'Open' applications to Cambridge and Durham

m277

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Apart from anything else, to me it looks kind of unprepared if you haven't made a choice. A choice at least says you've thought about it!

If he puts in an open application then the allocated college shouldn't find out he's been placed at that college. Also Cambridge use the pooling system where he could get passed around before getting accepted into a particular college.

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

On the geeky side, he wants to study maths to satisfy his intellectual curiosity. Didn't get that from me! So, where do the geeks choose to go?

There's nothing wrong with studying maths. But obviously geeks go to Cambridge whilst the cooler mathmos go to Oxford.

Savvy_Sue

I think we've almost got it cracked.

It's Churchill at Cambridge, because it's not too far from the Maths dept and he didn't like what the computing policy said about Linux at Trinity (and he's used to doing his own laundry!); and Grey at Durham, on the grounds that it's near the maths dept and not full of Rugby players. Well, not unless things have changed radically since my day! I confess I'm a bit biased towards Grey: some of my best friends married Grey men ...

Mind you, this is the boy who didn't realise, despite repeated reminders in the 6th form newsletter, that he needed to go and collect his GCSE certificates from school this time last year. So he didn't. He didn't realise that the results slips he'd picked up in August weren't actually certificates, and he thinks he's thrown the results slip away now. He's reconstructed his GCSE results by a process of elimination: if RE was a full subject, then IT was only a half ...

NickiM

Eek, would the school still have the certificates?

Savvy_Sue

Nope, I think the messages kept saying "If you don't collect them by xxx they will be returned to the exam board."

He went to the exams office on Friday, but they checked what time it was and said he'd have to come back at break or lunch time. He didn't manage to go back at lunchtime.

It probably sounds a bit silly: the 6th Form Centre is over the road from main school and they run mostly separately. But the school knows who is in the 6th Form - at least I hope they do because they're forever encouraging them to go in and help in main school, I would hate to think that ANYONE could just wander in and impersonate a 6th former (although of course I'd find this rather hard to do at my age!) So you would think that a note to his 6th form tutor would have been sensible. I'm sure he's not the only one.

Maybe it's my fault for not asking if he'd gone and collected his certificates! :rotfl:

studentsaver2007

I'm going to warn you now, if you don't make a choice, they'll probably put your son in one of the the "all boy" colleges, as these are the least popular.

Savvy_Sue

Well, he wouldn't mind that. Although I didn't realise there still WERE any all boy colleges!

studentsaver2007

Maybe I'm getting mixed up with Oxford ... I just remeber a few oxbridge speakers came to our sixth form and warned us about this.

But I do know it's a good idea to bear in mind the course, and the figures for each course in each college. If that makes sense. Like Niki said, in Cambridge, your application goes directly to the college.

This might help:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/article525684.ece

Savvy_Sue

When I mentioned this to DS2, he said that Cambridge didn't have any all-male colleges these days, and I'm sure Durham doesn't because Mary's has just gone mixed, and that was DEFINITELY the last all-girls college, and I'm pretty sure it was the last single-sex one of either gender, IYSWIM.

Anyway, DS2's come with me today to take DS1 back to Warwick, managed about half an hour on campus talking to a maths student who's friends with DS1. He's come back quite happy with that, so at least we've got one place on his form that he doesn't mind ending up at.

DS1 was quite affronted when I said that DS2's transport needs would take priority over his next year. Then he said maybe they'd both be in the same place (ie Warwick). But as there's no way I can get TWO loads of 'stuff' in the car, at least one of them will have to go on the train, possibly both! :rotfl:

celyn90

I don't think there are all male colleges either, but there are/were all-female ones in Cambridge. My school tried to send me to Newnham until I put my foot down :rotfl: In Oxford, I don't think we have all-male either, we have St Hilda's - but they are taking their first male students in this year, so that is going mixed too. I wonder if people will still call the students "Hildabeasts"... (awful I know!) :rotfl:

I liked Warwick too, where else is he thinking of? Best of luck with the application process, cel x

m277

celyn90 wrote: »

I wonder if people will still call the students "Hildabeasts"... (awful I know!) :rotfl:

They definitely still call them Hildabeasts. Some guys even go "boar hunting" there.