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.

Wwwwash the reason Oxford have given that advice is that it is still the official PHE advice - the same is being given to all Universities, schools and colleges. It may or may not be correct but it is important not to create an unnecessary panic when the truth is the facts are still unknown. It may well change but for now they are supplying the official advice.

@HuaShan is correct. I work for a major consumer facing business which provides services in two key sectors which are heavily caught up in the repercussions of Covid-19. We take our lead from official advice. We don't deviate from it in our public comms but we may challenge it in private. That's what a responsible businessman does.

There is so much misinformation floating around (including on MN). It's highly irresponsible and makes me despair at times. I pick my children up on it all the time and ask them to consider their source and its reliability. T'internet is not a source!

The fact that people can transmit the infection when they’re asymptomatic isn’t a matter of opinion, it’s a fact. I gather from a PP that Oxford has now corrected the error.

@goodbyestranger I hope that your DS's girlfriend is ok. And your DS of course!

Thank you Pepermintea. He hasn't messaged today but I think he would if gf tested positive. Unfortunately a few others in the group have developed symptoms, as of yesterday - can only assume that it must be possible to transmit when asymptomatic because the student did all the right things once symptoms appeared. I'd like to be near DC if they're ill - but presumably one can't be?

@goodbyestranger, if one is Ill or immuno-compromised, it isn't wise to go to potentially Ill DC, as hard as that must be. The DC would be deeply upset if one of them - young & presumably normally fit - passed anything on to their DM.

They will be supposed to self-isolate — but will also need picking up (if undergrads) at the weekend...

Postgrad in this case but I guess affected undergrads will have to stay put. It would be a nonsense otherwise surely? Wonder if the bursars will charge vac res?!

This from Twitter:
“So, we have two confirmed cases of Covid19 in Oxford, both Music students who sing in a choir together. No official information from dept or university because, I gather, the Colleges involved say it’s confidential. This seems deeply wrong to me— putting people at risk.”

Students from one college often sing in a choir at another college.

I still don't see why anyone is being put at risk. The students in close contact have been given advice and other students don't need to take action.

Just quoting a prof on Twitter. She says further:
"This biggest gripe I have with the current advice is that no symptoms=not infectious: this study (albeit not yet peer reviewed) suggests otherwise. So uni tracing needs to trace those at more than one degree of separation from a confirmed case. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.05.20030502v1"

GS you know yourself that you will be far more effective providing support from a distance. You can't afford to compromise your own health & those at home need you, even if they probably won't admit it.

DS’s offer holder day has been cancelled. School still open though. How is everyone else?

School still open here, but has sent out advice matching the latest public health annoucements. DD2 has been off today with a cough that was very persistent from 9pm last night until lunchtime but has now stopped entirely .

DD1's offer-holder day at St Andrews has been "amended" to an online event. i.e. cancelled, but they are going to try and do something creative.

DD’s offer day at Exeter not cancelled, yet.

DSs school still going on as if nothing is happening although they do now have soap! Apparently previously it was refilled on Monday morning only.

Durham offer holders day has been cancelled, so he will have to make a decision about where to put as his insurance without seeing Durham

DS's school still open as usual, but lots of pupils and a few staff are apparently off self-isolating.

DS hasn't submitted his firm/insurance choices yet. Do you think there will be any negative effect of being one of the later applicants to do this? It's all so uncertain now with whether exams will be able to go ahead, whether our children might be ill at exam time and what universities will do if they have to find another way to decide who to admit. At DS's Cambridge offer holder day, they told us that they had made 2.5 offers for each Maths place available and would then decide who take on STEP performance. If the DC can't sit STEP, what will they do then???!

Trying not to panic, but can't help wondering about it all. Meanwhile DD (Year 12) is poorly and would really not benefit from missing half of the summer term of teaching in her A level subjects if they do have to close schools.

Is anyone on here keeping a DS or DD away from school as a precaution?

Gin, DS hasn't submitted a firm/insurance choice yet either. School/work is continuing as normal albeit with much washing of hands.

No firm/insurance decision here yet either. Durham and a few others haven't made all of their offers yet, so our DC won't be the only ones.

I do think exam boards will prioritise A levels even if schools close. The knock on effects would be too huge. GCSE's may be delayed or scaled back but I really think every effort will be made to prioritise A levels. (Prays)

I think you're right Huashan - just said on another thread that the implications for universities of not getting the fee income in autumn would be so huge.

So either the exams will go ahead, or places awarded on predicted grades (very tricky for some subjects eg Cambridge maths) - or what about online open-book exams? (Yes a huge faff to organise, and not everyone has access to internet and what if your internet connection falls out - all of this is true, but needs must when whatever it is drives etc)

And then some subjects are partly course-work assessed so I suppose there you could be awarded that grade?

Our rural internet is beyond crappy. Does lots of dips at times of heavy usage in the village and with everyone working from home etc I'm anticipating long daily dips. There used to be power cuts in the old days immediately after the Queen's Christmas Message when everyone went to switch on the kettle for tea - this is the modern version. DD has no spLDs but is just an incredibly slow typer - she'd almost certainly fail a typed exam which is ridiculous really, given A* predictions. Hopefully they'll carry on with exams and just cancel other year groups at school.

Yes I think that is really the best option goodbye. GCSEs may be a different decision - though I think you also have to bear in mind the effect on already very stressed teenagers of postponing them.

All in all, many sympathies to GCSE, A level and university students at the moment - ok these things seem perhaps less significant than the wider issues at the moment, but for the individuals it is hard.

Another one here who hasn't listed firm or insurance offer. Still waiting a response from St Andrews, which, since they have sent out a lot of offers for computer science, now seems likely to be a 'no' for DS. I am trying to resist the urge to ring them up and be sarcastic .

Fingers crossed for A level provision to stand up to the strain. If Universities have to take predicted grades then I think DS might start to look a bit sketchy for his Oxford offer - he'd be much better off with his mock results.