Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 5

[YouOKHun]

Good Luck everyone whatever the outcome!

Just catching up on posts over the last couple of days.

My DS had an in person interview at C. He didn’t choose the college for that reason but was pleased about it being in person. He felt he’d perform better face to face. There were a couple of times during his interview were he was a little stumped, but was able to work through it. He feels if the same had happened in an online interview, he’s not sure he would have handled it as well - Maybe due to lose of body language possibly. I’m not an advocate either way and my son’s example is just one and his own analysis of it. If he’d had to stay over for a couple of nights, he may not have slept well, and could have impacted his performance. He said a couple of weeks ago that he’d come to realise that lack of sleep affects his performance more than anything else.

At a university near us, there is one subject I’m
aware of that offers applicants the choice of in person interviews if they prefer. All applicants are interviewed once and the format is the same. Seems a fair way to mitigate at least some of the barriers discussed above.

Having dc that did online and in person, I preferred the online interview format. Once done dc could return to their day and online helped to feel less invested in the outcome, purely because we didn't have to invest in the logistics.

Anyhow...ds now believes he won't get an offer and the pessimism (or is it realistic?) tone has definitely rubbed off on me. I don't know of it's intuition, January blues or self preservation but I feel pretty sure it will be a rejection so we're planning visits to the likely firm & insurance offers. That's quite exciting as one Uni is somewhere that I don't know well so it's an opportunity to explore, hopefully when it's much warmer.

How is everyone else feeling?

@Pleasealexa I thought I’d be hopeless at this stage of the waiting game, but work has kept me so busy I’ve not had much time to think about it, which I’m grateful for. DS hasn’t said much at all, and I’ve decided not to ask as I don’t want to add to any nerves. But he’s generally very pragmatic and has a firm and insurance decided which he’s happy with if it’s a rejection next week.

Correction *redirection next week

How do you ‘redirect’ on 24th with no other offers yet 🤦‍♀️? Really worried about how DD will be able to stay motivated.

Oh that does sound difficult @Cremebrulee45
Where else are they waiting to hear from?

@Cremebrulee45 I feel for you and DD for the added pressure you must be feeling. I’m sure she will receive other offers soon. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for her. It’s so hard when they have to apply so early if the other universities wait until the January applications are in before making decisions.

@Cremebrulee45 Very difficult..a friends daughter was in this position last year...it all worked out brilliantly in the end so I'm sure it will for you as well.

Thanks all, yes it is definitely adding alot of pressure, particularly as she's not hopeful about C after the interview. Partly self inflicted in terms of uni choices but we had hoped something would have happened by now.

Fingers crossed for everyone for both Cambridge and other offers.

Really looking forward to finally getting closure next week. We have been surprisingly good working on the presumption he wouldn’t get a place but for the last day or so I’ve started to wonder if maybe he did better at interview than he thought. If by some miracle, he does get an offer he might need some persuasion to take it he has moved on so well!

@Cremebrulee45 Last year DC was in exactly the same position. No other offers before C results day. Most people had received at least a couple of offers by that time, so it was an unnerving wait.
I feel for your DD and you.
In the end all five offers came through so it can work out well.

Hold on @Cremebrulee45, I’m sure those other offers will start to trickle in soon.

DD has also been working on the basis that it’s a no from C. She has booked her offer holder day for Exeter and is holding out for a Durham offer (hopefully they’re doing them earlier this year!). She has been looking at accommodation for both the last few weeks so feel like she’s definitely moved on from C.

Thank you both. Glad it worked out in the end @TravellingLightToday . Maybe we will be lucky before 24th but not holding out much hope!

Hello @Cremebrulee45 we are in exactly the same position as your DC, nice to hear from others who’ve been through it in the past and also to know we’re not the only ones still blowing in the wind!

State educated DD went to a Cambridge Uni master class. The number of private school students attending the whole morning session who did fit the stereotypes described on here was a major point against her applying when she was working on a pros/cons list.

She did also say that a lot of what they were saying was actually rubbish, and realises that these type of students would be found at other top universities as well, so hopefully there was balance in her viewpoint.

She would not have noticed Invested's generally quiet, unassuming, privately educated DD. But I suspect Invested's DD would not have noticed my DD either as she was drowned out by the louder confident participants.

@CloudsandChimneys sending sympathy and crossing fingers for all of us ‘blowing in the wind’

@shepherdsangeldelight stereotypes, stereotypes, stereotypes… Given that the state / private ratio at Oxbridge is approximately 70:30 and only slightly different at Durham and Exeter, why on earth are sixth formers fearful of a minority of students ( most of whom are not as you describe). Students choose their own circle of friends. Incidentally we are northern and state educated (comprehensive).

@shepherdsangeldelight out of interest, how did your DD know that all the louder, confident kids were privately educated? Were they in school uniform?

@shepherdsangeldelight being 'drowned out' by louder voices is one of the very reasons my daughter applied to Cambridge. Though she is getting better, she tends to keep her thoughts to herself in class. The supervision system prevents this. While she has always been privately educated, we are certainly not wealthy and she has no sense of entitlement, and would have been rolling her eyes at those braying know it alls!
She says she's 100% certain it will be a no next week, not because of a poor interview (it was not at all the cut and thrust she was prepared for but a rather normal question answer question interview, and she worries she was too bland). But we shall see!
Glasgow discounted now she has Durham. Still. Nothing. From. Bath.

They were very loudly talking about what schools they went to. As well as what GCSEs they'd taken, what grades they had achieved and what extra curricular activities they did.
DD is not the type of person to be phased by this sort of thing, but I can see it would put some people off.

Yes my dd felt this too. She had online interviews two years ago. It was really stressful as the first one was late and she didn’t know if there was a tech failure but couldn’t ask us as we weren’t allowed in the room, so she sat there quaking with fear . She was very stressed by the time it started and said her mind went blank with anxiety. It must have been ok in the end as she was offered a place but it would have been easier to cope with in person.

Hello all,can I join? My dd is waiting on a cambridge decision next week. Thankfully she does have 4 other offers already, including warwick and york - both of which she really likes. My oldest son went to Cambridge so have been through this before. But alos have 3 other daughters who have been to other unis which they loved. DD not really talking about it tbh but despite other good offers I know she will be bitterly dissappointed if its a no. trying to be prepared as I can be. Unfrotunatly though it is also my dad's funeral on 25th and on 24th we are traveling down to my Mums with a service to receive his body into church that evening. So it is already going to be an extremely emotionally difficult time for me and for dd so I am really panicking about being to upset myself to be able to support dd if its bad news....arrrrgggghh talk about terrible timing.
Anyway, good luck to all wiating on next week.

DD is starting to get antsy now for Wednesday. She says she doesn’t even care but mood would suggest otherwise.

Sorry for your loss @prettycosmos. 💐

@prettycosmos that sounds like it is going to be a very emotional time for you all. All the best for your DD hoping she gets some good news on Wednesday.
DS is waiting too, I think he is very preoccupied with it - bit nervous to know what his fate is and to have a clearer picture of what next year will look like. He has only 1 offer but also has 2 interviews (Imperial and Manchester), nothing yet from Bath, so the waiting game continues for us.