Corona Cohort: Statements Scripted, Grades Predicted

[Monkey2001]

This is a thread for supporting all young people post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting. It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, please don't within this thread. Please also be sensitive when responding to threads about grades.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue.

From OrangeCinnamonCocktail:

Our DS/DD may go down various paths (such as employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will most likely find us within the Further Ed board.

Previous thread - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/further_education/4339233-Thread-19-Corona-Cohort-Enrolling-on-Year-13-hopefully-NOT-unlucky-for-some?pg=1

@Monkey2001 It's not so much the increase in entry requirements itself, something had to give eventually and I'm actually surprised they haven't introduced admission tests already. It's the way they are 'fiddling' with it. They should be more transparent about the fact.

@singingstones

Thanks for the heads up Shimy. Manchester have already shifted their requirements up a grade for neuroscience. I wonder if there's a cut off date after which they will definitely stay the same. Bit unfair to be fiddling with the entry requirements now that people have started to apply.

I wonder about this too, whatever the cut off date is it better be soon because people are already starting to submit their UCAS forms otherwise it will unfair.

Sorry to hear that Zitti.

Trying straight after counselling so she only has to do the going in part once sounds like a good idea.

I hope next week's appointments make the difference. It must so extremely stressful for all of you.

[quote Shimy]@Monkey2001 It's not so much the increase in entry requirements itself, something had to give eventually and I'm actually surprised they haven't introduced admission tests already. It's the way they are 'fiddling' with it. They should be more transparent about the fact.[/quote]
I think it will take more than a few months to introduce and administer new admissions tests. The universities have been dealing with the fall out of grade inflation and preparing for the big new cohorts with blended learning or a voice of F2F or fully on line. I don't think it is unreasonable that they have taken just over a month to react to the results this year. As long as they make the same number of offers as usual, I don't think they could have changed things much more quickly. They must be hugely frustrated by the way grades have been handled for the last 2 years.

Just frustrating for everyone really!

@ZittiEBuoni sorry to hear that. Is she able to join lessons from home and keep up with the work?

crazycrofter, yes, thankfully her teachers are great at putting everything up on Google classrooms and she is keeping up as best she can. I try to discuss her work with her as much as I can too, as I think this is so helpful for thinking the material through. Excited to discuss applied ethics after dinner tonight !

The post-lockdown agoraphobia is definitely a thing too Monkey2000 - the attendance team mentioned that many more children than usual were experiencing anxiety around leaving the house/being in school. Their full time job is now full time plus (mind you, anything teaching-related always is).

I'm going to look on the bright side and say that perhaps it's a blessing in disguise that her university application is on hold, given all these shifting goalposts around entry requirements. Really hope nobody's dc lose out as a result of it.

@Monkey2001 Do you mean make the same number of offers as pre pandemic or since last yr?. It's been rather shambolic this yr especially with accommodation.

@ZittiEBuoni Sorry about your DD's struggles. Is she able to access things like CBT? sorry if you've spoken about this already, I haven't been on for a while.

Hello and thanks for the thread. I have enjoyed catching up. I have learnt so much from you all about this process, would ve been a bit crap otherwise, although we didn’t make it to any open days.
I was asked if I would help with the PS today, but she came in early from school and has fallen asleep. probably needs the sleep more. Her school are saying she needs her application in for Oct 15th,and Oxbridge, altho she’s applying for Cambridge foundation and that has the January date. Feels like pressure as she was proper poorly for a few weeks with not COVID. And only really back on her feet this week.. please excuse random punctuation.
We have a fairly eclectic set of choices, with courses that , in some way have history and science and then the foundation year which is more broadly liberal arts. Pulling it into a coherent whole will be a challenge. But she would be happy at any of them and that seems to be the most important unifying factor to me.
Congrats to all the new drivers. That’s another thing we haven’t organised.

I am also worried about grade inflation if we go back to exams this year. They can't keep that level of A*-As up so must surely return to a more normal state of affairs in which case, our cohort will be disadvantaged when set against people deferring from this year or having to produce higher grades due to universities moving their requirements up. I've just checked Notts for DSs course, it's still showing as 3As so I'm hoping that's not going to change suddenly.

Well done to @Hattifatteners DD!

After the last minute cancellation of his test last week by the DVSA, DS also passed his driving test today!

He is very happy and taking his friends to Nando’s to celebrate!

@Seeline DS's friend had 1st vacc last week age 17. He was told come back in 8 weeks. DS age 17 (not 18 til Aug) had vacc at a different centre a couple of weeks earlier. There was no mention of 2nd vacc. However, on FB our local CCG is advertising drop in sessions this weekend for 1st & 2nd vaccs for anyone in 16-18.

When I wanted to book DS's 1st jab I went through the NHS website and that said nearest centre was 35 miles away. Quick check of social media and I found 5 options within 5 mile radius all on the next day.

Congratulations to the driving test passers!!

Applause to the new drivers!

Shimy she was offered CBT during the first lockdown...over the phone. Really didn't work for her as she struggles just to have a casual conversation over the phone due to processing issues, and she bailed. I'm hoping she'll get the chance to do it face to face, as I think it would help her.

I'm not having much luck working out which unis and courses use the personal statement. Does it tend to be university-wide policy or down to individual departments?

Well done to the new drivers! DS not sorted anything yet and I'm holding firm that it's on him to sort as he knows the driving instructor through sport.

@EssentiallyDisorganised I think they need a PS with all university applications. But I might be wrong.

Well done on driving the test passes.

Congratulations to all new drivers! DD is still on a waiting list to start lessons!

@EssentiallyDisorganised Bristol don't use it for engineering or medicine, I think they don't use it for anything as Admissions is centralised and dies not involve the departments. I know Newcastle don't use it all for Medicine or Biosciences other than to decide on results day for Biosciences whether to accept people who have slipped 3 grades below offer.

If you have a shortlist, just call the Admissions for each one and ask how they use it.

@Zebracat at Cambridge they have a supplementary form which you can use for courses which are more general than the other ones you have applied for, everyone is sent one to complete after application.

@Seeline I hope that they make as many offers as they made in 2019, and if that means increasing the grade requirements to give them flexibility to fine tune the numbers, then fine. If a course has 100 spaces and they usually make 400 offers, expecting 150 to firm them, 75 to meet the offer grades and 75 to be considered for acceptance with lower grades, I would much prefer that they make 400 offers this year at a higher grade than only make 200 offers because they expect grade inflation. Surely selective universities are looking to recruit from the top x% of any year, where X should be the same every year.

I know we have to do a PS, but others on the thread have mentioned that some unis/courses don't take much account of them and some it makes a real difference, just wondering how to find this info out as I'm not having much luck at the moment.

Bath are very clear that they read them . At least the social science ones.

x-posted, thanks @Monkey2001.

I am starting to feel as though I need a day off work just to catch up with all this, I need to contact all the student support departments re SEN support too.

@essentiallydisorganised it depends. Many unis do admissions by department so it is a departmental decision how much attention the pay to PSs. Others unis offer centrally on the basis only of predictions and compliance with conditions (eg must have Biology A level, must have a 5 in GCSE maths). Courses that are always in clearing rarely pay attention to PSs, they just offer to everyone who applies who meets the application criteria whose predictions are within a grade or so of the standard/contextual offer (as appropriate)

@EssentiallyDisorganised may be easier to write a standard email with your DC and send it to admissions@ the ones they are interested in. Something like "would you please tell me how you use the UCAS personal statement in the application process for ......."

Thanks monkey. That is really helpful.