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

I'm liking the Mumsnet reusable coffee cup idea, although I'd probably end up forgetting to bring it!

She has an Insta account with a few followers but they just look like glorified holiday pics rather than the kind of thing which people would pay for. Her mum thinks she will be able to get corporate work, but they have absolutely no experience or contacts in that kind of world. It seems to be the kind of industry where you need networks and commercial acumen rather than being able to pick up an apprenticeship.

I have a drawer full of reusable coffee cups in my desk at work! Mt solution these days is to keep an empty one in the cup holder in my car & a Stojo squashable cup in my bag.

@numnersaremything - maybe ask her to search photography internships (like below) - she will probably work for nothing initially but if shes got flair she may end up being taken on but most importantly building up a portfolio.

fashionunited.uk/fashion-jobs/photographic-agency-internship-london-1129638

Looks interesting. Thank you.

Can recommend philosophy and religion at Birmingham for those looking at a modern take and practical application of the subject.

In first year you can pick between three courses - PRE (philosophy, religion and ethics), straight Theology & Religion, or philosophy religion & politics. But there is lots of scope to change direction in second and third year if your focus changes over the course of that time. And lots of opportunity to apply knowledge via events in a large diverse city.

I believe KCS and Exeter have similar combinations among others

DD (still says she) wants to study medicine. 5th UCAS choice she says could be math. I will keep trying to encourage her to put chemistry as 5th choice (biology is her toughest science).

DD is fixated on London Unis, although some of the upper 6th students convinced her it's unrealistic to apply for > 2 London Unis for medicine.

I predict she'll only take plain math A-level at end of yr13 (no FM). She'll get into a panicky flap about her results, possibly last minute, then decide against any FM exam.

OpenDays are mostly week days when we are at work so we can't easily go with DD.

Just checking in. Dd had all her end of year exams before half term so has quite an easy term ahead. Especially as she has now finished FM and is just doing three subjects.

I'm still trying to pin her down about which open days to go to but I'm fairly sure she'll go to York.

If anyone is going to Bath...have you opted to stay in the Uni Accommodation? It seems to be available from the 20th, but only single ensuite rooms - but as long as DD and I could get rooms next door to each other I thought it would be an ideal opportunity for her to taste the accommodation and the breakfast. We are touring around Scotland in the summer and will stay in Edinburgh Uni accommodation for a few days too.

Oratory that's really interesting about the Birmingham course - thanks and I'll pass that on to DS.

lijkk DD applied for medicine last year (none in London though). I would say check how they shortlist for interview. Also sometimes it's hard to know where is best for you to apply until you have your ukcat (and bmat) results.

Med schools usually only count 1 of maths/ FM, so it won't hurt if she drops it

Thanks Hunky.

Our college lets the DC take 3 days off during term time to go to open days. TBH I'm not sure how much they're going to get done over the next 6 weeks anyway, as they've had a fortnight for exams, a post exam mop up week, half term and then a series of half days over the next 2-3 weeks when high volume A level papers are being sat.

Hi all!! ....also checking in.
DD has finished her mocks so she is now waiting on results which should narrow down the Uni field a bit. Her subject is chosen (albeit with a few variants at different Unis) and lots of open days booked.
We are off to Exeter for Friday's open day and will then do a self guided tour of Bristol (although this is primarily for elimination purposes).
....not sure whether this is all exciting scary!!!

DS2's school officially allows two days off for open days (they expect them to arrange any remaining visits at weekends).

DS2 has a place on a four-day summer school which is during term time; he has been given authorised absence for this, and doesn't want to take any more time off.

So he has only booked to go to open days which take place on Saturdays.

Hello all! Glad to see a new thread.

DS1 has finished his Y12 exams and next half term will see scripts returned, Parents Evening and official letter with predicted grades. He's also allowed 2 days off school for Open Day visits and will be using 1 to visit Leeds in June. Saving the other for York in Sept. He has a Saturday job which limits weekend visits.

lljkk DS1 is also applying for Medicine. Has your DD signed up for a UCAT test date yet? DS1 was practising a few Abstract Reasoning questions and is despairing of ever "getting it"!

We're on holiday in Lisbon, it's hot!! Thankfully DS is done with exams and can relax. Slightly dreading the results and predictions as I suspect he won't get good enough predictions for the uni courses he thinks he wants...
How can I persuade him into a gap year, which I think would be the making of him, emotionally and maturity-wise. He's very independent and confident but little common sense...!

Nice to see familiar names on here I have thought of you often this year, after the tense exam period (and results spreadsheets etc!) a year ago.

DD's been advised to apply for both BMAT & UCAT Unis, to maximise her chances of doing well on at least one of those exams. Sounds foolish to me, like too much extra work to aim for both types of Uni, but hey ho.

Interviews work experience special exams... I'm concerned that there's LOTS DD hasn't got ready for, but really, she has to get it organised & she has to want to get it organised. We shall see.

I was in Lisbon at Easter. I'm still puzzling over what makes the streams flowing down towards the main squares bright emerald green.

For anyone trying to get their heads around reasoning tests, without their DC thinking that you're interfering, try the Radio 4 Today Programme puzzle book. I took it on holiday with me & got DD to help me with a few. A lot of the puzzles have been designed by university maths teams.

Would love to go to Lisbon! However it has been a nice week as DH is off too and we have been abandoning the children to go out.
DS has another week off next week. I've realised the downside of AS levels is that we won't know the results until August whereas if he was doing end of year exams we'd know how he was doing before the end of term!

Hello. I was on the threads at the start of Y12 but couldn’t keep up! I’ve name changed since then.

DS is looking to do Physics. He’ll apply to Oxford or Cambridge but hasn’t decided which yet... The courses are actually rather different because at Cambridge he would be applying for Natural Sciences and the first year is a broader range of modules.

He has a place on a Physics summer school in Cambridge- unfortunately this means he can’t go to the Oxford open day in July. And he can’t go to the September one as he is is on a Physics related school residential. We can go up to visit colleges and I am hoping he might be allowed to visit the department.

Seeing as DS hasn’t decided between Oxford and Cambridge yet, he’s struggling to put his mind to other choices - he has ASD. He also won’t manage to do visits on top of each other so one will need to wait til September and maybe one early October - though his UCAS application will be due in by the 15th!

We (well DH and DS) are going to Bath on the 22nd. DH is driving and thinks he will get a parking space on campus if they arrive there around 9am - any idea how realistic that is?! Unfortunately the park and ride with buses direct to the uni is the ‘wrong side’ of the city and I imagine traffic will be heavy.

He has a place on a Physics summer school in Cambridge- unfortunately this means he can’t go to the Oxford open day in July.
Is it the one from 1-4 July? If so, DS2 is going too!

Ooo, Gospa and TheFirst I thought you might be one and the same person for a minute there!

DS3 has finished his 4 x AS levels and gets his results in Aug like Loose’s DS. So no predictions until then. I’m sort of expecting/hoping for AABC but it could be ABCD. (No A at AS) It makes choosing which universities to visit a bit problematic. Most RG unis at a reasonable distance to us want AAA at A level for maths. DS might get AAB so we’ll have to make sure to ask if that’s an acceptable alternative.

We’re going to Leicester uni next week for our first open day. They’d be a good insurance place hopefully if DS likes them. His dad is taking him to Nottingham and Birmingham, either of which could be his aspirational first choice. Might wait until after AS results to book others. Either more along the lines of Leicester or more like Birmingham depending.