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Original poster

Oxbridge aspirants part 4......Hold onto your nerves interviews ahead....!

940 replies

TangoWhiskyAlphaTango · 30/11/2021 12:17

Part 4 - A friendly supportive thread for those with DC applying to Oxbridge, its an arduous process to say the least. I suspect we will need some handholding and alcohol for the couple of weeks ahead as our dc have their interviews. For those still waiting to hear I hope news comes soon Flowers

OP posts:
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SandyBayley · 21/12/2021 07:15

@Thisisconfusing - sorry to hear that. I can't help I'm afraid but I do know Imperial is very competitive. It's possible that they looked at your DS's grades on the context of the setting in which they been achieved.

I know Oxford do that so 'perfect' grades from a high achieving school are considered less of an achievement than the same grades achieved from a lower achieving school. If there are lots of applicants with 'perfect' grades (likely with Imperial) that might explain it. Plus Imperial may be making fewer offers this year with an eye on possible TAGs this summer.

PermanentTemporary · 21/12/2021 08:31

Sorry to hear that @Thisisconfusing. No insight at all except that it is a really tight year and decisions will be unusual. Your son sounds amazing. Is Imperial what he wants above all? Will he reapply with results next year?

Panicmode1 · 21/12/2021 08:44

Congrats @proggymat and commiserations to your DS @thisisconfusing. It is so tough. My son got an Imperial interview and has been offered a place, but one of his best friends who also had 11 9s at GCSE, also predicted 4 A*s and with an amazing PS, didn't get an interview at either Imperial or Cambridge....it is SO tight this year..perhaps they are just throwing darts into UCAS forms Wink.

SandyBayley · 21/12/2021 10:10

Oxford peeps. Has anyone clicked that 3 weeks today is D day?

Stockpot · 21/12/2021 12:42

Commiserations @Thisisconfusing. It’s very hard to have maxed out on everything you can possibly do and still be told it’s not enough.

Juja · 21/12/2021 13:37

@SandyBayley trying to forget! Transferring the focus for all of us to mince pie making though my DD is also now head down into mocks preparation - an uncertain time - mocks due to start on the 5th but no idea if they will even be at school then ...

Horace123 · 21/12/2021 14:39

@SandyBayley - I had managed to put it out of my mind until you reminded me! DS has a maths higher level exam that day - assume your DD does too? If the Oxford email comes early I don't think they'll be able to resist looking at it but it will be a bit depressing going into the maths exam if they get a rejection.

Can't remember if I posted on this thread (!) but DS got an offer from UCL yesterday.

SandyBayley · 21/12/2021 14:55

Congratulations on the UCL offer @Horace123

Yes, you're right about the HL Maths mock. A distraction either way 😬 I might suggest DD laves the phone at home.

SandyBayley · 21/12/2021 15:06

Thinking about it I think they can avoid a result before the exam starts at 8.30am. They'll be out by 10.30...

CurlyhairedAssassin · 21/12/2021 19:52

@Panicmode1

Congrats *@proggymat and commiserations to your DS @thisisconfusing. It is so tough. My son got an Imperial interview and has been offered a place, but one of his best friends who also had 11 9s at GCSE, also predicted 4 As and with an amazing PS, didn't get an interview at either Imperial or Cambridge....it is SO tight this year..perhaps they are just throwing darts into UCAS forms Wink.
Gosh, that's hard on your son's friend! What course was it for? How could you possibly do more? Or did he have to do an entrance test and maybe did worse than those with offers?
ProggyMat · 21/12/2021 20:21

@Panicmode1I think your analogy is spot on!
@SandyBayley - Noted and have been ‘sitting on my hands’ to avoid suggesting a ‘how many sleeps’ Xmas Grin
< I’ll get my coat >

SirVixofVixHall · 21/12/2021 20:52

Dd got an email from UCL saying they are still considering her application. Not sure why they sent this ? She was a bit disappointed as she hoped it might be an offer and now thinks she won’t get one.

Panicmode1 · 21/12/2021 21:21

@curlyhairedassassin It's so tough. They are both applying for engineering. He came out of the ENGAA saying he thought it was OK but didn't get an interview, whereas my DS said it was brutal and did. Maybe a touch of overconfidence? I don't know. On paper there is nothing to choose between them. I would hate to be an admissions tutor at moment (unless I was good at darts, obviously 😆).

Panicmode1 · 21/12/2021 21:22

Just seen the UCL news - congrats @horace123

Panicmode1 · 21/12/2021 21:23

And @sirvixofvixhall I hope that means the dart lands in your DDs favour. At least she's not had a rejection, so that has to be good...?

TerrifiedandWorried · 21/12/2021 22:23

DD found out that she passed her ARSM today. It was a nice bit of news as she found it really hard to do and was convinced she had failed.

SandyBayley · 22/12/2021 08:45

Congratulations @TerrifiedandWorried . Impressive she has kept it going. DD was supposed to do Grade 8 piano this year but just couldn't fit it in with everything else.

Thisisconfusing · 22/12/2021 09:19

Thank you all for your comments and kind words . His sister hasn’t heard anything following Imperial apart from a Happy Christmas message so for now still in the mix . For DS whilst the course was great I think another setting would work best for him anyway whereas it probably would suit his sister more. I think for DS it’s just the not being able to understand what more you could have done . I’m sure it will boil down to the area covered in PS too. I think if you have an interview or an entrance exam then it is easier to understand that others were simply better on the day. It’s because Imperial didn’t have a test and didn’t hAve an interview it is more frustrating . Anyway he has moved on so so must I !! Thanks again

Juja · 22/12/2021 09:54

DD truly fed up with all the Christmas wishes from Unis - "Why can't they just let me know?" she says.... the only wishes that was acceptable she said were from Bristol who have given her an offer

Anyway she was a great help with the mince pies last night, currently learning Chaucer quotes then off to get her hair cut.

Will mocks happen? Have to prepare on the basis schools will open in Jan...

doubleshotcappuccino · 22/12/2021 10:48

@Juja I agree with your DD .. the heart in their mouth feeling they get when some see the email makes for more fragility and what already is an edge of their seat time .

doubleshotcappuccino · 22/12/2021 10:48

at what *

MFLMum2021 · 22/12/2021 11:46

@Thisisconfusing, that does sound very tough for your DS. I think the problem with the whole TAG fiasco this cohort went through for GCSEs is that it has made it very difficult for universities to distinguish between the very, very good applicants and the great ones. Not helped by the inconsistent approach schools took in 2020 to the TAGs in the first place. For Oxbridge, the entrance exams and interviews obviously give further information, but for the rest I too think the dart board analogy is apt.

In one of DDs interviews, it was clear the tutors had misinterpreted something she said in her PS, which may well have coloured their view of her application. At least in an interview situation she was able to clarify it.

@SandyBayley, we’re in a similar position re piano.

SandyBayley · 22/12/2021 12:00

That reminds me. For Oxford Medicine it's normally 50/50 GCSEs/BMAT but this year they said they'd largely ignored GCSEs when selecting for interview. So for medicine at least great GCSEs and predicted grades wouldn't have compensated for a weak BMAT.

I guess other subjects may have taken a similar approach?

Thisisconfusing · 22/12/2021 12:39

To be honest @SandyBayley I think DS would have loved to have the chance to interview for exactly that reason . Anyway his PS obviously didn't resonate with those who made the decisions . He won't be the only one I'm sure !

SirVixofVixHall · 23/12/2021 17:08

@SandyBayley

That reminds me. For Oxford Medicine it's normally 50/50 GCSEs/BMAT but this year they said they'd largely ignored GCSEs when selecting for interview. So for medicine at least great GCSEs and predicted grades wouldn't have compensated for a weak BMAT.

I guess other subjects may have taken a similar approach?

Dd was told this by someone, not sure who. Really tough for her as she has the GCSE grades she would have had all along. She already had two full GCSEs and multiple half ones done the year before Covid, but they can’t see the half ones apparently, so all that work over years just dismissed as grade inflation. I think this cohort have been really let down.