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

@scandinavianyellowgood luck to your DS today. Plus all the others sitting entrance tests.

Wow that’s exciting @GirlsInGreen, congratulations to your DD!

No worries @Ventress and thanks! Good luck to your DS too.

DD put her UCAS in last Friday - she's just got an offer today from Bristol. She's very happy "oh god someone wants me"😅. Its cheered her up no end.
Hope your dc are all marching on with the work, its all a flurry right now - a few of dd's friends are grinding for the LNAT & other tests, good luck to anyone taking them shortly.

Apologies @ComingInByAnsible, yes I tagged @Countrylife2002 accidentally. British Indian colonial history does sound fascinating. So much for them to do at the moment. Good luck to your son.

DS told me yesterday that one of his friends who is applying for medicine got an offer for his 5th choice of Biomedical Sciences 4 hours after submitting his application to UCAS. No idea which Uni. Must be quite a nice feeling but also odd as most of them will never take the place and give medicine another go if they don’t get in this cycle.

@Countrylife2002 hope your DD gets her heart’s desire with an early offer! Sometimes it happens even with traditionally slow unis, so you never know.

@Ventress in case you meant to tag me rather than @Countrylife2002 into your question about history NEA - DS is doing his on British-Indian colonial history. He has been finding it super interesting, but having worked on it for quite a while just wants it finished now. He’s also been ill with the seasonal lurgy, poor thing, so has a bit of catching up to do.

I am worried that he isn’t getting enough time for TSA prep, but I guess it will be what it will be.

Yes she was thrilled by the acknowledgments too! Today she woke up with the sense it was another possible day for offers! Yes she’s put the full application in but all of her unis are traditionally very late in offering so it’s going to be a long few months!

That's what my DD wants to do. ...
She has been advised to put other things down too, which she doesn't have to take if she doesn't want to.
Right now, her stress is her tutor writes her reference, and her tutor hardly knows her and doesn't " get" the course she wants.....

I am all new to this and son does not want my help at all, but I think he just wants to put one course down for one uni. Is that possible, if he does not get offered an place will go through clearing/year out/re sit. Is it possible to just put one option down ?

Just jumping back on the thread. So exciting and also nerve wracking that some are in the position to start getting offers!

I really liked Leeds when we went in the summer, my DD is looking at business/economics and the lecturer was very good. The sports centre got 10/10 which is vv important to her. Only one better has been Nottingham but she's decided campus life is too quiet...

My son is about ready to apply (maybe small juggle of exact courses after Bath open day) but there is no support in school for the PS draft or references until after half term, for those not doing early entry. So we will be waiting a while yet to get it all sent off.

Not a silly question. Can't speak for all but yes, that's why DS has applied early. Think all med applications have the early deadline too.

Ohh.. I somehow forgot about the early offers. Thanks for posting those @Countrylife2002 For some reason I am not able to tag ppl.
@JessyCarr I was planning to go Manchester after ESAT when you suggested it in July. But now DD is planning to go Bath instead.mumsnet on iPad is not easy. I thought my safari was playing up, so went on to download app on iPad ( may be I am getting too old to spend so much time scrolling on small screen) but, gave up in the end. It’s the endless ads or refresh every few seconds.. I am finding it difficult to get further down on a query that need answers.
PS is not submitted yetI don’t think, got Teacher reference last Thursday
ESAT on 9th, I have just read that I will have to go in with my ID. Anyone else like me didn’t read the small prints yet- if kids are under 18, you need to go in with them :(

I’m going to ask a really silly question. Is everyone who is applying early because they are Oxbridge applicants?

@GirlsInGreen@Ventress
Leeds was good, no open windows required thankfully.
Nice campus, bit of a mishmash of old ,70s and new but I suppose that's normal.
DS liked it, the accommodation was fine. Business school is in a new building and a row of old terraced houses but everyone was lovely (obviously best behaviour lol)
You can take 40 credits in something completely unrelated which I liked, so a language or food science or anything that interests you. Gives a bit of individuality
Good day all in all.

DC2 has a couple of mock Oxbridge interviews lined up as well. We were concerned she wouldn't be offered any because her subject is somewhat niche (theology and religion) and her specific areas of interest within the subject are even more so. But it goes to show that nothing is ever lost by trying.

DC1 is planning her gap year and has some screening interviews with au pair placement agencies scheduled. She's also booked in for first aid training to make herself a more attractive candidate. Does anyone else have DC planning a gap year abroad?

Great to have that geography NEA submitted @Countrylife2002! I’ve heard it’s a monster.

What subject is your son’s history NEA on? DS is doing French Revolution and is enjoying the research. He plans to write it up during half term. His English NEA is almost complete - final draft is in.

How did the Leeds open day go @gingercat02? Hope storm Amy wasn’t too disruptive.

Amazing that students are getting offers already. That must feel good.

Lots of time still to make decisions @AuntyBulgariaand @wonderstuff

Your daughter’s PGs are great @wonderstuff- well done to her. Perhaps the Liverpool open day will help focus her university thoughts?

Lots of DS’s friends aren’t applying for university either. One has been doing a financial course at college which had a placement at John Lewis. This has resulted in an offer for their management training scheme. He’s thrilled about this as school was never his “thing” but he’s loved this course. Just shows that they find their niche one way or another.

Lots of open days planned! I hope they go well. No more for DS as his application is finalised now although the school haven’t submitted it yet. DS says his references are still being reviewed by the school team.

He has been lucky enough to secure two mock Oxbridge interviews with past students of the school who got places for history/histpol. The school message out to their past students, send the students PS (with permission) and ask if any are willing to help with prep and mock interviews. DS is very lucky to get two offers as some students don’t get any. First session is next Friday via Teams. Exciting times.

Exciting to read about UCAS applications being submitted and first news of offers!

No offers yet for DS, but the ginormous geography NEA has been submitted and he’s working through successive drafts of history.

Good luck to everyone waiting for offers, working on applications or doing open days!

Offers seem so far away here! No decisions on exact course or uni have even been made yet.

DS off to Warwick with his Dad next sat. Then final visit is in Nov to Loughborough.

Quite a few of DD’s classmates have offers - including from Edinburgh astoundingly !!

We’re going to the Manchester open day next weekend - anyone else?