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?

She applying for Maths thekidsmom

hello all, just back online after being laptopless on a mini cruise to the Bahamas Back to find that DS has had his second offer for Exeter. Again he has not been told what the conditions are (which I think odd, apparently more info to follow) but he assumes it is AAA.
So far he has offers from his two joint third choices which have the same 'normal' offer as his first and second choices.

Wonder if any of our DC will become friends next year? So far he has offers where JGB and webwhiz's DC have had offers.

Mumoverseas does it not give the grades if he clicks on the course code when he is in the offers page in track. It took a bit of trial and error for DD2 to find how to get to the grades bit.

Bahamas

webwhiz I'll ask him but you know what teenagers are like, they know it all. He will make a very good barrister

Was very nice, has to be said. Just wish I could stop rocking. Very rough seas last night when we sailed back and everything is still spinning

Ponders and Webwiz and drackschick and MOS WOW - offers are arriving thick and fast now!Congratulations to all your DCs

MABS DS had a fantastic time at BA thankyou - I have emailed you separately . Hope you are well?

Seimum and Shrinking Violet it's such a relief once the forms go off isn't it? I hope you have some good news soon.

Anyone else I've missed - apologies!

General Question now - Uni visits, I had thought that DS would go off on his own, but he has been invited to 2 departmental open days, and both have a separate parents prograame. So that would suggest that they are expecting parents to attend too, yes?

MOS - Cruising in the Bahamas!!!
Where did I go wrong, my life - ironing in the kitchen

JGBMum I went with DD1 to two of the departmental open days, some students were on their own and some were with parents. I think if DD2 goes to any I'll be the driver but duck out of the dumb questions parents sessions.

JGB it was only a cheapie mini cruise from Cape Canaveral. We booked at the last minute after we sent DC1 and 2 back to UK boarding schools. We had another week here in Orlando and were sick of Disney and theme parks. To be honest, think the cruise worked out cheaper than a few days in the parks

DDs form hasn't gone off yet as her tutor "forgot" to write about how she was really ill during her exams last year. So the school reference is being rewritten next week. Another delay, just when I'd managed to make DD actually finish off her bits of it. [sigh].

I went with DD1 to open days at York & Bath a few years ago.

About 2/3rds of the students had parents with them, the rest were on their own.

York Physics dept did a good programme for the parents with a buffet lunch while students were taken to the canteen.

Bath just offered us a bag with a sandwich & a drink can - it did mean, when we tried to find somewhere to sit & eat our lunch, that we discovered that Bath had no common spaces that were not bars/cafes.

DD1 chose York. (Not just because of the food)

DD has another offer from UWE - or at least a letter saying an offer will follow shortly.
Phew!!!
She is not academic, and was really worried she'd get nothing - so at least she can now focus on work. In theory anyway!

thanks, JGBmum

re open days - they know some parents will come, hence the programme of events, but you are not expected to attend. When my eldest was applying several years ago, I did actually accompany her to a couple of departmental open days (as did lots of other parents, & this was pushing 10 years ago so not a new phenomenon!) but only on the ones where she needed me to drive her - otherwise she went on her own. I remember a cup of coffee & a sandwich somewhere but felt like a spare part generally.

And in the end she chose a place at one of the ones I didn't go to

DS2 can get to Sheffield & York by public transport & I know he would certainly prefer to go on his own; I think that if your child would like you to go (& esp if transport is easier that way) then by all means accompany them, but if they're a bit iffy then don't.

SV, bad luck about the delay but honestly it won't matter, you're still well ahead of the deadline & your DD's application will be in with plenty of time to spare. Good luck to her!

(ajandjjmum, that's fab so soon after the first one )

Ponders
Decisions last year needed to be made by early May, so that the results of the January modules are available, and could be taken into account.

betelguese, Oxbridge applications are all done & dusted now (deadline was 15th Oct!)

'Seriously, he can apply for classics at Oxbridge where the chances to get in are very high . . .'

I don't know about yesterday, but nothing at Oxbridge is easy today, not even Classics. I know of a high flyer with excellent Latin and Greek two years ago and still failed to enter Oxford.

Most uni's do cater for parents in their Open Day. I attended a couple at Cambridge (different colleges) last summer and they had a special programme for parents including a subsidised lunch (free for students).

A few years ago, I attended all 5 uni Open Days the length and breadth of the country when my daughter was applying and they all welcomed parents.

betelguese thanks but I already knew that, maybe you are confusing me with someone else? DS has already applied to Oxford, over a month ago before their deadline. Not sure he'd want to apply to read the classics either as he has been set on reading law and becoming a barrister for over 4 years now.

With my DS last year I attended 2 of his post application open days and he went to two on his own. But I had been to all of the pre application open days with him.

Best programme I did for parents was Nottingham physics - lovely lunch with professors and other parents while the kids went off for sandwiches with the students....

With DD, I imagine I'll go with her to anywhere she's invited, subject to work commitments

Proud mum alert - 2 offers landed in the email today!

Bath - A* A A - eeks!
Swansea - ABB

Bizarre that 2 Unis offering the same course have such different entry requirements

JGBmum - DD2 just started at Bath this year and is loving it. Great halls, great friends and learning to pole vault! No regrets about her going there

JGB that is fab news. So 3 offers so far? It really is a relief isn't it. I too find it odd the different requirements. Problem we/DS has is that most of the requirements for his course are the same, AAA and he had difficulty finding an insurance and the one he went for was AAB. Fingers crossed he keeps up the hard work and gets his grades.

The A AA offer is quite ironic, given that in the end one of the factors that influenced DS not to apply to Cambridge is that he didnt want the additional pressure of trying to get A grade!

Re the open days, Dh is going to take DS to the one in Surrey, he has a semi-interview there and we really hope they will make an offer as it's his first choice for an insurance.
The second opn day - DS will go to on his own. He's already got an offer from them, and he sepnt a week there in the summer so knows it really well. In fact, he's quite tempted not to go, but is worried it may be received as a lack of interest, and actually it's his joint favourite!

received??, should be perceived

yah, form went off today, much celebration in the Shrinking household .