Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 4

[Lightsabre]

New thread as our dc start the rollercoaster ride of interviews.

As the name suggests, I’ve been keeping an eye on this thread as DD may apply next year.

I’d be interested to hear - which other unis those applying for maths are looking at? Many thanks.

I hope it is all cleared up soon - so odd. She can't have been rejected surely if not showing as that on UCAS. Fallen between stools somehow? Fingers crossed the uncertainty resolves on Monday.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed something has gone astray and your DC will be interviewed if that’s what the intention was.

My DS has applied to study maths at Warwick, Durham, Manchester and Leeds. He has received an offer from all 4. Just waiting now for Cambridge outcome on 24th Jan to decide on the firm and insurance choices.

I think that rejections from UCAS for Oxford and Cambridge don’t come until January even if you have been rejected without an interview.

I hope it all works out @May8806

@Justlurkingmostly mine is not applying for Maths, but I would do your research now and visit as many unis as you can before the start of y13. The Autumn term of Y13 is full-on and there really is little time to attend open days. The big question is O v C and which process might work best for your DC. I think next year O ditches the aptitude tests which might be a consideration.

@Justlurkingmostly My DS has applied for Maths. Waiting to hear from Oxford. Has also applied and has offers from Edinburgh, Durham, Lancaster and Manchester. We had also visited Warwick and Leeds.

@Justlurkingmostly I have two maths applicants. One O (rejected) one C (interviewed) between them they have applied to Imperial, Warwick, Durham, Edinburgh and St Andrews. We also visited Manchester.

DS has applied for maths and has offers from Durham, KCL, Warwick and waiting to hear back from Oxford.

He's also applied to Imperial but not yet heard back.

Did everyone else's DC's get an end of year email from Oxford? The opportunity oxford thing must be something new as not heard of that before and was never mentioned at the open day.

@catmomof3 Yes, DD3 got that email so it must be standard. We haven’t heard of Opportunity Oxford either (which wouldn’t apply to DD anyway) - maybe a sign that they’re planning to make more widening participation offers?

It's not new- it's been around for a few years now and is essentially a widening participation program

No email for DD - seems lots of applicants havent so assume its come from a mailing list people have signed up to at some point

@mummylife123 I mean something that's been around for like 3 years is kinda new especially to new hopeful oxford parents, I hadn't heard of it be before and neither had my daughter 🤷🏻‍♀️

No email here, so far as I know, but it does seem to have been quite widespread based on TSR. Is it linked to Opp Oxford or do they just mention it in the email, like in a news round-up?

Hour-long outpouring of pent-up frustration from DD last night (why is it always at bedtime?). I've mentioned previously that she's the only Oxbridge applicant in school, not just this year, but for the past few years, and in short, she feels bored and isolated. She's not being challenged in some of her subjects because the teachers are catering for the less able students, and she doesn't understand why her equally intelligent friends don't share her competitiveness and ambition. She's on a particularly dull history module at the moment and struggling to be motivated, so everything's taking longer than it should. She's got plenty that could provide intellectual stimulation outside school, but although she finds it easy, there is a lot of A-level work to do, so she doesn't have time. She doesn't want to seem big-headed, so doesn't feel she can vent her frustration with friends (apart from one or two outside school who she doesn't see often). Coupled with general irritation at the immaturity of her peers in school, I can quite understand why she's fed up.

It would have been helpful if she'd complained earlier, so that I could have bothered with parents' evening to talk about this with teachers, or had a word to request she work along at her own pace under the cover of interview prep.

Other people with DC in this situation, is there anything she/we can do, other than speaking to teachers?

My DD's was from Oxford Undergraduate Opt, I don't think it means anything in the grand scale of things. Seems like it's based on a mailing list and sent out in dribs and drabs.

@TenSheds Hopefully her venting to you will make her feel less isolated, just getting it off her chest to some who is listening and understands will help.

Exams are in 5 months… is there anything in the syllabus so far not covered in enough detail that she can better her knowledge on now while there is time etc. Wherever she’s going uni-wise, she will find like minded people including for ambition levels, it’s just a case of biding her time and getting through these next months and playing the long game.

I’ve had the same rant from DS regarding chemistry - he’s bored as the pace is too slow and feels it’s a lot of wasted time for him. He thinks they may not get the content covered in time and is generally frustrated. I’ve not known what to say or do either.

Are they in very small classes in a more sort of rural school as opposed to a larger city college

I find students get far more out of the larger colleges that really push them and make them more independent learners than the more sort of cosy settings that are still like being in secondary school as opposed to 6th form college setting where they're expected to do a little more work independently on top of the basics

The larger colleges do not suit everyone of course and lots of students move back to their old school smaller 6th forms because the teachers are more accessible

DD 16 has friends who have moved back and forth from her larger college that DS also attends to their previous schools cosy 6th form. Some have embraced the larger college, some have embraced moving back to previous school others have regretted the change but can't move back

Thanks @Redhotchillipeppers good to know it's not just us. @Dafrty I have said this but it feels far away to her. She has no steer on wider reading and in fact is being discouraged from reading too much extra as she already struggles with word counts. (Clearly she should work on writing concisely rather than not do research.)

@Mirrormeback DD's in a large sixth form in a large school, class sizes for her A-levels are between 4 and 14, I think. The smallest is like a tutorial and she's happy with that. Local schools and colleges aren't great really, she's at the best state school in the area. We did talk about her applying for a scholarship at one of the private schools pre sixth form (where she now knows from friends there that she would be pushed more), but she moved schools a few times before secondary and wanted stability with her existing friends, plus there were various other things she was looking forward to. I think it was ok last year, but this year the teachers who challenged her left and her friends have decided on less pressured routes. No judgement, she just feels that academic network has collapsed around her.

My DS is at 6th form in the same school he was at for secondary. There are considerably more students taking chemistry, than his other subjects, so there is probably greater variation in ability in his chemistry class compared with the other subjects. For physics the homework is now being split up into three categories depending on ability, so that works for him, as previously he was complaining about having to complete hours of physics homework that didn’t challenge him and felt like completing lines. He felt this way about maths all through lower school, until 2nd term of year 12, which is when he decided he wants to study maths at university as suddenly it was challenging him enough to hold his interest. Hadn’t seriously considered Oxbridge prior to that.

@TenSheds I think many feel like this and in some ways I consider it positive as they are ready to move on from a school environment.They have only 1 full term left.

I believe teaching issues are wide scale as schools are struggling to recruit qualified teachers (I know this is definitely the case for my son, as in one subject the teacher is open about her lack of experience). A really experienced teacher retired and they just can't backfill as so many great teachers have left the profession. Can't say I blame them as they haven't been treated well.

I also think an Oxbridge applicant in any school feels slightly "solo" because it's rare to have many applying - unless a super selective school. I think that's why the online community is a support network. My son knows someone, a friend, applying (not at same school) but they are so guarded that they won't share any details or even mention how interview went so he hasn't been able to share with anyone.

Tbf, he has thrown himself into sports & social life, which seems to be a good distraction, just wish I felt able to be as distracted!

I know the universities complete the process remarkably quickly and hats off to them for that. But wouldn't it be nice to find out about offers now, so that they have fun things to cheer them up over Christmas and some time to get over it before the hard work begins again next term. DD finds out on her first day back and will be in college when the email comes I think. And I am (unusually) working away from home so won't find out until much later