Oxbridge 2020 (6)

[Justneedatemporaryname]

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

It was the phrase 'fleet of foot' that stuck in memory......it made me chuckle.

Dropped DS1 this afternoon. Coq au vin and chocolate cake for supper. Card games in the JCR. Interviews at 11 and 4 tomorrow. Nice people and an en suite. He's happy. I'm happy. What will be will be....

DC applied for humanities. Got totally wrong footed in the first interview because there was an additional interviewer from a completely unrelated subject there as well, then was asked to do something that they hadn’t anticipated. 2nd interview not quite as bad but didn’t really gel with the interviewer and the focus was all on one tiny part of something mentioned in the PS, so no feeling that a wide ranging discussion had been had.
Oh well, time to focus on Christmas and try to forget everything else!
Good luck to those who still have interviews and fingers crossed for everyone

I am sure that it went better than your DC thinks.
There's nowt anyone can do about it now anyway so we will just have to sit back and see what happens.
DD is taking the view that she fluffed it so isn't worried any more....I think that's a good approach since she won't be disappointed in Jan when the results come out

Good luck for all of this weeks' batch.

@sandybayley - you make it sound like a really fun excursion!

sandy did you manage to squeeze in some lovely Oxford Christmas shopping after dropping him off?

No Christmas shopping but did grab tea and cake!

I think DS1 does see it as fun tbh! He's doing what he loves and has got away from the boomers for a couple of days. He's not particularly stressed as he has the Durham offer in hand.

Those are decent times for interviews sandy, 11 and 4.

Hi everyone, thought I'd update you on what happened to DS as I haven't posted in a while but have been reading all the post interview comments - good experiences and not so good.

Unfortunately it wasn't a good day at all for DS. He was so looking forward to it too - he had 3 interviews and the first was extremely harsh (to be honest I thought the interviewer was actually very rude to him) which left him feeling in very poor mental shape for the next two. He said they were "ok" but he isn't expecting an offer and has put it out of his mind - we haven't mentioned the whole interview day again.

The main problem is that despite having good grades in hand, he hasn't had offers from his top two choices - so I am feeling pretty down about it all. And I am sure he must be too but he internalises everything.

I know hindsight is a wonderful thing but I am beginning to wonder if he's made a big mistake in reapplying with no guarantee of getting his second or even third choice. The thought of having to wait until the end of March or even beyond to hear fills me with dread.

I wondered if you knew of anyone who'd been in this situation or what you think about it?

I know hindsight is a wonderful thing but I am beginning to wonder if he's made a big mistake in reapplying with no guarantee of getting his second or even third choice

I wouldn't ever regret going for something that you really want. Yes, the waiting is torture though.

That's so unfair that he got a rude interviewer. One of DD's was lovely but the other one apparently seemed 'as though they didn't care'.

@PortusCale, I'm sorry to hear your DS thought it didn't go well, though anecdotally (school tales) I've heard of an awful lot of cases where the disaster interviewees are offered places and the ones who think they cruised it aren't.
Has he actually been rejected by his next two choices, or just not heard? DS2 went into his Cambridge interviews without a single offer. He was silly and didn't put down a safe bet because he said he had no intention of accepting a safe bet. He wanted to aim high. What none of us thought through is that it's actually quite a morale-boost to have offers already when you go into an interview. So far he has nothing at all. It is scary. Some unis (esp London colleges for Humanities) seem slow to offer.

I imagine that it's just a matter of time, Portuscale. If he has good grades in hand, the level that the unis he's applied to ask for, and a reasonably good PS, he'll get some offers. In the unlikely event that he doesn't, there were a lot of good options in Clearing last year.
My DD had a very bad interview day, and is also not talking about it. I'm now worrying that she might not get the grades for her 2nd choice. Wish she had good grades in hand!

DS2 went into his Cambridge interviews without a single offer. He was silly and didn't put down a safe bet because he said he had no intention of accepting a safe bet. He wanted to aim high.

All my DDs choices are aspirational for the same reason as your DS. If all goes well, her insurance will have very similar grade requirements to Cambridge. Massive risk, but she knows what she wants. I think we should be proud that at this young age they are willing to take calculated risks.

@Torchlightt - there really were some heartening offers in clearing last year. I saw DS2's course offered at SOAS and thought - not too bad, if everything goes pear-shaped. A degree from SOAS is a good start in life.

PortusCale- does he have any offers at all or did he only put 3 down?

I can't see how it's ok for any interviewer to be even borderline rude Portus. What's that supposed to achieve? DD had one very harsh interviewer (out of six though) - absolutely didn't agree with much of anything DD said (probably fair, but it was said rather emphatically....).

Portus given your DS's grades I can't see how Durham could fail to offer, even if it drags its heels.

Thanks for your replies and thoughts - he does have 2 offers but he has always aimed high and he wouldn’t be happy with those.

The two he’s still waiting to hear from are very much his top two. It’s just worrying not to have heard from when I read on here and and TSR that offers have been made.

Oh goodness I'm agonising. DS had his first maths interview at 9 this morning and has another at 2.30. He's been told he will also be interviewed at a 2nd college tomorrow, but has just been asked to attend an interview today at 5.30 at a 3rd college?? Does that mean he has been pooled? He said the first interview was ok - could have been better and could have been worse.....

Just seen your post goodbyestranger - I really do hope that Durham will offer but please let it not drag on and on!

At one point in his interview he said he wanted to ask why the interviewer was being rude but felt that he didn’t want to blow his chances totally. He’s questioned whether or not he was being over sensitive but he has come to the conclusion that he wasn’t - and all in all DS is a very measured, calm type. I just don’t understand why it was necessary to conduct the interview as it was. I can’t say too much as I feel it might be identifying but suffice to say that had it been me, with a few more years experience and confidence on my side, I would have likely questioned it. But again....hindsight.

@PortusCale That's horrible - poor kid. My DS hasn't heard from Durham either and is stressing about it too but apparently they are notoriously late with offers.

DietCocoaBreak since he hasn't even finished his first college interviews the most likely thing is standardisation or the third college being less than confident about its own pool of applicants and going out on the prowl for more. DS3 had the same situation (called to another college before he'd finished his first college interviews) and it was clear subsequently that that college felt it was likely to be short of the right quality of applicant (DS3 got an offer from his first choice college in the end but was told that the other college would also have made an offer had the first college not). He was History but almost identical situation.

DD (at Oxford) is definitely "fleet of foot" in terms of thinking and speaking. DS2 (Cambridge applicant) has a more considered approach to speaking and does not come across as confidently as DD. Their academic profiles are near identical but I would describe DS as the more typically academic in his interests and passion for his subject. I suspect the preferences/personalities of tutors and therefore an element of luck comes into play here.