Thread 21 Corona Cohort - Nervous waiting, so frustrating

[Monkey2001]

Continuation of OrangeCinnamonCocktail's threads

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.

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/a4354626-Corona-Cohort-Statements-Scripted-Grades-Predicted?msgid=111487286#111487286

Back from a really useful open day at UEA. Seems to have confirmed itself as no. 1 for DD at the moment. Fingers crossed for a offer now.

That’s really positive @seeline, what’s her subject?

@crazycrofter

Oh that’s annoying piggy. I think we’ll be mainly relying on offer holders days so I do hope they happen. Dd sets a lot of store by a place’s vibe/how it feels to her. She liked Southampton but now says it’s too long since she visited and she can’t remember it!

I took her driving this morning and it was absolutely terrifying! Admittedly our car isn’t the smoothest/easiest to drive but you’d have thought she’d never driven before! My confidence in her instructor is diminishing!

@alsoplayspiccolo great that she’s prioritising schoolwork! I’m not even sure I could say that about dd let alone ds! I’m going down the bribery route with him, against all my better judgment!

Have you seen the Southampton subject talks...they have been updated fairly recently. Might help?

@crazycrofter Liberal Arts. It's pretty new at UEA, but offers a large range of modules.

So sorry you had travel trouble, Piggy. Hopefully you'll have another chance. They have an 'experience day' in November - any good to you?
We had a good time at Sheffield. All very well organised, and we were even allowed into the Biological Sciences talk that had been too full to book on line. So we did that plus Chemistry plus Bioengeering. All interesting, so still none the wiser about what to go for. But better than all being boring, I guess. A walk around Leeds tomorrow, then heading up to Scotland.

I'll look into that : thank you!

Annoyingly they reopened the M1 at 11am 'due to unforeseen circumstances '?!

Just back from Warwick Open day. Absolutely dastardly journey going but much smoother coming back. DS was disappointed there were no grand buildings e.g Birmingham although I did tell him beforehand it’s ‘plate Glass’, to which he paid no notice. The business school looked impressive and we attended the subject ‘drop in’. They’re planning for lectures to resume f2f next Jan and the staff are raring to return to f2f. Apparently, for social distance regs. they can only take 50 at a time, although capacity is for 400? (Hope I heard that correctly).

DS loved the societies around his subject which seemed to attract very important speakers globally.
Sports centre was as expected - all singing and dancing.
We didn’t look at accomodation as what’s the point until you get offer?
Library was huge and looked great.

I didn’t find them as affable as a Brum. Lecturer who did the drop in talk was behind a screen whilst brum staff were milling around and mingling about with visitors and very enthusiastic about the course. They even gave DS their LinkedIn and send to contact them for any advice wether he ends up at Brum or not. Warwick lady seemed tired of it all but maybe that’s because we arrived at 1pm.

We’re both too knackered now to talk.. I haven’t read the last few pages so don’t know wether anyone else visited. Hope it’s all positive, I’ll work my way back to catch up .

Oh Piggy what a pain. We got there but went to the far side of Sheffield first as DS selected the wrong postcode and had a 20 mile diversion on the way home due to an accident.

Doggerel we got in to biological sciences too. I think it will make it into the list of 5. Thank goodness for the quad and the open space next door, the access from the underpass was nearly a deal breaker!

We managed to get there too but we were very late and had to rearrange our talk back to the later one we had originally booked!
Was very impressed with how organised it is, was super busy everywhere.
DS seemed to like it but he hasn’t seen any others yet to compare

Can you tell me about Sheffield - not looked at it online yet. Is it spread out over the city or in 1 space like Birmingham?

Those looking at Biology/Biological Science, was the block near to anything else? is accomodation nearby?

Thanks

@Heifer - Birmingham is a campus in a city but Sheffield uni is groups of buildings very much with city running through it so a large road between the biosciences and student union which you can walk underneath to get to both buildings - 1 minute walk apart. Across another road with trams on it there are the libraries and engineering buildings. There are a few city centre accommodation blocks but most first years are at an accommodation campus a decent walk or short bus ride to. That site has a gym, shop, bar, self catered flats and lots of green space which had BBQ pits on it if they want to socialise or play sports or hang out. City shops are downhill and take 15mins to walk to.

I looked up the second day on 13 November and have put myself on a list but now DH says SDS isn't 'missing another football match' Grr. All DH does is moan about the quality when he does play!

@Seeline my friends DS is at UEA for law and loving it !! Glad day went well

We went back to Sheffield yesterday as did campus tour in summer but vibe wasn’t right according to DD and was put in reserve pile despite DD loving online open day in June. Brushed off when looking for 5th place (had top two and bottom two needed another middle one). Once she compared course modules Sheffield beatBath her preferred place hands down as more modules she loves. Sent form to school ten days ago for reference but as vibe had been wrong wanted to return to confirm ok prior to school submitting to ucas. ( Also with covid issues worsening DD was worried fewer or no in person offer days this year) Thought day was friendly and the mixture of talk, questions and lab sessions good. DD pronounced very friendly and totally different when full of people rather than empty when went in summer. Thinks might even be a possible insurance slot 2 now ?! @EwwSprouts and @DoggerelBank which biological sciences were yours interested in? @Piggywaspushed what course in particular was the one you were interested in? Worth emailing head of admissions and explaining the travel issues. We did this once with DS1 as had a family health crisis and couldn’t go to a uni open day and head of admissions invited him for a personal tour and chat one week day. Worth being cheeky.

I have the admissions woman's email as I contacted her about the entry requirements. I think she will just say come on 13th, which we may do. Weekdays no good for us, unfortunately as DH and me both teach.

Bath always seem to manage to make modules sound dull!

@Fruitygal It would be biology, to be as broad poss, or chemistry, or natsci, or a million other possibles. It was a bit depressing yesterday to realise that for the academics, biology is seen as quite a broad, keeping-your-options open subject. For my indecisive DS, it seems quite narrow. In my ignorance, I'd though biochemistry might be a broad mix of the two, but seems it's more of a niche one.

@Piggywaspushed which course was he looking at? Biology, biomedical or biochemistry? What else has he chosen unis wise so far?

@Piggywaspushed yes both of you teaching is going to be an issue in term time - was lucky when DS wanted to go couldn’t work full time due to family member severe sickness so was more flexible than normally would have been in week. Football not an issue here as DSs snd DH never interested. Is he in one of the junior teams for a professional club?

@DoggerelBank I would say biochemistry is narrower than biology but if wants super broad natural sciences is the way to go. My DD didn’t do Chemistry or Physics so Natural sciences is ruled out but we had 3 possible directions back in July for degree types. My DD looking at Biology as wants to stay broad possible MSc later to specialise.

Anyone have any views on Swansea for Marine Biology or just general feedback? DD heart is set on Southampton, but insurance will be Plymouth, Portsmouth or Swansea. We are seeing Plymouth in Nov, and Portsmouth in Dec. If she gets an offer from Swansea we would probably go look then (unless she loves Plymouth or Portsmouth).

@Fruitygal DS is a straight biology applicant. He doesn't lean towards the medical side and hasn't done chemistry A level. He wants to keep his options open.

@Heifer Biology building is well located and the first old building we've seen. The admissions prof said one third of first year accommodation is just down the road (modern blocks named things like the student roost) and two thirds up the road (in DS's opinion far preferable). We did not go and inspect the hockey pitches as they are a 15 min drive away!

@EwwSprouts same with DD Biology with broad basis preferred - where else has DS shortlisted?

Likes Nottingham, maybe York/Warwick, aspirational St Andrews. Has ruled out a lot for all sorts of reasons. No London & not going south of London as so many decent options with less distance involved.

[quote Fruitygal]@Piggywaspushed yes both of you teaching is going to be an issue in term time - was lucky when DS wanted to go couldn’t work full time due to family member severe sickness so was more flexible than normally would have been in week. Football not an issue here as DSs snd DH never interested. Is he in one of the junior teams for a professional club?[/quote]
Goodness, no! Just a pretty crap local U18 Saturday league!!

fruity mine is social sciences...