University Offers Coming In 23/4 - part 2!

[WombatChocolate]

Following on from the old thread which was getting full….come and share the highs and lows of the journey that is A Levels and UCAS!

The original thread was called University Offers Coming In. I can’t see, to link to it, so if someone else is able to put a link here, people might find it useful. Thanks.

Link to previous thread

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/4906791-university-offers-coming-in

Thank you.

My DS has 3 offers (Birmingham, Exeter and York) plus as of today a rejection from Oxford. Now waiting for Durham.

He applied in September and got his 3 offers in October. Then the next couple of months felt filled with Oxford admissions tests, preparing the written work and interview Prep. he got called to interview but it didn’t go very well. His rejection after wasn’t unexpected and he’s very stoical about it, but if course it’s disappointing. it would be wonderful if Durham were able to get the offers out sooner than the April that many received them last year - would be a real boost. But he will wait and fortunately, he’d be happy to go to one of the others he has offers for already.

It feels like lots of people now have 5 replies in, but others have applied to places that are extremely slow due to being so competitive. I just hope the young people don’t have to wait too long.

DD actually just came into my room earlier and had a little cry and then started worrying about her other choices and if she'll survive uni in London because it's so expensive and I told her she will not go hungry, that we live 45 mins away by train so she can come home whenever and nobody in the family is gonna see her struggle. I even said I'll uber eat food if times get that desperate. She's also not great at cooking so is worrying about that now too along with thinking she won't make friends.

She did email her college at Oxford for feedback which I thought she wasn't going to do but she changed her mind.

I just booked our flights and airbnb to Japan🥰

Sorry to hear this @catmomof3 and Wombat. Ds has thrown himself into mocks revision tonight and music practice. I think it will take a few days for the emotions to process then hopefully they'll pick up again. It might all stir up again on Cambridge offer day for ds as there are quite a few waiting for decisions.

Ds has three offers in and he is happy with two of those but is now looking to Imperial - interview next week, then hoping for a quick decision from that so he can start thinking of first and insurance choices.

Wish it was like the old days where you stick a pin in a map, chose the course and off you went with a nice grant!

@Lightsabre Fingers crossed his interview goes well.

We are still waiting to see if or when UCL will send dd an interview or will just give her an offer. But tbh she prefers the location of Kings over UCL but then says UCL is more prestigious and they have the tutorial system so 🤷🏻‍♀️

DD has 4 offers - Durham, York, Nottingham and Warwick. They came in pretty quick, all before the end of Nov. Just waiting for the 5th but I think she's keen on Durham. Booked in for the offer day.

Thanks for the new thread @WombatChocolate , sorry to hear that your DS was also rejected for history. I thought your post on the Oxbridge thread was excellent btw.

I really hope your DS hears from Durham soon.

We've just come back from a pub tea with our DS. He's seems fine, we are focussing on the reasons that London will be more fun than Oxford (and less pressure).

Although I share @catmomof3 's daughters concerns regarding costs, Oxford would have been cheaper!

DS is now just waiting on UCL. I know they sent offers for history just before Christmas but he must still be in the 'maybes' because he hasn't been rejected. I've got a feeling he'll be held on with this decision for a while. I'm not sure there is that big of a difference between KCL and UCL for history in any event so he may decide to firm if he doesn't hear back soonish. The big difference seems to be the brand name rather than the quality of the department.

Good luck @Lightsabre to your DS for his Imperial interview.

Thanks all. Also a bit anxious about London costs if he does get a place. We live in outer London so there is the option of a year at home at least to save money but we'll have to see when the time comes.

DD will be commuting 2nd and 3rd year to save money but she needs the 1st year experience in halls.

And that was also a reason we were hopeful for Oxford because it's cheaper and the bursary's are plentiful. DD actually cut up the college prospectus and said that made her feel a bit better 😅

Hi everyone! DDs school (indie, academic) had a nightmare with oxford results. 15 applications, 8 interviews, no offers. Anyway DD didn’t go for oxbridge so we are still waiting for responses from Edinburgh, st A and Leeds for Arabic. Has her offer at 1st choice Exeter, and also SOAS, but she doesn’t at the moment want to be in London. I feel it may be a long wait for her 2nd choice Edinburgh.

Checking in on the thread. Mine has 4 of 5 offers and one rejection from Oxbridge. The favourite (Durham) was received before Xmas. Now for the hard work of actually getting the grades.

@Delphigirl My DD is also waiting for Edinburgh (biomedical sciences). She got an email saying they hoped to make decisions by the end of March, but it could possibly be May. She has offers from Exeter, Warwick and Bristol, but Edinburgh is the one she really wants so she is having to wait it out! Her older sister studied a MFL at Leeds and really enjoyed her time there.

The beginning of your post sounds very like DD although she has 2 offers in and is waiting for decisions from another 2. I also think that when Cambridge offers come in she might find things stir up again.

DD has offers from Belfast and Bristol for Histiry and Spanish and a rejection from Oxford.

Is waiting for Edinburgh and Durham.

Think Bristol is her favourite although if Edinburgh give her an offer that may change.

Sorry to jump in but just want to reassure the people worrying about London costs. They're not always prohibitive. My (very Northern) DC is now in her first job having graduated from KCL last year. I very much ‘dissuaded’ them from London due to costs, but there are affordable rates in the first year for those on low incomes (from memory at KCL, all halls were capped at £165pw for HH income of less than £50k), her friend at UCL had a room in uni owned halls for £150pw. We just missed out on the KCL scheme but paid £195 in one of the most popular (cheap) halls (term time). For 2nd year, my DC took the 2nd smallest room in a shared 6 bedroom house on a very close and popular road for £175 pw, the smallest they worked out at £165, the biggest were £225 and affordable for those that took them. 3rd year was an even better house for about the same. So it can be done, and they all easily got jobs that fitted around their studies, helped with living costs and added to their CVs. DC has had the most amazing time, made friends for life and landed her dream job. I’m very glad that they didn’t listen to me when I tried to advise that London uni wasn’t for them.

Ah thanks @PumpkinKnitter ! We haven’t heard a peep from Edinburgh. I guess those emails are probably departmental. I suspect any Edi offer will be the same or higher than Exeter which is a really good offer (ABB) and one she should easily meet, so it is probably Leeds which would be insurance if that comes out lower. I’m glad your DD had a good time there - it has an excellent reputation for languages. Best of luck to your DD2!

I feel for you Oxford ppl - that was us 2 years ago and it made it worse that an older sibling was at Cambridge. Dd was very upset - more than I’d anticipated and it was grim for about a fortnight not helped by her wanting on Edinburgh. But finally the offer arrived in April, she did better than older sibling in A levels and is now in year 2 and adores it there. The wait is tough but in the meantime she fell in love so big distraction and she adored the rest of sixth form. Your dc will all feel better very soon! Anyway, now waiting on dc3 who - to my relief - had no interest in Oxbridge - 4 offers in but still waiting for UCL, which is first choice. Very resssuring to hear about COL as that does worry me, in fact dh and I realised our main disappointment re Oxford was that it’s cheaper and much nearer than Edin but the travelling has actually proved OK. UCL is almost too bar as we’re in London and I don’t want dc3 living at home as independence is so much what uni is about but it’s the essily Best for their subject so we will suck it all up if necessary. Good luck everyone

DD just has the one offer in from Oxford for E&M at the moment and currently LSE Economics on hold, Bristol Economics on hold, 2 more to add if she wants. LSE and Bristol are same offer grades as Oxford so will likely continue looking but lots of places are A*AA for Economics.

Good luck to everyone with rest of offers.

@Delphigirl When my DD went to Leeds 8 years ago her offer was ABB, which I think might still be their standard offer for MFL. Youngest DD (actually DD3) also has very achievable ABB offers from both Exeter and Bristol. Either Edinburgh will be her firm with one of the others as insurance, or she will have to have firm and insurance with the same offer. Bristol and Exeter were late picks after York withdrew her course and she decided against Lancaster. She hasn’t seen Exeter yet, and I have a hunch it would be a better fit for her than Bristol. Will have to see what she thinks after the offer holder day. What is it about Exeter that your DD likes?

Hi, I’m new to this thread. Just wondering whether anyone knows whether Leeds, Newcastle and Bath offer later than other unis. DD got offers on early Nov from York and Birmingham but has heard nothing from the other three.

Jumping in @PumpkinKnitter to say that my DD also really likes the MFL course at Exeter and it will probably be her insurance (one of the lucky ones today). She thinks it offers a lot of flexibility and a broader range of modules, and at the open day the staff were welcoming and engaging.

ETA also still waiting for Edinburgh, the last one

My DS has only 1 of 5 offers so far and it’s from Newcastle for Classics. It came in about 10 days after applying in late November. Good luck to your DD, it’s still early in the cycle, I guess.

Just one offer so far for my DS - it’s for computer science at York.

Awaiting Bath, St Andrews, Southampton and Durham. Hoping for a Southampton offer soon but don’t expect to hear from the other 3 choices for awhile yet.