Oxbridge Aspirants 2022 part 3....Will they or won't they make it to interview? Our Mum nerves are in tatters!

[TangoWhiskyAlphaTango]

New thread for us, lots of lovely support whilst we wait. Some of our lovely DC now have interview dates whilst the rest of us hold our breath and try not to hassle our teens into checking their SPAM folders at least several times per day .

@NinaProudman2022 - sorry to hear the disappointing news. NatSci is so competitive. Thanks for sharing and give him a big hug and his favourite supper tonight.

Wishing your son and you all the best NinaProundman22. I agree totally with your sentiments but for today, sorry to hear your news.

So sorry to hear your son's news @ninaproudman2022 - as a wise person once said, Shoot for the moon - even if you miss you will end up among the stars..... I've said to my children that Oxbridge is a moonshot, and just having the courage to shoot for it should make him proud - and NatSci is hugely competitive.

Thanks all he and we knew it was a gamble but I think he would have always regretted and wondered what might have been if he hadn’t made an application.

Now he just has to dust himself down, face his school friends tomorrow several also made Oxbridge applications and move forward.

Sorry to hear your news nina.

Commiserations to your DS, @NinaProudman2022.
I'd guess it was the lack of chemistry, C really like either phys+che or che+bio for Natsci, they only have those two strands and don't make allowances for not having chemistry (know this from experience!).
Where's he going to go instead?

Thanks @PhiRhoSigma he did have maths and further maths and he was told by an admissions tutor that him not having biology or chemistry wouldn’t affect his application as he had both maths and further maths.

I wish your DS well @NinaProudman2022. A lot of our DC will be in a similar situation soon. STEM seems to be devilishly competitive. Luckily, there are many good universities in the UK. I hope he goes to one that he turns out to love.
As an aside, DD’s friend was turned down for Cambridge today. She had 12 nines at GCSE, 4 and a half A*s, bags of work experience…seemed basically perfect. Just drives home the point that Oxbridge requires more than just hard work and talent. Perhaps one just needs a bit of luck too.

It seemed to me like Cambridge never wants to discourage anyone from applying, even when their grades or subjects mean that in reality their chances are in truth compromised. One of mine is a Natsci 'Cambridge reject' (self-labelled, now with pride although it hurt a bit at the time), also with the double math physics combo, and has never looked back.
Good luck to your DS.

Stockpot was that NatSci too? There will almost certainly have been a basic non talent related flaw in the application - such as lack of chemistry for NatSci. Agree with PhiRhoSigma that Oxbridge seems to want to welcome all comers but in reality some times applications will almost certainly go nowhere. Lack of Biology at A level for Medicine is a common one, in spite of it not being 'essential'.

For Oxbridge. Don't know if other med schools are more tolerant.

Sending my thoughts Nina . It's tough out there. It wasn't meant for him; his best path is still to reveal itself.

Commiserations @NinaProudman2022. Hope your DS bounces back soon.

That’s interesting re biology & medicine @goodbyestranger . DH did pre-clinical medicine at Oxford (clinical at Cambridge) and no Biology A level. But obviously a long time ago!

Also waiting to hear re Maths from Cambridge. Can see a few interview invites are out but not from the college DD applied to (in fact barely anything from that college at all, just a couple of law offers today). In their website it says the interviews are 7-10 or 8-10 December - so just over 2 weeks off still. Hoping to hear by end of this week 🤞🏻

Son got a rejection e-mail from Cambridge today (engineering). Really thought he would at least get an interview. Got 12x grade 9’s in GCSE and came top in his school (a Grammar school) 4 A*’s predicted at A level (Maths, Further maths, Physics and language) can only think his Engaa must have been bad, even though he felt it went ok. Oh well… what doesn’t break us makes us stronger 🤣 good luck to all those waiting to hear

@mich101 really sorry to hear that .. what a bright DC you have .. the competition must be Uber fierce sure to COVID and whatever else.

Good luck to those still waiting - the not knowing is getting harder for DD.. she has friends who have heard back which is wonderful for them. Just want to find out either way now . The suspense is palpable .

@doubleshotcappuccino

Good luck to those still waiting - the not knowing is getting harder for DD.. she has friends who have heard back which is wonderful for them. Just want to find out either way now . The suspense is palpable .

Mine too. Had her in tears yesterday stressing about why she's not heard....☹️

@mich101 Gosh with those grades you would've thought there would be no question of an interview. Looks like the really popular subjects are rejecting top top grades. I wish your son all the best moving forward this process is far tougher than I imagined.

Blimey @mich101. In the PT House we're
definitely expecting less as the week goes on. Tbh I'm glad to hear at least that we should get a rejection email rather than be left hanging.

Just when you think you have the only DC waiting or having to deal with rejection this thread thankfully demonstrates to our DCs they and we are not alone .. agree - thumbs up or down would be fine - no thumbs is agony

Oh @mich101, I'm so sorry to hear that. My DS has an identical profile and is also at grammar, except he's doing DT instead of a language. I'm sure it will have been the ENGAA. DS, who had been comfortably getting to the interview threshold on practice papers said he didn't think he'd got anywhere near, and it was the hardest test he'd done. I suspect we will be following suit shortly. Big unMumsnetty hugs to you both.

I’m sorry to hear your son’s news mich101

Big hugs to all the disappointed children who have worked so hard. My DD still waiting….but becoming more realistic as time goes by.

Really sorry to hear that @mich101 - it must have been the ENGAA. It sounds like there are high numbers of applicants with excellent grades so it's coming into play to differentiate between them.