Year 12 (4): The one where they're pondering what to do next

[Numbersaremything]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/further_education/3491933-year-12-3-open-days-and-predicted-grades-beckon

Let's try this

This is a supportive thread for chatting about our Year 12s who may be heading to university, investigating apprenticeships, going down a vocational route or are just generally dazed and confused about their future.

Good title! Thanks for the new thread - DS is definitely still at the pondering stage!

Checking in. DS decided on subject but University choices keep changing. I think I have booked more open days than we can attend!

I am checking in. DD is off to UCAS fair in 2 weeks. She has signed up for 3 open days. I have multi-reminders to get her railcard sorted out (she'll go to ODs on her own, although I offered to pay for a friend to go with her if she wants).

She declined to do math A-level at end of yr12 which I think was significant mistake. She suffers from exam anxiety & having one in the bg would have done a lot to reduce that for yr13, but heyho, it was her choice & at least she thought hard about it.

Among the challenges, DD has a (first) serious boyfriend. He may be good for going to OpenDays with her. Or he may break her heart. I stay tuned.

Hi checking in. Hi Lljkk what subjects is she doing and what does she hope to do after yr13 uni?

Yes my DS has had a girlfriend since August last year too. I am hoping that if there is any heartbreaking to be donenit doesn't happen at a time where it would affect revision, exams etc!

If you count the ones in Y11, this is our 24th thread...

DS2 is revising for internal exams after half term which will form the basis for the grades predictions the school submits to UCAS. He doesn't seem to be revising much this week, although to be fair he has kept on top of his studies all year.

He then has a couple of open days booked for late June.

Checking in!
DS has exams after half term, then a Parents’ Evening and then he needs to make a decision about which of his four to drop. I was hoping that his half term grades would make it obvious, but his two ‘possibles’ had exactly the same level. Not helpful...

Anyone going to Exeter on Friday?

Not as many threads as for the Archers!

Lljkk, our college advises against taking maths in year 12 IF you are going to study a maths based degree, unless you do FM in year 13. They say you tend to lose maths if you don't use it. Perhaps that is why.

It's a combination of going solo or taking one of us to open days. Some train fares are stupid money, so going with us is the lesser of 2 evils.

Kingscote - DS won't give up precious revision time for Exeter as he exams continue after half term so we will be going in September. What is yours hoping to study?

Bobble Probably Politics and Philosophy but possibly Philosophy and Theology or maybe HSPS or potentially that BASS thing they do at Manchester but he still hasn’t ruled out a straight Philosophy course and then he may well take a year off and apply with his results for 2021 and of course there’s always the chance that the England cricket team may need him...
DS MAKE UP YOUR MIND!!!!

Mine may defer or reapply for 2021 too. A friend's son is in year 1 at Exeter and loving Theo/Phil there.

Checking in. I was on all the GCSE threads but drifted off for a while. DD has a week off exams after half term and seems pretty motivated. And we have booked two open days that both involve an overnight stay. We're using university accommodation so she gets to see what that's like ... and I get to be all nostalgic.

We are beyond this with dd1 but I highly recommend a gap year and for parents not to worry if they leave school clueless at 18. We did put our foot down and insist she got a job, any job by September, but it was a good learning experience (just McDonald's!) and she applied to university after a few weeks for the following year. Many just aren't sure at 18 what they want to do.

Try not to worry, dd has friends starting university after a couple of years working and others who have taken apprenticeships both standard and advanced - one good friend has a carpenter apprenticeship following doing a levels

Hello all. May I rejoin you, I was on an earlier gcse thread but dropped off. DS coming to the end of yr12, at the moment no clear idea of what he wants to do, probably a gap year. DD did this last year instead of clearing as she missed her grades, it has been the best thing for her, allowed her to have headspace and really think about her options. She's off to uni in September- getting all unconditional offers was so much less stressful and she's enjoyed her year, working and some travelling with other gap year friends. Having been unsure, I'd definitely recommended the gap year if really not sure what to do so long as DC can fill it with positive stuff

I think it's the filling it with positive stuff which would be an issue! Trying to get them out of the door this morning for an 8.15 start at work was a big enough struggle. I couldn't see them being motivated enough to do meaningful charity work or travel in a gap year.

Kingscote that's the kind of pondering that's going on here! He hasn't mentioned Exeter yet. The combination of politics and philosophy appeals to him.
My worry at the moment is how his AS levels have gone. We really don't have a clue.
He might wait until he gets his A level results and then apply but I've pointed out that involves doing something else for a year, not lounging around!

Hello Korma, hello domovoi!

Loose at least all this deep cogitating suggests that Philosophy is a good choice for them!

Kingscote yes, very true! I imagine philosophy courses to be full of people who answer each other's questions with more questions!

Taking a year off before applying can be really valuable for many young people, but be aware that for Maths (or Maths-related courses at competitive universities) this may not be a good idea, as the skills at that level can drop if they're not regularly studying and practising.

Hi folks.

Dd has her final AS exam after half term. No pondering for her though, she's on a 3 year course.

One of my friends took philosophy. Yes, you have described him to a T.

Asking for a friend - she is taking art & design A levels and wishes to have a career in photography. She's not interested in university. Any creative ideas for how she can move from the A level photography syllabus to a full blown career?

DD has a really chilled out week, no exams (main ones were done straight after Easter) and no homework because last week they had the end of topic exams - the girls were told to relax and enjoy this week off!

DD seems fairly sorted in terms of what she wants to study (Biochemistry) ideally at Edinburgh but hasn't ruled out Bath & York. Warwick is a consideration but she's concerned about Yr2/3 living arrangements and she hasn't ruled out Bham. She's not keen to go to any residential taster courses during the summer but may go to a few of the taster days. Seems odd that I had an unmotivated DC for most of her school life and now she's buckled down, knows what she wants and has done everything herself (I just now have to prepare for empty nest syndrome)

Busy June in terms of I don't think she has a free weekend and there is also a lot of other stuff on like Field Course/Biology Olympiad and the school does work the room networking evening too which is also in June.

The sixth form seems to be going very quickly!

Effectively only 12 months left already.

I think we will have to have a secret symbol & a sly wink so we can recognise each other at all the open days. Does MN do reusable coffee cups we could all carry?

@Numbersaremything - A couple of my friends (although both did go to Uni) run several small businesses in design and photography. I think it's just a case of finding a niche market, one tends to specialize in newborn baby photos but I think you need a lot of experience with this and the other tends to specialize with sporting clubs (capturing photo's of gymnasts and ballet, etc - where parents will pay for the photos).

I think it's just a case of building a portfolio, finding a niche market and getting a website up and running. Most towns and villages now have their own Facebook page too which makes it easier to advertise.