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.

I think I've got a parents evening next week to go to next week, I assume we'll get dd's predicted grades then.

I hope your dd feels better soon raspberry.

Great news on the remark lashings!!!

I hope your DD feels better soon raspberry. My DD missed school today due to illness, and she will miss it tomorrow for a university visit. I hope she feels well enough to get the most out of tomorrow's visit. We also have another uni to look at on Saturday.

We have parents eve end of September too. I agree it's a bit late by then for predicted grades. DD was given hers yesterday (better than hoped! Phew!) and is hoping to send application off tomorrow, although her meeting with Head of 6th form was cancelled today and it depends if she gives her the go ahead I suppose.

I've just dropped her and a friend at the train station - they're going into Birmingham to see one of their favourite bands (I've never heard of them and it's in a pub/bar - her first proper "gig" ) Very unlike her on a school night but they've been waiting forever apparently for them to tour, so she's put everything else on hold for the night.

Glad your dd has the anti B's Raspberry, hopefully she'll be on the mend very soon.

DD's school haven't indicated when they will do the predicted grades. It is frustrating as DD wants to do medicine, and she will have to apply next month. We are looking at unis that offer foundation courses as well in case she doesn't get the grades.

Chocolate that's a relief that it's going well.

Lashings great news about the remark.

DS1 has spent two evenings this week babysitting and one evening helping at a church youth club. Still can't seem to tolerate his own younger siblings though.

Thanks Awesome & Second. We don't have parents evening for a long while yet. So far we have had one grade confirmed, but it's the other too we need, especially with a few more uni visits & choices to be made and just prolongs the agony!

I hope the antibiotics are kicking in Raspberry, tonsillitis is rotten.

I have no idea how you are supposed to select unis if you don't have your predicted grades. There's lots of time for most, as long as college hasn't put artificial due dates on, but for those hoping for specific grades for the early application courses, it doesn't seem very fair.

I have no idea how or when college give out predicted grades, I would look on the annual timetable except they haven't uploaded it yet. I am certain that they will be doing them for DS before the end of October as they have a reference to write by then and I made contact with the person ultimately responsible for that in July. I did have concerns that they are were going to overlook the non-conforming student who is taking an alternative route and that DS wouldn't assert himself enough to get what he needs to move forward. I'm still concerned about the former but less about the latter.

DS is still waiting for predicted grades too. I'm not really sure why it's taking so long as he did two AS as well as school exams in his other subjects just before the end of Year 12. So the school has plenty of info to go on.

Hoping to get them next week so DS can firm up his uni choices...

Oh dear raspberry at least it's at the start of A2's rather then exam season I'm hoping dd gets all sicky bugs out now
Dds school was hot on predicted grades and gave them out last term however some are still changing

lashings good news about the remark.
raspberry hope dd is feeling better soon.

Dd had her predicted grades the first week back. They would like everyone to be ready to submit by mid-October but are flexible if that is not possible. However 'We are flexible' ought to be her school's motto.

We had a Y13 parent meeting at school last night. It was really comprehensive, but I didn't take notes (apart from photographing one slide!).

From memory there was nothing that most people on here aren't aware of already. They did however explain why they wanted everyone to be ready to submit their forms around the same time as the early entry people though. Apparently they have found that more and more offers are being given on a first come first served basis, and that when they get to a number they are happy with, they will stop. They did also say though that they know that some places (I think they cited Philosophy at Exeter) won't look at a single application before January.

They also recommended a couple of course finding websites (Centigrade and Morisby), but having had a cursory look at them, I can't see they offer anything that personal search or the schools careers service isn't offering, and you have to pay.

DD has her predictions, but had to ask for them because she was getting in a tizzy about one of them. Apparently they will be uploaded on to the school system "soon".

Legally those who apply earlier are not supposed to be at an advantage to those who apply later on in the process.

Our school want everything done by mid October too, yet haven't released predicted grades, despite AS results & a whole year's worth of test results - how hard can it be? There's so much conflicting advice from schools & Unis & differing exam routes this year, it's no wonder we all turn to this forum - think I learn most info on here! As far as school's concerned knitting they don't even go into alternative route options, just give you a website to research it all yourself. The only talk I've ever seen on a degree apprenticeship level was accountancy & law, nothing else.

Thanks NoHaudin

The advice offered at that parents evening is disgraceful and ignorant.

Apart from the completely incorrect advice about courses being filled on a first come, first serve basis, the course finding websites are utterly useless and actually do a much worse job than personal search does i.e. they miss courses that don't fit their narrow searches.

Genuinely shocked - and depressed. All our (universities) work with schools gets undone by this kind of rubbish.

Wow user that is awful that schools are still giving out such poor advice.

I know my DD's school seem to be pretty good at most things, but when dd first showed her PS to her tutor she was a bit surprised at the critique she was given to "improve" it.

She was told to make it less about the books she's read and what she thinks and more about what she's done. ("You've barely mentioned D of E and haven't written anything about Dance and Drama or the maths competitions you've done") The complete opposite of all the advice and info I've ever seen on here or the student room which is to write about only extra curriculars relevant to the subject.

So dd has ignored most of it and has a meeting to go over final draft today. Fingers crossed she stands up for herself if challenged about it.

why are schools so crap at this? dd was encouraged to do all sorts of extra curricular stuff for her PS when she was at secondary. The HT even collared her to tell her she must do DoE. Fortunately, thanks to mn I knew that was all bollocks and so she did stuff that she was interested in rather than stuff that would look good.

Just found this - can always rely on Mumsnet .

We are waiting for predicted grades, Oxbridge applications have to be submitted to school this weekend and the rest by mid-October.

School has not been helpful at all - go and look at websites, students are supposed to be independent and do all research. I get that they are trying to increase their independence but this is the final stage and really the last time they should get some help before hitting university and the big wide world. They should be independent in a supportive environment not just told to go to the library and look it up. Quite disappointed about sixth form support.

User721 I do understand that the first come first served method certainly is not usual, nor I imagine widespread, but what school said last night does tie up with what we were told by two admissions tutors that DD has spoken to (and I heard myself, so not heresy). Both said that they work their way through the applications, and continue to make offers till they are happy they have enough of the right people. It could be that that is specific to a very small number of subjects, at a very small number of universities. I imagine that DDs school saying that they want everyone to submit in October, or early Nov if possible, means that no one is disadvantaged by being told there is no need to get their application in for non early entry universities till January.

It is really neither disgraceful, nor ignorant for them to encourage UCAS forms to be submitted as soon as is feasible.

Peace and love all.

dds sixth form said that they want them to apply via UCAS asap because they don't want loads of students leaving it up to the last minute, which would leave subject tutors too little time to check personal statements etc. So am not sure if this apply early mantra is really due to the unis or the sixth forms.
dd is still undecided and has booked a careers appointment next week. In one of her courses (the vocational A level) they are looking at related careers as one of their coursework units and work experience is being organised before half term.

Kitten I agree, there seems to be a real disconnect on the whole PS & careers info. The difference in advice between DC1 & DC2 is astounding & I don't know why. I totally agree with you Double scoop the DC do need more support/advice at a crucial stage in their lives & it needs to be cohesive across the board. I still think businesses could connect more with schools from Yr9-Yr13, so that students get a real grasp of all possible routes open to them & teachers learn about those routes too, especially in the case of IT types of jobs, where things are changing so rapidly, schools are probably out of touch with it all themselves.

But inchy it is simply not allowed to treat applicants who apply before the January deadline differently. It doesn't happen.

So sure courses that can make plenty of offers will put out offers way before January.

And sure courses will offer until they think they have made enough offers - but the latter happens well after the January deadline, not before. Please let UCAS know of any admissions tutor who says that that courses stop making offers before the January deadline because such behaviour is simply not allowed.

It is disgraceful to imply there is an advantage (in terms of getting offers) by submitting UCAS forms before the January deadline. There is advantage of getting the UCAS submission out of the way, getting offers potentially before Christmas. But submitting forms earlier than the January deadline is a disadvantage if pupils are not actually sure what they want to do - they shouldn't be rushed into a decision by fear of all the places being gone.

BTW in the current climate relatively few Russell Group courses stop making offers to qualified candidates because they feel full - let alone lower tariff courses. Of course the usual exceptions apply - medicine, Oxbridge and very top courses, vet sciences etc - but you could apply to e.g. many Russell Group chemistry or MFL courses in April and still get an offer if your grade profile is in the right ball park. If your school is not telling you this, then they aren't keeping up with what's going on in higher education.

Ursula what did your DD think of Nottingham?

DD loved it. She even made a friend.

DS1 was really pleased he got his applications all done early. By Christmas he'd got all his offers and accepted his Firm and Insurance, then he could concentrate totally on his A levels.

He felt sorry for people still trying to decide on their choices in December.