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Secondary education

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Original poster

would love to go to cambridge but will not make the grade

26 replies

schoolsearch1 · 11/11/2010 19:16

DD would love to go to cambridge university. she is in year 9 at the mo and is scoring average grades. Is there any hope of her excelling before reaching her A levels to maybe reaching her dream of going there.

OP posts:
mollyroger · 11/11/2010 19:21

I dreamed of going to any University but sadly was too average. I'd encourgae her to work hard, try her bestm have fun learning and having a happy, fullfilling life and see what happens! (while quietly learning that ytou can't always get what you want in life)

Fiddledee · 11/11/2010 19:27

If she is scoring average she will not get in and if she did (intensive tutoring) she would struggle when she arrived. Your job is to channel her dreams elsewhere into a particular job/profession not a university.

webwiz · 11/11/2010 20:26

Schoolsearch1 I would encourage her to work hard and the paths available will become more obvious as she gets older. Nothing wrong with using an aspiration as a way of encouraging hard work and certainly grafters can overtake those who find schoolwork easy and don't try but there's no need to get too hung up on a specific university at this age.

TrillianAstra · 11/11/2010 20:42

Try to find out what it is about Cambridge that she aspires to - and then see what other universities have similar courses/teaching styles/architecture/whatever it is.

senua · 11/11/2010 20:49

What webwiz said.
Quite often hard work, sheer determination and passion can outperform unfocussed brainboxes.
Does she know what she wants to read yet? (that should be her passion really: the subject rather than the UniversityHmm). If she is serious then she needs to work backwards from there: what A Levels do I need, what GCSEs do I need, what do I have to do to get in top sets.
She will be choosing KS4 options soon, keep an eye out to make sure that she does not make a bad move - she needs (for Camb) 'proper' subjects and GCSEs, not btec.

TheFarSide · 11/11/2010 20:56

Year 9 is quite young - lots of year 9s have dreams but get more realistic by year 11.

webwiz · 11/11/2010 21:02

DS is in year 9 and he wants to be a film directorHmm I leave him to his dreams (and put up with having to be an extra in all his films) and encourage him to work hard at school because I want him to have as many choices as possible. I wouldn't do anything to pour cold water on what he wants and time will tell whether it is something realistic for him.

darleneconnor · 11/11/2010 21:03

She can always go as a postgrad, it's much easier to get in then.

Saracen · 12/11/2010 05:55

Agree with TrillianAstra. What is it about Cambridge that appeals to your dd? It's quite possible there is another university or programme which would make her as happy or even happier, but she isn't aware of it yet.

Instead of focusing on the will-you-get-into-Cambridge question with all the pressure that creates, I think you should encourage her to consider various options by suggesting she may find another university she likes even better, or that she may change her mind in the next few years. I'm not advocating pushing her away from Cambridge, just reminding her that there are other fish in the sea.

lljkk · 12/11/2010 06:06

Oh Webwiz, good luck to your DS. I know someone who majored in chemistry at MIT, she got top marks, then she went to Film School at USC.

She dropped out, Film school was way too hard, back to being a top quality scientist instead!

LelloLorry · 12/11/2010 06:20

Why does she want to go to Cambridge?
Does she have a specific course in mind or does she just want to go to the uni?
Is she aspiring for Cambridge just because it's 'the best' or because she actually wants to go?
Why is she average? Would she put in the effort to make the grades and keep them, and hell, will she pass her GCSEs?
If she's average that's about a C, to get into a decent sixth form she'll need atleast 5 Bs at GCSE.
Maybe shoot for her GCSEs rather than worrying about University before she's even at 6th form.

mrswoodentop · 12/11/2010 12:08

I have one of these only a bit older,he has 4 a stars ,5 as and a b at GCSE,he is comming to terms with the fact that school have said that it is minimum 8 A stars for Cambridge ,lots of other traditional unis ,courses out there he had just set his heart on Cambridge !

busymummy3 · 14/11/2010 00:19

I have completely opposite a child who is very clever predicted to get A stars in everything and yet does not automatically want to go to uni. Husband also does not want to push her into going wants her to do do what she wants in life travel and see the world what do you do ?

Mahraih · 14/11/2010 00:43

Motivations/realism aside, I was average until AS-Levels, when suddenly I was apparently top of the class! Odd.

Some kids develop earlier/later - it's good that she has ambition, just keep reminding her that there's more to life than Cambridge!

Kez100 · 14/11/2010 13:55

Busymummy - I was similar. Never wanted to go to Uni and never did. I got a job/training contract, took professional exams at the same time as working, became qualified as early as possible at 23 and a partner in practice at 25. I could have done it via a degree and then the professionals but would have taken 2 years longer.

Not wanting to go to Uni would be fine by me, whatever ability. Lack of any ambition would worry me more.

I think the youngster who wants to go to Cambridge will realise as she gets older, assuming she doesn't get Cambridge grades, that it isn't for her. However, I like her ambition. It is easier to study when you have a focus in mind.

busymummy3 · 14/11/2010 16:18

Kez 100 thankyou you think on the same lines as my husband and it is reassuring when everyone in my circle of friends seem to think uni is the 'be ll and end all' and were shocked when I said that my daughter does not automatically want to go to uni and will explore other avenues as well as considering going to uni. We are coming up to her picking options for GCSE'S she is in Y9 and when I mentioned she was more than likely to be picking Art which she seems to (and confirmed by teacher) to have a special talent in one mum was shocked and actually said to me 'really but she is sooo academic' when I know that the subject is quite intensive and requires a lot of commitment and time.

Talkinpeace · 14/11/2010 17:32

Agree with the others.
Why Cambridge?
Which course / college is so appealing?
If is is THE RIGHT ONE, go speak to the college.
But please, do not be a snob. Choose the right course, not the "reyt" course.
If Cambridge is right, the sixth form staff will help make it so. But Year 9 is too early to know.

Kez100 · 14/11/2010 17:55

Art does take committment and helps toward a rounded education, in my view. My daughter picked Drama. From what she tells me, Art is proving harder in terms of time committment for those of her friends who chose it. She is happy she didn't as she is doing History in one year and, my, is that intense!

alwaysdancing · 14/11/2010 21:04

mrswoodentop - that's just not true about needing 8 A*s for Cambridge! Your DS's GCSE grades sound fine for an application, as long as he's on track for A grades at A level (or at least AAB). What they're looking for is a personal statement that shows passion for the subject being applied for, experience of related jobs wherever possible, maturity and a range of interests/experiences that show what a well-rounded person the applicant is.

As a teacher and sixth form tutor, it infuriates me when schools can't even be bothered to try to get a student in!

mrswoodentop · 15/11/2010 22:21

The thing is statistically it would seenm that any less than these grades is considered a long shot,given that practically everyone applying will have straight As or Astars.Several were rejected last year with higher grades and apparently Cambridge gave the reason as GCSE grades .

Lilymaid · 15/11/2010 22:39

Admissions tutors are looking for people who have a real interest and aptitude for their chosen subject. It isn't enough just to want to go to Cambridge however many A*s you may have, you must have a passion for your subject and evidence that you have gone beyond the school curriculum in developing that interest.
To be brutally honest, you would not get into Cambridge if you are still "scoring average grades" in the sixth form - but there are many students who only come into their own towards the end of their school career (e.g. DH who got largely mediocre O levels at 16 but won an exhibition at Oxford at 18).

squeezedatbothends · 31/01/2011 14:35

Mrswoodentop

Hope this isn't too late. My son has an offer at Oxford. He has 6As, 3As and 2Bs at GCSE and 2As and 2Bs at AS. He flew through the Elat (internal entrance exam) and had two interviews. Don't let anyone tell you that GCSE grades matter that much for Oxbridge (obviously they want to see As in the chosen subjects/related subjects). It possibly helped being at a state school, but it didn't hold him back. Don't let your child self select. The INTERVIEWs are what matters. And incidentally, a friend's daughter, currently in her thrid year and on track for a 1st at Cambridge in History, did Dance and Drama at A Level (as well as History and English). She also had 7A*s, 2 As and a C at GCSE (also state educated).

SylvanianFamily · 31/01/2011 14:45

Of course she can.

What subject?

MillyR · 31/01/2011 18:43

OP, you don't need 8 A* for Cambridge. I can't believe a school is misleading pupils like that. I'm sure I have posted on a similar thread recently.

Of course a pupil who is getting average grades in year 9 could get really good GCSE results. Some people rapidly improve at certain times in their school career. If this wasn't the case, we could just give everyone a test at age 3 and decide the university places 15 years in advance.

I am sure having a goal will help her progress, and even if she doesn't end up at Cambridge, there are other good universities she could get into if she works hard at her GCSEs.

hatwoman · 31/01/2011 21:19

schoolsearch and mrswoodentop - there was a program on R4 this evening on oxford admissions. I didn't catch it all but what I did hear was very interesting -it gave quite an insight into shat they're looking for - it'll be on the R4 website if you fancy listening.