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?

mrswoodentop
Friends of ours have a DC who has been offered a place at Durham for Physics this year, and they both went to university.
DS was also offered a place at Durham last year - they wanted AAA and he got A*AB, and after a week of deliberating, they decided not to accept him.
We loved it there.

Thanks aj, I sometimes feel I'm the only parent with a DC aiming for C's at A level .
He only needs 240 ,but not sure now he'll get that .
Maybe it's not to be ...which will have to be fine .
I think the uncertainity of it all is the killer .
Trying to choose first choice unis ,applying for accomodation ,keeping the insurance choice in mind as more like what will happen .
Hard work for us all ,whatever level .

It's true ginger - but it's horses for courses. Just been talking to a colleague whose DD is disappointed with her C in Maths - I wish! DD's Dep. Head told her yesterday that although exams might be difficult for her, when she got a position with a company she'd soar, because of her personality and work ethic. That boosted her a bit.

We had a 'high flier' last year, and that was just as stressful in its own way, although we were pretty sure that he'd end up somewhere.

Just got to get thru' the next 4 months!

Congrats to everyone whose DC's did well.

DD2 AS economics resit was still a D (with lower marks than the original!) - will have to get the paper & find out what went wrong.

mrswoodentop DD2 didn't apply to Durham because they asked to see the module marks already received for Maths and Further Maths and although DD2 had A's in both overall her module results were all over the place! I don't think she wanted to go to the same university as her parents either and do the same course as her dad.

ajandjjmum I think you're right that its stressful whatever level your child is aiming for. I thought this time would be easy after going through DD1's attempt to do no work whatsoever in year 13 but it hasn't turned out that way.

mrswoodentop sorry I haven't read the whole thread but I noticed your question to webwiz ref. Durham. My eldest three children all applied to Durham for 2008, 2010, 2011 entry respectively, both myself and their dad having gone there. All three got offers and two were applying for law (which I read) and one for history (which their dad read). It's not an issue. I can't see how the Admissions Tutors would know in any event and even if they did, why would they care?

Funding applications - DS hasnt firmed his offers yet, but please can anyone advise on whether we should start applying for loans yet?

I don't think you can apply until you've firmed because of having to name the university that the student will be studying at. But it's a really, really good idea to put in the application absolutely as soon as you can. I got my daughter's in shortly before the deadline last year and she had no money at all until weeks into term (and that was only after hours and hours spent remonstrating on the phone which followed hours and hours listening to vilely annoying recorded messages/ music). This year for the next duaghter down I'm determined to get it in just as soon as she firms.

can you put in your firm choice, and then your insurance at a later date, or does it have to be done together? DD1 knows what her firm choice is, but still needs to visit one of her insurance options, but obviously we need to get the finance sorted (and that's going ot be complicated enough as we're self employed).

Thanks for that Webwiz and yellowstone.I read econ & politics and dh law.ds is currently thinking of poltics or combined arts he is also keen on York or St Andrews though.Early days at the moment though,did your children actually end up at Durham .

We had just had some feedback re access and conversationally it had been mentioned that it they may look at parental education etc

I think the UCAS form has a box to tick to indicate whether or not your parents went to university but it certainly doesn't ask for specifics. I don't think it's even obligatory to fill it in. Definitely not something to worry about. None of mine did end up there no, but the place looked even prettier than I remembered when I took them up for a visit!

I think you can firm one choice and leave the insurance till later IshallWearMidnight. All the choices appear in a box and you can select firm/insurance/decline for each one so I presume you could just change one and leave the others till later.

hello all, well done on the good results and commiserations ajandj. DS's results were a mixed bag. AAB and an E!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently that was in maths and was an area that they hadn't even covered yet. Can only imagine they got entered into it (they all did badly apparently) for a kick up the butt! DS doesn't seem at all worried though so fingers crossed he knows what he is doing as he needs AAA!

Felt a little guilty on result day as I'd forgotten DD1 had taken triple science GSE in January. All seems very odd as she is only a few months into 2 year GCSE course but very pleased with ABB. She will re-sit the two Bs and hopefully on target for As!

I will then have to start a thread like this in a few years!

Well done to your DS mumoverseas for the results he was happy with and well done to your DD for making a good start to GCSEs! Its a bit relentless when you have kids that are two or three years apart in age - someone always seems to be either about to take exams or waiting for results. Thank goodness DS is a bit younger and only in year 9 as I need a bit of a break from it all.

webwhiz I'll get a long break then it will start all over again with DC3 and 4 currently aged 4 and 2

I'd be extremely careful IShallWearMidnight. Mine have firmed and insured at the same time so the situation hasn't arisen but my reading is that if you firm only that is taken to mean that you don't wish to exercise your choice to elect an insurance option and that you therefore lose the option. I've asked this years UCAS daughter what she thinks and she says the same. I'd definitely ring UCAS before your DD hits the button!

Ishallwearmidnight - a finance talk at one of the unis we visited last year recommended putting in the finacial application as soon as you could ,even if it meant changing the named university on the form later .
They reckoned that it was a simple process to change name of uni and better to get financial applic off early .
I've no experience of this ,just repeating what said ,assume it's not a process like applying for accomodation that can only start once a firm choice given to UCAS re uni offer .

Yes you're right Yellowstone if you don't pick an insurance choice at the same time as a firm you lose the chance to add one later. Perhaps that should be made clearer in the UCAS site - mine have done the firm/insurance at the same time so it hasn't arisen.

See here:

www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1571535

We applied for DD1's finance before she has made her final decisions and just put the name of the university she was most likely to choose.

My DC firmed and insured his UCAS yesterday .
On first attempt ,he didn't tick the declined boxes for the other 3 and the system wouldn't accept the response .
So I think you have to respond to all 5 on the form ,insurance and firm .
If any help ,we're in a similar situation ,regarding needing to go to second visits before deciding .
One uni kindly agreed to show us round on an unscheduled visit - not as good as an open day but better than nothing .
We're visiting the next on Sat.
So with UCAS's confirmation that this is ok ,we've completed UCAS and will use the 14 day window of opportunity to change decision if necessary .

We went to visit Lancaster & Keele at the weekend.

DD2 didn't seem that keen on Lancaster - it was rather a grey day and we got there a bit early on a Saturday morning & the place was rather dead (not surprisingly) - also they have building works in the main square which is a bit offputting.

She liked Keele though (it was sunny!) so that's her insurance choice. She now has to decide between Leicester & Lancaster.

I hadn't even thought about the finance yet - when is the deadline & how does one apply? I remember a few years ago DD1 brought home an application form from school, but I don't think DD2 has been given anything like that yet - or is it all online now?

My dd is in her first year at Keele and loves it. She likes the fact that she doesn't need to allow too much time to get anywhere on campus. Mind you it will be different next year when she will be living a 40 minute bus ride away.

What is your dd wanting to study?

Hi Larry - she wants to do Politics & History.

Do all the 2nd years have to live so far away from the campus?

Now visiting Southampton next Wednesday, so we'll have made a decision next week thankfully. At least she only has to decide between there and Lancaster having ruled out Birmingham and Exeter. Firm will be Bath now that the resit results have come out.

DS just received last offer - from Bristol

3 x A or 360 points from Maths, FM & Physics

I'm so excited for him, and he doesnt even know yet

so decisions finally being made and then we will only have to wait 5 months and 2 days to find out if they get in