Continuing Year 13: January 2016

EPQ also compulsory at the DD's school. It fosters independent learning which can only be a good thing...so the theory goes. I know DD1 really enjoyed doing her EPQ. We shall see if that translates into the resultapparently her presentation was superb though, so there's that.

EPQ is compulsory at DS's school. Some of them really enjoy it but others feel it's time they would rather be spending on their A-levels. DS has an amazing ability to not get stressed but he got in a real state when the deadline was looming just before Christmas & he & several others ended up giving it up at the last minute. Tbh though I don't think school manage it very well.

Some courses at some unis will make a lower offer if they have EPQ but many don't & we found that for Maths they weren't interested at all & DS is already doing 4 A-levels so there wasn't really any advantage.

buckingfrolicks Neither of my DS's did the EPQ. It didn't affect their applications as both got offers for where they wanted to go. A small minority of the 2000 6th formers do them. DS2 was supremely relieved he had chosen not to do one when he saw the stress his friends got into but then he prefers the path of least resistance at all times .
Personally I think it might have been good for them to do something that wasn't maths or science for a bit of a contrast.

well blow me down! I had no idea whatsoever about this. I can see that the research and long written piece would actually be very valuable experience when they get to Uni. Must ask my DD (who is head girl and will Know These Things) why her school doesn't do them - possibly because their school is very average.

All v emotional in our house tonight over the abominable lack of work that has gone on this half term.

It's very difficult, as my DP believes we need to simply hold the DC's together, carry on 'as normal' and not stress them by asking them to load the dishwasher after dinner any further than they are, while I, far less nobly, believe that life must go on, dirty dishes loaded, and washing brought down from bedrooms, despite them being in A level year.

Apparently it's worth half an A level in UCAS points! That's more than I expected, so rather like an AS level.

Extended project qualification, Morvah. Lots of schools encourage them, they can get UCAS points for them. It's a bit like an A level standard dissertation. DS enjoyed doing his but only one of his offers has included it, Birmingham, which has offered AAA or AAB with an A for his EPQ, so for him it hasn't been worth it for university offers. However, what with doing all maths and science A levels, the chance to do some research and present it in a written form, as well as a presentation, has been good for developing these skills.

Morvah I feel for your DS if he's worked hard and got a duff mock result - that must be very demotivating indeed. Poor lad.

I have no idea what hell EPQ represents, and am glad I don't!

DS's school had Christmas as their deadline for their EPQs, which seemed a bit mean at the time, but in retrospect DS is really glad to have it out of the way so he can concentrate on his A2s.

Bucking DS is also having a bit of a crisis of confidence. He got a poor mark for his physics mock - more due, I think, to exam technique than lack of knowledge, but he has always sailed through physics and that was a big shock. He has always worried about maths for no real reason, and what with a massive amount of coursework for computing and finishing his EPQ he just seems completely bogged down. He's worked like a Trojan all half term but feels he hasn't made any progress.

Compared to my A levels all those years ago, the stress they are under seems disproportionately huge. No wonder mental health issues in the teenage years are so much in the news at the moment.

Our poor DC - I vividly recall plumping for university X to study subject Y pretty much at random, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. It's a continuous stress for them. So here's to fortitude and good strong health, both of which they will need (as will we, the exhausted parents. Honestly I feel like one of those used up salmon who's laid its eggs and is now ready to become one with the river).

DS is losing confidence by the day, and along with that is loss of motivation, and effort. It's a vicious circle - he does less, feels 'what's the point I'm useless' so does less... Currently his view is put Edinburgh first choice with ABB offer (doable, intellectually - but unlikely given DS's abysmal work record) and Sterling as insurance (BBC - on the grounds that Sterling may accept what he views as most likely results, of say BDC).

DD has 3 recalls so far, Rose Bruford, Guildford School of Arts, and RADA, and has 3 more first auditions to go.

STEP sounds awful. Poor kids. Poor parents. !!!

Secr3tSquirrels he did MAT (Oxford exam) for Imperial, exam was in November, must have done ok as AAA is a good offer from Imperial! Sometimes they ask for STEP as well & will also sometimes accept it instead of MAT. He is still doing STEP for Warwick anyway.

Hope interviews go well Needmoresleep.

It's interesting seeing the different orders people have for firm and insurance. We've only been looking at maths, so Bath would have been a higher offer than Exeter or Southampton, (I think) so having them as insurance wouldn't work for maths. I really liked Bath but it was deemed 'too close to home' for DS.

Warwick for maths is a really high offer, hopefully just within DS's grasp on a good day with a fair wind blowing. I do wonder if he does get in to Warwick, whether he'll struggle with the pace of it all.

still waiting to hear for Birmingham, DD emailed them at the beginning of the week asking when she might hear (so not actually asking for their decision) but no response at all . Almost finished the final-ish draft of her EPQ though, which is something; now just Chemistry coursework and several lots of homework outstanding. Why are Friends repeats and texting so much more important than actual work?

That's suprising about York, they are holding their post offer open days this week. I wonder if you're invite got lost in the post/cyber space.
We went yesterday and there seemed to be all departments there. I think they are holding them today and tomorrow too, it might be worth giving them a ring and seeing if you can go tomorrow. (My DS even got a Christmas card from York!)

BethanKate Does he need STEP for Imperial as well?
It's tricky when all the offers are the same grade.
Warwick is looking like DS's favourite as well. Still waiting to hear whether there will be an offer visit day at York. Although he has an offer they are the only uni not to have made any other welcoming gestures.

Strange that you haven't heard back from Bristol Morvah.

Bit of a panic here when DS realised he'd booked Warwick & Bristol for same day but soon sorted.

Have had 'Warwick or Imperial' dilemma going on since second visit to Imperial. Went back to Warwick yesterday, rained all day but he came out buzzing & saying he's chosen what type of accommodation he wants (thankfully not most expensive) & which optional modules he'd like to do next year. Get the feeling Warwick has won.

Now just needs to work hard & get the grades.

DS has just made his final choices and Southampton is his firm offer with Bath as insurance. Having said that there's only one grade difference! He would be very happy with either I think.

He had four offers and we've just given up on waiting to hear from Bristol. He had an invitation to an interview there months ago, but wasn't able to go, and they said they'd get back to him with another date. Months later and he's heard nothing so he got fed up with waiting! Luckily Bristol wasn't one of his top ones anyway.

He's working incredibly hard at half term, spurred on (hopefully) by a less than impressive physics mock result which put him into a complete panic . . .

Visited Southampton on an offer holders' day. DS1 would be quite happy there, I think. He's visiting Exeter next week to make up his mind between them as his insurance. I think Exeter is a lovely city but possibly more expensive to live in than Southampton. It's a shame that needs to be a consideration but finances dictate.

My DS has just got an offer from Durham, but it's higher than the one from Oxford! At least he can now accept and decline, which he couldn't do until all offers were in.
Good luck to anyone still waiting.

we have the bell after 5 minutes thing, but that's only really an issue in the lower years when you have lots of teachers to see. for 6th form, with only 4 max teachers, it's a leisurely stroll from hall to hall rather than a mad dash as Mr B was running late, and Mrs S has squeezed double the number of appointments in, so you need to be there just as the previous person gets up. And not even any wine .

Chemistry coursework almost final draft handed in today thankfully, January was quite stressful trying to find enough lab time to do stuff with iodine and warm baths - I did head stroking and "there there" ing rather than actually listening to all the problems .

Still waiting for the final offer (or not) here - they said they weren't going to look at applications till after 15th Jan, but the website also says they may interview, so I'll get DD to ring them up next week in case she's on a wrong list too. She just wants to know one way or the other now, so that she can make a decision as to her firm and insurance. Although she has decided that if her results are good enough, she's going to consider reapplying to Cambridge for 2107 and have a gap year, so we might have all that stress for a second time. Maybe I should buy shares in a gin company