Oxford open day

[Lovemusic33]

Hi, hope I’m posting in the right place.
My dd has been asked to go to oxford open day next week with several other students. Dd is in only in year ten (sitting GCSE next year) and has Aspergers, most of the other students who are attending at six form students. Dd is very bright and predicted mainly 8’s and 9’s in GCSE so her teacher feels it would be good for her to join them for the open day just to get an idea of where she could go in a few years. She’s very excited about going. I have just received a letter from the school asking dd to pick 3 subjects so she can attend talks on those subjects. I’m now worried that she will be left to attend these talks on her own. Should I be asking her teacher if he plans on staying with her? Her Aspergers can cause anxiety and disorientation.

Has anyone else’s child attended? Is it pretty easy to navigate?

No not at all easy for a Y10 with anxiety who isn't familiar with the city, which will be incredibly crowded. And that's leaving aside three subjects rather than one. I don't think the school has thought this through very well - your DD might well be completely overwhelmed, get upset and be put right off. My advice would be to go to one humanities or science admissions session eg at Magdalen (www.magd.ox.ac.uk/studying-here/as-an-undergraduate/open-days-and-visits/) and then wander quietly around the college and grounds.

www.magd.ox.ac.uk/studying-here/as-an-undergraduate/open-days-and-visits/

Hope that works to click to see the timetable.

Thank you, I know what subjects she will want to choose, likely to be computer studies, English and possibly history. English is what she wants to study at uni (obviously that’s a long way away). I am hoping one of her friends will be going with her and they can team up as she would cope much better, the teacher is very aware of her Aspergers but I’m not sure if he’s really thought it through. I will talk to dd when she gets home.

If she wants to study English at university, is it worth going to a computer science talk? It might change her mind, of course, but I would have thought it would make more sense just to go to the English one - if you look on the Oxford open day page there is a chart with all the talks and lectures for each subject and to go to three departmental talks would be a mad rush. When my son and his friends went to the open day year, they all just went to to the subject talk or lecture for what they wanted to study.

They have been told to put down three choices incase they don’t get to go to their first choice. She’s going to put down English language and literature as her first choice. She doesn’t seem worried about getting lost or being on her own. I have told her to keep her phone on her and not to wear the battery out on the train on the way. I’m still going to worry, luckily a couple of her friends are going but not closing the same subjects, she just seems so immature compared to the six formers that are going. She’s very excited and not anxious at all.

The thing about not getting her first choice doesn't really make sense. It's pretty much go where you want to go.

I mentioned anxiety because you said your DD suffered from it, in which case there might be good reason for concern if left to negotiate a crowded city full of Y12s, with her being so much younger and on her own.

There are other events run by Oxford and Cambridge that cater to younger pupils and she might be better off attending an age appropriate event.

www.oxfordandcambridgeoutreach.co.uk/events/oxford-pathways-year-11-investig see these

My dd went in y10 (they took a minibus) and they were all fine. As her teacher said it's an aspirational thing not the be all or end all if she doesn't make a talk. Tell her she can go and look round another time when she's is nearer choosing and lift any pressure she may feel.

I though Oxford specified on their website that next weeks open day was primarily for year 12s. My ds went to a different event when he was in year 11 . I am anticipating next week will be pretty manic and that planing will be key , When spaces in talks are scarce so am not sure Year 10s should be taking them up .

Red glad to hear that. 2 teachers are going and only around ten students so hopefully they will be kept an eye on. Dd’s Friend is a bit more savvy then her so apart from the talks they will probably be together.

pease apparently places for talks are scarce and dd’s choices won’t be priority over the year 12’s which is why she got asked to pick 3. She may not get a chance to go next year or the year after as it’s just one teacher which has arranged the visit off his own back (he’s also paying for transport), she attends a very small school and they don’t usually do these visits.

There is no point attending a Computing talk unless your DC intends to study A level maths and further maths (if the school offers the latter). These are needed for entry to the degree.

English is one if the most oversubscribed courses at Oxford. What about linguistics as an option? I think the Oxford course is Philosophy, , Psychology and Linguistics.

She’s unsure if she wants to study computing or English, it will depend on her GSCE and A level’s, she’s more likely to study English as she’s almost guaranteed a level 9 in GCSE, she knows she will have to do maths A level to do computing as she has look at the courses and what she needs. She planning on doing English language and literature at A level and Maths/further maths. He predicted GCSE grade for maths is 8 but I think she will struggle to get it.

The talks she has chosen for oxford are..... English, computer science and law but she only really wants to go to the English talk.

It’s very unlikely she will go to Oxford, she has her eye on another uni closer to home. It will be good for her to see a few though, just didn’t plan on it happening for another year or so.

DD4 went to a subject specific Open Day in March and found the numbers of parents cramming into the lecture theatre and taking up seats while Y12s were either on the floor or standing up for the hour (not sure if any couldn't get in) very annoying. I can't think of any good reason for a parent going to a subject lecture at all. They should keep out. A Y10 is obviously different but for a popular subject where there's a limit on seats and where a Y10 won't gain much from the talk anyway my view would be that wandering around colleges would be a better use of the day.

I'd probably also sound a note of caution about 9s. I would expect almost all applicants to have a 9 in their subject of choice and plenty will be applying with all 9s and 8s.

I agree, parents don’t need to be in there. I think years 10’s have only been offered to go as the teacher has space to take them (not many year 12’s are going). I have been told dd is in the top 5% in the country for English, she’s always been a natural at it and doesn’t even try very hard. She’s predicted all level 7-9’s over all subjects, level 9’s in English, computing, history and German, level 8’s and 7’s in maths and science. I know they are only predictions and that she will need all level 8’s and 9’s to attend Oxford. At the moment she wants to go to Exeter Uni, we will be visiting there closer to the time, it’s closer to home and is still a great uni. She’s not got her heart set on Oxford of Cambridge, she knows she doesn’t stand much of a chance of getting a place (though her teachers think it’s possible). We would be looking for the best uni to suit her needs and to support her with her Aspergers.

Lovemusic she won't need all 8s and 9s to apply/ get an offer. I was only suggesting what I'd suggest to my own DC if they'd gone in Y10, which is to skip subject talks (I think they skipped them anyway to be fair! They seemed to go to the general admissions talk and then some went to the subject q and a sessions in tutors' rooms - but these were just a few students at a time. I don't remember any saying they went to an actual talk).

I think that for English Grade 9 is co-terminous with the top 5%?

Goodbye you're right. 4.5% of GCSEs last year were a grade 9 and 20.5% were at grades 7-9. Love your DD doesn't need to fret too much about the number of 7s - 9s she receives next year. This quote comes from the Oxford Admissions web page: Higher grades at GCSE can help to make your application more competitive, and successful applicants typically have a high proportion of A and A* grades or 7,8 and 9 grades.

That bit on the Oxford web page is deliberately encouraging Devondoggydaycare. The reality is slightly less forgiving, certainly from an independent or grammar.

You are so funny Goodbye. The OP seems to come from my part of the world, where there really aren't many top independents and only a few of grammars. Exeter Uni is hardly on the doorstep of Kent, Bucks or London.

Lovemusic she won't needall8s and 9s to apply/ get an offer. which the quote from Oxford seems to confirm. I do find it is far better to take these things from the official website rather than just word of mouth.

Yes I'm in Devon too Devondoggydaycare. I have been for forty odd years despite forays out for uni and to live in London, Eurpoe and the US. It's not just pupils at the top independents who need to accept that they'll be treated as privileged educationally but also those at Exeter School and Taunton and even small schools with less good results such as Truro. Within commuting distance of Exeter there are a number of good to very good grammars all of whose pupils (like my own DC) will go to interview with the privileged label attached. I don't of course know if the OP's DD is at an independent but 'very small school' in the SW context suggests that it's probable, unless it's a specialist school.

Devon your right, dd goes to a small state school, a school that doesn’t have a great ofstead report, I think they have only had a couple students go to oxford in the past 10 years. Exeter is one of the closer uni’s but still not that close. I’m not sure exactly how bright dd is or if she will get into a top uni but her teachers seem pretty sure that she will be able to choose where she goes. Things could obviously change a lot once she starts A levels but she has been pretty consistent so far.

Devondoggydaycare the OP's DD is predicted all 8s and9s - I don't think she has that much cause for concern.

You're also failing to understand the subtleties. The fact is that, assuming an even educational context, an applicant with a high number of A goes forward to interview swimming with the tide but one with few A is swimming against it. The very top grades at GCSE make a significant difference to the chances of securing an offer. That's the reality.

she attends a very small school

Ah I see. It was the use of very which suggested independent in this area.

Even so, Devondoggydaycare may not quite get the average tally of A* grades for the typical Oxford applicant.

Sorry, Europe not Eurpoe.