Oxbridge Aspirants 2021-New Thread 4

[Baaaahhhhh]

And we are off:

Thread 3 link: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/4070531-Oxbridge-Aspirants-2021-New-Thread-3

Congrats @Vargas.
Yes hopefully will all be over by the end of the day, the wait is awful!

MN is usually wall to wall Oxbridge mathematicians SATSmadness. It's refreshing to see so many historians for a change :)

Just a thought - Is your DD classics I or II goodbyestranger? For classics I, there’ll presumably be some translation element?

How is she finding the course?

Yes she's Classics II but apparently at interview they did a lot of stuff mutually across both courses. The Classics II applicants had an extra language aptitude test on top of the other two interviews. I've no idea about translation - it seems a reasonable thing to expect but I've got an idea that Classics I only does two interviews, so perhaps they rest or fall on their November test. But really that - don't know!

I think she's finding it ok - quite a volume of work - but I'll find out more on Saturday when she comes home.

@Knotanothername - I still don’t think you comprehend my point. Because all young people have suffered one way or another the past year, it is rather thick skinned to presume you are in any way special or that hundreds of thousands of others haven’t also experienced lack of teaching, miserable thoughts, isolation or worse.

@IrmaFayLear you are correct, they are not “special” they are teens going through a shitty time . Your post suggests that to say Covid has impacted mental health is not valid because everyone is going through the same. You can’t generalise in that way. Everyones circumstances are differe, it’s not about “ deaths “ as you later stated.
It’s about families, no quiet space to study, home life, access to remote learning and do much more. I apologise if I have misinterpreted your comment but it sounded glib and dismissive.

nothing so far from Cambridge computer science for DS.
His GCSE results for essay subjects were far from stellar (only diagnosed as dyslexic after his GCSE's) but predicted A A A with an A* in maths already under his belt.
He's in a state comprehensive and is part of the widening participation scheme so I am not widely optimistic that he'll get through especially as there is very little prep at his school for Oxbridge.

@derekthe1adyhamster the wait is the worst isn’t it! Hopefully you will receive good news soon!

DS was a bit of a wreck yesterday waiting on news of History. God I hope we hear back soon, however it turns out.

Drums fingers......... and tries to resist looking at the bloody spreadsheet every 1/2 hour.........

Thanks @goodbyestranger . Never heard of PPH before

@Baaaahhhhh

Drums fingers......... and tries to resist looking at the bloody spreadsheet every 1/2 hour.........

Drums fingers?! The rest of us are fast morphing into the Venus De Milo....

And ONLY every 1/2 hour?!

@Baaaahhhhh

Drums fingers......... and tries to resist looking at the bloody spreadsheet every 1/2 hour.........

Yes! Any time now would be nice...

A daughter of an acquaintance went to St Benets in 2016 so I think she may have been in the first female entrant group. At that time it certainly was very different but as they have established their mixed lay element perhaps things have settled more. Had a mink friend there back in my day, which makes it hard to picture, but then I still haven’t got used to there being boys at Somerville or Hildas yet, so am a dinosaur. It was clear that DS viewed them as colleges like any other - times move on.

@LaundryFairy just that.Dd feeling awful this morning. The waiting is just the worst and that “ bloody spreadsheet”

@LaundryFairy spoke too soon, History is starting to come out... good luck🤞🏻

Thanks - same to your DC @Knotanothername

DS got his computer science test results- they were a lot lower than the practice tests that he did. Stalking the CS applicant group on TSR it seems that a lot did worse than expected. Interviews seem weird though, someone who got 2.9 got an interview and someone with 6.8 didn't...
Still no news from Girton. I swear I'm more anxious than DS!

I've started telling myself I'm past bloody caring now. She'd be very happy with Durham, and things as they stand are much easier to weigh up. But the stab of fear/anticipation I get every time I look up the college list tells me that isn't the case.

Seems the other Oxbridge applicants from her school have had their results; all have an interview (record number applying this year, when dc was applying for uni only 1 person applied). So dc2 really feeling the pressure...

That must add a whole other level of pressure amadeus1 - I don't envy your DC.

[quote WarmAndco3y]@chopc DS’s school have a small cohort of IB students every year and they all seem to do well and get into good universities, including oxbridge. A number of them will end up overseas.
DS was initially worried about the intensity, mostly looking at the number of free periods he would have compared to A’levels. But decided to go ahead and he is happy he did. No doubt it’s a lot of work, but I guess it’s a different type of learning. I think he decision was based mostly around the subjects he still enjoyed and wanted to carry on doing and the fact that he didn’t really know what he wanted to do at university after GCSES[/quote]
@WarmAndco3y I think it makes good sense to do IB if you're not sure what you want to study/career or you are interested in US schools, particularly liberal arts subjects, where you're expected to take a range of subjects in first 1-2 years. It seems a shame if someone starts 3 A levels, then find the perfect uni course for them, but they won't get in with their current subjects and need to repeat L6.

@amadeus1 same here! Dd believes she is the only one not yet to have heard. Technically though they only need to give 7 days notice so seems we could be waiting another few days

another few days

Fingers crossed to all those still waiting to hear. I'm pleased to report DS has an interview for History (Oxford), it came through this morning.