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

Kingscote I'm sorry he had to drop history but those four are just an impossible amount of work so I'm not surprised something had to give!

Just back home from visiting Bath today. Dd really liked the campus. She missed the subject talk as she thought it was later than it was and she turned up as it was finishing. But she spoke to current students and got lots of info from them.
She's decided she definitely prefers campus unis.

DD went to Open Day at QMary today on her own (she liked a lot). Apparently, they get 2000 applicants for 700 places (medicine). She has 3 more Open Days at London Unis in next 3 weeks which she will attend with friends or on her own. Looks like next week she'll battle with London at peak rush hour, good taster for living there.

She plans to apply to only London Unis & not to put a 5th UCAS choice down.... Mega-flounces when she disliked my opinions so I will try very hard to not offer any more advice. I will still listen.

I thought you could only put 4 choices for medicine anyway

yes. They have option to put something else (like math) for 5th choice. Seems a lot of the medic applicants don't bother, though.

We were at Bath today too and really enjoyed the talks - one amazing professor did the Biochemistry talk holding his 4-year-old son (lots of very good advice which has helped DD). I now think DD' will apply for the 4 yr Masters with a year in Industry. Sadly DD (and I) didn't like the Bath campus, felt it was dated and claustrophobic compared to Warwick where the facilities are more modern and there is so much more open space. Long day but we were thankful to be able to part on Campus at Bath, apparently the P & R was a nightmare.

DS drove (!!) to Bath today for the open day. DH was with him but said he managed the motorways brilliantly. And he came and picked me up from a dinner out with friends tonight. And says he's not at all mentally exhausted (as I would be).

Like Bath campus and the city. Enjoyed the subject talks.

Has moved from straight economics to PPE/ similar. Got exam results yesterday and his predictions are now A^AA so I guess he's in with a chance at the unis he's fancying (although he's now ditched LSE because "too cloney" )

Have to admit I'm very proud of him for a) good exam grades when I thought he'd done little work and b) changing his mind about degree courses based on more stuff he's learning and getting interested in at school. Suddenly he seems to be 17 and mature!

York next weekend... and I'm trying to get him interested in Nottingham based on all the good stuff I'm hearing on the FB page.

Warwick yesterday was good - DS1 really likes the sound of the PPL course. However, he's really keen to see Birmingham next weekend. I think he's also keen to put down unis in London on the form - it'll be interesting to see what he finally decides!

DD loved PPE at Warwick, but I think it will be quite a contrast to some of the other places she is looking at.

Are you going to subject talks with your DC, going to open days, but letting them go off by themselves, or simply letting them fly solo?

I've been to subject talks with DD so far... (it's certainly given me a better understanding of what she is looking to study). DD's dad is taking her up to York on Sunday but one of her friends is also going to York on the same day so I dare they will meet up and have a look around together - although they are looking to study different subjects.

I think Warwick is definitely a front runner with DD now - although she is still keen on Edinburgh and wants to look around St Andrews too, both the later don't offer the combined Masters course.

I usually leave DS to it - I did go to the law subject talk at Warwick but not the others.

I went to subject talk at Bristol, but not at Exeter or Bath.
Dd is going to Bath uni next week for Biology summer school. She gets really anxious with change so we're hoping that having a trial run of uni life will help her with the transition next year.
Is anyone else's dc doing any summer schools?

DD is off to London in a couple of weeks for a politics & law residential. They are going to have a whale of a time, as they have a trip to the theatre and a legal tour of London thrown in. She also has a place on UNIQ at Oxford later in the month
Exciting times.

I don't go to subject talks either - 1 1/2 hrs of Maths talk is not my idea of fun!
We went to Imperial on Tuesday - ds loved it but I didn't! He has his top 3 sorted now (Oxford, Warwick and Imperial). We are off to Birmingham then Nottingham in Sept and then that's it - anything else will be on line.

Going to Birmingham on Saturday - looking forward to the open day as DS is very keen at the moment but I'm dreading the heatwave!

We went to Imperial last year and DD hated it...she's anchoring after green space....

We will just do Edinburgh and St Andrews in the summer....I can remminise about playing golf... many many years ago with Dd's dad.

I know what you mean oneteen - I thought it was a bit prison like but ds didn't seem to mind. I suspect familiarity with London also helped a bit.

My dd did a summer school at Kings college last summer and she’s doing one at Exeter this year. She also did NCS last summer, and a taster day earlier this week. I think it’s been really good for her confidence.

DD did NCS last summer as well. It's quite frightening to think that it was a year ago and how much they have grown up over the last twelve months.

Was going to ask if anyone had any knowledge of King’s. Dd is quite interested as them being a choice but we've not been able to do an open day there.
How did your dd find it Winter?

Has anyone been to York or is going to Durham over the next few days?

Hi @snozzlemaid my dd did like Kings College. She was staying at the accommodation near the South Bank. It was very hot when she did her course and her room was on the road side of the accommodation so it was a choice between noise from the traffic or stifling heat . Her en-suite bathroom had no windows and the light bulb was on its way out and glowed red and the door mechanism was like a cupboard door and there was a notice warning you to keep the door shut whilst showering otherwise the fire alarm would sound. There was 24 hour security in the accommodation. She enjoyed the taster course. It was about history, literature and London. My friend’s dd is studying history there. She’s very into theatre and enjoyed being close to the theatres. For year two she ended living very far out, in Streatham Common, and she’s still to arrange accommodation for year three. Apparently it’s still on dd’s list but she is concerned about the cost of living in London. My dd is still set on Durham although she hasn’t visited there. I’m hoping she will like Exeter as there’s a direct train there from where we live in 2and a quarter hours. It’s at least five hours to Durham from where we are 😬

DS was at York today, he really liked it (and said the open day organisation was excellent) - far preferred it to Bath - and went to SIX different talks.

He fancies Kings but I think it's the lure of London rather than the uni itself. He sees himself as a bit of a man about town

I now have a vision of Terf junior strolling through London with a cane & frock coat!

Kings is end of next week. With QMary I think that's DD's 4 sorted. I dunno what order she'll put them in.

Either Imperial or UCL had an obvious tone of "You'd be very lucky to get a place with us!" DD finds that attractive but she was bemused at the arrogance of it, too (I'd sure hate it).