Starting year 13 2016

[HSMMaCM]

Continuing from the year 12 - 13 thread.

Good luck with continuing studies, uni open days, driving tests, etc.

I know that Cambridge uni give 3 times as many offers as there are places for Maths because the STEP requirements are so high that 2/3rds of applicants fail to achieve the right grades.

This is not accurate: the ratio between offers/places is not 3 but around 2.

In addition, not all of the offers are actually accepted as many international applicants/applicants from top public schools choose to go the USA instead. (Out of around 500 offers made a significant number won't accept.)

Overall, about 1/2 - 2/3 of Cambridge Maths offer holders who have accepted or intend to accept their places achieve the required grades. Thus, although the offers are indeed harder than for other Cambridge courses/Oxford courses it is not as ridiculous as only 1 in 3 achieving their offers.

user14...71 - You're the only 'userNNN' whose number I can recognise! I'm curious - don't feel obliged to answer - but you seem authoritative, do you work in uni admissions? (Professionals are a very welcome addition to these support threads imo.)

User 147..... I agree that you do sound very authoritative about the statistics and I am just a parent trying to support my ds in his uni choices. But we were definitely told it was 1:3 by the college ds and I visited at the Maths Open day earlier this year. Maybe the 1:3 just applies to that particular college?

If that is incorrect overall then that is a shame because it was a significant factor in my ds choosing to apply to Oxford rather than Cambridge.

You can find the admission statistics at

www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/statistics

Bear in mind that a number of offers to international students for maths are not accepted in favour of US offers.

Statistics of offers/acceptances don't vary much by college. The chance of getting an offer for maths does vary by college, but top colleges like Trinity will pool many good candidates that deserve a Cambridge offer, so the overall chance of getting an offer should not depend too heavily on which college you choose.

I do work in academia but am also a parent. Mostly reading these threads this year on behalf of close family member that is applying (for subject far away from mine). Very identifiable circumstances of family member so wouldn't post about their application.

Watching The Great Gatsby with DD who is highlighting quotes in her book as we go!
She has actually worked really hard this half term

always good to have an academic! Hope it's all going to plan for your young person.

DD busy revising physics ahead of the Cambridge test on Wednesday as per plan. Yesterday we went shopping and got a decent coat and footwear for the interviews, whew.

DD has the ELAT on Wednesday, too, Eroll, as well as a shed load of stuff to send off to the college to reach them by Thursday, so all that will have to be done by Wednesday, too. She's been doing loads of past papers, but it's hard to know what they want. The questions are not very specific - you sort of have to make up your own, based on the texts provided.

The stuff to send includes an essay, marked by her teacher, with markings shown. Lots of people write and rewrite this, which you're not really supposed to do, and she hasn't done. She isn't sure how obvious this will be to the admissions people. There's also a list of books she's read to provide. Do you make it long, and comprehensive, leaving them with loads to ask about (gaaaah!) or short but that might make you seem like you don't read very widely?

She's also had another offer from Leeds, and got through to the second stage of Manchester, which was filling in an online form about why you particularly like their course, and some close analysis of a text, which she feels is a strength, so that seems promising.

So the only university she hasn't heard from is Edinburgh.

Getting there!

Hardcore the written work is supposed to be an essay written as part of the A2 course. The three DC of mine who've had to submit an essay only had a choice of one because of the timing of submission and there was no question of their being able to re-write it. That's the way it's supposed to be done. Their teachers have to sign a form to that effect too so it's a bit annoying if others cheat and their teachers collude.

We have a week of it here in Casa GetAHairCutCarl.

SATs on Tuesday, ELAT Wednesday. Plus DD has been given an audition date by RADA, so needs to let them know which pieces she will perform ( and hasn't chosen them yet).

My head is fizzing!

Good luck to everyone doing tests on Wednesday.
I think any type of screening test done at home can be skewed .If these screening tests mean the difference between being Interviewed of course many parents/schools will help.It is unfair and I don't know how universities can detect it.I also wonder whether its put my dd at a disadvantage because she wouldn't let me help at all.
I'm currently wondering how the fact that Science A levels are now not modular ( not able to retake) means the results will surely be affected and the number of higher grades reduced.Will this mean less students will meet their offer and will more offers be given to compensate.The requirements for this year are exactly the same as previous years in Vet. Science.Or will the pass mark be skewed to maintain similar % to last year?

teta the teachers have to sign off a sheet and should be capable of showing integrity. As for parental help..... Of course parents shouldn't help. Anyhow, the essays are used as the starting point of an interview discussion so I think any 'help' given is likely to be double edged if the kid can't articulate the thoughts in the essay, or can't build on them. Serves the parent right I suppose.

I'd guess the academics can make a shrewd guess and probe appropriately. Its easier with the 'objective' subjects where they can just do an exam conditions test.

Re the change of a levels - pretty much all the eng. departments we looked at (bar camb) are making their offer on an MEng with a 'free' one grade lower BEng offer - we're not aware of this being the norm before, so wondered if it might be to allow a bit more flexibility because of the uncertainty.

Engineering departments have been making offers this way for ages - one grade lower for BEng. The same is true for Masters v Bachelors in other subjects too.

The A level grades will probably be down a little on previous years, due to curriculum changes plus government policy to reverse grade inflation, but our best guess is that the grade boundaries will be chosen so that the grades aren't very different from last year. Universities have not changed offers but will if necessary be more generous about dropped grades.

OK, thanks - we weren't sure. It would be a bit daft if people applied to the M and the B at the same place as two choices out of 5.

Hardcore my DD applied to Oxford for English last year and she also sent in an essay that had been written and marked as part of her A Level course. No amendments at all. She just chose one that she would be happy to discuss. She got an offer and is now there, so it didn't do her any harm!

Good luck to your DD for the ELAT. As far as I understand it, doing loads of past papers is pretty much the only preparation you can do.

Good luck to all those doing tests this week!

No tests here. Got a text from dd this morning

Dd- can you send me my drama homework.
Me- ok. I'll email it to you. Where's the file?
Dd- it's the purple file under my bed.
Me- I've found the file. What do you need from it?
Dd- ummmm.
Me- sends a picture of a page of notes - is it this?
Dd- yes.

And she's gone. No thanks. No nothing.

Hey ho. Mum to the rescue again and no one noticed

So tempting to photocopy them and send her a picture of the guinea pig / dog / goat eating the notes.

I didn't think fast enough

Dds cat does calculus

That cat should fill out a UCAT application. I'd love to give it a reference to see if it would get through the system.

Cats are intelligent creatures.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/12/cat-voted-in-as-honorary-president-of-southampton-university-stu/

Thanks, Cherry. Well done to your DD. Is she liking it?

We sent everything off to Cambridge today, by next day delivery. Yay!

She sent an extension essay that she was set. I checked it over for her - her sentences can get a bit long and complex, so she likes me to point this sort of thing out, so she can make them a bit more succinct. I didn't try to have any input into her arguments, even if I did know anything about "the diffuse nature of the Gothic".

Her teacher marked it, and was very happy with it. Then she saw she'd left the "d" off the end of vanquished. She was a bit upset, but then realised if she'd done the drafting and re-drafting thing, that wouldn't have been likely to happen, so if it is noticed, it probably won't matter.

She mentioned it to a boy at school who is applying to Oxford. He asked if he needed to send one, as well. Umm, it's a whole different university! How would she know? Anyway, he checked, and has to send one by 10 November. How lucky she mentioned it to him, and that he has a whole week to sort it out, considering hers had to be sent by the 3rd.

The number of times I've bailed my DC out, like that HSM! I'm sure your DD is very grateful, even if she didn't say so at the time.

Thanks Hardcore. Yes she's really enjoying it but there is a lot of work. She was well aware there would be, and did 4 A Levels so is used to coping with a high volume, but was still slightly taken aback by the amount at the start! She seems to have got into the swing of things now but it's certainly not for the faint-hearted. She says it's just as well she really loves her subject!

HSM, sounds exactly like my DS!

Love the picture of the cat, I took a picture of the dog lying on top of all the flipcharts that I'd gathered up at a meeting once, he'd made a lovely little nest out of them.

How did people's tests go?

I had a text from DD that said "that genuinely went okay". So that sounds positive.

She also sent a photograph of the paper that gives the pin for registering to the results website.

She always does that, with important emails or user IDs etc, so if she loses them, she knows I will have a copy. I am basically her PA.