents/carers). The last email DS received was just before Christmas although all of his other universities have been in regular contact (one of them has even called him). The lack of communication has made him feel 'unwanted' and it has put him off Durham which I'm sure is not their intention.

Needmoresleep · 11/03/2019 12:12

I will confess that four years ago when, despite great GCSE/ASs and predictions, poor DS had a Cambridge rejection and was still waiting on three, I took to phoning admissions anonymously and asking when he was likely to hear. The wait was stressful at an important part of his school career and as his mother, I needed to be able to support him.

To their credit I got straight answers of the "we expect to have made all our decisions by the 20th" type. Worth knowing as I was then knew it was only a few more days, and could plan for the acceptance/rejection. (Luckily one was an acceptance, it would have been very difficult if not. These are bright children who are not used to rejection.)

Bowchicawowow · 11/03/2019 12:55

These are bright children who are not used to rejection.

Everybody gets rejected at some stage in their life and I think that even bright dc need to understand this is absolutely normal.

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 11/03/2019 13:10

I agree with you Bowchicawowow. We have a family member who was one of those very bright children who never failed at anything (and yes they got to Cambridge), until into adulthood. They couldn't cope with the failure they experienced at one point in their career and have suffered with mental health issues ever since. They have a good job but not the pay grade or seniority that should have been theirs for the taking.

Needmoresleep · 11/03/2019 13:36

Yes, but first time hits them hard.

University is the first major thing they will choose and apply to in their new adult lives. They apply in early October. They may not hear till end March, or later. It is tough.

Perhaps they should take it all philosophically, but many lack the perspective and when you at 17, five months can feel like a long time, especially when you are having, simultaneously having to go through mocks, coursework and A level revision. Especially if the sixth form common room is full of friends discussing accommodation etc.

I am pleased that both DC aimed high, even if it meant neither had offers till mid March, and it did mean they got early experience of disappointment and rejection, especially as both ended up in good places. However it was really not easy at the time. Yr13 can be hell.

FlowersWine to all who are still waiting

Bowchicawowow · 11/03/2019 14:12

Some Dc have to deal with a parent dying or being evicted because they are poor or the endless frustration of being bright but being educated in a failing school. If your Dc first experience rejection when they get a no from Durham they are very lucky.

bigTillyMint · 11/03/2019 14:14

I agree, it's a learning process having to wait/feeling rejected and maybe dealing with a rejection. DS seems pretty philosophical about it and does not expect an offer, but it would be good to know so he can firm another offer.

Also DSs gf said Durham have told students that they will let them know if they have to empty their rooms for offer holder days by the end of this week (term finishes 22nd) so maybe they will have decided something by then?!

Coleoptera · 11/03/2019 14:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
PortusCale · 11/03/2019 15:35

Still waiting here....fortunately my DS seems calm and philosophical about it. Feel for everyone in the same position, it can't be much longer now.

OP posts:
CBear99 · 14/03/2019 18:32

There seems to have been a flurry of History offers on other threads but DD is still waiting ....sigh ..... I'm not sure who is more stressed out. Luckily everyone else also still waiting from her school. She's now struggling to sleep. It's really not on.

Reasontobelieve · 14/03/2019 19:09

I rang Durham on behalf of my dd this week, as she applied in October. I was told that they will be making all their offers by the end of the month. Given that the offer days are also at the end of the month - and there is another is April - it is quite a tight timescale.

Coleoptera · 14/03/2019 19:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bigTillyMint · 14/03/2019 20:18

DS Is still waiting, but thankfully doesn't seem to be bothered. It just feels so arrogant of Durham to string out the waiting like this.

CadburysTastesVileNow · 15/03/2019 07:56

I hope today is the day, guys.

Fazackerley · 15/03/2019 10:27

Dd still hasn't heard from the uni she really wants to go to either (not Durham). I really hope some of the posts on here are exaggerated. Resilience in the face of things not going exactly as you would hope is a valuable tool. She's irritated but sanguine.

Fazackerley · 15/03/2019 10:30

I don't see how there can be a 'last resort' pile as they don't have to firm until May, so the universities have no real idea of numbers. DD thinks its our surname (towards the end of the alphabet!)

Fazackerley · 15/03/2019 11:07

Apparently unis don't have to reply until the beginning of May. I thought it was end of March, so we might be waiting even longer.

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 15/03/2019 12:34

I don't see how there can be a 'last resort' pile as they don't have to firm until May, so the universities have no real idea of numbers. I'm sure an in depth analysis of previous years' 'firming/insuring' patterns across each and every university will show whether the universities are 'on target' (or not) at this stage of the process.

Fazackerley · 15/03/2019 12:42

But if they've made an offer to someone they almost certainly won't have heard back yet? So how can they know? I am sure patterns will change hugely dependent on various factors.

I guess they can have a slush pile that they only make offers to if they are getting desperate Grin I'd like to think that dd wouldn't be in that though!

bigTillyMint · 15/03/2019 17:32

Apparently DS got an offer from Durham yesterday. But no-one told me Grin

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 15/03/2019 19:42

Well done to your DS, bigTillyMint. I think DS was very, very lucky to get all his offers within six weeks....