Year 13 -2025/26 - Support, discussion and looking after each other (new thread from y12)

DS had a Warwick offer within a week back in October but that was for History Politics rather the PPE. I think the faculties decide at different times. DS was thinking PPE or PPL but really wanted History so changed his mind. It also made writing the Oxford PS easier.

I hope your son gets that Warwick offer soon @ComingInByAnsible. and enjoys his OHDs.

DS really liked Exeter as a campus and uni. Again he got a really quick offer and a grade reduction if firmed. However, as @JustHereWithMyPopcorn says I think he thought it was just too easy. They don't care what they do to us do they? 😂 Both Warwick and Exeter were in clearing for history last year too.

DS is a pain as he didn't like Bristol or Warwick. I would like him to go to the OHD at Warwick but he refuses. Bristol is out - he didn't apply. He didn't like the city, the accommodation or the course. Basically he disliked everything about Bristol.

I hope your DS gets that Imperial interview @JustHereWithMyPopcorn with those mock results he certainly deserves it! I realise the accommodation cost would be prohibitive but he might still choose Bath anyway

Yes, I am not repeating that exercise @Fabfabfab !

@ComingInByAnsible That's good to hear. The offer at Bath sounds great!

We have OHDs booked at Warwick, Bristol and Durham although Bristol and Durham are on the same day and we went to the open day at Bristol so will cancel it as we haven't been to Durham yet. DC was delighted to get a Durham offer although I do worry what would happen if he doesn't meet the grades (like 80% of people apparently). Exeter is a much lower offer (and one lower still as DC has an EPQ) so will probably need to be insurance. And could then consider Warwick in clearing if DC prefers it over Exeter after the OHD (although just because it was in clearing last year doesn't mean it will be the same this year of course).

@Ventress - I noticed you said somewhere you had spent ages looking at accommodation for a different University. I feel the same (spent ages looking at Bristol) and it may now not be the firm given the Durham offer! I then had to look at Durham colleges with DC as you have to put your preferences down on the OHD form before booking it! I have to say that Durham accommodation looks so much better than Bristol.

Of course, they love to make our anxiety rise with picking the most difficult places to get! 😂. I’m sure he will be good though, it might make him work a little harder to make sure he gets his place.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn to be honest I don't think there is any rhyme or reason to the timing of these offers!

Yes Warwick is a favourite - but some eye wateringly high grades required!

I stand corrected @AuntyBulgaria I was just going from my own experience and also general comments I have seen online. Congrats on you DS's offer, is that his preferred uni?

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn I think offers are course dependent even within the same Uni - as I think they all work in different ways. My son's Warwick offer was really quick. 10-15 days tops.

@ComingInByAnsible I think Warwick is another of those unis that take their time with their offers, I remember DS1 applying and that was the last one he heard from too. Does your DS have a 5th choice?

Thanks @Ventress! Fingers crossed he gets the luxury of the decision on Warwick (I think last year it was about 6 applicants per offer given for PPE so by no means assured). He would really like to visit Exeter, Bath and Warwick OHDs to help him make his mind. He is booked for the first two for the moment, but obviously can’t sign up for Warwick at the moment. None of his choices were in clearing last year.

@ComingInByAnsible 😯 clearly they need more practice! 😂

Looking on line today, Imperial interviews cycle seem to only run to mid Feb so if he hasn't had an invitation for interview by now I think its not looking likely. But in good news DS got his maths back and got a high A so he's delighted.

@Fabfabfab law conversion is also one of the options my DS is considering and Warwick is also apparently a target for that (but then Bristol is brilliant too!). I don’t know for sure but I think Warwick history graduates are also highly sought for consultancy and finance, but probably less quants roles?

Unless those who cheat in mocks are testing their cheating methods for the real thing 😁

@Ventressfingers crossed UCL will come through soon. They do definitely seem to specialise in CEE which seems like a great fit for your DS’ interests from what you were saying. I am sure they’ll see that. Well done to him on his mock results!

@JustHereWithMyPopcornhope Imperial pleasantly surprises you with an offer.

@bluefinelinergood luck! Hope the interviews become offers soon.

@JessyCarr fingers crossed for the French interview outcome!

@SilverBlue56 agree, why cheat in spring mocks, all it does is skew results for the cohort as it seems to have done for Ventress's DS. I can only think they have parents who are strict and might get into trouble with bad grades?

We're still waiting for Imperial here but I'm pretty certain it will be a rejection. I hope everyone's final offers come in soon.

I agree @SilverBlue56! It’s mad. For DS it just means that he’s likely to be an A rather than a high B, so he will be happy. I don’t see the point in cheating in the yr 13 mock either, totally pointless.

Fingers crossed for Liverpool @bluefineliner(and the others) I am certain your daughter will get at least 4 out of 5 offers 😊

Is anyone else going to offer holder days where they didn’t go to open days?

Still nothing from UCL for DS. It’s the only one he hasn’t heard from now. I’m not sure if it is his favourite just because he is contrary and they haven’t offered yet or if he genuinely wants UCL. I can see why he’d want it, it’s a great looking course and in a fab location.

I can kind of see the point (!) of cheating in a Y12 exam where they will use it to predict your UCAS grades but what's the point in cheating now in Y13? They literally mean nothing apart from the work you do to get ready helps you be more ready for the real thing! And identifying what you need to work on.

@Ventress yes Durham is further for you, DD has kept within 2 hrs for al her choices so I hear you on the distance question.

DD won't hear from Newcastle until the end of March most likely so a long wait still. She did really like Liverpool but their interview to offer rate is quite low so who knows!

That’s really helpful to know @bluefineliner, thanks. Has your daughter heard from Newcastle yet? I’m glad your niece loved Durham. It just seems so very far away when DS had his 2.5hour travel limit previously. DS loves the look of the course though, which is the important part.

I hope your daughter’s Liverpool interview goes well! I think your daughter (and the others on this thread) sound amazing 🤩

There is some news about the economics mock - apparently some boys are suspected of cheating. They are all in the other economics group (not DS’s) and have been given warnings. They are not going to re-run the mock.

Hi all,

Great to see everything moving for everyone, offer holder days coming round so soon!

@Ventress great mock results for your DS, sounds like he has it all in hand! We looked at Durham in summer last year but only because we stopped there on a journey and had a nosey (they don't do med). My niece went and loved it.

@wonderstuff I'd guess Reading and Liverpool could be quite different. DD has an interview at Liverpool soon and we loved the uni and city when we went to the open day in Sept. It isn't that far from us though (less than 2 hrs) so feels quite familiar and friendly.

@TeenLifeMum 2 offers already is a great start for your DD, I so understand you being a planner, I am too and am finding waiting unbearable. DD will not hear from her interviews until late March (one possibly sooner) and it feels like forever away. No plans can be made at all just yet!

@JessyCarr I am sure your DD's interview did not go as badly as she thinks. I keep trying to tell my DD that interviews are so hard to read so try not to over analyse it. I am guessing your DD is probably sensible enough not to do this, unfortunately mine isn't 😂.

My son hated Bristol- said it was like “Reading's big brother” . He didn’t apply for Bristol, or Reading, at all which is a shame but he does have to go past Reading uni on the bus each day to school so I guess it’s just too close by.

i hope your daughter enjoys the OHD @wonderstuffCan you both go? 😊

No, it’s really not cheap! We’re going to Durham for one OHD and hotel plus petrol is well over £500 already. We may be eating sandwiches! I’m glad we’re only going to two.

DD has booked offer holder day with Reading for next month, good to hear positives, we haven’t visited before, so will be interesting. DH is trying to go with her, but I want to! Heading up to Liverpool too, £300 on train and hotel! It’s not cheap this finding a uni is it.

Turns out she has had mocks, I thought just unit tests, but is waiting on results. She did get an A in her last maths unit test, which is up from an E in her last test, so she’s very pleased. She’s bought a guitar this week, good to have some distraction I guess.

DD’s biology teacher did his PhD there and only has good things to say about it. I liked it a lot when we visited. Dh took her to Bristol - dd loved the city but dh was unimpressed by the presentation that mainly said “we used to do these amazing trips but the cuts mean we don’t anymore”

Thanks @JustHereWithMyPopcorn😊 Great physics result from your son - very impressive! Having 75% of the year group doing maths sounds familiar. Hopefully they will get those results out soon!

I hope those offer holder days go well! They should be really interesting. How is your DS’s girlfriend doing?

I would definitely want to visit Edinburgh @ArchitectureMumfrom what I’ve read it’s a different student experience from the English universities. Great to have that UWE offer too!

Two offers already sounds good @TeenLifeMum . Hopefully your daughter will get those other offers through soon. I really like Reading. It’s a great campus and in a lovely part of town. DS’s chess team play the uni team as part of their league and his English teacher is an honorary professor at the uni so his class get used as guinea pigs quite a bit 😂

Really glad I found this thread. Sounds like lots of offers have come through but dd is still waiting on her top 3 - Bristol, Reading and Exeter. She’s had offers from Cardiff and Royal Holloway with an offers visit in March for her subject - biological sciences. It’s stressful waiting (she’s totally chilled) and Reading is where she’s really hoping to go. I’m such a planner I hate the unknown.

She did mocks in December and they were on track but she will need to get her head down to get the As she’s capable of.

UWE have come back with an offer so that’s three now. DD is deep in mocks week. She is being very reluctant re offer holder days. She did go to the open days and she is looking forward to uni so maybe it isn’t a big deal but very frustrating as a parent. It’s her journey though so we have to step back and let her make the decisions.

She would go up and see Edinburgh if they make her an offer but I don’t know when she will hear (could easily be after some of the other offer holder days) and if it’s a no I would like her to have met some other people who may be on her course and get excited about the other options. She may not even like Edinburgh even if they do offer - she didn’t get to an open day there.

Once she lifts her head from mocks and January deadlines she may see things differently. It’s such a tough time.

Morning all!

@ventress those are great mock grades, I'm sure your DS will get that Economics up to an A. DS has had his Physics back, he got an A after all that fuss!! To be fair, he was genuinely surprised about that result. 😄 Still waiting on Maths, I think because 3/4 of the year pretty much take maths it just takes them forever to mark them. I'm hoping he gets them today.

He hasn't had any work shifts since new year but there should be some coming out soon that he can sign up for - he needs to get saving!

@JessyCarr fingers crossed your DDs interview went better than she thinks, I'm sure it will.

We have booked three offer holder days now. Bath first in a months time.

Thank you @JessyCarr

I’m glad your daughter’s interview has taken place. Sounds challenging but I’m sure she was more than capable 😊

Hopefully the wait won’t be too long, plus mock revision in the mix too. Offer holder days sound good fun. I have seen that there is a thread about Manchester accommodation for 2026 already!