Oxbridge Aspirants 2021 - New Thread (2)

[Baaaahhhhh]

Sorry posted last message on the last thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3757768-Oxbridge-Aspirants-Sep-2021

Here is the new one......

Good luck to all taking tests today.

DD has to wait until tomorrow.

Pumpkintopf BMAT results are sent automatically and don't take long to arrive.

Good luck to all the dc testing today and tomorrow!

DS's friend is sitting her Phil at home today because the school told her to self-isolate. DS thinks he just narrowly escaped the same, and hopes nothing gets in the way of him doing the HAT tomorrow.

Fatalism seems to be the coping mechanism here.

I think you could be right summerlovinn. Good luck to those taking tests today. DD is doing the HAT tomorrow. In the meantime, the school has instructed those taking tests to take their lessons from home.

Well, off she goes, having ‘not slept’ and somehow simultaneously had a nightmare about setting the house on fire with a flower . Argh. I’d almost rather be doing the exam myself.

Almost.

No, actually, it sounds terrifying.

DD has just floated through the door, blithely saying she only realised yesterday that she'd need ID. The exam is at her own school, so I can see why she might overlook it. Anyway, I' m now on a self-imposed standby in case of any other surprises.

ID was a bit of an issue here - hoping a passport that expired in March will meet the case as she hasn’t anything else.

Good luck to all doing tests this morning.

DS1 is a re-applicant, doing the HAT tomorrow. I'm totally under-invested in the process this year after the disappointment last time around. He has next to no chance of getting in but was determined to give it another go. I really wish he'd just gone to Durham (where I went!) as it's much more fun and has a very good history department. But DH read history at Oxford, and he would prefer to follow in his footsteps not mine!

Well, blimmin good luck to him midlife .. I admire his pluck . You have to be pretty determined to go through this process in the first place don’t you?.. which in turn means you will probably excel wherever you end up.

Dd went off at the crack of dawn, with ds’s words of encouragement ringing in her ears that he “really enjoyed” the HAT test. Big brothers!

You can find out your score after the offers have come out. Obviously if you are in, who cares, but if you fancy having another go it’s useful in informing you if it’s worth it or not. Ds scored very highly, so he went for it again, knowing that he’d blown the interviews. If he had scored poorly, he would have moved on.

Incidentally, can someone point me in the direction of examples of the language aptitude test? I fancy having a go! (Will keep very quiet if I show no aptitude...)

DD4 did the CLAT last year Irma (and... enjoyed it!) I think there must be a link on the Classics part of the Oxford website.

Oh @MidLifeCrisis007 I feel for you.

We too are under-invested in this process and I apologise if my posts on this thread always sound downbeat and depressing.

While you're reasoning relates to your DS's experience of this time last year, ours relates to DD's older sibling who was offered C in 2019 but failed to make their eye watering offer of 2 A Stars and an A for a humanities subject. He fell short of the second A Star and took his insurance place at Durham. To say it was a disappointment is an under statement.

This year, DD is applying to Oxford where they make less offers but hopefully only AAA. If she's going to be rejected, we all want it sooner rather than later. Being rejected after A Level results is soul destroying.

It is a journey, that’s for sure. But I think that the remote interview process this year might reduce the amount of investment an applicant has. The going off to the interviews with a suitcase was half terrifying half exciting, and was the icing on the very hyper cake. Being rejected after a couple of zoom calls might not feel quite so bad.

Popping in from the Freshers’ thread to wish all your DC good luck. DS is in his first year at Oxford and I remember the stress of this time last year. He was convinced he’d blown it as his test was so hard, but it was pitched to be much harder than previous years. Candidates got to interview with scores which would have been too low any other year. What I am trying to say is, if your DC come out feeling miserable, that isn’t necessarily the end of it. Good luck everyone!

Thank you @Flyonawalk - those were timely comments. DD has just phoned briefly after her tests to say how hard she found the tests, especially the LAT. She asked for extra blank paper to scribble her notes on, but was refused, so said she had to keep flicking back between the first and second pages.

To be honest, although I knew admission to Oxbridge would be hard, I didn't expect to process to be quite so brutal, and I'm very impressed with those dc who are resilient and brave enough to attempt it more than once. Hats off to them!

@IrmaFayLear - this is the link to the LAT past papers (Section 10 within the MLAT):

www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/tests/mlat

Try one if you dare!

DD said she answered less than half of the LAT, 'but that's good, right?'

She also told me at length every mistake she knew she'd made on the MLAT.

But it's a nice day outside and she's enjoying the release of pressure!

NiamCinnOir DD4 also said that she found the LAT last year significantly harder than the previous papers put up on the website for practice.

FlyingSquid I think that's correct, that with the newer LAT papers you're not expected to finish (I'm pretty sure that that's what DD said, that the format had changed).

@FlyingSquid and @goodbyestranger - dd also found this year's test significantly harder than previous years, so it's strangely reassuring that your dc found the same. Glad it's over so she can concentrate on revising for mini-mocks, homework and coursework which she's a bit behind on now

From the Oxford website:
Don't worry if you find the past or specimen papers very difficult - they're supposed to be! All our tests are designed to stretch you further than you have been stretched before - most candidates will find them really hard.

@DahliaMacNamara

DD has just floated through the door, blithely saying she only realised yesterday that she'd need ID. The exam is at her own school, so I can see why she might overlook it. Anyway, I' m now on a self-imposed standby in case of any other surprises.

Arg! Do they need a passport for all tests? This is news to me.

Dd didn't take any ID with her for her tests today @Revengeofthepangolins - but perhaps because her own school is a test centre?

Thanks, NiamCinnOir - I’ll have a go!

Not heard from dd yet . Perhaps she wasn’t allowed to do it as her sole id was her bus pass!

Dd just phoned to say she felt the ELAT went well, French grammar one not so good. Overall she's quite upbeat.

I agree with the poster who mentioned being rejected after a couple of zoom calls is not as bad, compared with the investment of attending for interviews and really falling in love with the place. As long as dd gets an interview 🤞, she will judge herself as having done well.

DD took her provisional driving licence as proof of ID.

College are requesting that as from tomorrow face masks are to be worn all the time, including in classes. DS won't like the idea of wearing it during the TSA.