Oxford Cambridge 2021 Thread 6

[Chocomel]

Hopefully this is in the right place?

Well done to your ds @PacificState great news.

Thank you for your kind words, it's comforting to hear that. Where did you end up going? I applied to Cambridge myself and was rejected but I really wasn't Oxbridge material, I was just having a go. I went to UCL and loved it. One of my peers on my course was also rejected from Cambridge which I was amazed about, he was just so bloody clever! He went on to do a Masters at Oxford.

What's the usual form when it comes to formally accepting the offer with Oxford - do we wait until May?
It's entirely up to your DS - if his other offers are all in and he's decided on his insurance too then no reason not to get the admin done ASAP I'd have thought. OTOH, my DD spent some time very carefully reevaluating the pros and cons of Cambridge vs her second choice as it was gen eng vs a specific field. And also back in those happier times there was a college offer holders event which she wanted to do before finally deciding (she was pooled so hadn't seen or considered her college).
I suppose there may be some virtual offer holders 'events', oxbridge and elsewhere, if so that might be a reason to wait.

I went to York @bendmeoverbackwards I don't know what it's like now but you couldn't move for redirected Oxbridge candidates back then Some of my friends from those days are now working in astrophysics laboratories, winning awards as writers, and running extremely successful businesses, among other things. And the cleverest person I've ever personally known went to King's in London.

I think the thing I've learned, and something I wish I'd cottoned on to earlier, is that is so, so isn't any kind of definitive statement of your capacity. As others have said, it's a snapshot of a particular time, a particular exam script, a particular set of data. DS for example went to an absolute stinker of an academy - his GCSE grades, when contextualised by Oxford, will have looked absolutely out of this world and my guess is that helped his application. In this particular case that worked in his favour but believe me at the time the fact his school was so awful kept me up at nights. It's all perspective, innit

By the way has anyone heard from UCL? Still crickets for DS from them.

Oh thank you @ErrolTheDragon. Yes I think his college has an offers holder day so I'll tell him to do that first and maybe they'll issue some advice. Still waiting on some others (KCL and UCL) in UCAS

Nothing from UCL here @PacificState (physics). I suspect it will be a while.

Very true @PacificState and a week on, dd is starting to feel ok. It wasn't just the personal rejection, she had fallen in love with Oxford and spent hours looking online at the beautiful colleges, researching alumni, local facilities and so on. And as we live in London, it was the perfect distance away from home for her.

We've now got more waiting to do - from Durham. I'm hoping it will be soon so she can see all her options. She's excited about the study abroad option which is possible everywhere it seems other than Oxford!

UCL was also full of Oxbridge rejects!

My offer from UCL in the early 90s was CCC, dd couldn't believe it! AND I missed my offer by one grade (A Levels were NOT the highlight of my academic career! ) and they still took me!

@IrmaFayLear, I agree that the message given before interviews is so important. DD was told similar before hers and she said it helped her to put Oxford in perspective. It also helped that she was very keen on her second choice uni. Conversely, DS found his Cambridge subject interview (last year) stressful because his was the last interview of the day and he felt sure the tutors had already mentally “filled” the three places up for grabs.

DD went to a zoom offer-holders session at Bristol yesterday.
She said it was very good and they really did well at selling the city (they were one of the first lockdown open days she "went to" and it was relatively poorly done). She said it made her excited about the possibility of going there - lots of theatres and cheap cinemas (both of which she loves) and a great students' union.
One of her best friends is hoping to go there for medicine (though still waiting for Cambridge as well) and another close family friend has put the UWE as her first choice.
Yesterday was the first time I saw her get excited about the prospect of going somewhere other than C. She said she wants to relook at accommodation etc at Bristol this weekend. (Her offer there is very achievable so if it's her first choice she will very likely go there)
I was so pleased she's in this frame of mind this week.
Hope everyone else is ok.

That sounds really good @Chilldonaldchill I think that was the mistake we made - not bigging up dd's other offers before O results day. Bristol is indeed a lovely city and some of my friends' dc have studied there and had a great time. What is she studying?

Just checking in.

DS has a zoom offer holders day for Southampton tomorrow and for Bristol on the 25th. Oh I hope that if he doesn't get an offer for C that he's able to engage with the event and find enthusiasm as your DD has done @Chilldonaldchill. I'm not sure it's brilliant timing, though maybe it's perfect timing. Who knows?

@bendmeoverbackwards

That sounds really good *@Chilldonaldchill* I think that was the mistake we made - not bigging up dd's other offers before O results day. Bristol is indeed a lovely city and some of my friends' dc have studied there and had a great time. What is she studying?

History. She looked at Exeter like your daughter and loved the look of the course but was absolutely adamant she wasn't going to a campus university.

@bendmeoverbackwards

That sounds really good *@Chilldonaldchill* I think that was the mistake we made - not bigging up dd's other offers before O results day. Bristol is indeed a lovely city and some of my friends' dc have studied there and had a great time. What is she studying?

Oh and I'm not sure that our bigging up the alternatives would have helped at all! I think she would have seen that as patronising if I'm honest. I'm glad for the timing of the online session though. And now that she's excited about that option we can talk it up!

Still waiting for UCL and Imperial here too.

@bendmeoverbackwards my DD is studying History and Politics, which is based at the Penryn Campus. Throughout the process, she was always planning to go to Leeds or Sheffield as she liked the idea of being somewhere more urban. She managed to go to the Open Day at Penryn just before lockdown and loved it, despite not really considering it before. I do realise how lucky she was to have that opportunity in these unpredictable times. It has been a particularly great place to be this year with plenty of space and beautiful beaches.

So many Historians on here!

@Letsgoforaskip my dd is History too - applied for Ancient and Modern History but now thinks perhaps she should have done straight History as there are lots of options of various modules. She's kicking herself for not looking at Birmingham as she was so set on AMH.

I think dd's offer is for the Streatham campus which is the main one (I think).

Apparently there has been some kind of drama today on Discord about an email being sent to some people from the Cambridge Trust about applying for scholarships. Some people thought it was released prematurely (ie only to those in the system who will receive offers). But apparently it turns out that only overseas or dual-nationality applicants got it, or those with particular contextual circumstances. This is what DS tells me - sorry to sound vague. Does anyone know anything about this?

That email was indeed unfortunate- I hope your DS is right

Have you seen this email chopc?

does anyone know of anyone who has had a Durham offer come through for English? DD is hoping to hear and wasn't expecting to hear for a few weeks yet however she has heard of someone who found out today that they had an offer although she is unsure if this is true or not? thanks

@quest1on what is Discord?
DS said he received an email, which he was going to forward to me, but i haven’t seen it yet. He said he thinks it was sent to everyone.

I did @quest1on on TSR- I was looking for it for you but gave up- will have another gander now

Here is a screenshot from TSR. I haven't asked my DC and he didn't volunteer so I assume he didn't get anything

Thanks WarmAndco3y.

Discord is some kind of chat forum most teens seem to be on - about anything, I think? Maybe it’s their version of MN? Actually think it may have started as a gaming forum, but now it’s widened in scope?

Thanks chopc also. DS is not dual-national or contextual though he would tick mixed white / Asian on a form.