Another Path to Greatness - Part II

[BigWoollyJumpers]

Here we are.

@bendmeoverbackwards yes my DS attended the Exeter offer day. To be honest I felt disappointed that the Economics section was just a 10 minute pre recorded video repeated from the general open day and just talked about the various economics courses you could apply for! Having said that, for the 1st time DS showed some interest and I think Exeter will be the one.

Just spoke to dc about the possibility of connecting with other offer holders ( virtually) either for her college or course. Dc has decided not to do join any groups as would rather get to know people in September (presuming they get the grades!) without any preconceived ideas or prior knowledge . I kinda get it tbh.

My fear was that DS will be a 6 hr drive from is and heaven forbid should this year's experience repeat itself , it would be good to know that he knows some people already

Apparently some people have not met anyone in their course and are "stuck" with their flat mates whom they may or may not get on with

Plus I wanted to get DS excited about going to Durham which I think has worked ........

In a normal year, I don't think I would have any concerns apart from the hassle of the 6 he drive

I think you are right too @chopc. Perhaps my dc will feel differently as time goes on and will feel like connecting with peers nearer the time when there is more certainty.

There is plenty of time @Longtimenewsee

They just need to focus on enjoying their last few weeks in sixth form and doing their best in the assessments etc. Our school will have two sets of exams after Easter. However it has not been decided what percentage this will contribute to the final grade and how much the non examination assessments will count

Thing is I know one size cannot fit all as that is why AL are cancelled in the first place however I can't help feeling that Thai years grades will be meaningless

I have heard that Imperial have given out 3A* offers which makes me feel they think the same

DD was the recipient of a 3A* offer from imperial (Physics).

Gosh that's a high offer pepperaunt

I have a confession to make... I've been lurking on the TSR St Andrews thread today as DS1 is still awaiting a decision from them..

There's a student there who has a Cambridge offer and an Imperial Offer who has been rejected by St Andrews.

When did St Andrews become so popular and selective?!

Crikey midlife that's surprising!!

Interesting. For what subject @MidLifeCrisis007 ?

St. Andrews has risen up the ranks over the years! I really liked the campus when I watched a movie about William and Kate 🙈

Hope it's good news for your DS from both Durham and St. Andrews @MidLifeCrisis007

Dc knows someone who has a Cambridge offer who has been rejected by Durham.

He was rejected for CompSci. I think St Andrews is v highly regarded for that, as well as International Relations, Philosophy, Theology and Geography, inter alia.

There are issues with St Andrews over deferrals, lack of accommodation and lack of 2nd year accommodation, together with pressure from NS to retain Scottish high achievers who if they go to England for uni invariably don't go back. Obviously it is a lot smaller than other unis like Durham etc.

We also have Oxbridge offer holders rejected by St A, Edinburgh, Imperial, Durham and even an Oxbridge med offer holder rejected by Birmingham. All such fine margins.

@SeasonFinale that's interesting, DS is still waiting for St A and Edinburgh.

@SeasonFinale what is going on with UCL tonight? Is it a mass rejection evening?

DS got History offers from both Cambridge and Durham in 2019 but didn't get a St Andrews offer so yes, it's very sought after.

DD, like 321zyx's DS, is still waiting for St Andrews and Edinburgh....

Feeling for all of those still waiting for Durham....

I'm not at all sure one can say that a uni is more selective/ sought after because an Oxbridge offer holder is rejected. It's entirely possible that some are rejected because the uni in question can see that there's almost no poi t wasting an offer on an Oxbridge dead cert. It happens again and again and reflects more on the quality of the applicant than the status of the rejecting uni.

*poi t = point :)

[quote Olympicfan]@SeasonFinale what is going on with UCL tonight? Is it a mass rejection evening?[/quote]
No movement here from UCL yesterday but I think most of our UCL decisions are in already.

Great parents evening last night. Very pleased with how school is handling grading. Very holistic. No percentage allocations for assessments v. lesson v. essays. Coursework will also be "part" of the overall assessment. They have been given oversight of each assessment, focusing each on a book or a period or a topic (English, History, Class Civ). No open books though. All assessments will be essays in class and be 1hr long. DD much more relaxed now.

Same @BigWoollyJumpers

However to be fair I was never concerned about DS grades - just that they will be meaningless as there is no standard between schools

Can't help thinking this is a really good year to hold Oxbridge offers though .........

Olympicfan - it certainly seemed to be mass rejection evening with UCL last night. Crazy! Students with perfect grades too, by the look of it. Loads for economics. I wonder if they made too many offers before Xmas and have been caught out, numbers wise, by the UCAS extension and likelihood of grade inflation? I’m not sure it’s because they think someone is a “dead cert” for Oxbridge because they were certainly offering to those with that type of paper application last term. And, as we know, there is no such thing as an Oxbridge dead cert - all 9s and A* predictions mean not that much, even if combined with a fantastic reference and PS.

One of DS' best friends didn't even get an interview at Cambridge but has an offer from St Andrews for Comp Sci. It's his first choice now.

DS has been told that for his Geog assessments they won't be doing any Y12 material and they have dropped 1 (small) topic from Y13 work.

chopc - yes, very good year to hold an Oxbridge offer, I can't see many schools not giving the required grades. They all want Oxbridge on their leavers' lists I would think...

@chopc

Can't help thinking this is a really good year to hold Oxbridge offers though .........

Don't even go there...... .