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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Redirected from Oxford and Cambridge 2024

637 replies

MirandaWest · 11/01/2024 15:55

Thought I’d start this thread in case anyone else with a DC who didn’t get an offer from Oxford (or Cambridge in a couple of weeks time) wants to say anything - I feel a bit out of place in the Oxbridge thread now but could be good to have somewhere to talk about how they are and what their plans are now.

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Waitingfortulips · 11/01/2024 16:05

DS is absolutely fine. He has a very achievable offer from UCL that he feels great about. He is talking about choosing UCL even if he gets an Imperial offer and I am trying not to have an opinion about that. I’ve insisted he will go to offer holder open days.

I am trying to come to terms with having two DC in London on my public sector wage. DC1 flat share in London costs almost the same as the mortgage payment on our 5 bedroom house.

With hindsight, maybe we should have waited more than 2 years between children. 😉

Original poster
MirandaWest · 11/01/2024 16:07

DD applied for History and Spanish - she has offers from Bristol and Belfast and has booked offer holder day at Belfast and will do at Bristol. She sounds enthused about Bristol especially and as singing is a big thing for her has been investigating different choirs she could join.

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Original poster
MirandaWest · 11/01/2024 16:08

i have two years between mine but the older one had a gap year so we have financial pain here too! But hopefully will all work out….

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tryingtoenergise · 11/01/2024 17:14

Hi Miranda. I think I saw you on the other thread - your DD sounds great. Good luck to her. She need make no decisions now - see how she feels by the UCAS deadline. Even come August, if she gets excellent grades, nothing to stop her taking a gap year and reapplying to O or C - especially for MML, a year (or part-year) in a Spanish-speaking country wouid stand her in very good stead indeed. I've been surprised by how many language / humanities / social science students at C are re-applicants or those who have taken a gap year. Otherwise, she can't go wrong with Bristol either.

flotsomandjetsome · 11/01/2024 19:42

DS was in this situation last year - didn't get an offer after interview / pooled for Cambridge.

He's now in his 2nd term at Bath and couldn't be happier. Loving the course, loving the sport, loving the uni - and if his housemates are anything to go by, every one of them had grades sufficient for Oxbridge.

It's a harsh system, and there simply aren't enough places for the number of capable applicants. As many have said before, it is not necessarily a failure to miss out on Oxbridge, it's just a different path.

Karmacat · 11/01/2024 19:54

DS was in the same position last year, he was so upset not to get a place as he was pooled and not picked up by a college at Cambridge. He is now at St Andrew's and having a fantastic time, after chatting with his Oxbridge friends he now thinks he is in absolutely the right place.

Travelban · 11/01/2024 20:40

Ds1 also applied to Cambridge and didn't even get an interview for.CS.. he has offers from Imperial, St Andrews and Durham plus a test for UCL in April and a place for Economics at Bocconi in Milan.(unconditional).

ScribeSev · 12/01/2024 01:11

The tricky thing now about not getting an O offer is which Uni to choose

DS is waiting for Imperial to reply

His offers so far are

Durham
KCL
Warwick

He wants the best education giving him the best work opportunities

I want him to have the best all round university experience possible

I feel that Imperial will just be lots of work and a rubbish social life

Whereas any of the others will be a good balance

catmomof3 · 12/01/2024 06:12

After a wobble my DD is completely over it lol, She was mostly concerned about everyone at school asking if she got in. It's been 2 days now and it's old news. She said she'll try again come Masters but that's about it and she also cut up her college prospectus she got from open day which made her feel tons better and we both laughed while she did it 🤣

O2HaveALittleHouse · 12/01/2024 06:51

Mine also completely over it! As parents we knew it was a long shot anyhow and thought the other options just as good, despite one of us being an Oxbridge graduate.

It has been a surprise to see how subject specific the standard is. Friends with much lower predicted grades getting offers for MFL at Oxford and less popular subjects while the very best at Computer science or Maths with brilliant predictions not. But that’s the same across every university. Warwick is A(star) A (star) A (star) maths and CS!

Headingto18 · 12/01/2024 07:01

Hi DD is also fine - shocking year for her school cohort so has normalised it. Offers from KCL and Bristol, waiting Edinburgh and Durham. . Have suggested to her not to make any decisions until all results in, and offer holder days attended. Fingers crossed all results come in quite soon for everyone.

lifeturnsonadime · 12/01/2024 07:51

Thanks for the new thread @MirandaWest

My DS is fine, I am totally convinced that it is the best outcome for him, I'm not sure he'd have coped with 1-1 or 1-2 tutorials.

He has offers now from all of his other 4 but has some regrets about sticking to London (area for all 4). Basically he is saying that the lower 2 universities won't be worth paying London prices for and he would have to live away. The top two UCL, KCL offer the same grades but he is tempted by putting them down anyway in the hope that either he gets the grades or there may be some leeway with KCL. As he won't go to the other two he would then, in the event of mucking up his A Levels, go through clearing or do a gap year. I think it is unlikely he will muck up having actually got 3 A * in year 12, but anything is possible. Anyway I'm impressed with his maturity.

He says that he is glad he applied to O and that he would have gone there if he was made an offer for the prestige but he's actually more excited about UCL (and feels he has more to lose if he screws up his exams). I think I am going to have to watch that he doesn't work too hard and burn out. I think @catmomof3 has mentioned in another thread that UCL runs small groups and more 1-1 feedback than some unis which will suit DS but won't be as intense as the O system.

Anyways, what a week! We've all got through to the other side and our amazing DC will end up happy somewhere, even if it doesn't seem that way right now!

Annabelnextdoor · 12/01/2024 07:53

Can I join this thread? Lurked on the oxbridge thread. DS hoping for an offer from Durham for STEM. Has also applied to St Andrews, which is another long shot, but would love to go there. The course he wants to do is so competitive. And all candidates will be great I expect.
Predicted 3A* and 1A. Like everyone else I just want him in the place that suits him and provides an all round experience.

catmomof3 · 12/01/2024 08:42

@lifeturnsonadime Yes UCL have a similar tutorial system to Oxford and her friend who is there now said they do smaller groups for seminars. DD has a few friends who have also applied to UCL so even depending if she chooses KCL or UCL (if she gets an offer) she'll possibly have friends she can meet up with if she struggles to make any new ones.

Tbh I'm just glad we won't have to move her in and out every 8 weeks now lol

Original poster
MirandaWest · 12/01/2024 11:25

@Annabelnextdoor welcome and the more the merrier! I’m hoping a few more will join from the 24th being redirected from Cambridge too.

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Original poster
MirandaWest · 12/01/2024 11:27

@Headingto18 our DDs have applied to almost the same universities - only difference is mine has applied to Bristol and yours KCL. Also waiting for Edinburgh and Durham!

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bbo7s · 12/01/2024 16:05

Did anyone's DS or DD sit the Oxford CAT assessment? Due to issues with the Oxford online admissions tests candidates had individual CAT assessments (with a tutor) instead. My DS did not get an offer but has heard that some schools recorded the assessments to prep their students and other students were able to share details of their assessments. Not sure how many CAT assessments were used but clearly, if the same CAT assessment wasn't used there would be an issue of standardisation. My DS was the only candidate that applied to Oxford from their school and they are upset that some candidates might have been able to game the process.

Revengeofthepangolins · 12/01/2024 16:27

I think that is very unlikely. Why would any candidate allow a school to record their interview in order to help another child compete with them?

Although I do think the online format of giving passages 20 mins before the interview is open to abuse by unscrupulous people.

Lightsabre · 12/01/2024 17:02

Well I'm on the thread I didn't want to be on Grin. Still feeling gutted for ds who had a bad first interview experience unfortunately but a good second interview. He's ok but has been a bit flat in mood since finding out. He has an Imperial interview coming up and I'm worried it's knocked his confidence for that but at least they give out a lot of offers there so the chances are higher. He really likes the course too but accommodation is ££.

If he doesn't get that then he'll head for Warwick. His heart isn't in it at the moment but we're booking the offer holder day over the weekend and I hope he'll feel more enthused after that. I also think it might be good for him to be a bigger fish for a change - he is in a very competitive super selective grammar. He may even have more of a shot at getting a higher classed degree there - who knows.

I think 25/1 when the C offers come out will be a difficult day too as more of his friends receive offers. School announced today that 11 Ox offers received.

Annabelnextdoor · 12/01/2024 17:16

lightsabre it is tough, but it will pass. It feels big at the moment, but sure your DS will
move on and end up in the right place.
I know so much emphasis is placed on an oxbridge place, and it is an achievement but there are other brilliant places too. And post uni, it is the individual that stands out and not just where they went to university.
What does your da want to study?

Annabelnextdoor · 12/01/2024 17:21

My DS hasn’t applied to a London uni. It just seems so expensive. It’s a great place, but I think he can head there after university instead like my other dc did.

BiscuitHoney · 12/01/2024 18:01

Hope it’s ok to pop in. My son didn’t get into Cambridge two years ago. He was really devastated at his first proper ‘failure’. He took it more badly than the kids I read about here. Anyway he didn’t want to reapply, he recovered from the disappointment and is now happy and thriving elsewhere.

This Christmas he has seen his sister come home from her first term at Cambridge exhausted. She has worked nearly every day of the six week break and has exams next week. He is so relieved! He has had a full and fun university life. And he now has zero envy of the Oxbridge experience!

I have no doubt all your clever kids will be just fine too.

tigster · 12/01/2024 18:34

Just found this thread - posted on the other one too. Has anyone asked for feedback? DS is sanguine about being unsuccessful but doesn’t understand why - his interviews went well and his HAT and MLAT scores were much higher than the average of those who were offered. He (and we) needs some closure but I’m wary of picking at the scab 😔

ScribeSev · 12/01/2024 18:43

I don't know what we'd get from feedback other than

The tutors that gave the interviews weren't feeling it that day for your DC

There is no other reason really

catmomof3 · 12/01/2024 18:54

tigster · 12/01/2024 18:34

Just found this thread - posted on the other one too. Has anyone asked for feedback? DS is sanguine about being unsuccessful but doesn’t understand why - his interviews went well and his HAT and MLAT scores were much higher than the average of those who were offered. He (and we) needs some closure but I’m wary of picking at the scab 😔

My DD has asked for feedback and they said by Feb she should hear back, also one of her teachers told her the reason a student got rejected last year was only because they got a 6 in Geography (not even the course they applied for) and said they had to draw the line somewhere. Just goes to show how brutal the selection process is.