Oxbridge Aspirants: Sep 2021

[funkysatsuma]

Not sure if it's too early to start this thread in Nov 2019 :)

DS would like Cambridge Economics as the first choice. Would like to know where can we get some help to prepare for the ECAA test - appreciate any pointers/links. Thanks in advance

DD has an offer for PPE. One of my favourite Christmas presents was a white chocolate polar bear she bought me in the market after totally crashing & burning in one of her interviews.

Dd starts year 13 in Sept. She wants to study English at Cambridge. Durham is her second choice. Just been told teachers predictions are in line with Cambridge. Long way to go yet though..final exams when she gets back/a level exams etc 😊 she's chosen her favoured college and desperately wants to get a choral scholarship

DD’s school, state school in Ireland no history of sending pupils to Oxbridge and with little experience with UCAS, have said they will not discuss PS or anything to do with an application until September.

I found a teacher from one of the fee paying schools here that does send pupils to Oxbridge occasionally to talk to her so she is starting on her PS next week.

At the moment we can’t travel to GB and I can’t see that changing any time soon so choosing the other universities for her UCAS will be a challenge. We went to Oxford, UCL, Durham and St Andrews open days last year. DD liked Oxford, Andrews and Durham but definitely does not want to go to London so she needs 2 more universities.

@chimneypot Re open days you are miles ahead of most people then. DS1, and as far as I can see all his friends had intended to go to open days this summer term, so hasn't been to any so we are choosing all five sight unseen, which won't be unusual

Sight unseen here too!

I just saw on another thread that A Level A* predictions for current yr 13s were up this year from 8% to nearly 15% if I have understood correctly. Apparently they are going to be moderated “leniently” but this still is a bit of a bugger for the yr 12s if many yr 13s decide to withdraw from UCAS and have a more aspirational bash.

Irma - I think the teachers’ assessment at for A were almost double what the percentage of A awarded last year, which might mean quite a big “chop off” at the lower ends of subject rankings in many schools. To be honest though, the more students that get the grades for Cambridge this year, the better, because it will mean less taking the Autumn exams for guaranteed deferrals. Give them all their A* please OFQUAL!

Good point!!!

ChimneyPot - what subject?

Seasonfinale
PPE

ChimneyPot I've sent you a PM.

Chimneypot they are some high grade entry unis . She might need one of the other choices to be a great uni back up option which has a lower grade entry. My daughter did with Leicester as it was 2 grades lower (ABB) so was a good clearing option/or insurance if she didn't get in some of the other unis submitted.

10K I really do hope they get A's . Anyone whos applied for Oxbridge are in the A brackets when it comes to exams, so hopefully that should reflect on the teacher grade awards this year. My daughters come from a school who still did AS' and they were great grades last August, but mocks in feb this year she didn't take as seriously since they was not going to count for the real thing. But back then no-one knew covid was going to have such an impact, so I really hope they go with her assessments, AS, and G.C.S.E and interim tests.

@ChimneyPot, your DD can submit her UCAS form by the Oxbridge deadline with just Oxford, Durham and St Andrew's listed, if those are definite choices, then add another two at any time up to the January 15th deadline (or after that - many universities will still accept later applications, but only have to guarantee to give equal consideration to on time applicants). That would give her a bit more time to research options and possibly visit.

@beethecrackon24995 - just saw your post. I have a DS also applying to Cambridge who would probably also try for a choral scholarship if he received a conditional offer. As far as I understand it, you can apply to different colleges for different choirs - it’s not only the one you have the offer through, is it? They do range in terms of commitment, by the look of it. Also, you can be in a choir there without a scholarship, I think?

Hi '10km'. I'm not sure of the finer details although dd is. She put a lot of work into finding the right college for her. She has chosen one that has equal intake for state and private schools (she goes to a private) and chose a college that has its own chapel choir. Thats what she has been really missing since lockdown (chapel choir). Shes just been made head choirister and head of orchestra so shes even keener.

DS’ teacher said that the balance of state v independent doesn’t really matter, it’s more the number of state applicants v offers made and the number of independent sector applicants v offers made - ie these should stay roughly proportional. I heard St John’s has reputation for the most independent school students? King’s apparently takes 80% from the state sector but again, this can be misleading because many will be grammar school anyway, and it’s simply because 80% of applicants to that college are from the state sector, so not that the independent applicants are at a disadvantage particularly, or being squeezed out.

DS is at an independent too, but it’s a London one - very liberal, co-ed, very urban, diverse environment, etc - so a million miles from the likes of Eton, etc. He’s a bass and he’s done a lot of singing in all kinds of scenarios!

Can I join? Dd hoping for Oxford to study Biology. Very disappointed in no real life open days and have wondered about going over to get a feel for the places but after looking on YouTube she has decided which college she wants (and trying not to get caught up in it all). She working on her PS for 1st draft with her tutors but knows it’s more unlikely than likely, but if you don’t apply........
Her school (LA Grammar) have a reasonable reputation and have put her on the Oxbridge path and she has been working at all areas suggested.
If it works out, it works out, but she’s trying hard not to base everything around it

Hello, all, DS1 has just received his Scottish Highers results and is a happy bunny

We are looking at Oxbridge as he has the grades and is quite a good thinker, however he has No Clue WHAT he might want to do with himself.

Where do we even begin??
His special 'talent' is maths/physics, he hated history (so delighted with a B there ), does anybody have any pointers please?

We were going to attend various universities this summer for their open days, but that obviously did not happen.
I feel really lost and any ideas would be much appreciated.

I would look at Oxford rather than Cambridge as they are actively trying to "recruit" students from Scotland.

www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/visiting-and-outreach/outreach-events/events-students/near-you/outreach-activities-in-scotland

@PacificDogwood Apologies for being unfamiliar with scotland, but does having his highers mean he is finished or does he have another year to go?

I.think after Highers there are Advanced Highers

Yes, he's going back for a 6th year to do Advanced Highers.
He's quite academic and was always going to go back to school after this summer, but I cannot tell you how relieved I am that he is not faced with university under current circumstances.
Who knows where we are going to be in a year's time??

Thank you for everybody's input/links

Just checking in. Hi everyone, only three more weeks until we go back (maybe/possibly/probably!). Haven't yet had any info on how they are going back, but had a full bill, so seems probable!

DD on version XXX of PS, has now combined the best of the first several and I think she is getting there. I think we have had too many cooks, she shows it to so many people, and all have a slightly different take, so it has been a struggle. Waiting to see if her teacher will look at her latest version, and give it the thumbs up, previous versions having been shot down in flames.

She has also done a couple of HAT papers, and self marked, and will give them in when she gets back, and do another couple to marked by her teacher. She is mid field at the moment, and of course difficult to tell when you are self marking a humanities paper. So much easier for DD1 who did the BMAT, the answer is either right or wrong.

Also doing lots of reading and listening to stuff on line. So, she is doing really well, I think, and hopefully can go into the process knowing she has done her best, not easy for DD, as she tends to be very hard on herself.

No help for dd from school. The HE person suggested that the Oxbridge aspirants for each subject sent each other their personal statements - dd hasn’t started yet but she said if she had she wouldn’t be sharing with her subject rivals! Worse, the HE person says there’s no reason why people can’t apply for the same subject to the same college. Hopeless! Worst of all, when dd told she would like to apply to Oxford, Durham, St Andrews, the woman said that dd was discounting very good universities not in the top 20, and why was she not looking at the local one (a former HE college).

Who needs enemies when you’ve got “helpers” like this person in charge of HE? Dd has me who has been gleaning info for years, but many kids will not have someone who has been haunting MN/TSR like a bad smell and they are being fed some duff information. I don’t know whether the HE person is clueless or has two bags of McCain oven chips on each shoulder...