Oxbridge 2020 (6)

[Justneedatemporaryname]

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

@irmafaylear. They do all the hill starts on my road....there are queues of L-plates competing with the running clubs who've accidentally included 'hill sprints' in their training schedule, forgetting where they live

Irma the BBC recently published a list of the highest driving test pass rates and it was no surprise that 'our' Scottish island has a fabulous rate: not a single traffic light and only one mini sized roundabout until very recently (there are now two). Plenty of scope for hill starts however.

Dh is still boasting (over 30 years later) that he passed his driving test first time round (I didn't). He flippin' took it in a place that's as flat as a pancake, had no one-way system or dual carriageway and (at the time) had a population of about three pensioners. I, on the other hand, had to do a hill start on a one-way mountain in Gt London.

(I am a much better driver than dh - so say the dcs [preen] )

Sorry for thread derail...

Literally noone in Cambridge would refer to Churchill and the ones that way as Hill Colleges

Apart from the students, even the ones who think it's funny. Well, now you know, if you ever are asked to give directions on open days, not to point to the A14/A1.

Other advantages include grass you're allowed to walk, sit and lie on.

Still, I'm a bit surprised by the Department of Zoology - if you stand on the Castle mound and look out over the city it's not noticeably higher.

Agreed - I must say I don't recall an uphill walk from the front of John Lewis to the Hilton, but that's what the map suggests. Maybe the road surface doesn't follow the underlying topography? Need to take a skateboard into Cambridge...

We're doing a good job of killing time waiting for those results to drop...

So DD is waiting for a letter rather than an email? (Oxford)

@DadDadDad, there's a definite slope as you leave Market Square and walk up the side of the Corn Exchange towards the Downing site. It's nowhere near the uphill slog requiring Sherpas that is Castle Hill, though .

Depends on the college aibutohavethisusername but ....possibly.

Does anyone know: do Oxbridge ever give 'unconditional' (or similar, like CCC) offers to any students these days (obv the post-A-level ones get unconditional because they have grades in hand).
Say, if a student did really well at interview, had good predictions and a good entrance exam and the tutor/DoS really wanted them?
Or will everyone be required A*AA or higher?

Just discussing with DD the possibility of offers and getting pooled (as she checked email for any re-interview invite).

@FingernailNibbler - I'd say that's highly unlikely - haven't heard of unconditional offers for years. The 2E offer is long gone.

If DS1 does get an offer I'm expecting it to be 2 x A star plus A (Chemistry).

Thanks, @Sandy. Yes, it seems no E offers. DD is languages, but not taking 3, and I'm a little paranoid about the 3rd. Predicted A+ A+ A, but that last one may be tricky. Guess if your offer is A+ A A and you get A+A+B that means a no. Suppose we'll cross that bridge IF we come to it. But worried if she gets an offer and we tell our families and kind of celebrate... it's not a done deal.

I don't believe so. Back in the (my) day there was the 2E offer, plus Scholarships and Exhibitions. The 2E offer was a godsend to some, but highly unfair to others, and the whole system was very opaque.

A DC in one of my DCs' year group at school got an EE offer from Cambridge. No mitigating or contextual circumstances. That's the only one I've come across in recent years.

It was a humanities subject.

Hmm I wonder what their subject was.
I saw a spreadsheet somewhere about entry grades so I guess I could have a look at that to see if anyone with A+A+B ever gets in, but obviously better if she puts her head down and studies to get the marks!

Philosophy.

What was so amazingly brilliant about her?!

Looking at stats it would seem unlikely there is much wriggle room if slip below, even if you do get the points by say getting AA and a B rather than say AAA. Offers to acceptances shows drop off. Maybe the few who do had exceptional circumstances just before the exam that meant grade slippage. I do know of several who got an offer but didn’t make the grades. Am v glad I have lots of work tomorrow as does DD and same next weds.

It was a him Irma :) Dunno precisely. Just an all round smart family. The two brothers went to Cambridge and their sister who was a best friend of one of my own DC went to Princeton.

It would be nice to completely wow the interviewers with one's rapier wit and intelligence, profound subject knowledge and evident potential for completely mastery of the subject.

Back in the real world I expect most candidates are sweating, mumbling and bluffing, desperately lurching between the attempt to appear interesting and the fear that they're looking like a complete buffoon.

Know one student who got an unconditional for maths 3 years ago. Apparently they aced the entrance exam. She went on to get 4 A stars anyway.