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

Thankfully we had a very useful (and interminable) presentation about UCAS at school.

We managed to whittle down the unis. DS doesn't want to spend his life in bigger debt than absolutely necessary, so that is London and Edinburgh out.
DH is very good at recommending courses and unis for the top best value for money choices. I am trying to convince DS to choose a more applied course (like accounting) for his fifth choice at an old poly near to us as a backup. I am totally failing so far.

I hope everyone's predicted grades will meet their expectations. 🤞

Congratulations on all the driving licences. (We have stalled on this due to lack of time.)

See you all on the train and at open days 😀

Hi all, just checking in now we are on half term break.

@ellieinfrance your post made me smile because EPQ is causing DD stress here too and goodness don't I know it! My standard response is 'well there's nothing you can do about it now, just get your head down and get it over and done with' not helpful but I'm fed up hearing her moan 😂.

DD I feel has not been as full on as I expected with revision recently (teen relationship dramas) and I have bitten my tongue as she is usually so motivated. She spent yesterday getting back in to it which resulted in me being told last night how much biology she needs to do and how she won't get it all covered now 🙄. I am not reacting because I got this kind of comment when she did GCSEs and they turned out well.

DD never went on her Oxford visit due to illness but has since changed her plans so wouldn't be applying anyway. One less stress to accommodate!

I am looking forward to getting DD to the open days to bring it to reality, rather than all this talk about going to 'uni' but maybe not really thinking about what it all involves (not just academically, but moving away etc).

DD has been to 3! Very relaxed .

@Waspie thankfully she’s very clear on the course she wants and doesn’t want to be too far from home. We’re in the West Country so have some great options. The furthest we’re travelling is royal Holloway.

Yay, have found the new thread! 🙂 Lovely to catch up with how everyone is doing. So relieved the half term is here, it’s been a hard slog with stress at work, house move and DS mocks. He’s given up his fourth A-level (maths) as it was taking more time and effort than all his other subjects combined and dragging down his grades. He’s so much happier for it, has done really well in mocks and can count on excellent predicted grades.
This has ruled out an economics degree though, and he’s no longer that keen on doing pure law either. So he’s another one whose degree choices are completely up in the air and he’s been bluntly told by the school that he needs to start making up his mind. Weirdly he has a better idea about the selection of unis, so like many others on this thread we are starting the open day circuit with Exeter this week. He’s signed up to half a dozen different subject talks so it’s going to be painful!

Jumping in to say hello and join you! Daughter in year 12, driving test out of the way and just going in to open days. We're also going to Exeter on Friday, then Edinburgh and Southampton next month. Daughter is currently in total denial that mocks are coming up. We've had an enormous row about the EPQ - which I swear only exists to totally blight my life! So relieved currently for half term!

My son did a day at Cambridge a few months ago @Babbits and went in decent jeans and a polo shirt. He said there were people there in everything from joggers to suits and ties. I'm sure whatever your son wears he won't stick out. I hope he enjoys the day
Welcome @TeenLifeMum . My son is the same. Targeting RG+ and not really thinking about alternatives. He isn't sure what course he wants to do so we are booked up for lots of open days. Hopefully this will help him decide which course, and also which universities, to apply for.

@JessyCarr your daughter is amazingly organised. DS hasn't even narrowed down nine universities let alone nine courses! I hope her next steps meeting goes well.

Same as DS's day, everyone was casual. You could go for middle ground if you're not sure.

Thanks. It's not a school trip, but his teacher did nominate him. He doesn't know anyone else going.

Apparently there are some lectures and lunch.

@Babbits the email they sent said to wear what you are comfortable in. If yours is part of a school trip the school may want him to wear whatever the sixth form norm is (our sixth form is formal suits and they had to attend the UCAS day in those).

@TeenLifeMum DS's school friends are all A* students which puts added pressure on for sure.

@Babbits DS did an Oxford one in Feb half term, it is very relaxed, no one was dressed up at all, DS was in tracksuit bottoms, sweatshirt, trainers and a jacket.

@Babbits my son went to a Cambridge taster day but it was in term time with a few people from school so he went in just what he normally wears to school.

Not sure he found it that helpful. He certainly wasn't fired up and motivated after it. Lots of other young people there and in fact I think it put him off! Which is good to know I suppose. I think he was just pleased to have been selected.

DD has her individual “next steps” meeting at school after half-term, so we have spent a useful morning checking and refining her UCAS spreadsheet. Now focusing on 9 courses which need to be whittled down to 5! But still plenty of time to think.

Hope half-term is bringing a well-earned break to you all.

@MiniMidiMaxi DS is taking a similar approach using AS papers. Sixth form seem to be covering that content although they don’t do the AS exams. He said quite a few of his friends have dropped to 3 A Levels from starting with 4.

Mocks start week after next and then we start open days not long after - it’s going to be a busy month.

My DS has been invited to a taster day at a University of Oxford college, next week.

Does anyone know anything about these? His teacher nominated him for it.

I wonder whether he should wear something smart (he's a grey tracksuit bottoms kind of lad!).

Thank you

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn exactly this! I’m far more stressed than she is. Not because I’m pushing for Russell group but because I want her to be able to do what she wants to do. She doesn’t really have a plan b. Closest friends have A* students without any concerns so I have to keep it all to myself.

@MiniMidiMaxi I wish DS would be keeping track of everything, I think his head is in the sand a bit about how close all of this decision making is.

Welcome @TeenLifeMum I'm worrying about grades here too. DS seems to be exclusively looking at RG but the grade requirements (for all the subjects he is currently mulling over!) are all in the A - A* bands. If he doesn't hit those grades in his exams next week the school won't predict them (our school won't increase grades from what they achieve this year without good cause).

@MiniMidiMaxi we don’t really do as levels except a few dc who started with 4 a levels and now want to move to 3 so they do an AS. Seems sensible but not the general norm.

Welcome @TeenLifeMum! I’ve just had a conversation with DS about how he might be able to assess his current performance compared to his hopeful expectations. He’s mostly been covering the content for the AS level syllabuses during y12 even though they don’t do AS levels here - so there should be a strong overlap between his y12 mock papers and AS past papers. He’s starting to work through those, mark them and then see where his scores are against the grade boundaries. Although they don’t have an A star classification, he should get a much better idea of whether he’s working at the right standard from this, and the gaps, as opposed to any wishful thinking!

I’d sort of forgotten about AS levels and the potential of the past papers, seems obvious now!

Hi all, please can I join you?

university visits are about to start and seem to take up every weekend in June. We’re starting with Exeter on Friday (dh and I are sharing them as we have 2 younger dc). Exeter is about an hour from us.

My worry is her grades - all over the place in assessments. She seems confident she can get the grades needed but we’ve had little consistency. Mocks are in July so I worry our uni visits are not right for her predicted grades. She’s wanting to do biological sciences and her teacher says look at Russell group.

I have to say, this feels like the hardest part of parenting so far. Dd is out a lot with friends, sometimes revising - she works hard. I miss her being around, but also know that’s normal for 17.

Hope everyone's mocks go ok - mine had his straight after Easter break, so this is the first time since Christmas that he's got a few days in a row where he really doesn't have to do any work!

He’s taken himself off to the local library this morning to revise there - he’s signed up to get access out of hours, which I didn’t even know was a thing!

DS is looking at sitting either the ESAT or TMUA depending on which subject option he narrows things down to. He’s put the registration date in his calendar, it was good to see him keeping track of that kind of thing himself! He’s not done any practise yet, I assume he’ll start that in July once his exams and open days are done with.

@JessyCarr oh that's interesting about the exams, I'd better check if DS's have changed.

Are any DCs doing the PAT test?

@BlackBean2023 Another idea to aid the four-versus-three subjects decision might be to map out the exams schedule for next summer and see how it looks. The summer 2026 timetables are now in final form on the exam boards’ websites (and in my DD’s case significantly different from the provisional versions they put up a couple of months ago). It might help to see what the practical difference would be, in terms of exam burden, between taking all four and not.