support thread for those of us who have DC submitting UCAS applications in the next few months

[mumoverseas]

Thought we should all get together and calm each other down/mop fevered brows/hand around glasses of wine etc. We've seen other go through it over the past few months and it will be our turn soon.

DS has just got his AS results which were not too bad. AAAB. The B suprised him as it was for maths and we'd expected a B for french which he had not studied for a few years as sat his GCSE early. He says he will re-sit one of the maths modules and one of French ones to get a higher A

He (we!) has been considering various Unis over recent months and has visited 4.
PS is all in hand as is extended project (whatever all that is about) but time is creeping by and not long now til his mid Oct deadline (one of his choices is Oxbridge)

There has been so much in the papers over recent days about the lack of places at University at the moment and stories of how so many good students did not get places as they didn't put 'insurance' choices.

How is everyone else coping and how do we get our children to make realistic choices?

meet ups sound excellent!

Has anyone else become addicted to The Student Room? Not only is there that great thread with all the offers on so far for all subjects, I found a thread for just English offers and a thread showing for each university which departments have made offers so far!

Problem is, I'm looking at them about once every hour! My nerves are shredded here whilst DD seems more or less able to cope. I'm definitely more anxious than her!

Its really tough to see others getting offers for places she's applied for which are so far ignoring her....

And my task for today is to dash to school to pick up her marked essay to run to the post office to send to Oxford because school wouldnt send it til the late post and we don't dare to leave it any later!

Just don't look at all the posts in the University Discussion section where students are saying how unhappy they are ,want to leave ....
An earlier poster who was scanning TSR last year has pointed out that some ( many ? ) of the early offers were to International students .

Also lots of offers seem to be to students who have already got their A2 exam results - but it is very nerve wracking.

Some of students have also commented on how offers and invitations to interview or open day have gone to their junk folder. I mentioned this to DS who went rather pale and told me the school deletes their junk mail after each log on - so I hope nothing went there!

JGB, thats a bit worrying. I've decided to stop checking the offers thread on TSR as its getting too addictive and I'll have to just let DS keep me updated as and when he (hopefully!) hears something. At least he has one offer from a relatively good Uni

DD is still waiting and getting progressively more concerned.

Congrats to all who have offers - I'm drinking wine for other reasons!

Do you not have access to your DC's 'UCAS Track'?

Every now and again I log in: here to check.

Don't worry too much about not hearing from universities yet. It's early days. My DD didn't hear from Britol for months when suddenly in late April she got an offer.

I check track - already done so this morning .

Still nothing..................

I'm not allowed my DD's password to check Track or believe me I would!

But as she put down our generic family email, the notification would come through me first anyway - I understand that UCAS advise of status updates twice a day so am staying alert - I'd only miss an offer by 12 hours at the most!

Still nothing here.....

It wasnt like this with DS two years ago - his notificaitons all came by post with an inviation to attend a departmental open day. Then the offers themselves were all on UCAS after Christmas. But for all of the unis he'd at least had a letter saying 'we're going to make you an offer - come and see us'.

Different subjects though - Physics for him, English for DD this time.

How about this for a daunting offer? Maths - AAA*A

(From Imperial, on that TSR thread about which offers have been made so far)

That is just ridiculous Ponders!

I saw that too, Ponders - its the highest offer I've ever seen.

Mind you, a friend of my son's had an offer from them 2 years ago, also for Maths, before they had A*s, of 4 As overall including over 90% UMS in EVERY Maths module.... He did get it, btw, so it is possible.... in fact, quite a few of my son's maths-y type friends scored ridiculously high marks in all of their Maths and Physics modules....

But even Cambridge is asking for only 1 A* and 2 As this year... (remains to be seen though, as thier offers are not coming throguh yet, I don't think....)

Yahoo!!!

DD got her first offer tonight - AAA for English with Creative Writing at Birmingham.

Its her first choice after Oxford....

Congrats to you both!

Oh that's great, tkm, well done her!

& JGBmum, I've just tracked back a bit & realised I missed your DS's offer at Southampton so well done to him, too!

I can't help still looking at TSR for the offers list; apparently York have now made some offers for Philosophy & for Politics (but not for the combination crosses fingers)

LSE (& of course Oxford) haven't uttered yet so no sweat there...yet...

DS2 (I think!) & I would be quite happy for him to go to Sheffield (the 1 offer he has had) so naturally now I'm twitching about him being too casual & missing by a grade or 2

Ponders
DS has just started at Sheffield (it was his insurance) and he's really pleased he went there, although settling in does seem to take a little time for a lot of freshers.

And (trumpets) DD has had her first offer from Manchester Met - so she is thrilled!

yay! that's great, ajandjjmum - well done her (& big relief for you!)

Good to hear your DS is liking Sheffield. DS1 has friends there & has been over for weekends (& skiing at Xscape or snozone or whatever it's called) & he thinks it's a nice city.

DS2 has had an offer from York too now - same grades. Sheffield have sent him an invitation to their departmental open day next Feb/Mar, assume York will do too - what's the deadline for decisions on firm/insurance? (He hasn't looked at either place yet )

JGB and MOS - well done on the offers.
JGB how was the BA work experience?

DD2 has her first offer from Exeter

oooh, fabulous, that was very quick!

Yes it was - they only acknowledged her application on Monday.

That's great, webwiz - what's her subject?

Doesnt it feel good to get that first offer!

Congrats everybody.

DD2 has been told by her head of 6th form that he thinks her application has now gone in - so I can now join the rest of you in the nail-biting wait!

Ds has had an offer at man met with ABB but hes hoping for manchester with AAA.

Congrats everyone so far and good luck.

DD1s application is going in today (would have been yesterday but she forgot she had to go and speak to the 6th form office to run through it), so now it's the nailbiting wait for offers [positive thinking].