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?

Still waiting - at this stage I feel it will most likely be a rejection. From what I’ve gleamed on student room it seems that Durham are offering lower grades if Durham is firmed. Why can’t they just reject DS now and be done with it. It seems very unfair to me.

Sorry, feeling extremely fed up with it all!

Malbecfan just in time for the huge white nappy to have finally been removed from the cathedral, after three long years!

PortusCale with all A* grades it really does seem completely nuts.

@PortusCale - it looks and is probably clearly evident from Mumsnet that the higher rank universities are looking for wider participation this year.

Education is certainly not a level playing field in the UK and I for one think any move in wider participation is good based on the fact that all DC being offered initial places would have predicted grades for the given course even if grades are subsequently lowed if firmed- this I feel is a move by Durham to try and estimate what places will be taken up.

I didn't think Durham would be petty when looking at applications from potential Oxbridge students - but it does have to gauge whether offers will be taken up if students are offered places at both Universities (Durham and Oxbridge).

There really does need to be more social mobility - otherwise, we get the situation we are in now - Stalemate with Brexit because of such a massive divide and a lack of understanding of the wider needs of the population.

Sympathies to those still waiting, and those who have had disappointing news. Yr 13 can be a really stressful time and I am with those who say it would be better for all to apply after results are out (has to be everyone though, or you get the 'predicted/dropped' grades factor confounding things for those who already have results). Yes, I know, huge logistical problems!

Anyway, on to my Durham question. Has anyone had a recent offer but still waiting for college allocation and invite to offer holder day? I posted on the 'main' thread as well, so sorry to those who have already seen this! As the last offer holder day is next week, all feels as though timing is a bit tight - especially as ideally dc would do the evening before the day as well.

Best for dc just to watch and wait for e mail, or is it time to ask for more info?

oneteen - social engineering by discrimination is not good or right so I fail to see how you assume it’s ok. There is so much more than can be done from a positive action perspective to encourage more students to apply from a broader range of backgrounds but that is not the same as applying different standards to different groups to get the representation up. As for Brexit I know it has become the byword for all that is wrong but it really has absolutely nothing to do with this issue.

Wider participation is not ‘social engineering by discrimination.’

You might argue that 'social engineering by discrimination' aptly describes our current education system.

But, fingers crossed someone hears something today!

"wider participation is not discrimination" - that is what I said when I referred to positive action so I am glad you agree with me . However discriminating against a group of people is. It may be a nuance but there is a very important difference between positive action to make this a fairer society and discrimination to achieve the same goal.

What’s your point? Are you upset that dc from private schools or good postcodes are being disadvantaged? That’s how I am reading it.

Bowchica I've been actively involved in widening participation issues for many years but even so, when a DC with a full set of A* from GCSEs doesn't get an offer from Durham, albeit for History (which at Durham is more competitive than most subjects), then either something else is awry in their application (such as the personal statement seriously annoying the tutor within the History Dept (since on those grades the application will certainly be put forward to the Dept from central admissions ), or whatever policy change has been instituted is insufficiently finely tuned. But an offer may yet be forthcoming!

) for good measure!

I had a young relative who had all A* at GCSE and impeccable A levels who didn’t get into their university of choice. They just got on with things with little complaint. I am certain they didn’t feel the level of righteous indignation demonstrated in this forum. I worry when wider participation is described as ‘social engineering by discrimination’ when they aggrieved don’t grasp the advantages their dc have enjoyed.

Which uni was that Bowchica? If it was Oxford or Cambridge then that's rather different.

One of those

One of the issues that admissions face is multiple almost indistinguishable very good candidates from private schools with a full hand of GCSEs (or IGCSEs) at A*, A-level predictions that meet or exceed standard offers, a great range of recognizable extracurricular activities (ABRSM, DofE, county sports...) and a well written PS that ticks all the boxes. Lovely but what happens when there are far more of these excellent but ultimately conservatively educated candidates than a department wants? Some of them won’t get offers.

Yes I thought that might be the case. To be fair, that's not a valid comparison Bowchica.

Yes Maria but the point is that some kids and their mothers grasp this and others don't.

It is a fair point goodbyestranger when talking about expectations and dealing with rejection

I am upset that there seems to be a general view that using arbitrary measures like postcode profiling seems to be ok as a way of achieving fairness when by its very application it is not fair.

On another note, it would seem that Durham is facing other problems....
www.palatinate.org.uk/operations-review-threatens-redundancy-for-college-staff/?fbclid=IwAR3IPA3tmCAj1g3hNYD6IlbuGqVhs5IxKsE0ddj1d6PwyhNos1Aw4voE4Ww

Surely good grades with little support or advantage is better than slightly better grades with much support or advantage? Obtaining good grades despite a disadvantaged background is much more impressive IMHO.

Bowchicawow - I agree, some parents have invested years/£££ honing their model child and have lost sight of the fact that their DC will, by resembling a poster child, be almost indistinguishable from too many others. It is of course bitterly disappointing for those families who have done nothing wrong other than minimise risk to the point where their own conservatism backfires.

Portus Have you ever expressed any upset about the disparity in pupil premium, or the cuts that places like Liverpool experienced being far greater than areas like Oxfordshire? Are you only upset when the unfairness affects privileged children?

My DS who is in his first year of A levels was told by his sixth form college that Durham has a very low pupil satisfaction rating and is poor value for money in terms of the fees compared to the teaching and resources students receive. He felt they were being steered well clear of it. That article is therefore very interesting.

Bowchica if you're aware of just how few applicants will actually have full sets of A in the History Dept at Durham and at Durham generally, it's not a valid comparison, on the grounds that Durham doesn't interview or do aptitude tests for History. Expectation of a place at Oxford or Cambridge has to be tempered by the knowledge that the interview and or aptitude tests at Oxford and Cambridge can bring down those with a full hand of A grades. In this case, at Durham, there should be a reasonable expectation of a place, since only a tiny fraction of the school population get a full set of A (MN completely misrepresents the actuality) and only a clutch of those will be applying for History at Durham. A full set of A with not a single grade dropped is a big achievement and a very strong indicator of future potential.