Cambridge route....

[quasimodo]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ridge.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Amber]

Yes, please remind them that Oxbridge is not right for everyone and that getting a place doesn't guarantee success any more than not getting a place indicates inadequacies.
They are suited to a certain kind of intelligence and character but there are still plenty of very able students who do just as well or better elsewhere.
The lifestyle is very special but it only lasts 3 or 4 years and if you aren't happy there the wearing of gowns for dinner doesn't compensate much!

To those with interviews, very best wishes for the right outcome.

+1
It doesn't suit everyone, not all very bright children want to go there and some are happier in a different environment. Gowns and formal dinners and the elite image are enough to frighten some straight A* candidates who feel they will be happier elsewhere. That choice should not be looked down on. I do wish we didn't have this expectation that being clever means you aspire to go to Oxbridge.

But yeah, good luck to those who want it and I hope your daughter gets in if she does, moved. X

[moved]

Thanks, her friends have all had theirs already and all have gone well. She has already gone to bed in preparation!

[Catseye]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/un ... aries.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Might help to buy that first home?

[Guest55]

Catseye - that isn't true in teaching or in other highly paid professions like Formula 1 where they don't seek Oxbridge graduates. If you earn more at the beginning that also means larger loan repayments ....

I would not rely on feeling an interview had 'gone well' as any indication of the likelihood of an offer ... it varies enormously between subjects.

I know a number of very able students who have turned down Oxbridge places as they just did not feel it was the place for them.

[Catseye]

that isn't true in teaching or in other highly paid professions like Formula 1 where they don't seek Oxbridge graduates. If you earn more at the beginning

Yes, there are always exceptions for example I would not choose economics or politics at Oxbridge(and certainly not PPE at Oxford aka Pretty Poor at Everything ) - I Would choose LSE,their course is much more in line with what the industry/City want!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/ed ... aires.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Warks mum]

And to get back on my hobby horse - any Oxbridge-level candidate who is interested in more than one subject should definitely consider the US. The opportunity to come out of university with no debt having studied a range of subjects makes places such as Yale, Harvard, MIT and others very attractive!

[mad?]

And to get back on my hobby horse - any Oxbridge-level candidate who is interested in more than one subject should definitely consider the US. The opportunity to come out of university with no debt having studied a range of subjects makes places such as Yale, Harvard, MIT and others very attractive!

That's interesting. DD has several friends studying in the US but it is costing their parents an enormous amount of money, certainly way more than we could ever afford. So how?

[Warks mum]

It depends on your family income, but if it's less than around $75,000 a year a place at such a university is effectively free - including flights, accommodation, food and vacation allowance - for all four years.

If your family earns more than this figure then you're expected to pay something but it's graded, according to your assessed ability to pay. At MIT, for example, 90% of students get some financial aid:

http://sfs.mit.edu/financial-aid-mit" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are only a few universities that are 'needs blind' for international students:

Harvard
Yale
MIT
Princeton
Amhurst
(Dartmouth stopped being needs blind this year for internationals)

but there are several others that consider international students for large financial aid packages.

In each case, the student needs to qualify for the university alongside everyone else first, hence you'd probably need to be at Oxbridge academic level to be considering this. You also need to work with the US system, meaning you'll need to show serious commitment to extra curricular activities and a more 'rounded' education than the very subject-focussed way of applying to Oxbridge or similar.

There are also major scholarship opportunities if you play sport at a national level as US universities will be desperate to have you! This means, for example, that you could get a substantial scholarship if you are at a level to play basketball for Scotland...

I'm happy to discuss this more by pm if anyone's interested.

[moved]

Well done now. Lovely first interview. She didn't like the source paper. The rainbow for her is that they told her that next year they will offer combined history and French so she is happy to reapply if she hasn't made it.