Parents of Year 12s - exam time again! (oh no!)

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Just noticed we were running out of thread!

When I went for my interview to Leeds it was winter and raining.

I had a similar experience. Not raining but cold and grey. I stayed overnight with a friend in the year above who was in the first year of the course I was applying for. She hated it and was miserable. I'm sure it's a lovely place, but that didn't exactly come across on my visit!

I have one more train ticket to buy and then I think DS is done until September when he has the final Saturday open day lined up. Whether he arranges anything else remains to be seen, I doubt he will because I think he's already seen The One.

There are three weeks left in term here, not that I'm counting down at all to the end of the 6.15 alarm. DS has a couple of weeks of voluntary work lined up, a week's family holiday, a week's music summer school and a week on a band tour in Holland. It will be September before I know it.

September is going to come so soon isn't it! argh. I don't know when college will want their UCAS forms in, but I suspect by the end of September for Oxbridge applicants. That makes it a little tricky when some universities (I'm looking at you Bath) put their June open days when there are AS exams on.

dd has a full summer too. I hope she finds some time to relax in between.

Dd still has 2 more as exams to do. Maths m1 this week, then M2 the week after! They're so late! She hasn't done her internal exams yet because they're waiting till after the FM exams are finished before the FM group so them, so the rest of the year have all finished with exams but those 8 kids still have more to come.

We're going to Liverpool open day next Saturday, we might see you there Starfleet. We're looking at computing, but also at physics. Then we're off to Durham the week after, then Lancaster in July. None of those are too far to travel, so that's good.

Durham on the 1st? We are there too

Found you all again! I'm so glad ds just had internal exams, but although he worked I think he found some a bit harder than he was used to!

I'm throwing a bit of a curve ball into the gap year mix... DS was going to travel, work, travel. But I'm now wondering whether he'd be better doing an nvq level 2 in plumbing! We're in the middle of having an extension built and I'm just noticing how useful plumbers are..... He could earn money during his uni years, but would it be a bit odd, seeing as he'll hopefully have 3 good a levels when he starts. And he'll be under 19 when he starts so I think it'll be free.

Dd is gong to visit SOAS university. She really likes the idea of studying in London. It's just very expensive but I'm sure it's doable.

If he can manage it Derek and he wants to do it, it'd be very handy!

dd is looking at a couple of London unis. Accommodation cost is frightening!

Durham scary enough , can't consider London prices

I think ds1 has university open days under control. I will be taking him to Nottingham in September and that will be the last.

He just has to work out which colleges he wants to look at when he goes to Cambridge with school.

He is going to get his mocks out of the way this week and then spend some time working out which appeal to him.
He'll start preparing for his theory driving test as well so he is ready to take it when he turns 17.

We haven't done any Open Days. Too busy with exams. Hope we haven't left it too late. I have booked a couple but not till Autumn.

OYBK
Accomodation costs are very very scary.

Ursula I wouldn't worry about it, there will be days for offer holders later in the year and they should be less of a bun fight. If you have a child who actually reads the prospectus, looks at the course modules and reads reviews of the place then they have plenty of information about the course with which to make an informed decision. I don't have a child like that but I'm hoping he'll magically turn into one when we get back from an open day.

Westminster made it to DS1's long list, but the halls are £7K a year and are closer to our house than they are to the university!

Derek a level 2 qualification will not be free if he has qualifications to a level 3 (which A levels are). Education is only free up to 19 if you have not achieved a level 3. It is to give students a chance to complete a level 2 vocational qualification and then go into a level 3 after leaving year 11.

My dad was a plumber/heating engineer I doubt he would get much work with so little experience.

Halls so far have been illustrated at £X per week which sounds smaller and also means you have to look whether it is a 39, 42 or 43 week contract. I am avoiding that discussion at the moment and will face that once he's thought about where he's going.

I nearly fainted at the cost of halls! Mine used to be £26 a week all in and the shared housing I lived in for the next 3 years used to be £20 per week plus bills. DS rolls his eyes when I tell him and reminds me that it was nearly 30 years ago!

Ursula - quite a few of DS's friends are going to open days in September/October. We're only doing them this side of summer as football season tends to take over at the weekends from the end of August and as he plays in net his teams kind of need him .

Dragon - we are doing Liverpool on Friday and Manchester on Saturday.

7000 a year at Durham including 2 meals a day

Oh, we won't bump into each other then Starfleet. I might bump into Doc at Durham though. I quite fancy sending her to Durham, it's a nice place and not too far to drive.

is a lot of the accommodation at Durham shared? dd doesn't care about shared bathrooms but a shared room would be a deal breaker.
It's also about a six hour drive from us, which while ok, means a very very expensive rail journey for her.

I'd love DD to go to Durham but she hasn't shown any interest. She seems to have set her mind on Liverpool. Goodness knows why.

Can someone explain the finances to me nearer the time.

Open days don't seem to be on DD's radar at all. I think she is in denial now as she is convinced her AS results are appalling.

Ursula I have DS1 just completed first year at uni so can answer finance queries when you are ready. I would advise everyone to make sure all their P60s, interest statements etc are filed carefully as they come in now as the maintenance loan will be based on the tax year just finished.

Thanks eatingtoomuch I did think it was odd, but I couldn't see the restrictions.
DS is convinced he wants to go to Exeter, so unless he doesn't get the predicted grades I don't think he'll look elsewhere. Bangor & Plymouth are on the radar but I think its unlikely we'll visit this year. Because of the planned gap year I'm feeling quite relaxed about it all

Dd is debating over shared bathroom or not. She's in boarding school currently so has experience. She doesn't hate hate it but doesn't love love it. She's in the middle of hate and love apparently 🤔