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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

Original poster

Year 12 - first half term DONE.

999 replies

OhYouBadBadKitten · 19/10/2016 13:25

new thread so we don't get lost. Well done to all our dc whether doing btech (or breach as autocorrect prefers to call it) or a levels. 1/6 of the way through this year. (blimey)

OP posts:
MsAwesomeDragon · 12/01/2017 17:54

raspberry DD decided not to do the job at McDonald's, so she's not got a job anywhere atm. She's writing a CV (basically her name, address and what school she's at really) and handing it in at the farm park (you'll know the one), and at the supermarkets near us to see if they need shelf stackers. We're proceeding as if she's going on the trip (because she will be unless she has a properly good reason not to) so she needs to have a job.

Drs I think in England the MA at undergraduate is a proper equivalent to an MA after the BA. It was when I did my degree, but that's quite some time ago now, and there weren't many MA places offered.

TheDrsDocMartens · 12/01/2017 18:19

Yes Scotland. 4 year course but one abroad.

FantasyAndHope · 12/01/2017 20:35

Dd likes Durham and Newcastle but she's always liked down south up until recently Been in a relationship Hmm I have a feeling she doesn't want to travel far for him

Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 12/01/2017 22:17

dd was looking at cambridge colleges tonight. How on earth do you narrow down which ones you are interested in? There's about a billion of them! Some were easy to eliminate, others were struck off for random arbitrary reasons. I guess she'll do the same for Oxford too. argh.

OP posts:
raspberryrippleicecream · 12/01/2017 22:25

I don't know about Cambridge, DS1 did actually choose an Oxford College to apply to but you don't have to.

HesMyLobster · 12/01/2017 22:38

Kitten dd is going through the same process. She has decided on Oxford rather than Cambridge based on subject content so that's one decision made at least!
She thought she knew which college she wanted (the one she has visited twice on school trips) but has just discovered that one doesn't offer the course she wants, so back to square one there.
She has booked onto a Subject Open Day in March, which she will have to travel to alone, so I'm taking her in on the train during half term and our mission that day is to visit as many colleges offering her subject as possible and hopefully choose one.

The others on her list so far are St Andrews and Durham Shock so far away!

I keep mentioning positives about Nottingham and Birmingham (we're in the Midlands . . ! Wink

eatingtomuch · 13/01/2017 07:51

Mrsawsomdragon a lot of the main stores do there applications online, they won't accept a CV.
Once you complete the online test you can keep applying for jobs as they come up.
My DS did this and has a great job at a large retail store. They have been excellent to work for.

TheDrsDocMartens · 13/01/2017 11:10

Dd1 refused to look at Cambridge or Oxford. Tried to get her to try a summer course at Oxford but still not having it.
Less stress this way though as it's longer for applications!

catslife · 13/01/2017 12:10

Welcome to new posters and returners.
bird I know what you mean about A level options. Both DH and I have Science degrees and A levels but dd has opted for more creative subjects.
There must be some sort of rule where teens are attracted to different areas that those studied by their parents...
I cannot believe we are at the stage where our dcs are considering unis.
dd started sixth form with the idea of taking an advanced apprenticeship after college but she may consider uni. TBH we are not sure quite how good to have to be to take a degree in Art or Design. Uni applications do have a well defined timetable and it seems much less clear for alternatives. I have seen Design apprenticeships advertised locally so perhaps there is hope.
On another note dd witnessed a fight one lunch-time this week at the college cafe. It was quickly dealt with by staff but it was a bit of a shock to her (nothing like that happened at her secondary school).

muffinmonster · 14/01/2017 09:44

Gosh, you are all very forward-thinking with the open days. When DD (now in 2nd year of uni) was looking we didn't actually go to any open days until term 1 of Y13. She was very pessimistic about her AS results and said there was no point in going until she knew what they were.

DS has only the vaguest idea what he wants to do (something maths-y), so it's hard to know where to start. Oxbridge is a possibility, though, so I guess we'd better get our skates on.

derektheladyhamster · 15/01/2017 16:49

I think the idea is that they come back in yr 13 with a first draft of their personal statement. I think they want everything done and dusted sooner rather than later, and of course Oxbridge entries are quite early in yr 13. I think they are already working on interview techniques ( not something DS is up to though).

Most open days are not until July/ sept though

MsAwesomeDragon · 15/01/2017 17:35

Dd hasn't started looking too deeply into university open days either muffin. She has looked at which courses she likes the look of, but hasn't decided which open days she wants to go to.

FantasyAndHope · 15/01/2017 20:06

DD has a viewing for lancaster in march for history/politic related courses. I have noticed a shift in her options since getting a boyfriend as i stated upthread, not saying anything as she's very happy and in love at the minute however i think nearer towards the end of this academic year I might push the chat about making sure she chooses as to where is right for her and not for the sake of a relationship.

muffinmonster · 16/01/2017 08:09

Well there's a meeting at DS's school tonight to discuss higher education and careers, so that should help me get my head in the game. I really wish DS could opt out of the process until he's got some idea what he wants to do, but I have read that gap years are frowned upon for maths, because it's skills-based and you go rusty. (Apparently. Hmm

HesMyLobster · 16/01/2017 08:40

Hope it's a worthwhile one Muffin and gives you DS some ideas.
Let us know if there's any useful information.
Dd doesn't get any UCAS input from school until close to the summer.
Which is probably fine for most, but not so much for my "got to have a plan" dd!

Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 16/01/2017 10:15

I do think that is true Muffin - unless you use maths regularly it falls out of your brain with scary ease.

I don't really know when dds college talks about this stuff. She has a couple of open days she wants to go to, but booking for them hasnt opened yet.

OP posts:
MsAwesomeDragon · 16/01/2017 23:41

It might be frowned upon muffin but it was certainly possible a few (16) years ago when I started my maths degree. I was on my 3 rd gap year Blush when I applied. I came out with a first, so I can't have lost all my maths. I do think we put a lot of pressure on young people to know what they want to do with the rest of their lives at this age, some of us need a bit more time to think about it! (I'm talking about me there, not DD, she knows exactly what she wants to do)

Fantasy, do have that talk at some point. If I'd based life decisions on my teenage relationship I'd have stayed at home and gone to the local uni, which wouldn't have been as good for me as leaving and experiencing other places and living independently.

FantasyAndHope · 17/01/2017 21:13

Ms
I mean the universities close To him she wants to apply to are good Durham and Newcastle but she did want to look at London unis and Warwick

MsAwesomeDragon · 17/01/2017 21:25

She can always look at all of them. I went to Newcastle and it was great, but I was obviously there quite a while ago. She might decide for herself that she prefer somewhere further south.

muffinmonster · 19/01/2017 20:13

Thanks for the reassurance, MrsAwesomeDragon. Meanwhile, however, DS has decided he definitely wants to do Maths (no surprises there). There's lots going on at the school for the next couple of weeks, with subject talks and talks about Oxbridge, study in Europe, study in the US, gap years etc., and then a careers and higher education fair at the end of the month. DS won't be short of information!

TheSecondOfHerName · 19/01/2017 21:04

Well DS1 is still in school, so that's good. At the moment, the furthest ahead I can contemplate is what he'll be doing in September. If he doesn't get the expected grades at the end of Y12, can the school refuse him entry to Y13? It's a state academy.

eatingtomuch · 19/01/2017 22:33

TheSecondherName 6th form will have a pass criteria for year 13. At my DS school a number of students get a goodbye letter with their AS results. I am very nervous after my DS mocks were not great.

MsAwesomeDragon · 20/01/2017 07:08

I don't think we ever refuse to keep a pupil but we "strongly recommend" that they go elsewhere to try something different. If someone has failed their As levels then we would make them redo year 12 if they don't follow our strong recommendation.

We're still trying to sort out a work experience placement. She's spoken to quite a few places, who would all be happy to have her, but not during the week school want her to be out doing work experience! It's getting rather frustrating now, but we've still got a couple of places getting back to us in the next week or so.

Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 20/01/2017 08:28

this might reassure you Muffin.

OP posts:
Icouldbeknitting · 20/01/2017 09:07

TheSecond There will be a policy about progression, I just looked and our college says students need a pass in two A/S and a good level of attendance. That is doubly useless as students taking all linear courses don't take A/S and without defining what a "good level" is they can't enforce it. The website has dates for 2015 so that says it all. Sorry, I tried. I suspect it was all spelled out in the enrollment paperwork that DS filled in and I never saw.