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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Oxbridge Aspirants 2022...Part 2...applications submitted now the tense wait!

994 replies

TangoWhiskyAlphaTango · 11/10/2021 11:00

Thought I would start a new thread as part one is nearly full and found thread one to be of great support.

So its deadline week this week for our applicants then the nervous wait begins to find out of they have made it to interview. DD applying for HSPS at Cambridge. We know it is a long shot but got to be in it to win it and she is very keen to try. Looking at the admissions info it does not look as though she will need to sit a test prior but all the best to those who will have to.

OP posts:
PermanentTemporary · 31/10/2021 12:56

A Manchester offer - 3 A*s. Very pleased he has one, we both liked the University and loved the city, though the reality of that level of requirement has shocked us both a bit.

notsure55 · 31/10/2021 14:52

That's very high! @PermanentTemporary , is that their standard offer?

estherfrewen · 31/10/2021 14:57

History work for Downing Cambridge has to be marked and with teacher comments for upload. But we had to wait for the upload email which only came through Friday and although DS has registered, the link hasn’t arrived so he can’t upload it yet - he had to create account etc etc. As closing date is 4th this all seems so last minute. Will need to speak to college admissions tomorrow as to what to do but this process is tortuous. Why they can’t just either do a test or have work emailed rather than separate account and links to upload etc etc. I’m really not sure it is worth the effort. Trying to get two fully marked essays from school as both teachers have left and feedback last year was either oral or never given was bad enough….

goodbyestranger · 31/10/2021 15:04

If Durham is one of those two ProggyMat, DD4 got a very early offer for Classics the cycle before last. Well before the Oxford interview at any rate.

ProggyMat · 31/10/2021 15:07

@goodbyestranger sadly it’s not.

goodbyestranger · 31/10/2021 15:23

St Andrews also offered early :)

ProggyMat · 31/10/2021 15:28

Grin Sadly, she hasn’t applied there either.
That said, lots of her friends she met at a summer school have so fingers crossed offers will be winging their way to them soon!

woulducouldushouldu · 31/10/2021 15:52

2nd offer came through last week. Bham ABB which is one grade lower than than their standard AAB which (hopefully) demonstrates that her personal statement is strong.

Requested work is going to be emailed tomorrow as soon as teachers have signed off the cover forms

Piggywaspushed · 31/10/2021 16:27

@estherfrewen

History work for Downing Cambridge has to be marked and with teacher comments for upload. But we had to wait for the upload email which only came through Friday and although DS has registered, the link hasn’t arrived so he can’t upload it yet - he had to create account etc etc. As closing date is 4th this all seems so last minute. Will need to speak to college admissions tomorrow as to what to do but this process is tortuous. Why they can’t just either do a test or have work emailed rather than separate account and links to upload etc etc. I’m really not sure it is worth the effort. Trying to get two fully marked essays from school as both teachers have left and feedback last year was either oral or never given was bad enough….
Oh, I thought every college was the same on the policy about marking! That must be tough for students whose work is marked electronically on Google Classroom or whatever!
Piggywaspushed · 31/10/2021 16:28

@PermanentTemporary

A Manchester offer - 3 A*s. Very pleased he has one, we both liked the University and loved the city, though the reality of that level of requirement has shocked us both a bit.
3 A*s!!?! Shock
PermanentTemporary · 31/10/2021 16:43

I know Sad I always thought this year would be unbelievably competitive but the reality feels tough.

Tbh their standard compsci offer last year was 2 A*s and an A. A lot of compsci courses want very high maths and further maths grades. I guess they partly don't want people to find the course unexpectedly maths heavy, and partly they ask for what they can get I suppose.

PermanentTemporary · 31/10/2021 16:47

Or maybe ds just isn't a very strong candidate. Nah, can't be that Grin [pfb]

Piggywaspushed · 31/10/2021 16:52

It's an odd strategy though. If it ends up higher than a more prestigious uni (eg Oxbridge), then lots of candidates will reject their offers outright if holding and Oxbridge offer. And, if not, maybe choose an equally good university with lower offer grades . Manchester will never be an insurance choice on those grades!?

21budgies · 31/10/2021 17:08

They must have decided they don't want to be an insurance choice for someone with an Oxbridge offer

Piggywaspushed · 31/10/2021 17:10

Does seem that way. Or insurance choice for anyone!

estherfrewen · 31/10/2021 17:13

@Piggywaspushed- yes has been real struggle getting marked work but as we can't get the upload link it might be a moot point!

PermanentTemporary · 31/10/2021 17:27

So many universities dealing with 2 unexpectedly huge cohorts in successive years. I think it's about survival and the numbers they can physically accommodate and teach first. But yes, also saying 'we need to be your first choice, it's up to you'. That's ok tbh. I thought ds would be v lucky to be at Manchester. There are heavy restrictions on the A* subjects too.

goodbyestranger · 31/10/2021 18:23

Ah well I won't continue through the list Proggy, but I'm struggling to think of any other notoriously late offerors who are top of the leader board for Classics. Also for Classics I think late rarely applies so while some subjects at the notoriously late unis are indeed often late, Classics doesn't seem to be late anywhere and in many places seems to be really very early.

ProggyMat · 31/10/2021 18:47

I was led to believe UCL and Edinburgh are often late with offers?
Obviously late being not first out of the starting stalls?

No really early offers for Classics as yet for any of DDs friends many of whom have applied to Durham, St Andrews and other ‘top of the leader board’ for classics.

goodbyestranger · 31/10/2021 19:11

Not sure how else to describe it Proggy - didn't want to say top of the league tables (can of worms) but with Classics those rankings do seem to correlate closely to the most applied to/ popular unis. Thought top of the leader board was sufficiently oblique :)

ProggyMat · 31/10/2021 19:43

Most applied to makes sense Smile

margegunderson · 31/10/2021 22:13

Help! DS prepping for MAT next week and after getting interview grades on most has just struggled with last two (geometry related I think) - any thoughts for raising his spirits? He's applied to Oxford maths, has held off on filling rest of UCAS form out yet - has to narrow 5 choices down to 4. I'm not sure whether he's just overworked at the moment, has a genuine problem with geometry or what. He's an IB student and this is the term from hell on that course.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 31/10/2021 22:28

@margegunderson

Help! DS prepping for MAT next week and after getting interview grades on most has just struggled with last two (geometry related I think) - any thoughts for raising his spirits? He's applied to Oxford maths, has held off on filling rest of UCAS form out yet - has to narrow 5 choices down to 4. I'm not sure whether he's just overworked at the moment, has a genuine problem with geometry or what. He's an IB student and this is the term from hell on that course.
I've sent you a pm.
margegunderson · 31/10/2021 22:57

Thank you OYBBK!

Puffalicious · 31/10/2021 23:32

@margegunderson

Help! DS prepping for MAT next week and after getting interview grades on most has just struggled with last two (geometry related I think) - any thoughts for raising his spirits? He's applied to Oxford maths, has held off on filling rest of UCAS form out yet - has to narrow 5 choices down to 4. I'm not sure whether he's just overworked at the moment, has a genuine problem with geometry or what. He's an IB student and this is the term from hell on that course.
To make him feel better, DS who is an absolute Maths genius is finding the MAT papers tough. He says not tough content wise but on the way you need to think way out of the box. He says when looking at the marking scheme he understands all the maths quite easily but that he wouldn't have seen what it wanted him to see, if you get my meaning. He, too, is a little negative this week and thinking that despite phenomenal grades at Higher (Scotland) he's just not going to cut it. His lecturer for advanced Higher (at local uni) reckons even he'd find the MAT tough!

This is all compounded by the fact he's attending the funeral of his rugby coach tomorrow (tragic accident) and has been really affected by it .😔

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