New Batch of Year 13 parents this way!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Hopefully this thread will appear on TIO! No need to use it til our old thread is done, but at least we have it for when we are ready.

Dd is working on her PS. The member of staff who had a look at it didn't make many suggestions for alterations which he did for some of her peers, so I think she must be on the right lines.

MrSlant I think if he has loads of practical, relevant experience that must play a major part in his statement. If his dyspraxia has affected how he got there in a positive way it would be really useful to discuss that too.
DD got interested in language because she is dyslexic and got so frustrated by the English spelling system that she worked on her own reform. That fact is how she is beginning her PS.
Incidentally I know that you are looking at Welsh universities. My ds is at Swansea and has lots of additional support. It might not be on your list and he is doing a totally different subject but if it is relevant please pm me.

No offence meant about hills lonicerajaponica. I hope your DD finds a uni that is right for her.

For us, it is a joke, laidback friend's DD doesn't want to over exert herself despite academically working hard. A genuine consideration.

Having a DS doing maths type degree, he extols the virtues of simon singh. Maths reading is a bit beyond me. But I'm sure it is good further reading.

Simon Singh is great extra reading for maths, between dd and me we've got all of his books. Dd subscribes to a nice YouTube channel called numberphile, which is lovely but perhaps aimed a little young for sixth form (the man is part of a comedy group called festival of the spoken nerd - they're great live if you ever get the chance to see them and you are a bit nerdy).

I've just booked our tickets and hotel for dd's birthday trip to London. I'm very excited much more than she is

Don't worry about it voilets

Mrslant I found this website helpful for ps, I don't know if Ds1 looked at it but he has had loads of input from school.
www.studential.com/university/applying/UCAS-application-guide/personal-statement-examples

They have examples by course or uni.

If anyone is at Notts on Saturday, ds1 needs a haircut, I will be following several steps behind looking exhausted!

That's a really helpful link drummers - I've just sent it to DS in the hope that he will work a little more on his PS!

She is safely home from DofE. The worst experience everrrr apparently. Cut off from everything up a Welsh mountain in the rain. But she's loved it.

Bizarrely her group and two others had harder and longer walks than others as they were deemed to be fitter. But they all end up with the same result.

DDs DofE groups were the same Ursula it made no sense to me either.

Thanks for the PS link drummers. That is really interesting.

Glad she's home safe Ursula

Didn't they plot their own course? So they decide in their group how long/hard it's going to be in advance?

Although I know most seem to have had to change route at some point due to the "inclement conditions".

They did their own routes originally but they kept getting changed because of the conditions.

drummer that's a fantastic link thank you. Wow, some of those are very impressive! It's certainly upped it's game since I did mine. I remember writing it out so neatly on the back of the paper form, times have changed.

I'm glad you've found this link useful. I have had so much advice and support from you all that it's nice to give something back.
It's great that your dc have all survived dofe, they must have gained a lot from the experience.
Ds1 is waiting to get his ps and ucas application back after his teachers have checked/suggested changes/approved it.

Glad she's back safe ursula
Dd has hit A2's with a bang 4 essays already and some exams she is juggling work well so far

That is a fab link!

I'm glad to hear all your DC have returned safely from their DoE expeditions after the weather!

Well, we have good news! Had one of DD's AS' remarked and she got regraded!! I didn't hold out much hope but she went up a few marks, so worth it in the end!

Drummer excellent PS link! DD's is done now, but good info on there for anyone still doing theirs. Exeter wasn't for my DD after tour & got 3 more to do, one right up to the school's UCAS deadline so do we stick it on before seeing it to get UCAS school deadline done before, or wait until we see it? What to do??

Another one coming on to say thank you for the brilliant link, Drummer! Have sent it to DS as he's planning to work on his PS this weekend.

The PS in the link must differ greatly by subject because the ones I looked at contain all the trite phrases that they tell them not to use. "Ever since I was a child I have wanted..", "My life's dream has always to be...".

Lashings she sticks it on the form having made her decision based on the prospectus, the nitty gritty course details and the sites that compare similar courses. Visiting is not compulsory and some students I know are only planning on going on offer days.

Fab news about the remark lashings :)

Thanks kitten - worth all the running around now, plus the reimbursement!

knitting her final two UCAS choices are being based on the last three uni visits now. I would have thought like that, but Exeter, which was a top choice on paper, turned into a definite no for DD after our visit

That's brilliant news Lashings!

I've seen a few people say that dc don't have to put all 5 on the UCAS application at once.
So if a dc wanted to apply to Oxbridge they could submit their application for the early Oxbridge date and then go back and add other choices later. I don't see why your dd couldn't do the same, as long as it's done before the UCAS deadline.

Incidentally, what put your dd off Exeter?
(My dd is one of the no viewings until offer days brigade - she's chosen 5 based purely on course content. She's perfectly confident that she'll be fine at any of her 5 but I'm a bit wobbly about it!)

Brilliant news Lashings.

DD is off sick with tonsillitis this week, properly I'll. Thank goodness she decided against Oxford last week, otherwise the no PS yet would be a lot more critical.

Exeter open day confirmed It as her first choice, she loved the course and the uni. Current list is Exeter, Liverpool, UCL, Edinburgh and another.

I am pleased (and hugely relieved) to report that all has gone well with the first 2 days back at college. DD is happy with her new subject, her teacher changed for one of her other subjects and she likes this new teacher. Very bizarre thing happened yesterday - DD was sitting with a group of friends at break, and the girl that punched her decided to sit with them! Everyone ignored the girl but to be fair she didn't cause any trouble. DD said it was utterly weird!

Excellent news lashings

Sorry to hear about your DD raspberry - I remember only too well how miserable tonsillitis is

Oh that sounds like good news Chocolate, completely odd, but hopefully it means this girl won't be giving your poor dd any more trouble.

Raspberry your poor dd, hope she feels better soon. Does she have antibiotics? I know GPs are reluctant to prescribe them. We had quite a fight to get them last time dd2 had it, but they worked so fast once we did.

Thanks Lobster, Chocolate & Raspberry. I hope your DD feels better soon Raspberry as tonsillitis is rotten Glad to hear DD has had a good start back Chocolate

DD is veering more towards a city campus I think & Exeter talk & team didn't excite her as much as other Unis she's visited. Plus there was only one student to talk to & they couldn't answer quite a few questions, so for first impressions she felt a bit underwhelmed as her personal experience.

I'm still waiting for school to issue DD's predicted grades, and in light of remark, as haven't got a Scooby Doo otherwise if it's worth her putting her top choice on the form. Is anyone else in this predicament after AS exams? I can't believe it's only been 8 days back & already Y13 feels like it's whipping up a frenzy!

That's good Chocolate.

Thanks for all the good wishes. She does have antibiotics, yesterday was Day 5 and getting worse, so the GP was happy to prescribe. Hoping she'll start to pick up soon.

We don't yet have DD's predicted grades either lashings. She's been informally told 2 in the 4 days she's actually been at school. We have a parents' evening at the end of September to discuss predictions and references. Which seems very late for the early entry people.