Oxbridge-Aspirants-2021-New-Thread-3

[Baaaahhhhh]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/4016760-Oxbridge-Aspirants-2021-New-Thread-2

New Thread !

Well done to him @kitnkaboodle relief it's over! Is the P Physics?

DS texted to say the NSAA was horrendous- but apparently everyone agreed it was horrendous so that made him feel slightly better.

HAT, "confusing names, ran out of time to do a good conclusion"

Thanks, Goodbyestranger - good to hear that.

Thanks to @Pumpkintopf and @Baaaahhhhh for your comments on below standard grade offers. I think DD is just particularly stressy at the moment. Although she hasn't had tests, she's found this week particularly difficult, with two courseworks due in, the three Oxford essays to do/finish, and news of a surprise mock in December.

I hope your test-sitting DC feel a weight has been lifted as they get through them. I know that some have mentioned that their DC don't think they have done well, but I guess this will feel different to exams they've experienced before?

bendmeoverbackwards by definition she was at the top of her cohort. The difference it makes is fairly marginal in terms of what contextualization does to the raw numbers. 12 A at GCSE from a top grammar has historically only been knocked down to 10+ A. It's not a big deal really, quite apart from being completely fair (arguably the numbers could shift more in both directions). But there's no doubt that the 2019 round saw significant changes in admissions and while there are those saying grammars are being given a hard time in the same way as independents, DD4 (a fresher) says that she's met a striking number of grammar school freshers. I haven't looked at any formal statistics this year to see if any breakdown of successful state school applicants is included, but it would be interesting. Anyhow, top of a top grammar school cohort - hard to go wrong.

Thank you @goodbyestranger

Just had a message from DS. The multi choice was ok on the TSA but he didn't like the essay questions. Anyway that's another thing ticked off the list. Later he has a teams meeting through college with the outreach officer from Oriel on interviews, chances are he won't even get an interview!

@kitnkaboodle

So my DS is a 'year 14' applicant. Does anyone know if that will be weighted against him compared to the more normal Y13 applicants??

No I don’t think year 14 are penalised at all. At both my boys’ schools it is thought that as many as a third of the successful Oxbridge candidates each year are actually post a level applicants, presumably mostly reapplicants. All a bit shrouded in mystery at both but generally suspected to be the case.

@bendmeoverbackwards I wouldn't worry about your DD's GCSEs - what they call the top grade includes 9s 8s and A*. I think you said your DD had 9 GCSEs at that level. That's higher than the average number of top grades last year's history offer holders cohort had, according to the admissions feedback - I'll try and attach that page. It's only one element of the application anyway

No word on how NSAA went for dc yet...

PAT for my ds.
No reply from him to my txt re how it went but wasn’t really expecting one as he said he had a really busy day once it was over.
Fingers crossed but at least it is done.

@bendmeoverbackwards. Yes P for Physics. You have to do it for applications for Physics and for Engineering. Under closer questioning/grilling he revealed that it had been 'hard', but he realises that was the point. He attempted everything and didn't run out of time or panic, so that's all good. Bit of an anticlimax here. His DB is also at home today because he's had some nasty dentistry! All quiet and a bit flat - what a morning!

Oooh - let us know in time @olliepolly!

The inevitable has happened. DS has been sent home as a close contact has covid. He sat next to this girl in class on Monday. 11 days of self isolation begins for him. Was due to sit a maths test on the 10th 🤷‍♀️

On the plus side the school is now offering remote teaching.

@kitnkaboodle that sounds positive, good luck to him.

Oh no @Tenpastseven hope he's ok and doesn't develop symptoms. Can he get a test?

@goodbyestranger

Posted on the old thread without realizing it was defunct.

It's definitely better to submit something done in the normal course of the syllabus, whether timed or not, rather than a special essay set for the pupil and marked with an eye to an Oxbridge application. Coursework (or a section of coursework) is fine.

That's useful to know. For what reason would they view it differently? The essay DD wrote at the weekend, and is hoping to use, is on the topic they are studying at the moment and in which they will have a timed assessment in just over a week (too late for submission though) so maybe it could be marked down as preparation practice for the assessment. It hasn't been specifically set though. DD hasn't started writing her coursework so that option is out unfortunately. I'm hoping her teachers will advise her ultimately on what is best. Of her 2 recent exam essays, the better one is not on something she wants to talk about at interview (should she get one) and the other she misread the question so it's not even in the running.

I'm a bit worried about this talk of work being submitted. Dd is applying for Ancient and Modern History and as far as I know, hasn't been asked to submit anything. Are we missing something here?

@bendmeoverbackwards if your DC had to submit something it would have been made very clear by the college she had applied to. DS had an email with very clear guidelines. Some courses/colleges require it and others don't.

I've just had a quick look at which subjects that the college DS has applied to at Cambridge ask for work to be sent in, and Ancient and Modern History isn't on the list. (This might be useless information if your DD is applying to Oxford obviously). You should be able to look it up.

Thank you @Tenpastseven

She's applying to Oxford (Balliol)

@Jalfrezi The college my DS applied to were very clear in their specifications that they didn't want any work submitted which had not been written previously in the normal course of schooling - whether it be a homework essay or a timed essay etc. It might be worth checking as perhaps not all colleges are the same in this. For DS the school didn't need to sign anything off but he needed to put an email address for a teacher who might be contacted about the work.

I don't think your DD is alone in struggling to find something to submit if that reassures. Given so much school was missed, it seems as if appropriate essays are thin on the ground for most applicants.