Oxbridge Interviewees for 2021 Entry - The Journey Continues - Thread 5

[Baaaahhhhh]

New Thread from old one:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/4088426-Oxbridge-Aspirants-2021-New-Thread-4

@LaundryFairy

This is all sounding rather Blue Peter *@goodbyestranger* !

As long as it doesn’t attract defecating elephants .....

Good luck to all those with second interviews. My dd had her interview last week. It was a stress which she was glad was over. so my best wishes go to those who have been plunged into it again. I think though, try to not read things into it. There have been so many differing views on here as to the reasons, trying to fathom out whether it is good or bad is a pointless distraction. Take it as good, as at least they are a candidate they are spending time and resources on considering seriously.

Have all the interviews now finished apart from call backs?

Talk about Blue Peter: my sleeping mind came up with the notion of using a white plate and chocolate squeezy sauce to show workings. I'd been reassuring myself that a pen and paper would be perfectly adequate as long as interviewers could see workings, but now I'm faced with reality I just want to make sure everything's perfect.

Dahlia the BP solution was reported in the Times yesterday.

You can also make a stylus with the casing of a Niro, a cotton bud and some tinfoil, very BP!

Well done to all DC who've completed their interviews, and good luck to all those this week.

DS2's school was very relieved that DS2, by chance, had just spent 18th birthday money on a 2 in 1 laptop. He has three interviews on Monday and Tuesday, two from first and one from second. He is studying from home both days to keep life easier.

DH will be around, but is meant to be self-isolating ahead of a hospital procedure, so is of limited backup!

I tried the home made version last night, and it didn't go so well. Anyway, I've found one now that works fine in Paint, but whether it'll be alright with the whiteboard thing remains to be seen (spot the non-technical parent). DH thinks pen and paper would be the best option anyway, and has no idea why I'm fussing. The college has had this on their guidance as a workaround for weeks. I'm being a twatty stresshead, aren't I?

Just catching up with the thread! What a week, I'm relieved it's over for dd, she just had one interview as single hons applicant which she went into school for. I blithely assumed this was preferable to being at home and she wanted to be in school for the tech support...sadly she lost the first 10 mins of the interview as the school and oxford couldn't connect via teams!! I am praying this won't affect her chances to any degree! When she did get through, she said the rest of the interview was " ok, quite a good chat" and they discussed a couple of points from her ps which she enjoyed. Then they shared a source for her to discuss but it was something she had no experience of and struggled with and there was only 4 minutes to work through it so she winged it a bit!
I'm a bit surprised they didn't reschedule to discuss further but I think we're just at the wait and see stage. She is very reluctant to discuss it any further and glad it's done. So who knows.
Am under the impression that they find out on the 25th but I keep seeing the 15th of Jan being mentioned. Does anyone know for sure when results will be announced?
So proud of her for just getting this far and to all the hopefuls!

S2 has just had his interview - 9am on a Saturday! We made a point of being up

He only had the one (Law at C). Said they spent the entire time talking about the stuff they'd sent him half an hour before. Reasonably happy with himself, I think, but of course no idea what that means...

He's had three offers without interview already; but obviously he'd like this one. If only so that his older brother isn't the only one

Love the various Blue Peter solutions - especially @DahliaMacNamara 's squeezy chocolate . We are just waiting now to see if DS has any further interviews - we have been told that he would be notified by Monday at latest.

Re offers day @Eastisup I don't know about Cambridge but Oxford is 12th Jan.

@Eastisup. And proto-Tabs find out on Jan 25th, by email

I am loving the Blue Peter solutions on this thread, I'm so glad ds didn't have to do any workings - it's making me quite stressed just thinking about it!

@Revengeofthepangolins - 'proto-Tabs'???

DD's interview - Cambridge, 2 interviewers, 1 interview, after a test taken a week before - is done.

An offer came through from her preferred other choice the same evening, which was a bonus.

Congratulations to your DD on the offer @cantkeepawayforever - it really helps to take some of the pressure off, doesn't it.

DD has her three interviews (Oxford) on Monday and Tuesday next week, with the possibility of a fourth on Wednesday, which she would find out about at 9am on the day. She's been feeling increasingly nervous about it, but had a practice interview today and feels a lot better. It was the questions about herself that she found really hard to answer.

@vargas. I am afraid that is my dubious past which involved rather too much time in boozy crowds of hearty types at college. The drunken chant was “What is Tab short? Tab bastard”. Always for some reason pronounced with a short first “a”.

In my day, people from Cambridge were routinely referred to as “Tabs”.

Sorry “..Tab short for”

Thanks for the confirmation @Revengeofthepangolins and @LaundryFairy ! Not really too long to wait one we fly through Christmas.

@Revengeofthepangolins Thank you for the explanation, I had no idea! You must excuse me, I'm foreign.

I think it was a very niche bit of trivia @vargas

some history applicants have had two and/ or have had sources to look at. I guess some colleges take the view that that has been covers by the HAT.

And maybe it depends on how they've done in the HAT?

@summerlovinn. Gosh, that sounds like a bit of a marathon

Sorry / should have been @Summer15coming

It's not going to be about the HAT. Sources are favoured by some colleges, that's all.

Tabs is short for Cantabs which in turn is from Cantabrigia, i.e. Cambridge.