Oxbridge 2023 support; it's offer month. Good luck all.

[Riverpebble]

New thread for the start of the Oxbridge offers.

Rejection here. Disappointed but happy enough with plan B

DD sent me a screenshot of her offer, C05 is the university name and she has that too, but I presume she logged into UCAS and then underneath it has Location: N (for Newnham).

A Law offer for one of my tutees. Let's hope I can pull off the same feat with my own children....

Offer here for DS! For selwyn college

Unsuccessful here but DS very happy with his other offers - upwards and onwards.

Congratulations to all of those whose DC have received offers today and commiserations to those who didnt. We were here last year when DD was rejected for HSPS AT Clare, we found the process brutal! She is now doing Politics and IR at Bath and is having the time of her life, loves her course, the City and her mates. All will come good in the end. Sending &

Rejection here for DS

Rejection here. Tears but trying to remind her that she has unconditionals for St. Andrews and glasgow & edinburgh.

So so hard to see them so upset. What a gut wrenching process. I'll be honest and say I hope she doesn't reapply. She didn't even celebrate those other offers as she was so Cambridge focused.

Good luck all and congratulations to those who did it🎉

Sorry to hear that beach because three unconditionals is amazing and sounds like she’s come such a long way from what you’ve said. Makes you wonder what they’re looking for! She’ll shine wherever she goes.

DS was rejected two years ago and instead went to St As. Having a ball, has much more flexibility to change course options and manageable workload. It’s honestly a redirection and not a rejection, though tough at the time.

Thank you so much to @Karwomannghia & @hollypocks ❤️

Just found you all - wish I had done a few weeks ago. Have found the waiting over the last couple of weeks really hard but DD got an offer today and is thrilled. She needs an A and 2 A*s which is less than what is predicted but doesn't give much wiggle room. Still, she has an insurance offer she is very happy with so we can breathe a little and at least now it's in her hands rather than dependent on a million other variables. Well done to the offer holders and commiserations to those who didn't get one - I'm a Cambridge reject from decades ago and it worked out fine for me. Was upsetting at the time but I think the "redirection not rejection" guidance is good.

Another kick in the teeth for ds (well more for me as it turns out) today as his bff got an offer for Cambridge.

I have to say I am more proud of his attitude to being the only reject in his cohort (once again, obviously a freaky good year for the school) than I ever would have been if he'd received an offer. He's been utterly gracious and congratulatory to everyone, even the ones who copied homework from him - just heard him on the phone telling my mum the news and sounding genuinely thrilled for his friend, he didn't even mention it to me, I heard via ds2. He is basically a far better person than I will ever be!He has told the school to get off his back about reapplying and is adamant he would rather go elsewhere and have a blast than turning O into some kind of holy grail.

Huge commiserations and empathy to the other rejects out there, if I'd known how unexpectedly painful this process would turn out to be. I would have encouraged ds never to go near it. Massive congrats to the offer holders.

@Rejects I'm so sorry. It's so tough. That was DS's best friend last year - of the 10 of them who were all really close, his best friend was the only one who didn't get an offer from Oxbridge, and he was the child that everyone was convinced from Y7 that would be the 'dead cert' so it made it doubly difficult. It was REALLY tough for him, but he bore it with great grace (after a couple of days of licking his wounds) but he's gone to another top 5 university and is having an absolute ball.

We had a 'Christmas Dinner Party' for DS and his friends, all of whom bar this child are doing STEM subjects at C - and they all agreed that he'd got the best of it, as the rest of them had mountains of academic work to do over the holidays, and exams before the start of term.....

Everyone stakes SO much on Oxbridge, but there are so many other amazing unis out there, who will be lucky to have those who have been unlucky enough not to make it through the ridiculously competitive process (my DD is going through UCAS this year, and chose not to even look at Oxbridge after DS's experience last!).

Rejection here for medicine. It think DS is secretly relieved I know I am the course is so different to everywhere else and having been to other interviews he prefers other unis. If he'd got an offer it would have been a tough decision. Others at his school have offers (not for medicine) and he's finding that a it tough. And of course he has no offers yet as med schools still in interview stage.... its tough. Hoping he gets at least one offer but its not a dead cert... medicine is so tough.

Thank you @Panicmode1 it is extremely comforting to know there are other "only ones" out there (though horrible for them too)

• I obviously always knew this was a tough process and although ds was considered the front runner I still was absolutely not convinced he'd make it (nor was ds). But precisely because it is so tough it never crossed my mind EVERYONE else would get lucky. I rationally know it will all be more than fine and probably work out much better this way, it will almost certainly be a load more fun than my Cambridge experience. I really hope ds2 decides not to go down this road though ...

@Rejects I admire your calm and pragmatic approach and also that of your ds. Life is largely about how you handle the knocks and it sounds like he is dealing with the situation in a way that is mature beyond his years.
remember that ultimately the O application/selection process is ultimately just a total lottery really, nothing more, and there will therefore be some winners and losers. Make sure to always celebrate the good times in the future!

We are in the same position here. All four friends got an offer but not him. It's so so tough, especially as everyone including teachers thought he was going to receive an offer. He actually won the faculty essay competition in 2022, so God knows what went wrong. One of his friends who got an offer decided last minute to apply because he couldn't think of another university to fill the space, did no extra work and said his interview was a car crash. He's been so gracious with his friends but I can tell he is just so sad. The school have asked for feedback as baffled. Now waiting on St Andrew's, I can't bare to think how he'll be if he doesn't get an offer.

@Karmacat I'm so, so sorry, sounds like an almost identical position to us, we're also waiting on St A and I'm feeling very pessimistic. Huge fingers crossed they both end up there and have a blast. Ds actually won a big essay prize in his subject this week, I was (secretly) furious on his behalf but he said it the irony of it all was "funny". I have to say I'd certainly advise someone applying not to waste their time on any extra work as it seems to make zero difference to the outcome. And thank you so much @dnac - it's just been rubbish luck but life is all about coping with rubbish luck so this bodes v well for ds's future knocks. I do some work connected to Ukraine and was talking today to someone in an air raid shelter with sirens wailing - that gave me a healthy dose of perspective!

DS may not be taking the rejection as well as it appeared this morning. He’s holed up in bed in his room in the dark. 😥

I’m sure he’ll be fine soon but he’s also waiting for offers from UCL and Edinburgh which were his second choices so I hope they come in soon as that will soften the blow. The offers he’s holding were not his preferred choices!

@Karmacat Sounds like a really tough day for you and your clearly brilliant DS - I am sure you are reassuring him he is just as brilliant and lovely a person today as he was yesterday and will flourish wherever he goes. There are ~35,000 people who have not received offers from O / C this month. It is particularly tough when expectations are high... DN and a cousin among those this year. Has he any offers for other unis he is interested in where you can visit and build up some enthusiasm for another place.

Yes it's really tough. He is normally very emotionally resilient but I can tell he's had the stuffing knocked out of him today. His teacher sent a lovely email to him tonight telling him how brilliant he which made him and me cry! We have just ordered his favourite takeaway and I'm going to put a movie on. He has two offers for Uni's he doesn't really want to go to but he's waiting for St Andrew's and Durham. He brought up taking a year out earlier so I guess we'll just see how things go. His sister is in the year below and is thinking of doing Oxbridge, I have huge reservations now to be honest.

I hope @Karmacat you know that you and other parents struggling today (and in recent weeks) to support their DC readjust and reroute are being wrapped in virtual hugs by many of us. Sounds as though he has a super teacher who I expect is heartbroken for him too... they and you have nurtured and supported him in this process so will feel upset too. Logic doesn't always help when emotions are so raw... it takes time to feel ready to hear such statements that while true Cana come across as platitudes right now.

Fortunately your DS has no decisions that need to be made right now and the world will look different in a few weeks time. He can always accept offers and then decline after A level results and reapply if that is what he would like to do in August. This drip drip of offers is very cruel - the Irish system is much better - all after Leaving Cert / A Level results.

I'm a huge believer in the value of a year out irrespective of whether you want to reapply or simply apply for deferred enty- DD on one now in S France and DS did one 2 years ago spending 11 months in Paris. It changed their perspective .... if that makes sense. DS certainly has approached uni differently as a result.

These young people haven't been rejected - they've not received offers.

I'm sure all will go on to other amazing things.

Thank you @Juja - He's just come and sat on my bed for a chat (hasn't done that in years) seems much better and has agreed to see his teacher tomorrow who I know will be amazing with him. We had a long chat and he knows how proud we are of him, wherever he goes he'll have a ball, I think it will just take time. Tomorrow will be difficult, being the only one in his group without an offer but he'll get through it with good grace and integrity. Thank you all for getting me through this utterly wretched day.