OXBRIDGE again....DS head of sixth form 'advice' today grrrrr

[RiaParkinson]

DS is hoping to do medicine

Today the head of sixth form called all the boys hoping to do medicine to a meeting. He asked them all where they were hoping to go and then with much tut tutting - told them to have a rethink

The schools head boy has this year received NO OFFERS and the teacher is 'warning' them off the top universities

DS said the teacher said look 'further down the list' ...

DD (14) was in the room when ds recounted this tale to me and she said ' I see - so basically what MR Soandso is saying is 'Aim Low'

I agree with dd

How would you feel ?

My gut reaction is to ring the school - but is it irrelevant what this bloke says???

Or should ds be heeding his advice- despite misgivings?

Just to put those 90% UMS offers into perspective (as I use that forum a lot) - for the most part, those with the high UMS offers received an offer after being placed into the winter pool.

Those with 'straight' offers at the start of January had the standard 'AAA' (with AEAs or STEP as appropriate).

thankyou ALL for the fantastic wealth of information offered on here it is really helpful more so than you can know

DS had a call from MY friends son tonight who said he was applying to do material science at oxford (48% successful applicants) or somesuch

I went in a stress

he huffed off about me and competition with my friends children

and then added

'Forget where I go to study I will end up in Harley Street so you tell your friends that'

SLIGHTLY ott reaction but i kind of like his style

He probably will apply to Oxbridge - he has some GREAT work experiences lined up and as I said before very driven

Back to the matter in hand though..MILLIWAYS I am horrified at that grade point average thing and must admit to never having heard of it before...am going to ask him now if he has ( need to drag him out of the cellar where he is bouncing on the trampoline with the babies!!)

Will be interesting to see about the A* at A2.

Should sort out the 'men from the boys' re the 3 As criteria.

I am sure most will get the A*. They will probably relish it.

lazymumofteenagesons i will goocle that gazette thing

But I did read somewhere that Oxford wasn't v keen on it because it will widen the two tier system that already exists between state and independent.

Having said that, I think most of the brightest students WILL get an A* at A2, from whatever sector.

Swedes your link does not work about the state/selective thing...

Ria - Harley Street is full of wealthy Russians seeking eyebrow, jowl and bottom lifts - it doesn't have the reputation it once had.

Milliways & Ria - Shall we write a guide book - How to Get That Oxbridge Place - An independent school mum, a grammar school mum and a comprehensive school mum collaborate. I think I could sell it to a publisher.

I tell you what Ria, I'd tell your son to keep quiet about the Harley St ambition - private healthcare is really not a topic to be bringing up with academic medics.

In fact that's the most worrying thing you've posted - if he's serious, he needs to realise that it's going to be at least 14 years from now until he can set up a private practice, and most of those years are going to be bloody hard work. Not many set out with that intention, fewer make it.

Is he serious?

Just to make it even worse about Milliways 90% rule (sorry if it's in the link, I haven't looked) ...

they will want it at first attempt, no retakes

Def will be expecting 90% or over in AS modules for Oxbridge at first attempt or won't get a look in.

Def will be expecting 90% or over in AS modules for Oxbridge at first attempt or won't get a look in.

he is serious but has always had this immature idea about how successful he is going to be....

he said 'that was tongue in cheek'

ds also says NO universities know where else you have applied - this includes Oxbridge

digressing here, but thinking about the new A grade... Currently, if you score very highly at AS then you can afford to get relatively low marks in your A2 modules and still get an A - by the end of the sixth form some students only need a D or an E in their last modules in order to get an A overall. However, with the new system students need over 90% in the harder A2 modules to get an A. Will that that mean that fewer students continue with 4 or even 5 A2s to give them a better chance to get an A* in the ones that they do do?

not sure but at ds grammar they are saying stick with 3 if you want ....at gcse they only do 9 max 10 which I think is good- depth not breadth

Most only do 3 or 4. Quality not quantity.

PMSL Swedes!

Maybe we should get MN "Oxbridge" topic in the Education section!!

oh, and I will probably be doing this all again in 4 years as a Grammar Mum when DS gets to 6th form..........

Ria: Has your DS joined the Red Cross or St John's Ambulance or similar? They are great fot the Med applicants Personal Statement - AND get you free entry to concerts etc when on duty They also like voluntary work in Nursing Homes, and our GP surgery employ students on reception & in Admin jobs from age 16, and they all want to be Doctors.

Milliways thanks for the advice

he does have work experiences and has applied to gps surgery

the red cross sounds interesting- will pass on...

DS's school recommend all their medical applicants complete St John's Ambulance Young Life Saver

Harley St is full of quacks. Anyone can set up a private practice there - you rent rooms for £55 a week.

What he ought to be aiming for is a prestigious SHO rotation (when I was training they talked about the "golden" SHO rotation - for medicine incoporating the Brompton and Harefield hospitals - you had to start arse licking and gathering prizes in the first term or it was all over) with the right consultants. It was easier in the old days for girls as you could just sleep with the Dean and he'd get you the job you wanted.

RacheP - There are some good sorts in Harley Street still though. For example, the Fetal Medicine Foundation are Harley Street based and they are a thoroughly proper (and non profit making) outfit.

A friend of mine (who is an orthopaedic consultant in London) says the popularity of medical specialisms is inversely proportionate to the volume of body fluids one is likely to encounter.

Not read all this thread so sorry if it's been mentioned already but it's worth looking at the Times league tables to pick the "course" that your son is interested in, not just the Uni.

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/

We 're encouraging our DD to apply for Oxford later on this year, but obviously she has to choose some other unis as well in case she doesn't get in.

yes thankyou lazywoman - hope your dd is successful