Oxbridge 2020 (6)

[Justneedatemporaryname]

New thread ready for when the old one gets filled up!

Impressive stamina, Hugo. He has energy. I knew DS was unlikely to have the stamina for a night with friends even though he insisted on it right up until he was half an hour from home.

That's a really positive way of looking at it, @Hobbema. They really do work so hard.

Sorry - did I put something outing. Can't remember now.

No problem @hattymattie, but yes I PM'd you to say don't worry but I'd reported your post and my reply as both were outing!

@coleoptera, I was thinking this morning about those whizzkids he mentioned. I teach a bit on a post grad course and I know that the only criteria I'd look for in a student is that they were passionate about and talented at the subject I teach. If they can also speak twenty languages and have a gold medal as a gymnast I might be intrigued by them and very impressed at their talents per se. But part of me might think: dilettante? Is this their absolute passion? I might be more inclined towards the student with no shiny badges on their lapels who just read widely in the subject we both love and wanted to deepen their knowledge of that alone. And I suspect that is true of most Oxbridge dons.

Coleoptera I think that your DT2 sounds as though he's massively inflating in his own head the general ability of those who get offers. It's a fantasy that Oxford is populated with genius level kids, even in a popular subject like History. Neither of my two boys who did History had the sort of 14A* GCSE profile that your DT2 seems to think is required, yet both got offers and both went onto get Firsts. Honestly, DT2 shouldn't spoil his Christmas by fretting that he's up against a wall of intellectual giants; most are just pretty smart, but certainly falling short of genius (mine are smart but absolutely not genius, despite doing well once at Oxford). But since you went to Oxford yourself, surely you've disabused him of that already? Or do you think the profile of those going has changed that radically over the intervening years?

Coleoptera, the internal post mortem is ongoing here too! If my DD was a genius level whizz kid , which she isnt, I’d hope she also had the self insight and sensitivity not to be signposting it to the world , though nerves can do funny things to anyone and they’re all just kids/twadults. Most of the applicants DD saw over 2 days were nice, polite, nervous kids, hands shaking uncontrollably holding source papers etc, not bragging about their credentials. How not to feel for them all? I withdrew a post a bit earlier , worth rementioning just how much attention had gone into her application by the interviewers, truly impressive.

Easy thing to say: there are so many variables at work, some of which you as a candidate won't even have observed, and the one variable you do know (how you think you performed in interview) is demonstrably unreliable as a predictor, so stop tying yourself in knots about whether you've made the cut or not.

Hard thing to do: follow the above advice.

Also, last year, several extremely bright peers of my DTs who had all top grades, national awards in their subject, socially articulate and engaged - didn't get offers - some pre-interview and some post-interview and this was a real eye-opener.

This surprises me too. If one extrapolates from that that the standard is even higher than all top grades, national awards etc etc then I haven't got the foggiest how my own DC got offers, given the lack of contextual flags. I still think that the average standard must be less astronomically high than your DT2 believes, and that perhaps his school peers had an irritating manner or somehow didn't fully engage.

Oops I see that you wrote specifically that they would have engaged.

Yes, Coleopatra - actually I think it's my DW who would happily grill DS about his interviews (in the unlikely event he would consent to such interrogation), and keeps going round in circles about whether he's made it or not. I try to put it behind us for now, but as I say it's not easy.

Grandson had a nice time at Oxford, nobody has bragged about their GCSE results though! He was happy to meet plenty of state school kids, which reassured him. His grades are by no means stellar, and he is not absolutely desperate for a place. He also really likes Edinburgh so is not going to be too gutted if he ends up there. Honestly, these kids will thrive wherever they go

Goodbye Stranger - last year a girl in DS's class who was not considered one of the high fliers got a very low offer from Cambs. Some of the brilliant ones whom you would expect to get in didn't. It's all a bit of a mystery.

Those of you with twins. Wishing you the best of luck for both of them - I can only imagine the heartache of managing an uneven outcome.

@HugoSpritz

I've heard similar stories of outstanding students stuffed to the gills with A*s and awards not being chosen. It's baffling.

Though (anecdotally) someone at DC's school last year missed a place because they didn't get the needed grades at A level and a phone call was made. To be fair, there were some shocking extenuating circumstances which affected the A level grade so perhaps once this context was given, Cambridge decided to accept him anyway.

Been reading about all the interviews this week! Well done to all of your DC's for making it through! I really hope that everyone (DC's and DPs) can manage to put it out of their minds for a few weeks now!

DS is off to Oxford tomorrow and there until Saturday. As he's doing maths he knows that he'll be interviewed by at least 2 colleges (although he doesn't know which second college it will be).

Fortunately DD comes home from uni tomorrow so I am hoping having her home will distract me a bit from wondering how DS is getting on!

Once again, the international competition is very strong with absolutely brilliant qualifications (think the equivalent of more than 14 As at GCSE, numerous A level equivalents taken early and top top grades, other extra qualifications too*

One of DD's classmates is this level. If he doesn't get in then I really don't know who the hell they're taking.