Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 3

[Lightsabre]

New thread as Part 2 about to fill.

@lostinlego She filled it on Saturday and heard yesterday but the link they sent isn't working. So this is a disaster.

@catmomof3 hope she manages to sort it and it doesn't put her off.
Hopefully he will hear tomorrow then as the date it said on the form was Thursday.

They sent a new link and then her teams wouldn't sign her in. She's in now I think but what a nightmare and she's stressed and snapping at me. ☹️

DS just got a rejection for Physics at Christ Church. He’s ok about it. Would have loved for him to go to Oxford but at the same time feel a bit relieved that all his other choices are much nearer to us in the North West. Good luck to all those still waiting to hear and those with interviews.

Sod's Law. I emailed our neighbours who are renovating their house to ask if it would be possible to be quiet during DS2's interviews and it turns out that on those two days they have utility companies digging up the pavement outside our houses to change the power and water supply. Which is making worry a bit about noise but also about what if they cock it up and sever our power or telco. Of all the days it could have been scheduled. Bother

Is there somewhere else he could go? A family member maybe if school isn't an option?

Sorry to read this, he will do amazing where ever he goes. I can't help feeling that DS having an interview is prolonging the agony at this point. So many very bright kids end up doing amazing elsewhere.

What a nightmare, hope she's OK when she comes off. So stressful.

DS has just had his mock interview which he said went well and he has his interview time, the afternoon of Monday 4th.

He's still completely un-phased!

Which is a good thing!

@lifeturnsonadime She's fine now lol, said she's glad she knows how the interviews will work now but she's going school tomorrow to check her webcam can be used as for some schools it's blocked for students. She's been told she can do the interviews at home but we don't have a printer and she wants to print out the pre-reading instead of using her ipad, but we shall see what tomorrow brings.

Dd has now heard about the date of her Spanish part of interview - is on Monday around 12pm.

@Dummydaydream sorry to hear about your DS. I've heard of lots of capable candidates rejected. Good luck to him with his other choices

DS just this evening got a maths rejection by email (Oxford). As well as the MAT, the took the TMUA and those results came out today - he did well so his Warwick offer will now be reduced grades. He calculated his own score in the 2nd MAT as it was just MCQ and that would also have been good enough for Warwick. It will be his firm. At least no more uncertainty and no interview prep - will spend the time on mocks instead.

good luck to everyone's dc with interviews

Part of me thinks that Cambridge just prolongs the agony compared to Oxford and I understand they’re also two weeks later in giving out offers. It’s going to be a long 6+ weeks.

my DS has asked me to look at the results of the NSAA (?) test tomorrow - but not tell him. I said I would tell him if he got a 9 but otherwise definitely not. Tempted not to look myself as I don’t have a poker face. I wonder if it’s helpful to know or not. 🤷‍♂️

Sorry to hear about those with rejections, but I'm sure they will flourish at whichever unis they go to.

It's such a horrible thing to put yourself through, so I have huge respect for those that do. Even if you get an interview, you may not get an offer, and then if you do, you have to make the grades...and if you are doing Maths, have to make your A levels and your STEP offer..... When DS was going through it, his best friend (who we all thought was exactly who they were looking for and would have bet our houses on) was rejected after interview. But he's had the last laugh on all of his Oxbridge attending friends as he has so much more time for fun, sport, socialising etc - they just have their heads down working through term and vacs to get it all done!

Good luck to everyone with imminent interviews!

Sorry @Dummydaydream and @tpa to read of your DSs not making it through to interview and good luck with their other applications x

@mummylife123 and @lullubell - do your daughters have the actual interview dates yet? My son just replied to the will you consider other options too email - interview is any day from Mon-Thu next week.

@DSandDD no she hasn't had any details of an interview date yet. She has an inset day on Monday so she's hoping it's not Monday although I think it could well be!

Late this afternoon, my son received an offer to interview for Computer Science. I am beyond excited for him to have been selected. He told me that he thought he did really well in the MAT exams so didn't seem at all surprised. However, I think he is quite stressed at the thought of an interview and spent the evening in bed with a headache! He hates talking online and spent COVID remote learning without his camera on!

It has been an interesting educational journey. He had a really tough time in primary school because the teachers thought he was rude, as he was often bored and told them he found the work too easy. His preschool teacher told me that he was the most stubborn child she had ever met. On one occasion, in year 3, he was made to sit outside of class because of this and he was put in middle set Maths class for being unable to write down all the steps neatly! Later on in upper primary school, he wasn't allowed to represent the school in teamwork problem solving challenges, as the school weren't sure he was the right fit. He consistently got the message that he didn't fit in.

At high school, he completed the highest level maths available in year 7 and then spent the subsequent 4 years twiddling his thumbs not learning anything and watching everyone else being awarded Maths awards in assembly whilst he wasn't awarded them!! He only thrived in national competitions that were marked outside of the school. He has struggled with a disability too, which is another story. He didn't want to go to school, but went everyday and just went through the motions. I often thought that he might become a drop out and leave school with no qualifications.

Thankfully, we then found a great, supportive state sixth form that has both challenged him and supported him. He has thrived, finally.

I am guessing that there a fair number of parents reading this whose children have had similar journeys. I wish your children all the very best as they take their first steps into adulthood. I hope that whichever university they go to, that they find happiness, fulfillment and that they are surrounded by people who just value them for the wonderful people they are. 🙏

@Thatisagreatquestion thanks for sharing, so glad it has all worked out for your DS and that he didn't give up when the odds were against him. Good luck to him on his next adventure.

Great news @Thatisagreatquestion!
And snap @Revengeofthepangolins - our neighbours are converting their loft and my DD's room is in our loft. She's found out her interview time and dates (Wednesday next week around noon and second one around 2pm) and I've promised her I'll beg them to not have workmen in that day to do anything noisy! I hope it works out for your child!

dd has French interview Monday and History on Tuesday.
Both after school finishes and she is doing them there rather than coming home.

In the exact same position here- that's all the info we have too

DS came out of his NSAA saying it had gone really badly, and his score today wasn't great.

I'm assuming that the colleges know the scores before the candidates, to help them decide who to interview? But if that's the case, then DS can't understand why they have invited him to interview!

Rejection for DD from Oxford for medicine. She’s wasn’t that confident of getting an interview but is actually quite upset. I think the main source is feeling like she’s wasted all that BMAT prep to get a result that would have got her an interview at another uni. But that’s how the system works so not much to be done. Also frustration that she has 2 friends (both at v high achieving selective grammars) who got interviews with either the same BMAT/GCSE results or worse. I very naively thought that results were contextualised against your individual school but school type must come into it too (she’s at a middling private school with very little knowledge/support for med school applications). Which is a shame because had she known that, she probably wouldn’t have applied (and I certainly wouldn’t have encouraged it).