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

@bluefineliner how’s your dd feeling about her driving test?

Ds’s isn’t far away now and his instructor thinks he’s ready to sit it. We’ve been doing plenty of practice with him too and he really has come on over the last couple of weeks so we’ll keep everything crossed!

Wow @wonderstuff - your dd must be at a massive college / school! Good job they’re giving themselves plenty of time to get through them all.

we’ve got parents evening next week - not invite only, it’s very much expected that we attend!

College haven’t submitted it yet but DD has completed her UCAS form, they need to attach results confirmation or something, dd impatient now, but they probably have about 2000 to submit so it will take a few days!

She seems to be ticking along okay, out with her friends today because college closed to U6 while they target set for L6.

She still hasn’t decided what she’s doing next year, apart from wanting to go to Reading Festival. I’m not allowed to mention next year, the state of her room or how far behind she is on her maths homework (not too far I think as we haven’t been asked to parents eve, which is invite only at her college).

Have (online) parents evening tonight - keen to ask teachers why they feel there has been a wobble this first half term and what they feel DC needs to do next. He did say he'd had much better feedback on his project essay draft, so hopefully things are moving in right direction.

He's actually got a 3C offer from his favourite uni. MIL commented that she hoped this wouldn't demotivate DC to do well in A levels, which is ridiculous as DC will definitely want to do as well as he can regardless!

Well done to those getting offers and interviews! DS’s gf has an interview at Oxford and we’re all very excited for her. In the meantime we’re three weeks past submission and school hasn’t looked at it. His friend who is applying for the same course as DS at the same universities has had his done and submitted properly by the school. 😑

@AuntyBulgaria we paid for DS’s application when he submitted it.

Ds paid it on his card and we refunded him.

£28.95 apparently

@SilverBlue56 I certainly haven't paid and my son has had an offer already so school must have done! (We're not FSM or anything similar) I'll have to ask DS.

It has to be paid for when the student submits it to their school or college unless you get fee relief for various reasons
Can't see schools paying, I think it was 28.50! Debit card required at time of submission..

@gingercat02 I've not been allowed to read my DCs personal statement so goodness knows what it says. It was checked through by a teacher so can't be total tosh!

When you say pay do you mean pay for applying? I didn't know you had to pay - I haven't, so I am presuming his school has paid. How much was it?

1st set of mocks are done here. He thinks they went ok. But there was minimal revision done so I'm hoping the work ethic improves a bit. But now we're starting to get to the pointy end as it's TMUA revision now for Jan.

DS UCAS form has gone in. AAB so that should get him a conditional offer from Leeds if not Newcastle.
PS isn't how I would have written it but he and his teachers are happy so it's fine.
Who knew you have to pay for it (not me obviously)

Wow @temperedolivethat sounds amazing all round.

@hels71that’s great news is that all 5 in now?

@Countrylife2002congrats too. DD and I have caved with Stranger things leaving DS to catch up once mocks are over.

@ComingInByAnsibleI’m sorry to hear that it’s tough when they are used to being very high achievers.

DC1 has got two Oxford interviews as well! One in her applied college and one at a second one that hasn't really been on her radar but looks super. It only admits a tiny cohort from her program though. However, I suppose if they weren't truly potentially interested they wouldn't be interviewing her, right?

DC2 had a interview with a lovely family in Paris about a gap year as an au pair, and they seem to want to match with her, which is au pair speak for getting a job offer. But they have invited her to visit them before the formal match goes in. So we will do a weekend in France in December and she can see the living space and meet the children and also get to know the city a bit. She also has an interview next week through a different au pair agency with a family in Montreal, so we'll see if anything comes of that.

So both DC making progress towards the next steps. Exciting times!

Me and ds are both a bit astounded by this crazy nerdy hardworking girl in our house atm!! And we’re having to wait to xmas to watch stranger things as a result too 😡

DD also has Oxford interviews.

does anyone here know about EPQs? DD is behind on it and is insistent she has to hand in first draft by end of term as school deadline is then, but she also has to prepare for these Oxford interviews which are spread out over a week - and she could get more the last week of term so that basically eats up most of her time left. I can’t see how she can meet the epq deadline as she has to prioritise interview prep now. She says if she misses deadline for a completed first draft she will be docked marks for lack of time management? This seems like madness to me - she could easily finish it over the hols? anyone else in this situation? I’ve told her to speak to her school as she can’t be the first … (I thought she was mad to do an epq in the first place but then I’m not as ambitious as her!)

DD has an interview at her first choice on December 9th! She is very excited, although it is the day after she returns from a 4 day trip to France!!

Not sure about offer holder days @AuntyBulgaria . I’d quite like DS to attend them but only if they don’t impact his A levels.

@Tebheagi think they tend to drop a grade on mocks to keep them working and give something to aim for. I’m sure your son will bounce back from this.

I’m sorry @ComingInByAnsible. How is your son taking it? It’s always such a lottery with Oxbridge interviews. DS hasn’t heard yet. Or hasn’t told us perhaps. I hope your son isn’t too disappointed. There is way more to life than Oxbridge after all. Where else has he applied to ? sorry I know you’ve said already but I’m on phone and finding it difficult to scroll).

DS got rejected from Oxford PPE today. Was always a very long shot but he is disappointed, bless him.

Congratulations to all that have received offers.
DS has started getting results back C In Geography just missed a B still it finished his NEA not convinced on what he is doing but got to leave him to it. Business has said most of them dropped a grade oh dear.

As offers start to trickle in, I am just wondering about offer holder days. I was only intending on DS going to the couple he didn't visit to determine which he puts down as an insurance.

(That is of course if he gets enough offers to allow him to be picky!)

DS' mocks are straight after the Christmas break too @Muchtoomuchtodo although he's been having mini tests in all subjects since half term.

DS text earlier as he got the best score in his Econ class in the mini-macro test. I'm thrilled for him as it's his weakest subject so he's always nervous ahead of Econ tests so this will be a confidence builder.

Good news @hels71!

I'm glad that the Sheffield Hallam open day was good, despite the weather!

Any more open days on the horizon for anyone?

DS is tired today. He and DH went to see Radiohead last night and didn't get home until nearly 1am. DS is glad there are no mini-tests for him today!

On our way home, everyone agrees that was a useful day out, despite the grim weather

@gingercat02 same here. 😕

@bluefineliner thats great news, hopefully she’ll be well prepared.

@hels71 great news for your DD too!

@Muchtoomuchtodo All 4 choices do MMI (multiple mini interviews) stations, 3 are in person, one would be online. So we have trip to Newcastle now but it is a lovely city so we can enjoy whilst DD has the interview stress. DD has her mocks second week in Jan so a busy revision period over xmas.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn her school have been great so far. She did one day of MMI mocks when they partnered with another school and interviewed the other's students. That was very helpful. Then she has some one to one zoom interviews lined up with previous med students and a doctor who has volunteered.

Any other interviews would be in Jan/Feb so she can just focus on this one for now.

@GirlsInGreen it has definitely been as stressful as we were warned before applying! Hope your DDs friends get their interviews soon.

Oh very exciting for those getting offers. Still waiting for UCAS completion here.
We are meant to be going to Sheffield Hallam open day tomorrow but DS is trying to duck out. He says its his last choice and he has no intention of going. Blooming kids!
I have said he may not have the luxury of choice. My bff daughter was a straight A student all her school life, ended up with 3 Cs and is at Hallam, her last choice.