Thread 17 - Corona Cohort Summer Vacation to Yr 13, Finding Freedom?

[Orangecinnamon21]

PLACEHOLDER FOR NEW THREAD ...PREVIOUSLY TO BE FOUND IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

@crazycrofter Sussex is about 3 hours drive. So a fair way...but not too bad. I don't like motorway driving. Where we live on the Norfolk Suffolk border there are no motorways.

@icanbewhatiwant do you know that he can put in the application with just 1 choice initially and add more in any time up to the January deadline - there is a slightly lower UCAS charge for just 1 choice, but you can upgrade. If he gets it in early with just Sussex the response from them, hopefully an offer, might encourage him to add an insurance option or add a more aspirational one. Sussex is a very good university with a great student life, and this year it has worked very well for people who had family nearby when things were tough for students.

What are the deadlines for ucas?

Thanks @Monkey2001 DH's dd went there too. She enjoyed it. She travelled for a year after then eventually married and settled near Brighton. So the area obviously made an impression.

I think ds1 put his first and second choices down. Then just added a few others that he knew he wouldn't accept, as he only really wanted to go to the UEA he put Essex second choice as still close.

Managed to get DS a Pfizer jab today. Local Centre posted that they had spares - if you could get there within 20mins. We dashed down there!!

Just back from Birmingham. Knackered. Campus has more steps than I expected!

It is a lovely campus. More buildings than I thought it would have. although still plenty of green space and excellent sports facilities. The main thing I found offputting was how far away the accommodation is. It's not what I expected from a campus, must admit.

Piggy if I remember correctly, Warwick was a bit like that too - it seemed the accommodation was miles away

That's what Hull was rectifying when we visited. Student village mothballed and all accommodation on campus.

No just looked at map - I stand corrected. I think we just somehow missed all the accommodation at Warwick .

Piggy Was the accomodation walking distance?

Well, yes, but about 15-20 mins for The Vale which is where nearly all the first years are. We didn't go far into it so didn't see the shops etc.

That seems really close to me! I think you forget how much students walk. I went to Leicester where halls were maybe 2.5-3 miles away and I either cycled or walked, which was at least 3/4 of an hour.

There are the Selly Oak halls though, if the Vale is too far. They're really close.

That’s doesn’t seem too terribly far for me but unlike UEA that ds1 wanted to go to purely because he could fall out of bed from Riggurats into his department. I remember Swansea accomodation was also 5mins from where all the lecture rooms were. It does sounds like a very big campus though for a 20min walk from halls.

I also had a 20 minute walk (Bristol) but I think I would expect a campus to be closer.

It's not that it's too far . It's just not what I define as a campus uni really. The accommodation is completely separate.I think I always have York in my head as a point of comparison! DS isn't bothered by the walk.

Oh I see what you mean, yes I suppose there are other non-university buildings in between the main campus and the accommodation.

Ds is starting to get very interested in York. Piggy I know you’ve said you’re affiliated with it. Can you tell me anything about the accomodation/environment? Im also think with my SEN cap on. I’m hoping we’ll be able to visit once visits start again.

I haven't been there for years now and now there are two campuses so I imagine it has sprawled out. Most of the accommodation has been modernised or rebuilt. What I always really liked was the college system which I think makes starting uni less intimidating. The campus is flat with lots of lovely spots and lots of water.I genuinely did used to go out for walks round the lake. I never found the walk to the city onerous but a bike does help. The campus is quite similar to UEA in terms of landscaping.

I think York has been named safest student City many times.

Thanks Piggy That all sounds very positive. In your opinion, Has it got a similar reputation to Birmingham and Nottingham?

Gosh, yes! Depending on subject, better.
Oxbridge rejects everywhere.

I think it is interesting how geographical things are. The lad who showed us around Birmingham today was from Bolton and said he struggled to find anyone Northern . I think some of MN's belief that Birmingham, Nottingham, Exeter even Newcastle (although it is so far North it seems to attract southerners) are superior to, say, York, is simply that more southerners are at them... and MN seems quite south east heavy.

I always used to think of York as the layer beneath Oxbridge and possibly Durham - but for English, politics and history it was usually second choice after Oxbridge - so either Durham or York.

Not meant to be an anti southerners post! Peace and Love.

Well that’s quite interesting, I just had a chat with DS and he asked me to Pls ask if you know anything about the business school there? he is rather confused which one out of the 3 looks better on paper, they have slight differences but he likes them all. We hear a lot about Birmingham and Nottingham like you said re: business courses but rarely York.

My neice is at York and loves it. She had an Oxford offer which she missed in 2019 - if she had been a year later it would have been another story, but she is happy with the way it turned out.

I think the business type subjects are, relatively speaking, pretty new at York. It started out with quite a small range of subjects (famously not offering geography!) and now does loads. Not sure about business there. I think Bath and Loughborough are the campus unis for management type degrees.

@Piggywaspushed

Gosh, yes! Depending on subject, better. Oxbridge rejects everywhere.

I think it is interesting how geographical things are. The lad who showed us around Birmingham today was from Bolton and said he struggled to find anyone Northern . I think some of MN's belief that Birmingham, Nottingham, Exeter even Newcastle (although it is so far North it seems to attract southerners) are superior to, say, York, is simply that more southerners are at them... and MN seems quite south east heavy.

I always used to think of York as the layer beneath Oxbridge and possibly Durham - but for English, politics and history it was usually second choice after Oxbridge - so either Durham or York.

Not meant to be an anti southerners post! Peace and Love.

Surely a lad from Bolton is a ‘midlander ‘as Birmingham is also ‘midlands’ ? Speaking as a Northern lass?

Bolton is NW ! It's part of Manchester?

He said everyone in Birmingham was from Surrey. I did doubt this was the entire demographic!