Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 2

[Lightsabre]

Continuation thread (when old one is full) for those supporting dc through Oxbridge applications. All welcome as we enter the next phase.

DD had a final meeting with the UCAS coordinator at college this morning alongside all the other applicants. Teacher was shouting at everyone saying today is the deadline for registering for admissions tests and for submitting their applications. Apparently only one person has done both. DD told her that the process has changed for her course at Cambridge and now she only has to do a test if she’s shortlisted for interview. The woman was shouting at DD saying that it’s DD’s responsibility to do her own research regarding admissions (news to us) and it’s on her head if she gets it wrong. DD HAS done her own research; spoke to the Admissions team at the college she’s applying to but lovely bit of support from the college there. 😡 The teacher has also forgotten that she had OK’d DD submitting her application after the Warwick open day next weekend. Honestly cannot wait to get this done and dusted as DD is finding the whole thing very stressful.

She also cut and paste her PS into UCAS. It’s coming in at 46 lines but it is adding a character for each paragraph break which has meant she is over the character count. She needs to lose 10 characters somewhere which I’m sure she can manage.

Teachers do get very stressed at this point ime. DS's tutor told him that the beginning of his PS was rubbish and he should rewrite it. She had forgotten this was the second time she'd seen it - she had already rewritten the beginning and told him to leave that alone but improve the end. She was criticising her own work and had no idea 🤦‍♀️

Mind you, I asked to speak to her once, she denied she was his tutor, it was apparently news to her when she checked the list. She had been his tutor for over a year at that point. Nice person, great maths teacher, too much to do I think.

DD's PS seems to have disappeared down a black hole - sent it back to the teacher with some changes on Monday, but the feedback session with him was cancelled this week because of a gas leak. Maybe she should just titivate it this weekend and put it into the form, then she's all done. She needs to get on with prepping for the test now really.

Btw we came across a mock interview for her subject which was really useful, definitely calmed the nerves. It was on the Oxford subject/dept YouTube channel.

DS’s sixth form seems to be in a ferment of sorting out college clashes. He is already onto his third choice (maybe needs to be more assertive) so I hope things have finally sorted out.

Having been through this twice in the last two years, I just wanted to say good luck to everyone and agree that the whole thing is a palaver. I have more DC to go and hoping the proposed changes to the PS format will make it all more straightforward in the future.

I remember there was an article about 'behind the scenes' in Cambridge admissions a couple of years ago. I'll try to find it.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/jan/10/how-cambridge-admissions-really-work

Hope the link works.

Dd has had no feedback from her Oxbridge helper (coach? no idea what to call him) at school. She thought they wanted the final PS today but he hasn't responded since she emailed the revised one to him Monday (snd cc'd the head of sixth who saw it first). She'd be totally happy to keep it as is! Nor has she heard back from her History A level teacher when she asked if the two essays she picked as writing examples were ok - that was over a week ago. She's feeling a little bit panicked now as deadline draws closer (though I know the writing samples don't need to be submitted yet, she's wondering why she hasn't had a reply). We had a huge blow up last night about something totally unrelated - and I confess I did not handle it at all well - which I think just shows the stress underneath for both of us.
@Rollergirl11 that's hardly going to help them feel confident! I wonder if it is a case of adding to a teachers already full schedule - requirements change and hard to keep on top of every Oxbridge subject!
DD doesn't have to register for the assessment test, they will inform her after she applies, and the Cambridge college has responded promptly to questions as they have changed the format this year - it will be invigilated by them online.
Can't wait for the form to be off and DD says can't wait til Christmas when the whole process will all be behind her!

Days to go..

17: application deadline
19: test day for most I think?
66: interviews begin
102: Oxford offer day
117: Cambridge offer day

Fingers crossed all the DC are still in with a shout when we get to those last two.

DD had an audition for a choral scholarship at Oxford on Wednesday and has heard back that the college she applied for is happy to have her (as long as she gets offered a place by Oxford) although she said she thinks only 3 sopranos were auditioning for 2 places and so thinks that unless she had been awful they wouldn't have said no, as there is likely to be natural wastage). Still is good though and means that she can complete her form (school had asked for them by last Friday but she was given permission to delay due to the choral scholarship).

She has applied for the tests - hers are on 20th October so 3 weeks today.

Wow, in that article they really refer to the school reference a lot!

That's what I'm worried about @PandaPacer! It must ask for class position for each subject? Maybe there are 6th form teachers on here who can say. I've heard (anecdotally of course) that Oxford pay a bit more attention to GCSE grades than Cam. If that is the case, hopefully ds will still be in with a chance of making it to interview. Hoping he makes it to the Imperial interview stage as well as he really liked their course. Will be £££ for accommodation there though.

I thought that that article was very interesting. Especially having a DS from a more unique back ground.

Thats exactly how I imagined it @maybewhoknows! It is a decade out of date - I think they do accept more state school candidates now.
I notice they refer to the percentage of an exam result - does that mean they see actual A level scores and not just the letter grade (for those with grades in hand and when results come in)?

https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/find-out-more/teachers-and-parents/school-college-reference

This is the specific advice for school referees on the Cambridge website (though I doubt many referees ever actually read this).

@mondaytosunday does that mean they see actual A level scores and not just the letter grade

DC filled in EPQ grade, not marks to UCAS as I know.

Well DS has had his first offer come in, it's his 5th choice but even so, he's happy!

That’s so early @lifeturnsonadime congrats to him (even if it is 5th choice!) Think that’s the first offer I’ve heard of so far. What subject/uni was it from?

History and the offer is Royal Holloway which is a definite insurance, yes it's mega early. He got the form in the end of last week.

That’s brilliant for him though, he must be really happy to have one in the bag already!

That'll great, @lifeturnsonadime . Bit of a hiccup here, DD and I visited by the Covid fairy 🙁PS is with the HoS for review, and she likes to discuss things in person. Better now than at admissions test or interview time I guess, just hoping to be clear by Exeter next weekend.

@lifeturnsonadime how fabulous! Congratulations to your son.

Thanks all , he's had acknowledgements from all of the others, UCL have said they wait till after the normal deadline, the others have indicated they may also give early decisions.

@MirandaWest congrats on the choral scholarship - DD also!

Well done to your DD @Headingto18 😊

congratulations to @MirandaWest and @Headingto18 thats fantastic news!!!