University Visits

[Groovee]

Dd is S4 but looking at courses at Uni's mainly for the entry requirements but also with a view to possibly visit and get a feel for them.

The dates for 2017 entry open days are up. She was looking for 2028/2019 entry (she needs some surgery so may defer for a year for recovery). Would it be too soon to visit with her to show her what to expect?

[NovaArt3mis]

Nah not too early. The campus/buildings/general feel won't change much in the space of two years. Course contebt, lecturers etc might though.

Might even act as a really good motivator if there's a particular one she takes a liking to.

[starving]

No, not too early unless they are the other end of the country. It helped us decide which uni suited best and which was to be the last resort! This did not change when we went back the following year so it wasn't a fluke.

[Groovee]

Thanks, will get her to decide on dates.

[tilliebob]

We went with DS1 to Stirling and Dundee open days last September...he won't be going until the end of S6 next year. I reckoned that since his school starts the UCCA process as soon as they are back in August, it was a bit late waiting until this September/October to visit. There were lots of other folks at both open days looking for entry in 2017 too. Is worked for just as DS1 didn't have a clue what he wanted to do really, but after the visits although he loved the Stirling campus, he really liked the Dundee course. He now knows that's where he wants to go and what he needs to get into the course. I'll do the same with DD when it's her turn not sure how I'll pay for two at uni but that's another story

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

Oh jeez, I hadn't even thought that far ahead yet. DS1 will go into S5 this year and doesn't know what he wants to do, whether he wants to live away or not, or even if he might want to live away during the week and home at weekends. There isn't a lot at our local uni that fits his interests though so not sure what to do with him :o

Sounds like we should be looking at some of the open says this year then? Tilliebob I have DS2 going into 4th year too so it's going to be a really expensive time all in one go! Depending on what they decide to do, I could have both of them in the same year at Uni at the same time.

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

Where do you find out info on Open days?

[tilliebob]

We applied online on each uni's website. We then had a barcode for each visit that they scanned when we arrived.

[tilliebob]

Onemagnum, my DD is going into S4 and DS1 into S6. Going to the open data was to see if the idea freaked DS out, or helped him see what his next step is. Initially he wasn't getting out the car "I don't want to be here" but I then asked him what he planned to do when he left school. I think he really thought a career would come knocking on the front door . If they both go to uni I'll have 2 years of them away at the same time. We only looked at two which give DS the option to travel home at night if he wants to. I'll be freaking if he stays at uni in digs but I feel that's all part of being at uni...however, let's wait for the higher results and see where we go from there!

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

ah right then Tillie - I guess we need to start narrowing things down - he likes computing, engineering, maths and physics and art/graph comm so it will be something down that route - he is overly compliant and I think he just wants us to decide where he is going and what he is doing and as long as that isn't Geography which he hates then he will be happy. I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up so I am not much help and DH has drastically changed careers on a few occasions so isn't any help either! :o

[Groovee]

Dd wants to do primary teaching. Her preference is Moray House with Scottish studies. Stirling is her dream but they don't do the same as Moray House.

I'm wanting her to visit and see what she feels.

The uni websites had the open days when we were looking at the entrance requirements.

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

DS could walk to stirling Uni :) - unfortunately they aren't big on the technology type of things he is interested in so it's probably a no goer. definitely worth a visit for your DD though.

[tilliebob]

As a primary school teacher, who went to Moray House, I am desperately trying to dissuade my DD from following my exhausted, disillusioned path

[morningtoncrescent62]

tilliebob, is that because of the course at MH, or primary teaching as a profession?

[tilliebob]

The profession! Although God knows we need teachers coming in so the rest of us can get out. In my day quarter of a century ago Moray House was independent...then it joined with Heriot Watt during my final year, so technically I graduated from there. Now I think it's part of Edinburgh Uni...no idea who good the course is these days. Most of my probationers have studied at Dundee in recent years.

[tilliebob]

Who = how

[Groovee]

She was at work experience at her old primary and her P1 teacher was chatting with her and said "so your mum hasn't talked you out of teaching?" She replied "just nursery, she's put me off nursery!"

She is a natural. At 15 she was happy to read at story to P2 and she is a peer educator for Girl Guiding. She's determined to do it.

[tilliebob]

My DD is 14 and loves helping out at youth club with me and dealing with her wee brother and his friends. However I'm steering her towards something in the medicine or science line. Ultimately the choice will be hers and she won't be able to say she hasn't seen how much teaching takes over your life as she's seen it all her life. Maybe that's the thing - she sees it as normal .

Anyway, got to get DS1 sorted out first. Eyes down for Highers. Including English, on the 5th May, which Fife Council has cleverly made an inset day

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

Good luck with the Highers Tillie we have Nat 5s this year and it will be Nat 5s for Ds2 next year and Highers for Ds1 - exams as far as the eye can see for the next few years.

[Groovee]

In service day too in Edinburgh. Will have Dd pacing the floors in the morning moaning at Ds! That will be fun.

[prettybird]

To be fair, it's an Inset Day across all? most of Scotland as it is also the day of the Scottish Parliament elections and they're trying to minimise disruption to schools which are often polling stations.

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

Not an inset day for us and we also don't use any schools as polling stations . Just a normal school day :)

[tilliebob]

They only changed it from June a few months ago here, now they're stuffed because of the away referendum in June. It's either another inset, keep schools open whilst polling happens, or close the school. My management are fed up asking what's happening.

[HazyMazy]

I would def take DCs to open days.
Usually they take the DCs away and leave the DPs for a talk about the uni or something.
But it gives the DCs a feel for the place - let's tehm see the clubs/sports facilities. And, importantly, let's them see it with other DCs as nervous or excited as they are.

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

Our schools are never closed for elections, inset day or otherwise. Never have been since I've lived here (about 13 years). I am sure there was a thread on it on here somewhere but i think councils really do need to be smarter about using other locations. They can't go on and on to parents about the need to maximise attendance at school and then give them random days off. I would imagine that there is a big security risk with having the public traipsing into schools whilst children are there. Using it as an inset day does make sense but then there are only so many of those.

[tilliebob]

Hazy, that's what was so valuable to DS1. I pointed out to him that there were a lot of kids walking about going and it wasn't just him. By the time he got to the lecture on his chosen subject he was pretty chilled. It helped that they had lovely female students giving their opinions/experiences too