Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 4

[Lightsabre]

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

Have also realised this time next week she will know whether or not she’s got an offer from Oxford….

On the query about when we'll hear, it changed last year I think - the decision now comes first from UCAS, with email from colleges later. So comparisons from previous years, like my dd two years ago, aren't much help.

I'm feeling quite jealous of those of you who will hear in a week, feels like that's still ages to go for the Cambridge outcomes. My DS is currently revising for mocks, but with a bad cold, so not sure how much is going in. At least he's distracted. He also decided on his fifth UCAS choice, he's gone for LSE, which has even worse odds than Cambridge, but he really likes the course. He's got two offers in already, so might as well go for it rather than apply to somewhere easier just to get another offer that he doesn't want to go to.

I very much doubt he'll reapply if he doesn't get an offer. He already has imposter syndrome enough, so will just assume he's not good enough. Sigh. He is genuinely happy with his two offers though, so i hope he'll be OK.

Echoing that all the input is appreciated that is relevant to the current applications and kindly meant.

DD will be in school next week, no mocks that day, so I expect to receive a text sometime in the morning. I suspect she's secretly expecting an offer, but I am trying to get in pessimistic/realistic mode. I don't think she'd reapply, but she'll be dejected if she doesn't get an offer from Edinburgh either. She'll probably ask for feedback though, she's stubborn and will want to be able to argue with the piece of paper even if it's only to me!

Fine for you to stay Panic I am quite happy to go back to general thread and process is over now apart from result.

Don't leave us @Silkiefloof!

Mine won't reapply, as she's already out of school doing a non academic year so will go to either Durham or Bath. I don't think she'll want feedback either, the ones we've seen on YouTube are all way too generic. Her interviews were not at all what she expected (no challenges to her answers, no 'conversation') and she'll probably put it down to the idea that she was too bland and her written assessment not good enough.
Her school doesn't send many at all to Oxbridge (despite being a competitive independent), and I think only two in the last three years to Cambridge and she's the only one applying from her year, so my thought is the school is more invested in her getting in (despite not being encouraging) and might see the result on ucas and send her a congratulations/commiseration email before she has a chance to look herself! So she'll turn off all notifications...

My DD goes into school later next Tuesday but probably still too early to hear if she's got in. She doesn't know if she will check her email at school because she doesn't know how her reaction will be if she doesn't get in and she doesn't want her friends and teachers sympathy as it will probably just upset her.

She's had concussion from hitting her head at work and has been resting in bed so next week is playing on her mind a lot right now.

Does anyone know if ucas track updates they also send the school an email? I've read previous posts where a teacher has congratulated students before they even checked their emails and I think this worrying my daughter as she doesn't want to hear if she got in or not from a teacher before she reads her emails.

Feel envious of all the Oxford applicants knowing this time next week. Soooo long until the 24th/25th Jan.
My DS won't be asking for feedback I am sure. Hopefully just accept the decision and move on. He certainly won't be having a year out.
Mocks start this Thursday so supposedly revising...but actually he is chatting away whilst online gaming, grrrrrrr.

@space99 Yep also envious of the relatively short wait for the DCs applying to O.
DS has an Imperial interview and his 18th Birthday the week prior to C's decisions so maybe best he remains blissfully ignorant for these.
I've got a major QA inspection at work on 29th so part of me hopes that January doesn't go by too quickly.

DD won’t want feedback and won’t be reapplying if she doesn’t get in. In some ways it will be easier for her if it’s a no from Cambridge as then I think Exeter will be the favourite. Although she’s still awaiting Durham and if she gets an offer from them I think that will probs be thrown in the mix with Exeter.

If she gets an offer from Cambridge it isn’t a given that she’ll firm it. She has a niggling concern that the intensity of Cambridge will impact negatively on her mental health. The last thing she wants is a relapse of her ED and to have to drop out.

I am also envious of the Oxford candidates who find out next week. The 24th feels like an absolute age away.

DS won't want feedback or reapply

He prefers to go to Warwick over Durham or KCL.

@Rollergirl11 my friends DS turned down his place at O because he preferred a specific joint degree which it didn't have and was very happy at his chosen uni. His older sister went to C. My friend thinks he made the right decision for him

@catmomof3 yes, I think the school does find out, I assume via UCAS. My DD was planning not to check til she got home, as she had mocks that day, but a teacher came up and congratulated her at lunchtime. Sorry, that's probably not what you wanted to hear, but better to know as your DD might prefer to check herself if her teachers know.

Thanks notfeelingcreative Would love to know how your DS gets on re applications for E&M etc and wish him well.

My DD was congratulated on Oxford interview by a teacher before she told anyone at school so I think school would know. Though I was quite surprised they said before she said anything as was early in the day.

I would be a bit annoyed by that, especially if I hadn't had the chance to look myself. I think there's a way to stop schools being able to see offers and rejections if that's helpful. I don't think there's any need for them to have access to the form once it's been submitted.

@Rollergirl11 yes I also think it's not an automatic yes from my DD either if she gets an offer. She will go to the other offer holder days first. I think the supervision system will suit her but it's the intensity. She's worked so hard so far, but needs to also think, now that she's been though the application process, if it's for her.
Anyhoo she's not at her school now so no chance of a teacher bumping in to her, so for those at school might be worth your kids telling their teacher/head that they don't want to know until the end of the day for whatever reason!

@mondaytosunday same here, I think DD would suit the supervisions but it’s just the workload and short terms she’s not sure of.

She also wants a bit of a party and has it in her head that Oxbridge will be all work and no play. Having said that she watched Saltburn over the Christmas period and it made her see Oxford in a new light!! 🥴😂

I don't buy into the 'if you are good enough to have had a shot at the moon, you are likely to end up in the stars' and how brilliant they all are just to apply narrative. I studied at Oxford back in the day and the norm (including myself) isn't brilliance. Everyone is generally bright but that is the case on many courses in many universities. I found that out in postgrad studies elsewhere. I have three DC. The eldest is in their final year at Oxford on what is said to be one of the toughest courses with silly acceptance odds and they haven't found it to be too pressurised and they still have enough time for sport and socials. The second (brightest of my three) didn't apply to Oxbridge as they didn't like the course structure for their subject and is sufficiently challenged and inspired elsewhere and I suspect they will be the high flyer of the family. My third is waiting to hear whether they have a medicine place and still isn't sure that Oxford would be their top choice if offered. Maybe I'm just old and jaded but in my humble opinion keeping the perspective that Oxford and Cambridge are just two universities is useful, whether accepted or rejected.

@catmomof3 You can change your preferences on the UCAS site so you no longer agree to share data with the school. It was something we looked at as Cambridge results for a few years prior to this one were on the 25th January which is my son’s 18th Birthday and he wanted to make sure he didn’t find out the result on that day. Not a big issue now it is the day before.

He was checking his mock timetable (first 2 are tomorrow) on his phone and noticed he has the 24th labelled as “Rejection Day” although he can’t actually remember doing it! 😂 Who knows if it is displacement theory or not but he is definitely concentrating on the lower workloads and higher percentage chance of getting a first from his other choices.

@Jaxx I will get DD to check her ucas tomorrow thanks for the heads up!

www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/media_wysiwyg/explanation-of-tsa-oxford-results2023.pdf

TSA distribution charts out.

Interesting - looks like the TSA was pretty tough this year.

My daughter nearly had a heart attack this morning when he college emailed her asking for interview feedback. She thought they had sent out rejection emails early by mistake lol

O or C

@Mirrormeback Oxford

@catmomof3 I asked DS (maths) to check his emails but he didn't receive one of these. Thought you might want to know who has or hasn't received similar and what course they've applied to.