Christmas half term - Year 13 (another original thread title!)

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Carrying on from previous thread

I'm so rubbish with thread titles. Anyway...

This time last year there was lots of chat about tests/exams/mocks at this point. Are there fewer of them, or is everyone more chilled about them?

I can't wait for this week to be over!
DD is struggling, I think the last few weeks are catching up with her.
Didn't stop her going out with friends after work last night instead of getting the early night she needed
Despite my advice! But I do have to remind myself that she's 17 and at her age I'd moved out and was paying my own rent and bills and living as an adult.
I agree with Kitten - we can offer advice and guidance but I don't think it's my place to tell DD what to do or how to spend her time anymore.
If she's going to achieve then the motivation to do it has got to come from her at this point I think, not from me and my nagging!

I do think boys are a lot less grownup at this age than girls though. It is a developmental thing, boys keep growing till they are 21 apparently whereas girls are pretty well finished by 18. Or is that a myth (neuroscientists can explain this to me)

school have sent a letter offering ds1 compulsory twilight in NYear for English Lit. Feel a bit calmer now after my anti school rant, at least they have identified him as needing help.

dd is bored already she only broke up Friday.

I'm bored too kitten. Dd1 is at work, dd2 refuses to leave the house and I can't cope with any more Christmas films! I could always do some of the mountains of work I brought home with me, but I don't want to!!

Letting them make their own mistakes is tricky. Sometimes they end up thinking you don't care, whereas if you try to give advice they think you're interfering.

DS1 has just received an offer from his first choice (Leicester): ABB.
He is not going to get ABB. He might get BBB if he works his socks off.
Does anyone know the probability that they'll accept him with one grade less?

DD is still at school until Wednesday. I had inset today and am now officially finished. Hooray. Looking forward for the chance to be bored!

DD is out with friends straight from school, but I'm hopeful that when she comes in she will tell me her UCAS form has been submitted. She did all her bit on Friday including paying, school was checking her reference today before adding it. This is such a major achievement for her from where she was a few weeks ago!

Second don't know about specific courses/unis obviously, but I can give lots of examples of DC I know who were accepted with a grade less.

raspberry that's good that she has completed her part of the form.

Thesecond I think the simple answer is that it depends. All he can do is ask them when he has his results.

Raspberry You must be so relieved to see the form go off, no having it hanging over her (your) head over the holidays.

That's brilliant that he has a first choice offer Second! Congratulations!
I think it depends a lot on subject but I'm sure I remember some DC going to Leicester last year with a dropped grade (or 2!)
It's worth looking at last August's clearing lists ( if they still exist?) and if his course was on it then there's a good chance they would have accepted a lower grade last year. That doesn't necessarily mean they definitely will this year of course, but I think it gives a pretty good indication of the possibility.

Well done to your DD Raspberry for getting her form in - huge achievement! Fingers crossed her school get their bit done ASAP too.

Well done Raspberry's dd! And that's awesome Second! I hope it works out.

I don't remember paying for DD's UCAS application.

£24

Just home from ds1 first interview. He is very positive about the experience -kicking himself a little as he has now thought of better responses but was happy with the ones he gave at the time.
He should hear one way or another before the end of February.

That's a long wait.

Well Done Drummer's DS - February does seem a long time to wait but I bet it will fly by!

well, the Reading offer I mentioned before was ABB and he got in with BBC. History A level can be particularily erratic. I know people who were meant to get A's and received C's just for some vagary in one paper. Did not mean they were not good historians. Presumably if you overall show some evidence of hard work/ essay writing ability, lecturers will assume you can manage at degree level (I', making an assumption is the lecturers who make decisions, it might be admissions staff

DS1 is really hoping for a BBB / BBC offer from at least one of the other three. The good thing about the ABB Leicester offer is that is doesn't mention anything about the A grade needing to be in History.

ds1 went and asked his teacher politely (I had put the fear of God into him yesterday) whether UCAS had gone off yet. In next two days the teacher said! And they raised his predicted grade for one subject, which I am so relieved about, although as ds1 said, "it's up there, but you cannot reach it ". So at least I now don't have to spend the rest of the holidays wittering on about the subject. I know no offers until at least Jan!

DDs went off yesterday too, she found out when she got an acknowledgement from UCL.

She's a bit fed up now (and anxious) that she'll have to wait until January for offers.

It's a good feeling when they manage to submit their application before school breaks up for the holidays; relieved faces all round.

January isn't too far away, first there is Christmas, then New Year, both of which need to be enjoyed, then it's January, then we can fret again. That's what I keep telling myself as we try not to think about whether dd will get an offer for her first choice.

DS1 just received an email advising him to check Track.
He went to log in to Track; the website was down but they gave a UCAS phone number to ring.
He rang the UCAS number; the person at the other end told him to check Track on the website.

So there's a offer/rejection for him, he just doesn't know which it is.

TheSecond DS has an offer from Leicester of ABB but they have also sent him an alternative offer of BBB if he gets an A in his EPQ.

Leicester is his second choice (at the moment). When we were at the open day the admissions tutor said if a grade was dropped he was to speak to them as they may take a student with a lower grade - the personal statement will come into force at this stage.