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?

Yeah for Lobster's DD. 👏

Congratulations kitten and lobster!

Thankyou Knitting, That means a lot. You and your DS are going through so much, I can't even begin to imagine how hard it is. Your DS is doing incredibly well just to keep going. (As are you)

I agree with Lobster. You're amazing knitting.
Well done on the offers.

Yay for Oxbridge offers
DS has been suspended for 2 days for getting drunk on the last night
of term. (Boarding school so extra duty of care) just waiting for the Head to return from a conference to confirm.
Still,at least it wasn't for sending dick pics as a mate said

oh no! oops Derek! there are worse things to be suspended for though.

Yay kitten and lobster !!!

Fantastic news - very well done to your DCs (and to you - I do hope you're taking most of the credit )

Oh dear Derek!

Kitten and Lobster fantastic news, well done!

Icouldbe you are both doing so well.

DD has received an offer from Liverpool (ABB) which is her hoped for insurance. Still waiting for one (Durham) but her front runner first choice was always Exeter or UCL, so she is happy.

Her friend has an offer for Oxford today, so lots of celebrating.

Well done kitten and lobster !!!!!!!🍾🍾🥂🥂

I could go to bed for a week I reckon! I have no idea how dd will do her exams tomorrow, I think nervous tension has been holding her together.

Are the offers what was expected? I.e. they still need to achieve top results?

One of dds friends didn't get an offer but to be honest I couldn't see her fitting in at Oxford. The two who I know have offers will fit in perfectly and I'm so happy for them.

Dd will get her offer in the post, but it's usually a a a and a 1,1 in STEP. The a levels are normal for competitive maths degrees, it's the STEP that is fiercely hard and around half of cambridge maths students don't make their STEP offer and lose their place in august when the results come out. It's a very harsh system.

I only graduated myself last year so I’ve a good idea on loans etc. Not done anything about applying yet. Accommodation is next.

Went looking for the calculator but it’s not even up yet. Would be nice to know amounts!

found this

shiney
We have started to think about finances considering all 5 of her uni choices are London based
Well done raspberry and lobster
derek
There are frequent suspensions at dds school for that

We have started to look at finances. Warwick is ds's top choice. With international fees and living costs we are looking at 100k for his 4 year course (placement year). Arrangement with Ds is that we will pay, but he needs to repay half once he is working.

ds1 has an interview from Surrey arranged. That's two interviews ahead and 2 universities not replied yet! And they would both need to interview if they reply, I think ds has bitten off slightly more than he can chew. I wonder whether he thought this through??? (bearing in mind I didn't want him to apply this year at all????) one offer with no interview.

Hi everyone. Congratulations to everyone - offers, interviews, submitting forms. Great stuff.

DS is about to finish mocks although there are more to come towards the end of term. I think they have done the job of giving him a shock, despite the fact he did do some revision over the holidays....just not enough!

He has 5 offers so decisions will need to be made in the Easter holidays.

Dd would have loved to go to a London Uni but I think I did a pretty effective job of putting her off.

I think dd was put off by the long travel often needed between accommodation and london universities. And she didn't like the universities she looked at anyway

finances are a bit scary. But nothing like overseas scary so I feel much more grateful now!

Dd loved London and she’s really pleased to be going
The accommodation and travel will be the main bulk of the cost
An international student at her school got a place at Cambridge and the fees are £30k per year 😨
Several of her friends were put off oxford as it’s london prices near enough without the London student loan

Blimey £30k pa? I was really baulking at the £9k!

Gosh so a lot of work to put in yet OYBBK!

As it it turned out DS's application wasn't actually sent in he was getting ahead of himself so, today, with so many hours left to go, it has finally left his school and winged it's way to actual UCAS. Is there a prize for last, please, pretty please? Box of hair dye would do.

May I have a little hurrah about DS2, he wants to apply to Oxbridge to do maths when it's his turn and he got an A* in his first maths GCSE today (in Wales so still letter based grades and a second GCSE in 'pure' maths to take yet which is his stronger subject). Also a B in English language, do you think it wise he re-does this in summer if he wants to go to a higher up uni? He thinks he'll get an A for his lit.