Starting year 13 2016

That's great, must be a relief to have him getting better and have those offers come in - start the year good and positive!

Awww, namechange, that's such good news Fantastic to hear stories of hope - well done you and your DS for turning things round

Can I start the New Year by re-joining you all having been AWOL for several months? DS1 is the one with severe clinical depression who I wasn't sure if he'd be able to stay in school or take his AS exams last year.

Very glad to say he appears to have turned a corner recently (fingers and toes very firmly crossed) and even managed to get his UCAS application in the day before school broke up for Christmas. He's had four offers come through, so we need to actually go and look at these places soon!

Here's hoping 2017 is a good one for all of us.

Happy New Year, everyone - should be an exciting one!

Well done her!

Happy Christmas everyone. DD has been doing maths and physics the last couple of days since they broke up, but has emerged to bake gingerbread. Last years house was a bit much for 3 people and a small dog, so this year its more of a gingerbread shed plus various biscuits including some bones. The kitchen looked very festive with a light frosting of flour and icing sugar.

Thank you for the commiserations and reassuring words.Yes,its a really tough process and the rejection was really bad timing.Here's hoping for a much better 2017.PeaceandlOve - thank you.
The only bit of good news is dd1 passed her Piano exam .
Have a wonderful Christmas everyone .

Teta I am sure the right offer will come through -

Thank you all for your advice :) Teta, I'm sorry.

Sorry to hear that teta. Fingers crossed for the other choices.

Teta, chin up, it is really really difficult. I was just saying to my DH 5 mins ago that we were helping our DD get over her Liverpool rejection. One year on she is out with her boyfriend tonight celebrating their one year anniversary after a happy and fulfilled first term studying vet med at Bristol.

Hold on, it is a long and bumpy ride, I hope your DD gets an offer from one or more of her other interviews.

That is bad luck and bad timing @teta (tries out new MN function!) but my friend's DD got a rejection from Liverpool and is now at the RVC. I think it was because her work experience had nothing horsey in it and Liverpool is big on equine so it could be something as simple as that.

Oh, that's rotten luck, teta. But vet is so hard to get into, especially straight from A levels. I can't remember if I mentioned before a relative who was determined to be a vet, didn't get the A levels so even applying a year later wasn't an option - did an anatomy degree (and a load more experience with vets and on farms), then vet school and now runs a large and extremely successful practice.

Or consider Heap's guide as a stocking filler although there will be one in the school library she can consult. It includes an overview of each uni. if she really wants to go overboard she could look at this tool comparing the cost of living in two different places in the uk.

Dd very sad and demoralised here.A rejection from Liverpool and nothing heard from the other two interviews.The worst thing was she thought she had performed well .I'm trying to cheer her up but feel a bit down myself.The most difficult thing is keeping positive and working ( revising).

Excellent. Thank you :)

Think some of the places far far oop north will need some parental help if she's not going to take three days over one open day.

Realistically, is it helpful if I go with her?

Ours was glad of an extra pair of eyes and ears (mostly DH not me) and it makes a pleasant day out. Adults generally are a bit better at bullshit dectection. Some of the places would have been logistically impossible from where we live by train for the day. If there are places yours can get to with friends, that'll be good too. Obv don't helicopter - apparently there were some particularly nightmarish parents and embarrassed kids at Cambridge, if you go then at least some of the time split up.

TMD I don't know what you mean

She's very clear about her subject thank goodness and on the face on the end of term exams has a realistic chance of her target grades, so she has it easier than most in terms of an easy starting point. I think that she has no preference over campus or city based places at the moment. But the cost of accommodation in somewhere like London is scary.

Cambridge seem to be listing quite a few separate subject specific college
open days.

Rather handy to know that applicant open days are useful for choosing. one of her potential places had those, so that could spread the burden if she got an offer from them.

Realistically, is it helpful if I go with her? She's happy to go by herself or with friends.

Perhaps the Times Good University guide should be in her stocking

Re oxbridge - DD read info on various of the Cambridge colleges and identified a few she liked the sound of. There was, as far as I know, only one open day, during which she visited the department and these colleges.

somehow I wouldn't expect anything less from a child of yours, oybbk.

Some of the AS dates probably are mid-june - IRRC my DD was straight out of her last fm maths paper into car to get down to first open day last summer.

Opinions vary on how many open days to go to - my DD (aided and abetted by DH) probably overdid it...

IIRC her school reckoned they shouldn't take more than 3 days off school for them, but of course a lot are on weekends. You simply cant go to them all, so its a good idea to get some parameters for where to prioritise. Some questions - does she know which course she wants to do, or is part of going to open days to get a better feel for the options? Does she have a realistic idea of what A level grades she might get (this is of course clearer after AS, and gives more info for the sept/oct open days). That can eliminate quite a lot one way or the other. Does she have any idea whether she likes large cities or more out of town campuses - if she doesnt know then maybe a mix in the june/july set. Mine was able to simplify by deciding no London.

I would assume you can find the online sources of info, the other thing we found quite good was the Times Good university guide.

Rogue apostrophe there, should be departments

They don't have to visit every place before applying. If they make offers, the department's then invite them to come to offer holders days or applicant days.

For my dd, she was certain about two of her choices and is only visiting now that she has received the offers.

oh that is so helpful - thank you!! dd started her spreadsheet tonight. I do hope she doesn't input them all

There will often be more than one open day. Look here to see when they are. Ds had a spreadsheet 16 columns and 25 rows

and one more question!? With oxbridge do people go to college, department and uni open days? How on earth would you know which colleges to go to, these visits could get out of hand!