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

[Orangecinnamon21]

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

Hmmm, we have not had to worry about DC going out in Y12 due to Covid, but I suppose it will be hitting now. In Bristol most of the Y12/Y13 kids seemed to be out very late fairly often and would sometimes crash out on floors. DS1 is 20 and has no curfew rules. I don't think DS2 is keen to risk Covid, so not socialising heavily. Also, as his body is a temple, he does not drink at all, and hanging out with drunk friends did but appeal to him!

[quote Decorhate]@Heifer I would just make sure your Dd would absolutely be happy if she ended up at her insurance rather than just choosing it for insurance because of the lower entry requirements.

Has she considered Surrey for insurance? I know a couple of youngsters who have gone there & had very positive experiences.

Nottingham is very popular with our local students. Friend’s Dd is doing Biology there.

I also liked Southampton a lot when looking around with older dc. I think they are quite good for biosciences?[/quote]
@Decorhate - If DD did it without any input from me (ha not happening) she would probably pick 5 all needing AAB (or higher). She isn't massively keen on Swansea really so I do agree I shouldn't suggest she has one she doesn't really want, so we need to keep looking for at least 1 back up that she would like just in case.

Surrey Biological Science course looks good and is BBC - but it's a nightmare to get to from the Wirral. 4 hrs drive or train changing at London Euston & Waterloo. There is no way DD will feel ready for that on her own, so we would end up having to get her each time, whereby I want her to learn to cope travelling on her own at some point :-)

@Heifer digital.ucas.com/search

I would not worry about getting no offers, there is "Extra" which they can use before Clearing if they don't get any offers. I would encourage her to apply fairly early with just 3 courses and see if she gets offers from those before using the final 2 slots at the end of January. Lots of people get offers within days, but the speed of offers is more about the subject and course than the candidate.

@Monkey2001 - thanks for the link. Great idea about applying in 2 phases, I didn't know you could do that. DDs school send off appliations to UCAS in November as they have worked out that is the best time to get most offers.

@Heifer, that is perfect timing. I would put 3 top choices in the November application and take stock at the beginning of January.

That’s a very good plan. It’s great if they can get some offers by Christmas. They can then relax to a certain extent & concentrate on their studies.

I agree ease of travel is an important consideration. Even though we are in the south, it’s much quicker to get to Guildford by car from here than by train (going by car is very easy as it’s accessed directly off the A3)

When Dd was at Leeds it was a 2 hour fast train from a local station. Whereas Bath, though closer, took longer as you have to go into London & out again.

I think what Monkey has said about 3 in November then taking stock in January is a really good idea.

Don’t know where DS is thinking at the moment. Once his medication kicks in he will hopefully have the energy to start thinking about it. I definitely don’t want him too far from home now unless he desperately wants to but we are moving so a couple of hours from where we hope to be does give a few options thankfully.

No curfew for DS here but we usually agree a time and he has to let us know if he's going to be later than that. It's usually only pub kicking out time, with the occasional all nighter. He's good at responding to my "are you alive?" messages.

DS's choice of course is not available in that many places and his various preferences (no London, no Scotland etc) leave him with five possibles: Nottingham, Manchester, Keele, Exeter and Sussex. Plus he is considering Warwick, which would normally have been disqualified for having too broad a first year, but might make a ridiculously low offer, thanks to a combo of contextual, Welsh Bacc and doing an extra science A level. I have emailed them to check whether all these potential reductions would apply, or whether there's a minimum offer below which they never go. I'm sure the latter is the case but if they might offer BCC instead of AAB, it would be worth knowing.

WIWIKAU seems very confused by the definition of a campus university. I think this isn't helped by universities referring to the place their buildings are clustered as a campus. I am on a thread where one person has confidently stated that York is not a campus uni ( because his DS was knackered walking??!) And another person who asserts Lincoln is ( it really isn't...)....

And then there are the campus unis which are out in suburbs/countryside such as Bath or Brighton & those which are in the city centre

What campus uni is in a city centre though?

I’m thinking if somewhere like Leeds or Leicester I suppose versus the layout of Bristol or Oxford.

@Piggywaspushed I noticed that post on WIWIKAU too - I wonder if their DS visited York st John as from looking extensively at Yorks website over the last 6 months, I thought everything was either East or West Campus which is at it's maximum point 25 mins apart....

It was good to read about the person who looked around Bristol and saw that although not campus based it seems accommodation is close together with lots of options and quite close by to lectures too.

This comment on UCAS puts a spanner in the works about applying to top 3 first and seeing (I thought it was a great idea)
"If you didn't use all five choices, you can add more choices one at a time from your application as long as it's before 30 June and you've not accepted any offers or been declined by your choices"

To be honest I doubt DD would agree to do anything differently from what the school suggests and I'm not sure I would want to push it in case it backfires! If she applied for what she thinks and didn't get the offers I can at least inwardly think it's because she didn't do the EPQ ;-)

Interesting to read that not many are going out. DD had been great all throug lockdown, obeying all the rules without us having to tell her to. But now if seems it's gloves off (masks still on inside though) :-)

Can someone please tell me.

If DD applies somewhere, but doesn't get an offer there. If they have a course in clearing and she applied (having got the grades) it is possible they would accept her even though they rejected previouly?

DD here is going out Heifer. But whilst at home, is respectful of how late she comes home. Usually her dad picks her up, no later than 11.30 at weekends, with the very occasional Uber if later. When away and independent, I don’t put a time limit on other than I can access her whereabouts via find my phone, for emergency use only.

Lots of prep done this week, first draft PS, common essay, picking unis/courses across all countries of consideration etc. And lots of baking for her friends prepping for their UCAT.

Good luck to those DC on here in that boat too. From memory, kingscote, Sandy and Monkey? Apologies if I’ve missed others.

Yes (is my understanding) Heifer

Yes, good luck to all UCAT takers!

@Decorhate

I’m thinking if somewhere like Leeds or Leicester I suppose versus the layout of Bristol or Oxford.

Yeah, funnily enough DH went to Leeds and calls it a campus university but having now seen York and Birmingham he has changed his mind!

Mine don't really go out either. DS boards so his friends are mostly away over the long holidays. Plus he doesn't drink as he doesn't like the taste apparently. He also can't see the point of going out and getting smashed. He's very sporty and does lots of weights and eats healthily too.

DD is still in London and having a lovely time. Again her friend are all boarders and normally overseas but because of Covid this year, some are still in London. She's socialising madly and eating out a lot. Again they're not into getting drunk, but they could win awards for shopping and eating out!

@Piggywaspushed I agree that the categorisation of a ‘city’ and ‘campus’ Uni needs a ‘rethink’
Did you visit Durham?

No, we didn't. My DF went to Durham and got kicked out. DS has discounted it at the mo.

Ya cannit go to Barney and not visit Durham!

Leicester definitely isn’t a campus university! I went there - most of the halls are a 45 min walk from campus!

Dd is camping in Cornwall and volunteering at a Christian festival there. Her tent survived the storm on Thursday night but many others didn’t so they’re now all sleeping in a storage shed!

My Dd has always been sociable but year 10 ds rarely went out before lockdown. Now he’s gone to the opposite extreme - out every day with friends at the gym/shopping/at the trampoline park/eating out/playing football/at the cinema (usually several of those activities every day). He’s burning through money too! Maybe it’s a reaction to lockdown?! I’m dreading him getting to the partying stage as he tends to be a risk taker/a bit reckless.

@crazycrofter I was thinking more that the uni buildings are all together rather than the accommodation being on site. As unis are expanding more & more I think it’s likely that a lot of new accommodation will be offsite anyway for all unis, even the out of town campuses.