Oxbridge 2020 (thread number 9)

[DadDadDad]

What a year! Just as we've all become experts (at least in our own minds ) about how to write Personal Statements, Oxford admission tests and Cambridge STEP, the complicated dance of the interview process, and how to simultaneously boost our DSs' and DDs' confidence while preparing them for the possibility of disappointment, we have a new topic to learn: statistical modelling of expected grades.

Of course, like all those previous topics, we're not in control of teacher projection and OfQual rejection, but we have this thread to support each other through the coming months.

All welcome. For the record, I have a DS with an Oxford offer for a humanities subject.

DS, Oxford, Maths

DS1 (small subject) at Cam.

Two years ago, DD1 saw her Oxford place confirmed on Track at about 7.30am but she didn't recognise the campus code. There was a mad family scramble to find a list of college codes - the only bit of info DD hadn't assembled meticulously the night before!

I hope everyone is bearing up....thinking about you all - it seems like a long week since we had the Scottish results last Tuesday. The First Minister has just apologised for the mess made of the Scottish exam results this year....more details on how they'll rectify this tomorrow 😬

DD - a very small subject at Camb too.

@justaweebit

I hope everyone is bearing up....thinking about you all - it seems like a long week since we had the Scottish results last Tuesday. The First Minister has just apologised for the mess made of the Scottish exam results this year....more details on how they'll rectify this tomorrow 😬

I wonder what they're going to do. Announce details of a quick appeals process hopefully, rather than wholesales changes to grades or (even worse) changes based on rough demographic data.

I have to laugh - my DS who can master obscure abstract arguments written in ancient languages is currently requiring painful step-by-step instructions in order to make himself cheese on toast.

And it's not even the first time he's tried making it! Maybe if I wrote the procedure in Latin...

ofteninaspin and the codes used are fairly counter-intuitive across the board...

DD1 Cambridge MML.

we are nervous as hell....

DD Oxford PPE.

DD Maths. Nervous about STEP.

Coleoptera your good wishes are much appreciated.

DS2, Oxford, science subject.

Butterflies.

Haven't been on here for a while, good luck to everyone's DCs! And well done to those with higher/ IB results in hand.
To shed some light on drop offs, usually the drop off dates are divided by college, to avoid congestion / even more lack of parking. So DCs might be arriving on different days depending on the college. They should tell you quite soon after results day.
I'm part of the freshers team for my college this year, and we're hoping to run socially distanced events to welcome them as much as possible, although it will be different to usual. Nobody wants them to be sat alone! Also re kitchen stuff: it depends on the college, some will have better kitchen access than others and this may well be different due to covid, but again, the information should be forthcoming in good time

DS1 - Oxford - Experimental Psych and Philosophy

Goodbye, having transcribed the code to a college name we had to google it for info/photos. If any of you are similarly unfamiliar with the colleges and you have a DC with an open offer, you might like to have a list of campus codes handy for Thursday.

@DadDadDad

I have to laugh - my DS who can master obscure abstract arguments written in ancient languages is currently requiring painful step-by-step instructions in order to make himself cheese on toast.

And it's not even the first time he's tried making it! Maybe if I wrote the procedure in Latin...

I tried that once. Only result: the toast got burned while he was explaining why I wrote things badly/incorrectly. Pointed him towards google translate :)

Good luck everyone.

DS - Cambridge Nat Sci

ofteninaspin and bpispok - I hope you don’t mind me interrupting the roll call. Good luck to everyone by the way!

I wanted to ask (as you both mention your DC have applied for one if the smaller humanities courses at Cambridge)..., did this affect the choice of college your DC applied to at all?

My DC is applying for a medium-small course too and really stuck between applying to one college which only has only two places for this subject, as opposed to another one which has about five (although the proportions of offers to places are roughly similar).

Is it more risky applying to a smaller college with fewer places, do you think? What if someone defers, for instance? Or is this over-thinking and it makes no difference whatsoever?

Thankyou very much to the pp for the info on weightings for offers. It looks like they do regard GCSEs as of “high importance,” which is surprising.

Wow @hobbema - September is going to be a busy time for you!

I’ve got DD1 waiting - English Lit and a modern language (won’t specify as I think her course is pretty small anyway!) at Oxford. Needs AAA. Not sure she’ll go this year but very jittery nonetheless. Only two others of her main friend group of twelve are planning on going this year...!

Rosiecap it is good she has the option. DD's course is go this year or don't go - there is no option to defer.

Oftenandaway- DMd you

Offandaway !!!

@RoiseCap, ha, yes I hope so. Busy is way better than this interminable waiting though. Have a serious case of monkey brain right now. Too many what ifs...

Thanks bpisok!