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.

Just waiting for DS to get back from Leeds. He will get the biggest hug.

There was something on the news about the body of 17 year old boy found in a tent at Reading. It's every parents worst nightmare and I can't imagine what his family will be going through.

To all who have had DC's away at festivals over the past few days - I hope they all arrive home safely.

Signing in join a thread with just over a week until dd officially starts Y13.
I have heard that too starfleet and agree with your comments.

It took me 3 bloody hours to get to Leeds to pick DD up. M62 shut as someone had jumped from a bridge. Then a trillion others cars trying to get to the pick up point. She can drive herself next year.

DS1 is safely back from Reading. He was already asleep when we got back from a lunch out, and he hasn't emerged yet.

DS is back from his band tour. The washing has not been too bad - I strongly suggested that it would be a good idea for him to take the smaller suitcase as he would also be taking an instrument and an instrument stand (it was originally going to be two instruments and I think he would have needed a pack mule). Small case = less laundry. I have always suspected that a lot of the clothes he brings home are clean and unworn but now I'm sure of it.

Two weeks here until we get back to some sort of a routine.

DD had a fabulous time at a concert in London yesterday. Very excited that "Drake" had flown in by helicopter from Leeds festival to take part in the concert. Loads of other artists in the same concert - absolutely none that I had heard of.

Feel so, so old lol.

We had a day trip to Bath & Bristol yesterday to try to help DD find a fifth option, should she not get the predicted grades for Oxford. It went well, and she loved the Bath campus, and the area round the uni in Bristol. We sat down today to make a new list, with grades required and so on, and have ended up with a list of 12.

She can't easily take part in her favourite sport in Bath though, so that might discount it when she has a think, plus Bristol has relatively poor graduate prospects, though we can't figure out why.

She has also decided she definitely prefers compact sites though, which discounts any of the London options.

Glad all the festivallers are home safely

While the rest of us have been out enjoying the sunshine DD has spent today finally writing her personal statement!
It still needs a bit of pruning (too many words!) but I'm very impressed with what she's written - far better than I expected for a first draft.

I think it's taken a bit of a weight off her mind to finally get it down on paper (and mine!) x

dd loved Bath too Inchy, didn't like Bristol itself though.

That's good stuff Lobster :)

Have just booked a raft of open days for September: Bristol, Leicester, Nottingham and Manchester.

Bristol is on DD's list, she likes the town (we have family there) but has decided not to visit unless she gets an offer.
We went to an open day at Leicester last year and loved it, but DD won't consider it as it's too close to home. Same goes for Nottingham unfortunately. I think they are both wonderful places and have heard good things about both universities.

DS has Leicester on his list as a back up grades wise. We are yet to visit.

Bristol is the furthest for us. A 5 hour train journey and an overnight stay. The return train fare for both of us is £158.00 and that includes using DD's railcard.

DD is going to Exeter open day on Saturday, which is the furthest away for us, a very long drive. DH's extended family lives down that way though so it's a combined trip.

DS1 likes the look of the course at Leicester, but with predicted grades of BBC, it's a bit aspirational at the moment. He has yet to go to an open day.

How do you know the predicted grades? DD's school haven't given any out yet. They wait until after the AS exams before doing so.

DD's school is the same Lonicerna, no predicted grades yet. We can make a guess based on her AS and internal mock results, but DD is anxious about choosing universities until she knows for sure.
We're hoping she'll find out in the next couple of weeks.

Back to school today!

dds college wait until AS results are out too, but I get the impression the predictions are very tightly tied to them.

He was told his predicted grades for two of the subjects at the end of the summer term (his school bases them on internal exams taken in the May of Y12). For the other grade, his teacher told him what it would be conditional on him getting a particular grade at AS.

Two of his subjects are linear (no AS) and those are the two predicted grades he has been given 'officially' (letter from the school sent to our home address).

DDs school base their predictions on AS grades (still taken in all subject this year). They got a full presentation at the end of term telling them there was no point in asking for a prediction of more than one grade above their AS grades, and that there was no point in saying school were "ruining their lives forever" because they would not change their predictions. You could just tell they get the same requests every year! I hope they get them fairly promptly when they get back. DD is considering attempting 4 A levels, and I'm really not convinced it is a great idea. If she gets the predictions she would need for the highest tariff course she is considering, I think she'd be relatively easily persuaded to drop one, to focus on maximising her grades.

I think 3 A levels is wiser with the new 2 year courses. More to revise. Offers are for 3 and the 4th is irrelevant.

Back safely from Reading here. Working on PS with friends. Has post Reading cold which is apparently common.

Best of luck all DC with grade predictions. We know ours. Unis do quite often accept with lower predictions if overall application is good in my experience.

Talking as A level teacher and 6th form tutor re:3 A levels only advice

I'm hoping dd1 can get a grade higher in at least one of her subjects as her predicted grades. She needs ABB for her favourite uni so far or AAB for second. Favourite is likely to be flexible as EPQ is related.

I completely agree Violet. The only thing making her hesitate is that the four subject does have some relevance to her chosen course. She'll manage fine without it, the universities all seem to provide support for it, but she is keen to do a masters with a year abroad, and the fourth subject is a language. Otherwise, it's a no brainer really (for me if not DD).