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Didn't get my first choice - what now?

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:34 pm
by pradeb
Hi all

Firstly many congrats to all those that are happy with their allocations and well done all for getting through these highly stressful last few months of waiting.

Our first choice was Watford Boys Grammar, then Parmiters, then Queens. We got Queens but had never really considered it seriously, hoping that our ds would get into one of the first two. We're really disappointed but should we be? I keep hearing mixed things about Queens so I'm really confused. Our ds is very academic and not very sporty so not sure if it's the right place for them.

The admissions web site doesn't give much info right now about what to do next apart from saying that we have to confirm by 16th March. Should we accept Queens first and then appeal or appeal first before accepting Queens? Is there anything else we need to do?

I'm sure this will all become clear on 2nd March as the website states but the suspense is killing me!!!

Thanks

Re: Didn't get my first choice - what now?

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:49 pm
by hermanmunster
There is nothing to be lost with accepting Queen;'s - if you don't then you may have no school at all!

You can still appeal to the others - you will need to find out why you didn't get either of those - I don't know the schools - is it score or distance ? or are there other factors? Whatever the reason this will be the basis of planning your appeal

Re: Didn't get my first choice - what now?

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:57 pm
by pradeb
How do I find out why I didn't get my first choice?

Re: Didn't get my first choice - what now?

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:11 pm
by hermanmunster
I expect you can ask the LEA

To get into Watford you would either have to get an academic place or a music aptitude place or live near enough to the school or have a sibling at the school .

I suspect the same holds for Parmiters - I will check!

Re: Didn't get my first choice - what now?

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:14 pm
by KS10
It is, HM.

Re: Didn't get my first choice - what now?

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:21 pm
by hermanmunster
Ta KS10 - presumably with criteria like that it is quite easy to miss out on places - suspect that the distance away from the school is quite small.

Re: Didn't get my first choice - what now?

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:22 pm
by pradeb
Yes, it is. I applied under both the community place and academic criteria so not sure exactly what went wrong. Do they tell you why you didn't get in if you ask? Can you get the score?

Thanks for all your help everyone.

Re: Didn't get my first choice - what now?

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:25 pm
by Luna
Hiya! We got offered Queens' which was our second option and we are very happy about it. Our first option was Parmiters, but we knew that the chances are not that great considering the number of applicants. Queens' is a great school, did you go on school visit? It doesn't only have a Sport Specialty but also a Science one and I have to say, the academic results are really good.

I am not trying to convince you, of course that if you set your heart on a certain school is hard to accept another but I would advise to give it a chance. Book another school visit, look at the academic results again and you might find it that it is not bad news.

In the meantime you will be on the waiting list on your first ranked school, try and call your first ranked school tomorrow or on Monday and find out where you are on the waiting list and what realistic chances you have got.

We will be on the waiting list also, for Parmiters, but we are more than happy to accept Queens. My DS is also academic rather than sporty and I am sure he will thrive at Queens'.

Re: Didn't get my first choice - what now?

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:29 pm
by Cutting42
pradeb wrote:Hi all

Firstly many congrats to all those that are happy with their allocations and well done all for getting through these highly stressful last few months of waiting.

Our first choice was Watford Boys Grammar, then Parmiters, then Queens. We got Queens but had never really considered it seriously, hoping that our ds would get into one of the first two. We're really disappointed but should we be? I keep hearing mixed things about Queens so I'm really confused. Our ds is very academic and not very sporty so not sure if it's the right place for them.

The admissions web site doesn't give much info right now about what to do next apart from saying that we have to confirm by 16th March. Should we accept Queens first and then appeal or appeal first before accepting Queens? Is there anything else we need to do?

I'm sure this will all become clear on 2nd March as the website states but the suspense is killing me!!!

Thanks

Hi pradeb

Firstly accept Queens it is a very good school and will serve you and your children well.

Secondly, you will get a ranking for the first two schools of your position in the waiting list for WGSB and Parmiters. You may be only a couple of places away.

Thirdly register for both WGSB and Parmiters "continued interest" tomorrow probably but your letter tomorrow will explain more detail.

When the schools have the second round of placements (after the first round have accepted their schools) you may be high enough in the waiting list to get a place at that time. You MUST register your "continued interest" for this to happen.

Also if one of your continued interest schools does offer a place, you automatically get it and lose the place at queens I believe.

Good luck, you chose exactly what we did for my DS

Re: Didn't get my first choice - what now?

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:33 pm
by KS10
I'm only really in a position to comment on ooc. It's funny, but sometimes the waiting list moves quickly (or in mysterious ways). I don't know about WGSB but I can only tell you that this is what happened 2 years ago when there were 5+ out-of-catchment places awarded by Parmiter's instead of 3. I am certain about 5 of them and have taken DS's word for it about 2 others.