Hey HazeGrey 
He really is - this whole adventure has been even better than I imagined in my wildest dreams.
Revisions are stressing him out (there was a week there that might have had a bit too many other things going on it seems to me, however, Iām just watching from a distance and trying to 
) - that jump into the river wants to be earnedā¦
Likewise, my D22 has just completed the 3rd year of a 4-year MEng course at Oxford and I would be happy to share her experience, including the gruelling 3rd year āfinalsā that saw several of her classmates choosing to ārusticateā (suspend their studies for a year) due to accumulating stress in the lead up to the exams. That said, my D22 has greatly enjoyed Oxford and everything that it offers.
I donāt log into CC often will do so if tagged.
Did they take the exams (and pass them?) then take a year off? That seems plausible if you can choose to simply graduate with the three year BA if you decide not to come back for the MEng. And maybe everyone gets a 2:1 minimum nowadays?
Or did they quit before exams? How does one even come back from that (studying to take them the following year without tutorial support seems all but impossible)?
Do you think this lack of resiliency is a consequence of COVID? Or something more widespread in Gen Z? Iāve seen reports in the UK press about a desire to make exams less of an all-or nothing thing at Cambridge (and opposition from traditionalists).
Students who rusticate during exam season are expected to return at the start of next yearās Trinity Term and attend tutorials/other revision sessions. So, these students do get support.
My D told me that students who decided to rusticate mid-way through exams (one of her classmates sat 3 exams out of 6 and then decided they werenāt prepared for the remaining ones) will need to take all 6 the next year. Another rusticating classmate, who had earlier decided to complete only the 3-year BA course, will now need to defer starting their IB job and return to Oxford next spring to sit the finals.
Interesting question about resilience. I saw my daughter just go through it (and also witnessed the increasing sense of dread she felt in the run up) and marvelled at how Oxford undergrads cope (my nearest equivalent was sitting the NY bar exam, which looks to be a cake walk compared to the Oxford finals for STEM students). In years past, youād hear the occasional stories of Oxford students choosing to end their lives due to the stress of finals. Compared to that, I think itās healthier that students today are better attuned to their mental (and physical) health and are willing to call ātime out.ā
I personally know a survivor of one such attempt (at Oxford). I donāt think those who have only attended US colleges always understand how important finals are in the UK system.
Thatās true, your entire degree class, and in some ways the rest of your life, depends on a few days of exams (not least because your degree class stays on your CV forever). I had to get a first to be allowed to take up my PhD place/funding and that required 8 weeks of doing nothing but revision, 8 hours a day every day. Spouse had it harder than me in an arts subject (same requirement for a first at a time when only 6% of students got firsts, managed to clear the bar by an average of 0.5% across the 6 papers).
But I still find the idea of not taking the exams very surprising given that U.K. students are brought up on high stress one shot exams (GCSEs and A levels) which absolutely do determine the rest of your life. Perhaps getting top grades in A levels was just easy for these kids and they havenāt been so challenged before (I know I thought that was the case)?
It is something that US applicants to the UK need to be fully aware of: you have to positively enjoy difficult exams and the lengthy revision for them, which the US system doesnāt really teach you. Thatās one reason why Oxbridge likes applicants who self-study APs and still get a 5.
Both our neighborsā kids have struggled significantly with that aspect of the UK system and failed multiple exams, requiring retakes and for one of them an extra year (and causing long term depression since graduating and returning to the US, which they very much blame on the challenges of COVID).
And also those who do well in Olympiads - for the same reason.
Although to be pedantic, arenāt 5s in the given subjects the bare minimum rather than an extra boost?
Absolutely.
What I meant is that self-studying an AP is more highly regarded (as demonstrating both dedication to your subject and ability to learn/revise independently) than simply being taught that AP in high school.
I understood it was thought of as reasonably impressive when I did A level chemistry in 3 months, largely self-taught, during my gap year after my other A levels (because my school didnāt allow you to take four at once). An A (no A*s back then) was assumed (but not required in my offer).
I think that my sonās ACT/AP/AIME scores would have gotten him shortlisted (never knew his MAT score) anyway, but being exposed to math competitions like ARML, PuMAC and HMMT certainly gave him more confidence with the interview portion of the process.
Hm - all though that makes a lot of sense, not sure they would necessarily know if you self studied an AP unless explicitly mentioned in your personal statement? Does the UCAS form distinguish between AP course and result?
It might be mentioned in oneās personal statement however to show that an applicant is interested in a subject to the point that they will self-study it if need be.
MSU has the alumni distinguished scholarship and is a strong school for atomic physics, physical chemistry, and physical chemistry