Degree at 18 or diploma at 16

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Durham apparently are the opposite and anecdotally a lot of students accepted there will be county sports people etc. 

 

Which makes life interesting for a few friends whose children want to apply to both. 

[Pas de Quatre]

I have a pupil who has received an Oxbridge offer for a science degree. She has been with me since pre school. From a painfully shy 3 year old she has become an elegant self-possessed young adult. Her parents and I are convinced that ballet has helped make her who she is today.

[Peanut68]

20 hours ago, Pups_mum said:

Interesting discussion. I think if you are doing dance, drama, music etc exams ONLY as a means of gaining potential extra UCAS points/ something for the personal statement then its probably a waste of time. The effort required is very high for a limited and unpredictable gain.

However, whether it is acknowledged directly by universities or not I do think students with this kind of background have real advantages. The transferable skills that sometimes seem a bit formulaic when written on a personal statement are genuine.

Additionally, and so importantly, these activities provide students with an escape from the stresses of their course and potentially an almost instant new bunch of friends if they sign up for the dance club, orchestra or whatever during Fresher's Week. There is so much pressure on young people these days. I think it is crucial that we encourage them to enjoy their extra curricular activities for their intrinsic value rather than allowing them to become yet another hoop to jump through.  I think it should be completely acceptable for a student of an unrelated subject to say "I dance because it makes me happy". The world needs more happy people.

I really wanted to like this 100 times as could not agree more with your last 2 sentences Pups_mum!!! 

Do well said & so so often missed out in need to hit targets/achieve results/gain status!! To be happy....surely the ultimate goal for us all - thank you for the timely reminder!! 😁💜

[Anna C]

22 hours ago, Picturesinthefirelight said:

Durham apparently are the opposite and anecdotally a lot of students accepted there will be county sports people etc. 

 

Which makes life interesting for a few friends whose children want to apply to both. 

 

Dd was offered Durham as well as Oxbridge and she hasn’t done “sport” since year 7, so tell your friends not to worry! ☺️

The beauty of a large uni and especially a Collegiate uni is that the range of both sporting and non-sporting extra-curricular activities is hugely diverse.  

 

I meant to agree with an earlier good point about finding transferable skills or links between your interests and the course you’re studying and mentioning these in your personal statement.