OR 22 - Edinburgh, Warwick, St A, UCL, Durham, Nottingham, Bath and more

[Valleyofthedollymix]

Following on from the Oxbridge rejects thread but I've got rid of those two words. I for one am interested to know where they all end up and when Durham might finally deign to reject/offer DS...

Thanks really with @TangoWhiskyAlphaTango for starting us off. How are decisions going?

@fishingeagle did your DS decide on Bristol or Bath?

One of DS’ friends got a St A rejection today. Fortunately he doesn’t have an AH exam this week and he has good offers. But still rubbish.

Sorry Stockpot your DD- I knew that! I know what she means about being put off waiting so long. DS says even if he wanted to go to St As he'd be peed off they kept him waiting so long, like an afterthought. That is what it must feel like, even though it's not that.

Shame for the St As reject Eightytwenty. Right in the middle of exams is truly crap.

Seems like a lifetime ago since the first post back in March 2021 when we were all eager Oxbridge parent applicants. It has been a long rough road for many of them with Covid added into the mix they really have been one of the hardest done by years groups. Bizarre to think neither of my DC have sat a GCSE (DS should have done them last year). DD was very very fortunate in comparison to the wait many of your DC have had, her first choice (beyond C) was always Bath and she had her offer in November so it has very much taken the pressure of her. I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to have offers / rejections dragging on until this point especially on top of A-levels.

DD is still panicking she won't make the grade but her Bath offer is AAB and her predictions have never seen her get a B so hopefully she will be fine. Hope your Scottish DC are all coping with their highers ok, at least it will be over soon. DD first exam in 2 weeks........eekkkkk!!

@TangoWhiskyAlphaTango ditto as always .. the tension to get these grades is palpable .. also starting to feel real that she won't be living here anymore but that's a whole different thread.
It does seem like an age since those first posts .. we never lost our humour.. ok maybe I did for a little bit ...

Yup, whole new thread needed for starlings flying the nest...😱

We’ll need one @Puffalicious ! I’m so invested now in all your DC. I really do want to hear about their adventures. And have your shoulders to cry on when things go wrong.

Absolutely this!!! We'll definitely do one. I'm so invested- it's like our own, little community where we get to live our lives vicariously through fabulous young people! I love young people: their whole lives ahead of them.

DS was rejected by LSE so it's all in on his Edinburgh offer now. We are trying to lower the stakes whilst simultaneously giving him the confidence that it's within his stride to meet his very high offer, which it absolutely is if all goes well. All we can really do I guess is re-assure him that all will be well in the end and that our love for him and pride in him are unconditional and not predicated on any outcome. I'm also a bit sad that he's leaving school - he's had a fabulous five years and absolutely made the most of it. But time to move on.

Oh @fishingeagle sorry to hear this. Will keep fingers crossed. I know that it’s been a lot of bad news for you all to process. It seems totally unfair. Now hard stares coming for Edinburgh.

I think it is absolutely awful that people are still waiting to here at this point, they've been through so much.

DS was waiting for his mock results to help decide whether to put Southampton or Cardiff as insurance (firming Bath). He isn't very well really and should have his medication increased in my opinion but GP wants further bloods in July and to review then so he'll have to sit exams unwell. He won't speak to GP again and at his age nothing we can do.

He has agreed to submit an extenuating circumstances form though which is something and mock grades would have met the Bath offer (A star AA ) in 2 subjects and was 0 5% under in the 3rd.

I really want the pressure off him so hoping he decides to put Cardiff as insurance at AAB (lowest offer he has had).

fishingeagle I'm sorry to hear that. It's so late in the day. I'm channeling my energy for his exam days. He knows you're right there, championing him no matter what, which is the most powerful.thumg he can have. You're a star.

That's really tough Volterra. I hope the extenuating circumstances form will help. I can't stand the fact that we still judge DC's ability on the performance of one day.

oh for god's sake Fishingeagle why so bloody late? Really unfair to be so up to the wire like that. However, Edinburgh is a fabulous university and I'm sure if you help him to keep calm he'll make his offer. Is it economics? That and computer science seem to have been the worst this year (though I did read that they have among the highest rates of pay for graduates so swings and roundabouts).

Sorry about your son not being well Volterra, that must add another layer of anxiety to an already anxious situation.

@Eightytwenty @Puffalicious thank you both! Just grateful that Edinburgh came through with a relatively early offer so he's had a goal to aim for during the run-in. A few of his friends who similarly made 5 aspirational choices have had no offers at all, and a few are unbelievably still waiting - Warwick seem anecdotally to be the worst offender. It would be ironic if these places were to end up under-offering.

@Volterra I so hope things go well for your DS and I'm sorry to hear he's been ill. I agree about exams @Puffalicious - especially when more and more universities are moving away from exams as a mode of assessment. I think it's because there is research to show that there is a gendered dynamic - the all-or-nothing nature seems to reward an element of risk-taking that apparently favours boys.

Still waiting on St Andrews here! 7 days before deadline and after applying in September. Think DS has lost interest at this stage. Has already made plans for a gap year, but dont think next year will be a normal year. Good luck to everyone in their exams.
@Volterra definitely worth sending in extenuating circumstance form
@fishingeagle Fantastic having an offer from Edinburgh. I think that the unis asking for 3A* will show some flexibility re grades. They will prefer candidates that they have selected, rather than clearing candidates.
What a year! My DS thought that they were so lucky having their GCSE cancelled but they have ended up the worst off re covid and university admissions.

@fishingeagle whew. I misremembered and misunderstood - Edinburgh is fab. Will keep fingers crossed.

Thanks Shimy my DD is loving it too and I have a soft spot for it as also went 🙂

Sorry, wrong thread!!

@Volterra I had no idea it was the wrong thread either as I'm also on both .

That makes me feel better Shimy - are we losing the plot at this point do you think ?😂

Yes, I read this. Bucking the trend in my area: it's boys who do far worse overall than girls no matter what the assessment. In our inner-city, deprived area they're far more like to be disengaged, have poor attendance and achieve well below their potential. (I also have many girls who are similar, but definitely fewer).

DS1 is always saying ' If I can solve the Maths problem/ write the essay what difference does it make if I do it in a little more time? If I can do it, i can do it.' He's got a huge point. Open day at Edinburgh Maths emphasised the taking time approach and that not all subjects are assessed via exams.

I've never seen the point of making kids batter an essay in 45 minutes where they analyse the subtleties of a piece of literature. I've been saying this for almost 28 years. Bah!

@Eightytwenty I much appreciate your support !

@coffecake12 I'm so sorry your DS is still waiting. It has indeed been a truly awful admissions round and it's not fair. I'm grateful for what you say about Edinburgh - I'm faintly shocked that his offer is so high and really hope you're right - it certainly makes sense. Also hoping his firming it will count for something. He got exactly what he needs in his mocks so fingers crossed for a repeat performance!

@Puffalicious I think your DS1 is dead right. For what it's worth both my DC found their dissertations, extended essays and take-home papers much more challenging than three-hour exams. Both felt that by studying smart and gaming it slightly (and taking some risks!) it was possible to do very well at exams but it's a peculiar skill-set.

@coffecake12 hope your DC heard good news soon from St A. Sounds like the last few days have been brutal.

@Volterra that sounds super tough. Hope the extenuating circumstances process is easy and that the decision making comes smoothly.

@Puffalicious just come across Daisy Christodolou's book, Seven Myths About Education - she argues for exams. You probably know of her and the debates - I think she used to teach English- but I hadn't come across her before and I thought it looked interesting.

Poor DS fed up tonight and just wants them to start now.

Fishingeagle, what a pity. I had been rooting for your DS. He sounds both sensible and gifted. I hope he makes the grades required by Edinburgh.

Something needs to change. DS went through this almost a decade ago waiting until the March deadline to hear from LSE, Warwick and UCL despite a 4xA*prediction. At the time it felt as if he was unlucky, and some posters here were pretty blunt in suggesting that he himself had major shortcomings, otherwise it would not have happened.

But happen it did, and it was awful. Now it is worse. Many many more are affected, and the wait is longer. Oxbridge and medicine are allowed a early deadline because of the demand for places. Yet LSE etc often have a higher number of applicants per place (Oxford and Cambridge applicants are reduced because you can only apply to one, not both.) They also have a lower “yield” in that strong applicants are likely to get an Oxbridge offer as well and accept that, making predictions more difficult. Add in the fact LSE is small and does not want to go above numbers and you have a real problem.

I think the solution on very popular courses might be to give home students the early deadline. They will mainly be applying to Oxbridge anyway, so no great problem. Post Brexit there should not be an issue giving home students a different deadline from overseas students and operating an informal quota. Home students are then accepted, rejected or put on a wait list at about the same time as Oxbridge. Overseas students are processed after the January deadline. (Many will be applying for courses in several different countries.) If some of those on the wait list are better than the last accepted overseas student they can be promoted from the waitlist. (Medical schools also offer waitlists.)

One idea. Others may have better ideas. With increases in contextualisation and the increase in demand from overseas the problem is likely to get worse. 17 year olds should not be put through this, and it is likely to be more difficult for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. A solution needs to be found.

Sorry to hear that, @fishingeagle
DS just been rejected by LSE too.
I don’t feel any sympathy for them though.
They had DS’s application back in early October. It’s taken them seven months to decide his GCSE results weren't good enough . SEVEN MONTHS!! And yet he’s made to feel the incompetent one.

He could have firmed his Warwick offer ages ago and got on with sorting finance and accommodation. Now it’ll be one big rush at a moment neither of us are free to spend much time on, knowing we’re way behind most other candidates.
Yes I’m sore!!