Oxbridge 2020 (8th thread)

[DadDadDad]

A thread to continue discussing entry to Oxbridge in October 2020 (less than nine months away ). All welcome, although this obviously will be of most interest to those with DS or DD holding an offer, and wanting to find a bit of support.

All too soon, 13 August will come over the horizon. Until then, ask questions... share experiences... discuss news and stats... write a poem... (we did briefly have some poetry on a previous thread).

With huge thanks to @HugoSpritz and predecessors for previous threads.

Thanks for the stats Terf. It could have gone either way for any of our DCs, but it sounds as though he is being very positive about the feedback. Where is he going to put down as his firm & insurance now?

Congratulations on DD's Durham offer Hobbema. DD had the same quandary & think she is finally going to settle on York which would allow her to slip a couple of grades & has the added attraction of a possible year overseas. I don't think Durham offer any wriggle room for PPE for insurance places.

@TerfTerf, apologies in my excitement for not saying.. wow those are brutal figures. Hope it makes DS feel a bit more sanguine about the odds. Mocks are giving real focus to the importance of the insurance choice if you see what I mean...

Congrats Hob! Which subject is this for?

I have a good friend whose son is still waiting for physics.....

History @Aurea. Fingers crossed for the friend. It just helps so much to know that you are wanted when you’re 18 doesnt it?

hobbema that's great news

Very glad to hear she's heard hobbema. That specifying of the A* for Cambridge is a horrible pressure. Mocks have put the wind up DD a bit - nothing seems certain at all.

TerfTerf those really are brutal - seconded.

Oh I've stopped worrying about DS1 and his future Last week he decided he should've applied for History+Economics and maybe he'll do a gap year...or maybe he won't...so I'm staying quiet He still isn't doing much revision except in Old Suits episodes Meanwhile I'm on holiday alone in a studio by the beach on the South Coast enjoying and the sound of the sea 🌊

Suits? He must be seriously considering switching, as the complete box set of Grey's Anatomy is the only essential viewing for PPE!

@hobbema so pleased your DD has finally heard and has an offer from Durham. I’m hoping my DD will hear very soon!

at Hog. He worked his way through the whole of Friends while "revising" for GCSEs...

@hobbema very pleased to hear you've got the Durham offer you were waiting for. Good luck in making the choice about firm/insurance now.

My DS is still no closer to making a decision about firm/insurance. If he firms Cambridge and insures Warwick, he has very little wriggle room and has no place at all if he misses the A* in Maths/Further Maths. If he firms Warwick, there isn't really an insurance choice that he feels he'd be happy at (although I think they're all brilliant).

Mock results haven't helped much. He got the A in Further Maths but didn't revise any of the 'normal' maths, was ill on the day of the mock and got a B. Not sure how that works! As in both humanities subjects. I'm not sure whether a grade in 'Normal' Maths is specified in his offers, but need to find out.

Meanwhile, DD has presented me with a fully coloured in and annotated chart showing all the open days she would like to go to in the summer...Durham, York, Nottingham, Exeter, Leeds and Edinburgh........! All very far from us and all rather aspirational given her current work ethic and results I'd say. And so another year of visits, applications, personal statement writing and nervous waiting for offers begins in our house, which is likely to be much more anxiety-filled that the current one with DS I expect.

Exeter has open days at the end of May, so in half term. We are going York on June 28th (a Sunday), after Birmingham on the Friday; at the moment, this leaves Saturday for DS2 to have a good look round the city of York in between, but also scope for him to change his mind about the History of Art course at Nottingham and drop in there on Saturday 27th (please not...).

OK, so its a luxurious position to be in.. find ourselves potentially free of shackles of school ( financially and otherwise), never normally busy but flooded with invites for September and have 3 weekends pencilled in for potential Uni delivery and drop off. Must not hassle DD to commit but SO tempting...

D1 finally heard from Edinburgh (offered ABB) so all offers in now . School have told them to wait a bit before they confirm firm and insurance - they haven't got all their mock results back yet, which school are saying they have found are excellent predictors of final grades. D1 found this made the mocks very stressful and is worried this affected her performance. Think it's going to be stressful from here right through to August, tbh!

Great news on the Edinburgh offer @JulesJules.

I wonder what they will do if our DC can't sit A levels due to Coronavirus?! Personally hoping they would go on predicted grades rather than mock grades, as have discovered the A* is required in 'normal' maths for four out of five of DS's offers, and an A required for the fifth...!! So on mock grades he wouldn't get in anywhere he's applied...

At the moment I gather the exam boards are looking at a variety of options including Autumn exams - but no idea how that could possibly work. I mean, how could it? My vote is absolutely for predicted grades (fingers tightly crossed!). So many schools mark mocks harshly it could be very unfair. Also, DC weren't warned, so I think that one wouldn't fly (hope not :)).

I think the most likely outcome is that public exams will go ahead, even if the rest of the school / college is closed to pupils.

I can’t see any reason why exam centres can’t be open - providing there are sufficient invigilators?

The problem is also how well are the DC.
What if 20% of the cohort are sick during the exams or in the month leading up to the exam (so they can't revise)? How will they get Drs certificates if the system is over loaded? What if they are on a 14 day isolation so can't attend? What if their school is shut and the courses not complete?
It's not just the invigilators that might be sick or the schools shut.

I know that they make adjustments for this kind of thing but you could end up with making the exams completely pointless.

...hopefully this won't happen but if it does I am also hoping they used predicted grades not mocks!

I also vote for predicted grades, not mocks please. Reading Uni were discussing delaying results day & potentially the start of term across the board.

Predicted grades would do nicely thank you.

Chez family sandybayley getting ready for WFH as both my employer and DH's employer are suggesting home working. It will be tres jolie if the DC join us as well. Will have to instil workplace discipline though.

To date, the under 20s have tended to have no or mild symptoms hence my comment re invigilators. Marking exam papers might be problematic....

Everyone has high predicted grades so how would that work?

If everyone is given their predicted grades, wouldn't Cambridge find themselves having to accommodate approx 20% more students than expected?

Disclaimer: I made that figure up for illustrative purposes; I don't know exactly what proportion of offer-holders miss the requirements of their offer each year.