Thread 30 Covid Cohort, Mad March Hareing Towards Exams

We're fairly near Guildford. It's a bit anyone's guess Cantonet depending on accidents etc but I don't think you should have too many problems on a Saturday morning. Keep a careful eye on a satnav app with traffic alerts if you can.

@wheresthebeach yes not muddying the waters is eminently sensible at this stage. I think I'm overthinking it all.
Looking at Surrey the course credit numbers are similar to Bangor, so I'm assuming it's a similar no. of hours.

Well done @Eventually & Ds for making a final decision.

Anyone Southern based know how much extra time I should leave for traversing the M25 between the M40 turn off & Surrey this Saturday?
Current timing is 3.5 hours to get there & the start is 12.20. Or am I best setting off at the crack of dawn?

Yay, ED!! What a relief, and fab that he came to the decision on his own in the end.

Contact hours is a real concern for DD’s course choice. Less than 12 hours for her unis, which isn’t great for someone who can’t structure their free time.

Happy Days ED - nice to be settled.

Hmmm Contact hours...hmmm...Not sure if I should wade in with that now, DD still quite ill, so def missing Swansea open day and she seems set to confirm Portsmouth. Its a very good question, but not sure I want to muddy the waters now.

DS will still only have about 12-15 hours at RAU (compared to 8-10 on the history degrees) but it's quite a difference and his best option for a variety of other reasons. I'm hoping that will be enough. Having looked at the first year modules he should be able to hit the ground running from doing a similar subject in BTEC now which most won't have done.

Yey to @EventuallyDelighted that must be a relief.

Will definitely ask about contact hours at offer days. Engineering tends to have high contact hours but the more f2f study rather than self-study the better for DS I think.

Well done @EventuallyDelighted, it's a relief when a decision is finally made!

Hope you can get the necessary information @cantonet, because there's a big difference between a 12 hour a week course and a 25 hour one in terms of student experience.

I think dd will have 12 hours or less but that will suit her. She likes to be in charge of her own learning and do things her way.

@22Newnames sorry to hear re Durham - Fingers and toes crossed for Bath.

Totally agree re contact hours - Nottingham have stated on their website DDs course will be 18 hrs contact time + 18 hrs self study expected.

Well done to your DS @EventuallyDelighted .

Cantonet - totally with you on the contact hours, it was one of the important questions for us too, the more the better for DS who needs a lot of structure. It it one reason why I was concerned about the prospect of him taking a History degree.

So this morning DS has pressed the button and firmed RAU (with Winchester as insurance but higher offer so unlikely).

After letting off steam here last week I decided to talk through the pros and cons with him one more time, let him go to the Chichester offer holder day and come to his own conclusion, which he has done.

@Cantonet We ask about contact time plus if in person or online at all the unis for all 3 kids- structure is great for all mine so they chose courses that weren’t the 8hrs of contact time that some are.

I love the sound of that Cantonet. At least they are getting a reasonable amount of teaching for their £9k. I had loads of language lessons, then economics, literature, history etc. Now all the courses seem to be 12 hours, with extended reading. Pfffttt. These part time peasants.

Sports & exercise science @Fruitygal.
I think that's including practicals & tutorials as well as lectures. Aberystwyth was 12 we were told on open day. Plus they're expected to do twice that amount of work themselves. DS has ADHD & dyslexia and hence a more structured course will be much better for him. Surely I'm not the only one asking these sorts of questions ?

@Cantonet what’s the course? The 25 hrs sounds like a great amount

@fruitygal that's really kind of you. Actually Surrey is the only one that upfront has stated it's 25 hours a week.
I've requested this info. from Oxford Brooks. Plus I've received an answer to my query from Bangor telling me the annual credits and it's 2 or more hours for each credit. Then telling me essentially to work it out as the lecturers dont know ?! Surely that's basic info.we should know bearing in mind we will be spending vast sums of Money on these courses 🙋

Sorry to hear about Durham @22Newnames. Fingers crossed for Bath!

@22Newnames fingers crossed for Bath!

@Cantonet what’s the course at Surrey we have a few friends with kids there plus I speak to one academic department there in one of my jobs do maybe able to help.

Thanks all. It’s really nice to see how many of you care 😊 and that the mumsnet power is in play for Bath!

@22Newnames sorry to hear that, channelling the Mumsnet power for Bath! You are, of course, right that for all things STEM Warwick is academically fantastic.

Really sorry to hear about Durham @22Newnames It has been brutal this year. I’m certain once he’s been to his offer holder days he’ll feel much more positive about it. Just rubbish right now. 😢

Sorry to hear that 22 . Think I'll get dd to check on ucas track in case hers has been updated that way.

@22Newnames Sorry to hear about the rejection. When DS was rejected by StA it was similarly just UCAS track. Here's hoping he's Bath's gain.

@Cantonet We never found anything about contact hours online but at the open days they have been quite forthcoming, putting up slides of a typical week.

The best of luck for Bath @22newnames & @Isthisjust. I'm sorry about Durham. It's so hard when you've set your heart on a specific place, but Warwick & Nottingham have a stellar reputation surely.

Anyone doing the Surrey applicant day this Saturday? I'm still trying to find info. about Ds's courses. It should be simple to find out uni.contact hours surely? But it's not apparently. Still waiting to hear from Bangor & I've messaged Oxford Brooks. The only one that's straight forward is Surrey. It's almost like unis are hedging their bets when it comes to the content & way the course is delivered. Which just isn't good enough. Especially for the £9000 + fee.

Ds2 is in the middle of his mock Gcse's. He didn't tell me he got a 9 in his English earlier, until I saw it on his desk today.
Given that he's been so ill this year & has missed a whole term of school I was thrilled. He honestly wasn't bothered 🤦🏼‍♀️

Thanks all.

He’s seen Warwick and Nottingham before on open days (although not inside at Nottingham). Warwick is impressive but he just doesn’t love it in the same way he does Bath and Durham.

I haven’t heard of Bath offering yet for his course whereas I knew Durham had started offering a while back. So am still a bit hopeful for him 🤞

Sorry to read your update 22. It’s so hard this year. Hope Nottingham or Warwick really click and that a Bath offer comes through too.