New Batch of Year 13 parents this way!

May I join in? Just left DD1 at uni for the 1st time & DD2 has just started year 13. Not applying to uni this year as she wouldn't make a successful application, & couldn't bear the stress of holding a conditional offer. Had weeks off sick in year 12 & is struggling. I have no idea how this year is going to go...

DD may not go to university next year either. She is adamant that she wants to do medicine. If she gets the grades, but doesn't get to the interview stage she will redo the UKCAT and apply again next year.

She will then try and get some work experience in the meantime.

Hi there cats
Life would be very dull if everyone wanted the same thing!

I don't think DD could handle the stress of needing to get certain grades in order to proceed with the next step. If I was to bet money, I'd bet that she won't go at all, but I will be over the moon if she gets her predicted grades that would keep her options open for the future.

For double this may be helpful university.which.co.uk/search/course?utf8=✓&c%5Bq%5D=Law&button=&c%5Bgrade_ALEVEL_0%5D=3&c%5Bgrade_ALEVEL_1%5D=2&c%5Bgrade_ALEVEL_2%5D=2&c%5Blower_points_bound%5D=120&c%5Bupper_points_bound%5D=144&c%5Bacademic_years__and__some%5D=2018&c%5Bsort_fact%5D=relevance
Also still apply to favourite as an aspirational

Am really relieved to hear that dd isn't the only one who isn't applying to university at the moment - thanks chocolate and Boys3.

knitting the bathroom cleaning suggestion just made me LOL. DD is similarly afflicted. No surprise she's happy to share a bathroom if someone else will take care of cleaning it.

I quite liked the statement of the obvious at one uni accommodation talk. It's more expensive the closer it is to the uni and more expensive the better facilities it has. I suppose it needed to be said. They were the only place that gave the annual cost rather than per week, leaving you to then hunt for how many weeks the contract was for. DS worked out early on that when you've been on two accommodation tours you've a fair understanding of the set up so I was spared any more tours. Course first (tick), location second (working on that), accommodation last.

I pointed out to DS that the bathroom fairy would not be going with him and if he had his own bathroom he would be responsible for cleaning it. I suggested that he get some idea of what this involves by starting now and you can guess how that went.

We aren't even looking at accommodation yet. As DD is applying for medicine she will just be pleased to get a place at anywhere that will have her.

I think getting the application in is one thing, but then there is the wait afterwards. Clearly course and uni dependent. Some are going to get quick response, hopefully positive ones, which do give a sense of confidence going forward. I think this does need to be balanced by a bit of emotional intelligence as every DC is going to be a bit different - and clearly many do not go / apply to uni in the first place.

For some, I'm thinking med and vet med applicants, their is an early deadline and it is then a long drawn out wait with, presumably, an interview process thrown in for good measure. For most uncertainty will be hanging over them until well into the New Year, and then not necessarily good news.

Oxbridge - they'll get to hear a bit quicker, and if they get to interview by early Jan at the latest, and if not well before Xmas. 75%+ are not going to be successful, and it is how they react to - given the undoubtedly fine margins "rejection^ does not really seem the right world - this. For the majority it will be taken pragmatically and with the likely recognition they have / will in all probability be getting offers from the other excellent unis they will have put on their form. For some despite the latter it will be a crushing blow which they may well struggle with and will need the support from school friends, teachers, family, to help them recognise that it is really not the end of the world.

I think all that threads like this can (and have, and do) do is be supportive to all the DCs whatever path they go down and however smooth or bumpy it may be, or indeed how often it may get changed.

Here endeth the sermon :)

Hope all those at Leicester, Newcastle, Huddersfield and indeed an any other open day today find it enjoyable and informative. I have to admit on the very few I have been to I've had more of an interest in the accommodation, and taken great pleasure in tutting "how much extra for an ensuite which seems designed for no one bigger that a toddler", or being aghast at the lack of communal space in a few of the halls, and other such middle-aged mutterings.

DD's school won't give out predicted grades yet. DD has had to strong arm them out of her teachers. Like Double she has had a disappointing response on one of her subjects.

Ursula can you sit and inspect the facilities of the library/coffee shop whilst DD goes off and explores?

Newcastle have done a lot of outreach work in college although they are not what you'd call local. They were here the other week looking at managing the student budget and did a presentation to parents last year on UCAS and their contextual offer.

Double I'm so sorry to hear about your DD's predicted grade change shock - this is exactly why my DD needs to know hers now - it could have a real impact to her top choice Uni/whether she even puts it on her UCAS form & whether we should be looking at other options. Would be interested to hear what advice you get & wish you luck

I dom"t think Newcastle is that difficult to get round. It is quite compact.

We stayed at the Premier Inn as well. It is a bit shabby and run down, but very convenient.

TheSecond we are in Leicester today.

Huddersfield for us today. I get to sit this one out as DH hasn't had a share of the open day experience and this is his last chance to do so. It's been a venue for an audition in the distant past (as was one of the other unis he's looked at) so DS should recognise it when he sees it.

I have not reminded either of them that the last time I let DS make all the arrangements for the day he navigated us (on time) to a different HE establishment in the same city. Pro tip 1 - make sure you know where you're going before looking up the postcode.

We (well D's and DH) are at Newcastle today too, apparently the Premier inn last night was just full of open day attendees!

Very sorry to hear that double I do hope you find a solution

Sunny and cold here in Newcastle. Not looking forward to this one as not campus based so I will struggle to get round.

boys He's looking at Leicester today.

Predicted grades arrived by email last night. One subject grade was lower than what our DD needs to apply to uni. She is devasted. She has straight A* at GCSE and all predictions were A except one which was a B and she needed all A for Law. I might post on one of the other boards for advice.

Agree with earlier poster that focus of thread will change as each Yr 13 stage passes.

Thesecond
Apprenticeships are becoming quite common at dds school rather then uni

Dd is off to Essex! Took her to the station there was football hooligans drinking at 6:30 swearing and making racist slurs I reported to staff and told dd to keep quiet and do her essays
She's excited and has just decided she might want to study Philosophy at university

I think the difficulties in making decisions come from which subjects they are interested in too. Ds was clear that he wanted to study computer science but he could do that at almost any university in the country so making choices was much trickier. We also had the complication of inconsistent exam results due to anxiety.
Dd on the other hand is equally sure what she wants to study but only has a choice of three with virtually identical offers.

On the subject of knowing what they want to do, I have a 15 year old who knows what subject he wants to do at undergraduate level (and some ideas about his postgraduate studies) and a short list of universities. And a 17 year old who doesn't.