Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 4

[Lightsabre]

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

Many candidates don’t hear from Durham until March/April/May which is completely useless if they schedule their offer holder days in Feb.

I wouldn't know as we haven't gone through this process before. I suppose that makes DS lucky that he got his Durham offer through quickly last year so one less thing to worry about

Maybe it's course dependent but it must be frustrating if you have no idea how long the wait could be. So yes quite unfair I suppose

All of DS friends also applying for maths got their offers from Durham fairly quickly so must be a department thing

History and English admissions seem to be among the slowest to make decisions at Durham. At least they have an offer holder day planned for April this year unlike the previous year when the last one was in March. I read some of the 2023 Durham Applicants thread on Student Room - it seemed so many students were kept waiting only to be rejected right up until May - it was horrible.

My son is quite taken with Durham though and if he is offered it will probably be his firm with Exeter as insurance.

I wasn't saying it was a disgrace that offers weren't all now out before that equal consideration deadline. But it is disgraceful that every year many pupils are still waiting as the offer holder days pass.

DS2 also v keen on Durham English but as the relevant offer rate is barely over 20%, it isn't a great one to pin one's Oxbridge consolation hopes on. Hey ho. Time will tell.

Durham offer holder says are in Feb/March and April this year. Really should get all offers out before that last one!

DS in the same boat (PPE). He knows a couple of people who have had Durham offers (Ec I think). Really hoping he gets an offer there if it is a no on Tuesday as it's his top second choice.

Ooh we’re waiting for French and German from Durham. Thought it would be ages but you have given me hope 🤞🏻

When DC applied to Durham a few years ago, they said they had their 'flagship' courses there - English, History and Geography being three of these. These are large departments with huge numbers of applicants and it just takes longer to wade through them all. Also, they tend to make contextual offers first. Like other unis, they have certain quotas to fulfill. I think DC received the offer in March (but didn't go in the end). Very best of luck to everyone.

My DDs offer was for Sociology late November. Non contextual but she has her grades already. Between there and Bath if a no on the 24th (C).

Same here. DD is applying for medicine and Oxford will be the first offer/rejection she gets on Tuesday. Other three unis won’t offer until Feb or March I believe (she had interviews for all her applications). Nerve wracking

DD waiting for history and Spanish from Durham (and also from Edinburgh). Pretty sure she doesn’t have any desire to go to Durham though!

My anxiety for my DD is starting to kick in now, promised her I won't check her emails on Tuesday but I'm gonna be a bag of nerves waiting to find out. She hasn't even decided if she's gonna look at school or wait till she gets home. I think she hopes nobody at school asks and forgets as only 2 of them got interviews. She said if it's rejection she can pull a good poker face and will just cry at home.

DD won't talk about Oxford at all at the moment, so I have no idea what her plan is. I am working on Tuesday and she'll be at college in a French lesson, so I will just await a text. I expect she will tell me straight away if she gets an offer but not if not, so if I haven't heard by lunchtime I will assume it's a no 😬

I feel like we will be glad when the decision is out so we can move forward and lastly wait for UCL (she has offers for kings, leeds and warwick) and prepare for her mocks next month. She goes into school later on Tues anyway so maybe she'll find out before hand. She said if it's rejection she might just get back on the bus home 😅.

2 more sleeps….This is the final offer DC is waiting for. I have found a little card saying how proud we are whatever happens which I have wrapped in a mahoosive bar of chocolate and will hide in their bag for Tuesday which will be useful either way.

I also sort of wish we hadn’t watched Saltburn together either 😂

Good luck to everyone’s DC 🍀

@RIPMatthewperry that's a great idea. May steal!!

I thought of a really good thing to say on Tuesday morning while in bed the other night, and meant to text it to myself but fell asleep 😂

@RIPMatthewperry I made that mistake too! Think DD, DS and I pretty much cringed ourselves inside out watching Saltburn together! 🪦🛀😬😂

I have no idea how I will react to whatever decision DD gets on Tuesday. She has a mock Tuesday morning and says she doesn’t think the email will come before she gets it. But then usually on a Tuesday afternoon she’d go into town for a choir rehearsal she has later on - she’s said if she gets an offer she’ll go to choir but I’m not sure what she’ll do if she doesn’t.

And one of her good friends has also applied to Oxford as well as other people at school. Plus she’s now pretty close with another person she met at the choral scholarship interview and so if they both got offers it would be lovely but chances are that won’t happen.

I am concerned I’ll get it wrong whatever I say!

@Rollergirl11 🛀 scene tipped me over the edge

Can't wait for Tuesday, need closure. It's very hard not to be over invested in this whole process.

I genuinely don't think DS is that bothered. We haven't spoken about it once since New Years day! He will probably find out before school though as he isn't in till the afternoon.

One more sleep to go 🫨

Best wishes for the next 24hours everyone - DD has her 4th mock today but is home tomorrow; she is expecting a no. @MirandaWest has DD found the positive choral scholarship outcome has raised school’s expectation? DD’s school and friends don’t seem to get that it doesn’t mean anything in relation to tomorrow’s result!

Good luck for all the O candidates awaiting offers tomorrow. 🤞

First day back at school/college for us today and not a happy household. Only 5 weeks till half term. 👀

Fingers crossed for all tomorrow. I'm busy at work this week so if the thread looks like filling up quickly, please feel free to start a Part 5.