Oxbridge Rejects 2023 - Come this way and commiserate

[Rejects]

As mentioned on the other thread a safe space for those who'd like a bit of support while not dampening others' moods Sorry that I have gone on a lot about this rejection already on here - it's helped me keep outwardly calm and cheerful when my ds has been very upset.

I am acutely aware in the scheme of things a university rejection is not a huge deal and that amazing lives and outcomes no doubt await all our dc wherever they go, it's just getting through the time between now and A levels and/or offers from other unis arriving, keeping dcs' morale up. Good luck everyone

Thank you so much!! 💐 Think my mother in law is far more excited about the date than the offer

Sorry to rehash an old comment but if your son is interested in academia down the line, he could always apply to Caltech.
My younger brother, who studied Maths at Imperial (same as me), started his Caltech PhD just last year. It's really hard work, he says (ofc) but it's doable albeit very competitive...

@curiousllama Thanks, yes. Lots of options for the future.

Ds just got an offer through for compsci at Edinburgh! Three A stars. Quite steep. In terms of firm and insurance is one A star and 3 As worth more than 3 A stars? Just wondering whether he can have it as his insurance (but, quite a high insurance!)

@FriendlyLaundryMonster - do you still have skin in the game for the US? DS has an offer for Edinburgh (Economics and Politics) - it's A star A A.

@HoneyMobster Only rejections from the US. But ds only wanted to apply to the very best and knew it was a long shot. Still waiting to hear from one ivy. But, I think he's happy with his UK offers. What has your ds decided?

Another computer science offer from Edinburgh. 🎉🎉🎉An unconditional offer as he's Scottish and already has his grades.

It's for the integrated masters MInfo (G500) which is a real contender for him. He also has a MEng offer at Durham and is waiting to hear from St As and Glasgow.

Hope the offers keep coming for all....😊

PS congrats Friendly Laundry Monster. Maybe they'll be classmates?

@FriendlyLaundryMonster - he's committed to Princeton. So the UK offers are really just for his own satisfaction. I think he will try and defer Edinburgh (or Durham if it comes through) just in case he doesn't settle in the US.

Congratulations everyone getting Edinburgh offers - the machine is definitely moving now! Fingers crossed to those still waiting - Durham seems to be the worst offender.

Congrats to your ds @Aurea Ds is going to find it hard to choose between his offers. I think Imperial will sway him, but Edinburgh is very good for compsci (not quite as highly ranked), and on our doorstep! Would also be far less expensive as he's Scottish. Should we let money sway the decision...

@FriendlyLaundryMonster the reduction in fees must be such a draw to your ds (and yourself) . A difficult choice , Imperial has such an amazing reputation and for lots of courses (I haven't looked at the stats in much detail) including computer science is probably on applicants per place more difficult than oxbridge.

CS degrees at Imperial have stellar reputations and place grads very well into the top tech employers as well as quant firms. Edinburgh also has really good job prospects, but Imperial will have that edge.

Thank you both. Yes, I think he wants Imperial and it’s the better option. Edinburgh offer day coming up though, so we’ll see. Ideally he’d firm Imperial and insure Edinburgh, but it’s not much of an insurance offer at 3 A stars; too risky!

Gosh, I’d be tempted to save all that money!! I think CS graduates have amazing prospects wherever they go – I’d say it’s also important to get a feel for both places and where your ds thinks he’d feel happier

Edinburgh do seem to be pricing themselves out of insurance with that offer! Maybe they assume first choice as Scottish applicant.

Last year, privately educated students made up more than 50% of Edinburgh's non-Scottish admissions compared to 25% of Scottish admissions (and compared to 7% privately educated in the UK population).

I suspect they are upping their offers to get rid of the "Tim Dim but Nice" party boys (and their female equivalents) using Edinburgh as a respectable back-up.

What if state students from non- Scottish schools are not applying to Edinburgh e.g. distance and cost. It may be that 99.9% of Edinburgh non Scottish applicants are from a private school! There may not be favouritism towards privately educated applicants.

Edinburgh's CS program didn't have 3A offers until very recently. Obviously this reflects the rising competition for CS places but it's doing a Manchester (Manchester also asks for 3A) by also trying to position itself as a course that is more prestigious than it is. Both of these unis will probably hand out offers to those who have the right predicted grades, though. They are solid in CS as they are but they are also not helping themselves by being a hard insurance choice for top candidates

Meant A stars

Sorry, didn't know that editing doesn't work here.
Also their IB offer is a 34, which is a lot less difficult than 3A*. Weird.

That 34 is a lot lower! Maybe they want the money from potentially international students they can charge £££ to in tuition fees 🤔.

Speaking about computer science, does anyone here have knowledge of graduate recruitment? My DS has two integrated masters offers (so far) for comp sci at Durham and Edinburgh. Edinburgh offer is unconditional and Durham is AA.

Initially it's a no brainier as he's Scottish (free tuition), but rather worryingly Edinburgh is low on the league tables (joint 33rd) for graduate prospects and salary after graduating (£35K), whereas Durham is joint top with Cambridge (£48k). He's very career motivated and considers this a more important factor than academic prestige. Durham also offers internships and a year in industry and has a dedicated department to assist with these. Also, it's worth bearing in mind the Scottish degree is a year longer so he would effectively start earning a year later than if he qualified in England. Perhaps things aren't as clear cut as they first seem?

I'd be grateful for any opinions on this.....

I think the internship thing may be very important. Sounds like Durham creates links and connections with potential employers. Edinburgh may let students get on with it and they just get normal summer holiday jobs rather than gaining much valued experience.

When it comes to a year extra on a course I would think of the year as being a year less of potential highest salary. For example if he aims to retire at 65 years than a year less of what he is earning then (as retiring at that age maybe the same regardless of a 3 or 4 year course).