Year 12 - 2024/25 - Support, Discussion and Looking After Each Other (Thread 2)

@Wehaditsogood interesting insight into PPE, thanks.

Well done to your DD @bluefineliner!

@waspiesounds like a successful visit to UCL. Do you mind me asking what you were particularly impressed by? We might not get to UCL tomorrow after all as the talk timings don’t work well with the sessions we are booked into at KCL, but DS is interested in HPE.

Well done to your DD@bluefinelineron her predicted grades!

DS and I have been to UCL today and, despite the utter farce that was queuing to collect wrist bands at check in points, it was a great day. UCL is now top of DS’ list.

As @JustHereWithMyPopcornsays, the accommodation costs in London are eye watering. I have told DS that rental costs must factor into his choices and he would be expected to contribute.

He’s sacking off Birmingham’s open day tomorrow as he’s got a lot of homework and has also pretty much decided his five UCAS choices.

Hope everyone enjoys their weekends whether you are at open days or not 😊

great news @bluefineliner well done we still have a long wait, and was told to keep hold on to any discussions until it’s out, DD is just marks below expected grade. On another note ICL visit yesterday now derailed the course again, I am wondering if there is anyway we could make the PS work for few different courses. diff streams of Engg/Phy for example. The more I read I see that everyone’s focus is on one particular course, what would be our options, you think? Bringing Cam Nat sc into the picture then ads another layer of complexity, only good thing is the exam then is the same as ICL need

Fabulous news @bluefineliner !

Very frustrating for your DD @GreatGranPam especially if the school are expecting them to be making decisions on their UCAS info.

Looks like it’s going to be a scorcher tomorrow, not looking forward to traipsing around campus in the heat. 😫

DD has just said that she won’t be getting her predicted grades until September! Bit annoying. We are off to Notts today - first proper open day and I’m looking forward to it.

Wow @bluefineliner what brilliant news! Great to hear.

DD just called as she got her PG early, bio, chem, psych all A star! She is v happy and hopefully can move her focus to UCAT now, 2 months to go.

I do wonder where she gets her love of science from as her dad and I were useless at it at school 😂.

I have never been to Heworth TBH, but where I live park and ride is not too busy at weekends. Very sorry. It is helpful.

@Wehaditsogood thanks, we are coming from Yorkshire so looks like Heworth might be the one we need? Do you think it will be too busy on open day due to everyone thinking like me coming from the South?

Yes. I am familiar with the metro in Newcastle. Which park and ride? How can I help?

@JessyCarr thanks for the advice, really useful. DD spent the day on her own yesterday starting her draft and has made some good progress on ideas. I am trying not to do anything other than offer advice on making things more concise because she has her own ideas based on the next steps week she has just taken part in. They were given a lot of detailed info about what to put in which part so I am letting her do what she thinks for now. Once handed in on Monday she can get some feedback, I did warn her she'll probably rewrite it 50 times before submitting though 😂.

@GirlsInGreen I think the 3 parts make it a bit easier to decide what should go where. I think DD is struggling not to overlap between section but seems to have a good idea of what should go where. I think the starting part one was tough just to find the words to convey what she wants. Just getting something down yesterday has made her feel better, still a lot to do though.

Anyone familiar with the Metro in Newcastle? We are planning on doing a park and ride to the open day tomorrow and get the Metro in, any advice welcome. Bit concerned how busy it will be though if everyone else has the same idea!

DS has come back from Imperial more confused than before - he loved the sound of the Economics, Finance and Data Science course and was positive about the Mech Engineering course (and still hasn’t decided between these two types of courses). But a bit freaked by the idea of uni in London (from an experience rather than money perspective, though I’m certainly thinking about the cost!). I did say that if he does an Economics/Finance type degree, chances are the jobs will be much more London based. So more reflection still to come.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn Thank you for the comparison.

@JessyCarr I much agree - I know which of the two I'd find less daunting.

@GirlsInGreen I think the new format is good - just 3 questions, so it provides a bit of structure without turning it into a questionnaire. The key thing is that it has been developed in consultation with the universities so as to provide the information they are looking for (broadly: are you right for the course, and is the course right for you?).

All sorts of really unhelpful myths had developed around the freeform PS, like “start with an inspiring quote to create impact for the reader” - but admissions tutors don’t want to read quotations from the great thinkers of our time, they want to get genuine insight into the applicant. In their own words, prosaic though they might be!

Imperial went well today, DS really liked it, lots of friendly staff and students very happy to answer questions. Accommodation costs are slightly terrifying though. Single ensuite room with no view (i.e. literally facing a concrete wall 1m away from the window) £325/week for 39 weeks so £12,675 for the academic year! this self catering!

Compared to the equivalent accommodation at Uni of Notts (probably with a view) it's £136.90/week = £5,339.10 for the academic year, or 232.89/week = £9,082.71 for the academic year catered. Unfortunately, this is a big hurdle.

How are your DC finding the new PS format? My ones kvetching non-stop, but I think its another way to procrastinate!
Will be visting Manchester & UCL later on in the summer - Warwick is close by & she's familiar with the campus, Birmingham is a no as its our home Uni, Scottish Uni's ruled out as "too far" which I think is a shame - however she changed order & uni's at least 3 times...🙄 so who knows.

@bluefineliner Re the PS - I know you didn’t ask for advice, but can I suggest a couple of thoughts from having so recently supported DD in doing hers:

Do the first draft in a Google doc - the “Word Count” feature includes a character counter so that you can see how you are progressing. I do think the new structured format is much better than the previous freeform PS. Just writing something - one paragraph - under each of the three headings, taking you up to the 350 character minimum, stops it looking like a blank page and it’s easier to progress from there.

Put in a placeholder sentence re the work experience for now (presumably under Q3?). “I have arranged three days’ work experience at NASA in July 2025, to get an insight into space exploration. I expect that this will provide an opportunity to develop skills A, B and C, which will be relevant to the XYZ aspects of my course.” (NB that’s already 240 characters including spaces). Then it’s not a distraction, and can be fleshed out when the work experience has happened

A draft PS by Monday @bluefineliner - that is demanding. Perhaps a very rough draft for them to offer a few words would be enough?

Fingers crossed for good PG's - I'm sure they will be!

Year 12 has certainly not been a quiet, calm year. I'm sure all of our DC will be pleased when the term ends and they can relax a little.

Well done to your daughter @Countrylife2002 - excellent PGs!

Very pleased to hear that the Reading open day was so positive @TeenLifeMum - it's such a lovely campus.

I hope the day at Imperial goes well @JustHereWithMyPopcorn we are following you into London tomorrow to go to UCL. which, on paper is DS' first choice.

Regarding admissions test; DS is quite upset there is no HAT test this year. He wanted to get an idea of where he stood. He was planning to do LNAT when he was considering a Law degree but now that he's come back to "firming" History he probably will not bother. He has plenty to keep him busy this summer with his LTA Level 2 coaching and work for NEA's in both History and English Lit. Plus, of course, his UCAS application.

@PinkChaires is your DD doing doing past paper questions, or indicative ones? If they are past paper questions her school should be able to give her exemplars for the different grades from past student work. DS also creates detailed essay plans rather than full essays for his revision. Will your daughter's teachers be happy to mark essays for her over the summer? It's very difficult to predict an actual score from a mark scheme in History isn't it? DS finds it frustrating too.

Well done @JessyCarr DD on the award, excellent for UCAS!

And well done for the other mock results so far. DD hasn't had predicted but is getting her results drip fed by the day so knows she has got 3 As for her results (couldn't get higher than an A in these) so is waiting to see her predicted now, but that is next week. She needs 3 As for her course but an odd A star would help too, which I think is a possibility.

DD now more relaxed about grades but its focusing (and stressing) about writing her first draft PS which school are insisting is done by Monday. She still has WEx to do which would form part of it so is struggling to start it. I don't think it is necessary to do it now but school want to offer feedback before end of term so I understand why, just not helping DD as she has lots of things to concentrate on atm (UCAT, WEx and a trip to Paris with school) as well as open days taking up our weekends.

I don't feel Y12 has been a breather either and obviously Y13 is going to be worse 😂. Good job we have MN as an outlet!

@JessyCarr DH loved his PPE course. We just do not think DS is interested in politics or philosophy. He wants to work in business. DS started a philosophy and a politics book and I am proven totally right so far.

DH thinks that politics and economics are such disparate subjects now that they do not build on each other. And you have to compete against people who did single honours economics or politics and have way deeper knowledge.
I just think DS needs to earn his own money, because the only thing he will inherit from us is his education.

@Countrylife2002 fabulous predictions, well done to your DD!

Thank you @JessyCarr , he’s not going for Cambridge but we’re looking at Imperial today so I’ll check if they need anything. Anyone else at Imperial today?

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn Regarding Chemistry (at Oxford) you are right that there is no admissions test - I have attached the full list of Oxford tests.

At Cambridge, Chemistry is part of NatSci, so they have to take ESAT.