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.

DD4 Classics (Oxford).

@Unescorted she’s not sure she does but she’s willing to give up the place if she needs to. She’s eyeing up courses at St Andrew’s, Edinburgh, and Durham for next year, and might reapply to Oxford. We faced serious bereavement back in December and she was pushed to apply for the Oxford course in time for the deadline by her school so didn’t really manage to look at other options.

From her friends it’s a mix of confirmed deferrals and withdrawals with the plan of reapplying/applying elsewhere next year.

Delurking to add House Gizmo to the roll call.

DS Computer Science, Oxford

I'm nervous as hell, he's cool as a cucumber.

Rosie that sounds like a truly horrible situation to be in. I am impressed that she is not so bowled over by the Oxbridge thing to not be able to step back from it all to make a decision that is right for her.

DS has a conditional offer for Natural Sciences at Cambridge.

Cambridge campus codes (just in case):
Christ's A
Churchill B
Clare C
Corpus Christi Z
Downing D
Emmanuel E
Fitzwilliam F
Girton G
Gonville & Caius Y
Homerton H
Hughes Hall 7
Jesus J
King's K
Lucy Cavendish L
Magdalene M
Main Site -
Murray Edwards O
Newnham N
Open application 9
Pembroke P
Peterhouse U
Queens' Q
Robinson R
Selwyn V
Sidney Sussex 3
St Catharine's S
St Edmund's I
St John's X
Trinity T
Trinity Hall 4
Wolfson W

Oxford campus codes (just in case):

Balliol O
Brasenose V
Christ Church 2
Corpus Christi 3
Exeter 4
Green Templeton College 5
Harris Manchester (Mat) 6
Hertford 7
Jesus Q
Keble A
Lady Margaret Hall B
Lincoln C
Magdalen D
Main Site -
Mansfield E
Merton F
New College G
Open Application 9
Oriel H
Other Permanent Private Halls P
Pembroke I
Queen's J
Regent's Park (PPH) 8
Somerville U
St Anne's K
St Benet's Hall (PPH) 1
St Catherine's L
St Edmund Hall M
St Hilda's N
St Hugh's R
St John's S
St Peter's T
Trinity W
University X
Wadham Y
Worcester Z

Apologies for the formatting.

DS, maths, Oxford

Thanks Ironoaks. One of DD's best friends is holding an open offer. They're all new to this and it won't have occurred to them that the college would be identified by a letter if they get their place.

Cambridge's list is very sensible compared to Oxford's.

Two more night of restless, tortured sweaty sleep to go....

Not sure I'll be able to sleep well tomorrow night. For his GCSEs, DS stayed up all night, but says he won't do that this time because he doesn't feel so excited about these results given no exams. He just wants to get in and have this whole wait behind him. I'm sure we can all identify with that!

I hope it doesn't rain here because the school is giving strawberries and cream to all the students once they've collected results.

Same scenario here as with all my younger DC: not much thought given to results until now; now quite a lot of thought being given! Although I'm currently super distracted by the imminent prospect of our long planned/ awaited family holiday going down the Swanee because of quarantine being imposed and DD4 is filling the day by going to the county town to meet up with three other students with offers from the same college, who've chatted on Zoom.

@DadDadDad - your description of your son's cheese on toast reminds me of a friend of mine from Oxford. Chess Grandmaster and studying Philosophy but couldn't make toast (no toasters in halls those days - eye level grills). Baffled, I said to him, 'You just stick it under the grill until it turns brown and then turn it over.' He nodded seriously and was silent for a long time, then asked, 'How brown?'

Ah well, for a Philosophy student, I'd probably say "wait until it bursts into flames and take it out one minute before that..." then walk away.

We did our holiday to Cornwall with friends and family last week which I think distracted DD temporarily because there’s so much going on. But there were 3 of them on the trip awaiting A level results so I think they chatted about the stress a bit too much and now she’s back she’s more anxious than ever. I can never pinpoint if it’s actually exam result nerves or other issues being deflected. We’ll find out after the day...

The good thing is since we got back she’s not had a single free day - and doesn’t have one for a week! And she’s finally gone back to work (at a gym). Hopefully this will keep her running through the stressful period.

Last night I dreamt that we had a big thunderstorm in the early hours of Thursday morning. At 8am we had no access to the internet and no phone signal. We decided to catch a pigeon and train it to collect DS's results. (In the rational, waking world, his school is within walking distance and I'm sure would make an exception in those circumstances and allow him to collect his results in person).

Did the pigeon come back with good news?

@SnapSnapDragon
We didn't even manage to successfully catch one.

Sorry to hear your holiday may be in jeapordise @goodbyestranger . It's rather strange that our Italian holiday (Saturday!) is looking good given the problems Italy experienced at the start of the pandemic, it seems their measures have been very effective so far. I would not have put money on us going back in March/April.

DD, conditional offer for MML, Cambridge

Thanks sandy. The older DC who've been holed up in sweltering London and who've had to go to great lengths to organise their annual leave for the trip (and can't swap it) badly need a holiday - possibly esp the two who've worked throughout the crisis on busy London hospital wards. I know it's not a serious problem in context but still. Hope you have a fab time in Italy! Serves me right for being smug in April for having booked France and not Italy

@DadDadDad