Another path to greatnesses

[chopc]

I woke up around 4:30 this morning and it hit me like a tonne of bricks. Couldn't get back to sleep so thought I will have a go and starting the new thread. Hope the title is not too cheesy

@OnTheBenchOfDoom I’m very sorry to hear about your childhood. Different circumstances but I too was starved by my parents so I’m sending you

Looping back on feedback, DS got his recently on his O history application. Slightly annoyingly it just gave his HAT results - 78% cf to a successful applicant average of just under 72%, which I suppose is comforting in that his application wasn't a waste of time and that he is hopefully decent at history. Would have liked to see his written work and interview scores - the request was by a set webform so am wondering if it is worth him emailing directly to ask for more detail. Although not sure it really achieves a lot, especially as one can't work out the contextualization which I think probably impacted his effective HAT result.

And @chopc I totally agree about the UCL history course - really looks great.

Revengeofthepangolins I'm really surprised at 72%. That's a very, very different average score from just a few years ago (then it was around 66 - 67% from memory). I'm guessing the scheme has changed? Then it was based on the final degree marking scheme so a broad brush approach meant that any mark over 70% indicated a first. Oxford surely can't this year have been expecting that all its offerees would be clearly into the first class range? 78% is clearly very impressive, whatever the scheme used, so well done him.

@goodbyestranger. I guess it varies year by year. The letter said they were looking for results of 65% and above. I think average for successful applicants has been around 70 for a couple of years.

And it didn’t do him much good anyway

@PresentingPercy This was 30 year ago, perhaps the school your children went/go to is a different one than the ones these boys went to. After all a teacher can no longer smack a child round the back of the head or throw a board duster at a child;s face. Times be a changing. All I know about boarding school is from what I read in Malory Towers and that the school these boys went to a lifetime ago didn't make them prepare any meals.

@Outlier thank you. I know I am not alone in having an unpleasant childhood. I do believe at one point social services were keeping an relaxed eye on us but it was never something I could ask my parents about.

@Revengeofthepangolins does your Ds feel better for knowing his HAT score?

My goodness @OnTheBenchOfDoom and @Outlier how horrible for you both. You have evidently come through these experiences to become massively supportive parents yourselves. for you both.

@Pumpkintopf it has definitely turned into a how not to do it. As an adult it is very difficult to think back on some of the experiences but they were very different times. Luckily my parents sent us to a strict Catholic school so homework was done and handed in. Even in sixth form every free period had to be spent in the library. It was a good thing as it meant I went to uni, had a ball, got a good job and met Dh.

@OnTheBenchOfDoom a very positive way to look at it indeed.

Sorry to hear about your upbringing OnTheBenchofDoom and Outlier

SeasonFinale - not sure what you mean by E&M at Durham? DD still waiting to hear about English...

Revengeofthepangolins - that doesn't sound like very helpful feedback. We are waiting to hear from Oxford, but DD already knows her ELAT score as it was available on the exams website

@Stitchintimesaves9

I think E&M is Economics & Management.

@OnTheBenchOfDoom and @Outlier

@Stitchintimesaves9 E&M - economics and management

Aha! Thanks @Applepieco and @NiamCinnOir!

Morning folks. How's everyone doing today? I can't believe it's only Wednesday. Weeks seem like years at the moment. Looking forward to Half term next week as I'm taking a week off work so even though we can't do anything/go anywhere it'll be nice to have some downtime.

Hi everyone - I've been quiet for a few days. Buried mum yesterday. Not as bad as I had feared, never having been to a burial before, but bloody hell it was cold! Up next to a heathland, and the wind was blowing a gale, with little bits of ice in the wind. As always with funerals there was a funny point, when the pall bearers slipped on the ice, with visons of mum rolling off down the hill...... but after that all went well.

Funeral for Step Dad on Friday, this time in a nice warm crematorium.

Sorry, moving on..... DD now actively looking at her accomodation for Exeter, and having chosen catered, really not many options, which I suppose is good in a way. She basically has three, so in order, will be the biggest rooms with on-suite, going down the list, to the smallest. Actually her fourth will need to be self-catered, as an en-suite is her top priority.

I did point out that she would not have had an en-suite at Oxford, but with changes of University, other priorities also change, and that is her red-line. She needs things to be clean and tidy, which is fair enough.

@goodbyestranger

Revengeofthepangolins I'm really surprised at 72%. That's a very, very different average score from just a few years ago (then it was around 66 - 67% from memory). I'm guessing the scheme has changed? Then it was based on the final degree marking scheme so a broad brush approach meant that any mark over 70% indicated a first. Oxford surely can't this year have been expecting that all its offerees would be clearly into the first class range? 78% is clearly very impressive, whatever the scheme used, so well done him.

Yes the last couple of years the average HAT of an offer holder has been 72 but clearly is not the only decider (as DS is another with a higher than average HAT who didn't make the cut too).

@RevengeofthePangolins - did he not get his other scores too? DS was higher than average scores in all except contextualised GCSES. (which people rounded on me earlier, stating that I couldn't possibly be telling the truth). This was for the 2020 application cycle though. The problem with his other scores is they do not explain whether when they produced the stats those that have had their scores contextualised are shown in the stats with their actual score or their contextualised scores so it is impossible to see where he would really sit in that cohort if their actual scores were listed.

He was interested to see that his scores were fine and he hadn't completely lost the plot thinking he had a chance but never wanted to reapply so it was more out of interest than to gauge whether or not to try again.

I would also mention we know of a boy who had 85 for HAT who did not get an offer in the 2020 cycle. (not DS)

Morning. Yeah, not doing too bad.

I agree about weeks taking forever but at the same time I’m amazed every time it gets to Friday amd I wonder where the week has gone (probably cos I’m doing nothing but work from home, cook at home, watch tv at home, shop from home) 🤔
DS has a virtual offer holders day ‘at’ Bristol later that he’s looking forward to.
Hope everyone else is ok.

@Crikeyblimey - did you know there are Bristol Parent/carer sessions for the virtual offer days too. I am registered for one tomorrow at 5pm

@BigWoollyJumpers
Glad it went well. Xx

Ooh. I probably did know but haven’t registered for any. I’ll go and look now. Thanks.

@SeasonFinale

I would also mention we know of a boy who had 85 for HAT who did not get an offer in the 2020 cycle. (not DS)

He was in good company!

63 candidates got 85% in last year's HAT - only 33 got offers
50 candidates got 87.5% in last year's HAT - only 26 got offers
and 2 poor candidates with 95% in the HAT got rejected.

It seems aptitude for history is not a sought after quality in Oxford History applicants, which is a shame really.

www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/634997/response/1523071/attach/html/3/FOI%2020200115%206%20Data.xlsx.html

Welcome back @BigWoollyJumpers - Pleased it all went well and hope this Friday's service goes smoothly too. My dad's funeral, nearly 2 weeks ago, was recorded and looked like a mini theatre production when we watched it back. Very strange times...

@MidLifeCrisis007 gosh those HAT statistics are interesting... DD is still waiting for her Oxford history feedback.

Have been absent from these threads for a while due to limbo DD finds herself in at present with some Unis still interviewing for medicine so possibly unlikely to be making offers for another 6 weeks or so.
(although I did make a "post re-direction" post on the Oxbridge thread which elicited absolutely no acknowledgement so, "I knows me place" ).

@SeasonFinale

Can I ask what you're seeing where you teach as far as medicine offers is concerned.

DD says she daren't check for anything at the moment as it had become an addiction and she's now so invested in her alternative (non-Oxbridge) first choice that I fear an almighty crash if they too say she's not been successful in gaining the offer of a place.