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[MirandaWest]

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.

Best wishes for your CT scan @catmomof3 .

DS has chosen the South Kensington halls, plus Paddington. I think, with his ASD, he will be better off being closer to lectures etc. He's had three exams so far this week, and has two tomorrow - four to go after that. I'll be so relieved when they're over!

Re halls at Imperial, ds is currently in the Paddington ones and finds them ideal. He pays an annual fee of c. £100 to use the Santander bikes and cycles through Hyde park each day to uni. It takes no time at all and is walkable in just over 20 minutes. A lovely commute!

@LittleRedRidingSnood That actually sounds very nice indeed.

good luck today @catmomof3

@mynameisnotmichaelcaine I bet your DS is chuffed that he’s now headed to the country’s number one university! Interesting article yesterday in the Times about Imperial from writers who were Alumnae.

Feeling relieved today that dd isn’t having to get AAA*. Exams are going ok but having an Oxbridge offer would add extra stress for sure. One exam didn’t go as hoped though it’s hard to know until results.

Good tip about the bikes! Sounds a bargain!

Dd seems to be OK about Oxford - she has firmed Bristol and seems positive about it. I had a chat with her over the weekend about whether she had decided whether she would potentially try applying for Oxford again but she is about 95% sure she won’t.

in her case the offer is 3 x A nearly everywhere she applied so that didn’t make a difference for Oxford or not .

Today Is her most intensive day - Spanish this morning and history this afternoon. But then only one exam left

@catmomof3 fingers crossed for your Scan results and hope your treatment continues to go well.

DS has been allocated UCL accommodation about a 10 min walk from campus but he's worried he's messed up one of the psychology papers so fingers crossed it's not as bad as he thinks and he still makes the grades.

2 more history papers left for him then relax for the summer. It feels like a long hard slog since the start of the Oxbridge application process!

I know that some DC have more to go over the next few weeks so good luck to all.

I agree with this.

DS needs 3 A's for UCL which is the same as the Oxford offer, there is a lot less pressure on results I think than if he was holding an offer there, he had one exam also that didn't go as hoped.

Please get him to take a helmet tho. I see so many young people riding them without one and although there are many more cycle lanes it is still dicey in areas - bizarrely from other cyclists too. Some of them think they’re in the TDF…

For everyone else’s DC heading to London, get them to apply for an Oyster card as soon as possible when they know they’ve got their accommodation offer. Then they can link their railcard to get a discount on TFL travel. I think DD also mentioned there is a further discount for students which makes it even cheaper but I’ll check with her when I see her.

Agree about the offer level stress. DD also needs 3 x A which is the same as Oxford. She only applied there because Cambridge would undoubtedly have asked for 3 x A and following last week’s paper she’s pretty sure she hasn’t got an A in one subject.

DD has 3 on one day next week. Absolute madness that even now exam boards cannot make way to avoid clashes like this.

So I have 2 older DC in London. One uses the Santander bikes (had her own bike for the first year but didn't find it that useful) . None of them bothered with Oyster card.
Dç3 not too fussed now about not getting into Oxbridge and will not be reapplying. There are advantages and disadvantages with everything

I met with a friend whose daughter is doing Engineering at C and I came away thinking maybe ds has dodged a bullett. She works so hard (and this is a super bright girl). I'm not sure that ds could have coped with the pressure to be honest. I think he'll still have to work hard if he gets into his firm but at least the work is spread over 12 weeks and going to London means he can pop home for a restorative Sunday lunch if needed 🤣

I have just had a video call with my DD (2nd year History at Oxford) and she's working at 7pm on a Friday night. It's tough for sure.

Haha yes @PotentialUCLmum - it caused some controversy on the family group chat 🤣

That would be my DD @mynameisnotmichaelcaine but because she doesn't care about socialising much and loves to work! Ah well Cambridge didn't see it. I can't even mention C to her now.
She's firmed Durham (as she says she's white, middle class, privately educated and an Oxbridge reject - she'll fit right in)! She has her grades - so much less stress! Currently working hard getting her final Art and Design Foundation year project finished in time for the exhibit. Her written part (kind of like the written part of an EPQ if doing an artefact) was 139 slides and 27,000 words long!!!!! Of her colleagues, 12,000 words was the shortest. I feel for the board that has to read it all (I guess they'll just skim it). Then a long awaited holiday (since 2020) to Spain.

I hope everyone's DC has done OK and are happy with where they are going. DS got AAA*A and is going to Edinburgh to study Maths.

Congrats to your DS 👏. My DD is also off to Edinburgh to study neuroscience with A*AA.

I don't know what happened with the stars there! A star, A star, A star, A is what I had typed!

Snap @mushroom3 (I think) - DD got Astar Astar Astar A and is off to UCL to do BASc Arts and Sciences.

DD got A star A star A star and is off to Bristol and is very happy 😊

She’s a bit concerned about a friend who has a Cambridge offer who they know got her results but hasn’t said what she got and they suspect she hasn’t got in 😔

congrats to @PumpkinKnitter @stoneysongs and @MirandaWest DC! @MirandaWest sadly two of my DS's friends are in the same boat and not made Oxford offers.

DD got into UCL, she ended up with AAA. She's getting one of her English papers possibly remarked on advice from her teacher as she was a few marks off an A*. More of an ego thing as she feels she let herself down. I think considering doing all her revision and exams when I was undergoing my cancer treatment which was a huge emotional strain on her she's done amazing.

My DS got 3 x A star and is delighted. He’s going to Durham.

So glad to move on from this A Levels phase now…..onwards and upwards.

Well done to all our bright young things and to you, their supportive parents. I think if it as being family success, to be enjoyed by all!

@mushroom3 same here, son got four A stars and is going to study maths at Edinburgh . Is your son going straight into second year?
My other son also got four A stars and is off to Warwick.
Looking forward to accommodation allocations now 🤞🏼

Well done - those sound very good results all round. I only came on here as my children didn't try Oxbridge, three went to Bristol and 4 are now solicitors (2 qualified earlier this year) and I am not anti or pro Oxbridge but for plenty of very good high paid careers it will not matter if they went to Oxbridge or not although it might have seemed very important to people at the time. I am the only one of my siblings who did not try for and therefore did not get into Oxbridge and it does not seem to have held me back as a lawyer.