Parents of non high fliers

[DuramDuram]

Are any of your DC still waiting to hear from Universities?

My DD is yet to hear from Winchester and Coventry. Anyone else?

Her other offers came in within two weeks of the UCAS form going in, which was months ago now.

I know (from here!) that places like Imperial and Durham drag their heels, but Winchester and Coventry?? C'mon.

I know MN is full of smart DC, but anyone else have DC aiming for the ex-polys?

Saw the title, but your DC is too high flying for me
Hope you hear from them soon.

What course is it OP?

Ha! I take your point!
I did post in Higher Ed rather than AIBU though 😀

She's applied for a specific kind of psychology course @Piggywaspushed
Do you have insider info?? 😀

No, fraid not. I teach a few who have applied for Winchester and they all heard ages ago - but a very different set of courses. How frustrating.

Thanks for replying. I kind of assumed DD would have heard by now. I might nudge her to try to make contact. Do you know how best to do that - is there a centralised admissions team or will she need to go to the individual psychology dept do you think?

I think it'd be best to see if there is an admissions person in the department she could speak to. It's a bit variable but they can be very helpful.

Thank you.

I had assumed it would all be sorted by now, sigh.

Loads are still waiting for Winchester, not heard of any waiting for Coventry, but there are still just over 5 weeks left to wait now so not much longer.

I’m really just here as DS is not going to Durham/ Exeter/ Imperial….

We gave up waiting for Oxford Brookes in order to firm his first choice ahead of the accommodation release. OB would have been a totally different course and possibly interesting but not his favourite.

Just came on to say thank you for starting this thread! My children are a bit older but I was never able to find any support here for the universities they go to. I'm thrilled I'm not alone!

Best of luck to you 😊

In case anyone who sees the thread title needs to know this, there's a support/info thread for Art & Design which is very helpful, includes people still waiting for offers, and exists almost entirely outside of the Oxbridge/RG+ MN usual suspects.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/4626697-2023-uni-applications-for-those-pursuing-art-and-creative-routes

Love this thread. My DD hasn’t even applied for Uni this year because her predicted grades are so bad. Hoping she pulls something out of the bag and apples for next year but not holding my breath by the amount of work she’s doing over the Easter holidays!

Hope your DD hears back from her choices soon OP.

Definately call admissions op. I dont have experience of these uni's specifically, but I attended an ex poly and it was very last minute.

Just here to offer moral support, OP. I like this thread. Your concerns are as valid as anyone’s, and no one should forget this. Fingers crossed for your DD.

Yes definitely call admissions. They will check where the application is up to.

She could always see what’s available in clearing. See if anything of interest matches her grades achieved. Or put in a late application if she feels that’s what she wants to do. Lots of unis will consider late application all the way till June 30th. But call them first.

Yes, we are still waiting for Glasgow Caledonian. Ex polys all the way here, but she’s doing nursing and chose based on the facilities she liked.

All the others were back really quickly. She’s going to confirm a different one anyway as her preferred choice.

Has she considered college? They offer alternative routes into university and also alternative non-degree qualifications.

DS is glad he decided to withdraw from OB, he’s booked his accommodation today and is feeling good about his choice.

I bought him a packet of microfibre clothes today- for cleaning his en-suite 😁I’m sure he’ll be thrilled by my thoughtful gift.

How are your DC doing?

If you are on Facebook there is a group called What I Wish I Knew About University.

It is very supportive and has parents (and some students) that are more representative of the general population, so not everyone on there is the parent of a high flyer.

Thank you for the supportive and helpful messages.
It is lovely to know we are not alone in a applying to non-stellar universities.

DD has done really well to be in a position to apply for university and I am very proud of her.

Sorry to be pedantic but Winchester never was a polytechnic. It’s also somewhat inaccurate to think ex polytechnics are low level universities. A glance at any league tables would show that they are not. However it’s great to support students heading in another direction from the usual elite route.

Thanks @Shelefttheweb DD isn't open to discussing any alternatives because she says there's no point until she knows her grades! I understand that she doesn't want to do too much research, get invested in something and then not achieve the required grades but the ostrich approach would not be my first choice.

Hey ho, I'm trying to be supportive and encouraging in the hope she can salvage something from her A-levels. I don't mind if she doesn't go to Uni and certainly don't want her to go unless she knows what she wants to study - it's too expensive a mistake to get wrong.