Oxbridge Aspirants - Part 6

[HoneyMobster]

The offers are in but there is still a long way to go...

@CurlyhairedAssassin
@Panicmode1
@PermanentTemporary

[quote kitnkaboodle]@CurlyhairedAssassin DS2's Imperial test suffered from online cockups! (Sigh ...). Not very impressed with this coming from the country's top technical school! Hundreds of candidates couldn't use the back button on the test, so if you scrolled forward a bit you couldn't scroll back to review/finish your answers. To their credit, they have offered two dates to resit it, and they had that sorted out by the end of yesterday. But it will draw out the process even longer, I guess .
I think your DS will love Southampton. Make sure you visit the special 'science park'y bit that is just up the road from the main campus (can't remember the name - Wolfson??). Big facilities for aero, maritime and civil engineering. Don't bother getting the shuttle bus like we did - it's only 5 mins walk![/quote]
Oh god, that test sounds like a nightmare for the nerves! What a cockup! Not good having to wait even longer when you thought it would be all done and dusted now.

Thanks for the tip about the Boldrewood campus and not bothering with the shuttle bus. Do you get to go inside the building at Boldrewood and see exactly what facilities are there? I'm wondering if the stuff there would just be used by postgrads mainly so would be interested to know how hands on it is there for undergrads.

I'd originally booked for 2 nights as it's a 4 hour trip and I thought it best to also make time to have a look at the city centre. DH said that it's not a particularly pretty city centre and very average so probably don't need to bother. So I've cancelled the second night and we'll just drive straight back up north after the last tour/talk.

@quest1on2

Hi congrats to everyone on all the other offers coming in.

DS has now firmed C (unconditional offer as post A-level) so after a long period of uncertainty, can now finally visualise where he’s going and enjoy the rest of the gap year. He’s currently volunteering abroad and will be for some months yet. I was so worried when he decided to withdraw from Durham last August, but it seems to have all worked out for his best.

Quite a few of his friends who didn’t get into C following last year’s carnage seem to have been successful this year which is interesting.

I do feel for students with this A* Further Maths and STEP business hanging over them. I’m in awe of anyone who takes maths at all tbh, let alone FM.

How come he withdrew from Durham? How fab to have an unconditional offer for Cambridge. Planning for it will be so much more relaxed, I guess.

Hi CurlyhairedAssassin. There was various reasons for him deciding to take a gap year. Overall, last year was a weird year for them - a lot of uncertainty re-exams and I going assessments, impossible to visit any unis, numbers of offers in general were slashed. Durham is beautiful, but it’s very far north (for us) and he wasn’t sure about three years up there. He wanted to explore US options as well. Then a gap year opportunity came up and that tipped his decision because he knew he would want to experience that, wherever he ended up at uni.

@CurlyhairedAssassin oh poor old Southampton! I think it was bombed to bits in the war, hence there being not a lot to see culturally! But you can get to France in a couple of hours! We had full inside tour of Boldrewood facilities - wave tanks, wind tunnels, etc. I skipped the tour of civil engineering building as it wasn't exactly enthralling for me, but DS did it (and that was September when it was still covid-y). I imagine undergrads use those facilities ... 🤷‍♀️

We are close to Bath, Bristol AND Southampton, so easy for us to nip to any of them, luckily

@kitnkaboodle you must be close to my childhood 'home'. My parents are close to all of those so if DS ends up in Bristol as his insurance, he will have an uncle in the city and grandparents not too far away....!

@Greatauntdymphna thank you so much for that timeline. Dc is currently mid mocks.
Hopefully in the next few weeks we’ll try to arrange some visits to the college and Bristol.

How are we all doing? Nearly at the end of mocks here. DS thinks they went OK.

Last exam today. Some papers have gone better than others. Won’t know for sure until results are in. I’m reminding my dc that even if it doesn’t go well it’s an opportunity to see where the problem areas are before the real thing.

My DD is at Somerville today for an offer holder's day - sounds as though they have a good day planned with subject meetings, tours and a lunch. It will make it all more real. She travelled down and stayed with her big brother who's in his first year at another college. And we are heading down next week to watch him row in Torpids - he's become serious about rowing - looking to join the uni development squad.

DS finishes mocks on Tuesday...he's not too sure really..mixed bag he thinks. We will see.

He's off to Bristol on Weds for an offer holders day. I think that will probably be his insurance as he thinks he has now discounted Imperial after visiting in half term (thought he wanted a busy London vibe, but isn't sure he now does!).

@Panicmode1my DD is also at Bristol on Wednesday for the offer holder's day - it might well be her insurance too as Edinburgh and Newcastle haven't responded and her Durham offer is the same as Oxford.

Wonder if they will meet 😁. DS has been lucky enough to get 5 offers now, but I think he will firm C and insure Bristol, assuming Weds goes well. He likes the city, and my brother lives there, so DS will get the odd good meal 🤣

@Panicmode1Who knows? odd thinking about these young people wondering around unis with their parents communicating on a parallel universe ...

And the open day at Somerville was a great success - she now feels she can see herself there... just the A levels to sort

@Juja Glad to hear your dd had a good day at Somerville. I’ve name-changed for this, but my dd is in her first year at Somerville, studying MFL. She was pooled from another college but is very happy there, although finding the course demands don’t give her much spare time for fun or socialising. Great that they held an offer holders’ day this year as there wasn’t one last year, due to the pandemic. The first time she saw the college was the day she started, but all has worked out well and she’s a 3-minute walk from where most of her classes are held. PM if you want to ask any questions.

@IvanaTheTerrible
Great to have such positive feedback about Somerville. I might well PM you.

Just popping on to share - especially with @Panicmode1 and @CurlyhairedAssassin - that DS's Mech Eng interview with Imperial went so well today that the interviewer finished off with 'Hope to see you in September' so an offer no doubt on its way. He is chuffed to bits and it is all in stark contrast to his Cambridge interview (he got pooled afterwards). I have always had a sneaking feeling that an offer from Imperial might make him think twice about Cambridge. The plot thickens ....

Yay, that's brilliant @kitnkaboodle. DS loved his Imperial interview and found it a very positive experience (tho I don't think he's going to insure it...)

Gosh @kitnkaboodle what an endorsement! Congrats to your DS.

Just popping in to say we're off to Cambridge on Saturday for in person offer holder day at Newnham. Exciting times and will hopefully inspire DD to work harder to ensure she makes the grades. Will report back.

@kitnkaboodle so pleased to hear that the Imperial interview went well! He must have been chuffed to hear a comment like that at the end, a real boost to his self-esteem and confidence!

Still nothing for DS from Imperial, or Bristol actually. He applied for aeronautical engineering for both of those. It's looking more likely it'll be a rejection from them the longer he's kept waiting, but you never know. It would be more a dent to his pride than anything else as he's got his heart set on Cambridge and I'm sure he'd flourish there. Hmmmm, the job opportunities in London, though.....

@heinztomatosoup Hope the offer holder day goes well! DS heard tonight that they're putting one on at Churchill in April. DH and he will visit. I'm jealous!

@CurlyhairedAssassin The Cambridge DS2 has heard from Bristol and Bath (in a positive way!) but his elder brother hasn't yet - for exactly the same courses ... 🤷‍♀️. While DS2 sweeps all before him, poor DS1 is still languishing in limbo. I'm even starting to wonder if he ought to check that Bath and Bristol haven't made a mistake and combined him and his brother into one applicant! But hearing that your DS is still waiting has given me a bit more of a reality check! Fingers crossed we hear soon ... this week??

DD also has an in person offer holders day at her Oxford college in the Easter holidays. Her college seems really well organised and very welcoming 😊

@kitnkaboodle it must be so tough for you juggling contrasting emotions for both your DSs and for them to manage their relations with each other. I know my DS who is at O was beside himself on the day of his sister's results from O - he just didn't know what to do if she hadn't got in as he felt she deserved it more. We though were v fortunate in the lottery on both rolls of the dice.

Here is hoping your DS1 hears some good news soon. My daughter was keen to insure Newcastle but hasn't heard from them (or Edinburgh) even though 'everyone' she knows has heard from Newcastle. Sending you virtual good wishes to keep strong in the coming days and weeks. Can't be long now....

Thanks @Juja. I'm being silly, aren't I, in wondering if the unis have made a mix up over their applications?? Same surname, same address, same course? Or would you be encouraging the DS who still hasn't heard to be just checking that he hasn't been overlooked in a mix up? I mean ... they have separate UCAS numbers, but ...

@kitnkaboodle I don't think you're being silly. I would ring up the admissions officer at Bristol and Bath and just ask an innocent question, "we are somewhat surprised one has head and the other hasn't could you double check and let me know he's still on your list and when we might hear."

I had an incident with a government department last month where they cancelled a grant our farm was applying for because we had had a different grant on a. completely different field. They said, "We just thought you wouldn't want both." Completely mind boggling - I applied for both through the hours of your application process because I did want both.
Alway worth double checking....