Habs vs MTS

Independent Schools as an alternative to Grammar

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AML
Posts: 347
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2014 5:32 pm

Re: Habs vs MTS

Post by AML »

I agree. My DS loved football prior to going to mT but that’s because that’s all he’s known. There is such a variety of sports, mine have taken to cricket and hockey which is also big there. They still get their football fix at lunchtime.
Nells2304
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Re: Habs vs MTS

Post by Nells2304 »

My DS has got an offer from HABS and MTS. MTS has also given him a music exhibition to have free tuition on two instruments. His first choice is MTS as he was so impressed with the music department and the cricket fields. He is a very keen cricketer too. Very hard decision to make as I know HABS is academically very good. My DS loves music and cricket, so I am wondering whether to go with MTS. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
ToadMum
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Re: Habs vs MTS

Post by ToadMum »

Nells2304 wrote:My DS has got an offer from HABS and MTS. MTS has also given him a music exhibition to have free tuition on two instruments. His first choice is MTS as he was so impressed with the music department and the cricket fields. He is a very keen cricketer too. Very hard decision to make as I know HABS is academically very good. My DS loves music and cricket, so I am wondering whether to go with MTS. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
1) Your DS has a preference (and no point in asking him for it if you are going to ignore it) for a particular school and that school has made an offer including something soecial in one of the areas which apparently informed his opinion.

2) Why apply to a school you don't want your DC to attend? What would you have done, had MTS been the only offer on the table?

I have to admit to having no knowledge of either school, other than what I have gleaned from this forum, but I'm guessing that MTS isn't actually famous for failing its students academically? Isn't it also significantly more accessible by public transport? Even if my DC had no preference at all, that one would swing it for me :) .
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
Daogroupie
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Location: Herts

Re: Habs vs MTS

Post by Daogroupie »

The fact that you got a music scholarship from MTS but not from HABS should tell you something about the strength of the music department at HABS.

If Music is very important to your ds, have you looked at the GCSE and A levels results to make sure that they have a strong cohort doing GCSE and A level Music or is Music not important to him academically?

There is a lot of difference between free lessons and a strong music department.

Music was a very important criteria to my dds. On all the open days we requested a tour guide who was doing A level Music or at best was involved in the orchestras and we made careful note of the numbers doing GCSE and A level music for each school.

dd1's application to the sixth form at HBS ended when she visited and asked to speak to a girl from Y12 doing Music only to discover that there wasn't one.

HABS have all their concerts at the Barbican and we have attended them and they are at a very high level.

I am not qualified to comment on MTS and their music department. Did you get a chance to look at their Orchestra and Band lists which would have been on the walls in the department?

Which would be the most important criteria? Music or Cricket? DG
ToadMum
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Location: Essex

Re: Habs vs MTS

Post by ToadMum »

Sort of the Marx / Galsworthy view of school offers? School X thought I was good enough in my specialist area to be offered a scholarship, therefore I must reject them for School Y, who considered me nothing special.

(Slight worry, tbough - Was I so nothing special that I'll never even get to job-share 5th euphonium in the reserve orchestra? Although one could hope that all those who were offered music scholarships at HABS also had offers from schools which didn't offer them a music scholarship, which on the same principle would make that offer even more desirable. And so on?).

Sorry, OP, not really meaning to be flippant. I'm still assuming that you would have considered MTS a desirable school for your DS and a music scholatship there something worth having, othetwise why put him through the application process?.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
Londonmum44
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Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2019 6:39 pm

Re: Habs vs MTS

Post by Londonmum44 »

I would ask son which place he prefers.
If finances are not an issue then I would ignore
the scholarship and ask which he prefers.
ToadMum
Posts: 11945
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Habs vs MTS

Post by ToadMum »

Londonmum44 wrote:I would ask son which place he prefers.
If finances are not an issue then I would ignore
the scholarship and ask which he prefers.
It would appear that Master 2304 has already voiced an opinion :) .
Nells2304 wrote:My DS has got an offer from HABS and MTS. MTS has also given him a music exhibition to have free tuition on two instruments. His first choice is MTS as he was so impressed with the music department and the cricket fields. He is a very keen cricketer too. Very hard decision to make as I know HABS is academically very good. My DS loves music and cricket, so I am wondering whether to go with MTS. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
GDBJ1819
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Re: Habs vs MTS

Post by GDBJ1819 »

CandyCrush, congratulations on your DS' Oxbridge offer. We attended the MTS offer holder morning yesterday and talked to several Yr13 students about universities. None of them received Oxbridge offers - as a matter of fact, only one boy applied Oxbridge but didn't get invited for interview. The headmaster said MTS has an Oxbrige support group/program, but after talking to students and teachers, the impression I got was Oxbridge isn't a big "thing" in MTS. Is this actually the case or have I missed something? I understand parents shouldn't measure a school based on the number of Oxbridge offers, but it will be interesting to know why MTS doesn't have many boys apply for Oxbridge. Thanks.
CandyCrush
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2014 9:50 am

Re: Habs vs MTS

Post by CandyCrush »

GDBJ1819 wrote:CandyCrush, congratulations on your DS' Oxbridge offer. We attended the MTS offer holder morning yesterday and talked to several Yr13 students about universities. None of them received Oxbridge offers - as a matter of fact, only one boy applied Oxbridge but didn't get invited for interview. The headmaster said MTS has an Oxbrige support group/program, but after talking to students and teachers, the impression I got was Oxbridge isn't a big "thing" in MTS. Is this actually the case or have I missed something? I understand parents shouldn't measure a school based on the number of Oxbridge offers, but it will be interesting to know why MTS doesn't have many boys apply for Oxbridge. Thanks.
There were a handful of Y13 boys who, in previous years would have received Oxbridge offers, but this year didn’t. All had straight A*s at GCSE and predicted A*s at A Level. Perhaps this is a consequence of Oxbridge’s efforts to address the number of students from the state sector? Some of these boys are considering reapplying next year and Taylors will fully support them in the process.

The Oxbridge support programme at Taylors is excellent - a series of presentations for parents and boys explaining the process, school trips, extra tuition and interview preparation. The school were hugely supportive and we couldn’t have asked for more.
AML
Posts: 347
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2014 5:32 pm

Re: Habs vs MTS

Post by AML »

CandyCrush wrote:
GDBJ1819 wrote:CandyCrush, congratulations on your DS' Oxbridge offer. We attended the MTS offer holder morning yesterday and talked to several Yr13 students about universities. None of them received Oxbridge offers - as a matter of fact, only one boy applied Oxbridge but didn't get invited for interview. The headmaster said MTS has an Oxbrige support group/program, but after talking to students and teachers, the impression I got was Oxbridge isn't a big "thing" in MTS. Is this actually the case or have I missed something? I understand parents shouldn't measure a school based on the number of Oxbridge offers, but it will be interesting to know why MTS doesn't have many boys apply for Oxbridge. Thanks.
There were a handful of Y13 boys who, in previous years would have received Oxbridge offers, but this year didn’t. All had straight A*s at GCSE and predicted A*s at A Level. Perhaps this is a consequence of Oxbridge’s efforts to address the number of students from the state sector? Some of these boys are considering reapplying next year and Taylors will fully support them in the process.

The Oxbridge support programme at Taylors is excellent - a series of presentations for parents and boys explaining the process, school trips, extra tuition and interview preparation. The school were hugely supportive and we couldn’t have asked for more.
Then all the independent schools should be facing this problem not just MT
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