Thread 22 Covid Cohort - Creeping towards the Future - Personal Statements and Interviews

[OrangeCinnamonCocktail]

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/4370509-Thread-21-Corona-Cohort-Nervous-waiting-so-frustrating
Role Call below
@20newnames / DS / Engineering
@Alsoplayspiccolo / DD / English + Film
@AnneofCleavage / DD / gap year? Primary Education
@BlueMarigold / DD / Biology
@crazycrofter / DD / Child (?) + Mental Health Nursing
@Decorhate / DS / Economics + Politics
@Delphigirl / DS / Oceanography
@DoggerelBank / DS / tbc sciencey
@ealingwestmum / DD / Middle Eastern and European Studies
@EerilyDisembodied / DS / History or Environmental Management
@estherfrewen / DS / History
@EwwSprouts / DS / Biology
@Fiddlersgreen / DS / Journalism
@Fruitygal / DD / Biology
@Hattifatteners / DD / Vet Med
@Heifer / DD / Biology
@Hopeful201 / DS / Medicine
@Horace123 / DS / Classics
@icanbewhatiwant / DS / History + Philosophy
@Isthisjustnormal / DS / Comp Sci
@KingscoteStaff / DD / Medicine
@mummabear74 / DD / Environmental Science
@mummyinbeds / DS / Law + French Law
@Nard75 / DS / Maths
@NCTDN / DD / Liberal Arts
@Oblomov21 / DS / Accountancy
@OrangeCinnamonCocktail / DD / Music (uni)
@PaddingtonPaddington / DD / Music (cons)
@Piggywaspushed / DS / Social sciences combo
@ProggyMat / DD / Classics
@SandyBayley / DD / Medicine
@Seeline / DD / Liberal Arts
@singingstones / DS / Neuroscience
@Wheresthebeach / DD / gap year? Marine Biology
@whoamitojudge / DD / Cabin crew training
@Zebracat / DD / Liberal Arts or Anthropology
@ZittiEBuoni / DD / applying next year

Hmm, I'm the only person in the entire family who isn't dyslexic, dyspraxic, language impaired or similar, I'm the proofreader for everyone. We have saved several versions between us. I agree getting someone else would be helpful though, we are both too close to it now as I'm the one who has engineered the two subjects thing.

Lots of dyslexia etc here too ! Recommend getting fresh pair of eyes as it helps - DD showed it to her two teachers closest to the subject she plans to study. They were helpful

Yes, I think school might be the answer, he has already had some feedback from his form tutor so I think he should send it to her again and possibly one of his subject teachers (the other relevant one is new to teaching and is from overseas so hasn't been through the UK HE system).

I can't remember on the spaces thing but you can use this to check....

www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/writing-personal-statement/introducing-personal-statement-tool

Ah, thanks, we have followed some of the guidance but not used that tool

@ExcessiveIyDisorganised & @Zebracat, Yes, spaces do count and just incase you're using Word, Word doesn't count the number of characters correctly for the personal statement as it only counts actually letters and not other characters e.g dots, commas, paragraphs etc.

Eeek, really had better get hacking! We are using Word (can't get to grips with Pages).

Actually, I think when I checked earlier it gave counts both with and without paragraph spaces.

I’m dyspraxic too, @ExcessiveIyDisorganised, good at words, but not Word. Ours is going to the teacher.

Singing are you sure an email, sooner rather than later, is not the best thing.

I would. I put a long email together for HoY, UCAS lady, and as soon as I did (I think once it's in writing they don't like it) action was very speedy.

I second that - I emailed the Biology teachers and got a reply the next day, agreeing to up the grade. I know if I had tried to have a meeting nothing would have happened for ages (if at all)...

Singing I agree with Oblomov. I would get a calm, well reasoned email in, quoting the UCAS guidance and the parents evening feedback. DS1 used to HATE it when I contacted school, he thought it would make the teachers hate him, but I was more diplomatic in my emails than when talking about the same issues at home!

Thank you guys, I think you are right. I did email his tutor / HoY just before half term (following Oblomov's advice then too!) and she has ignored me. DS is going to try and talk to her tomorrow as he has a lesson with her. If that doesn't work I will email again and copy in Madame UCAS (aka DD's French teacher). I'm sure they hate parents having a go at them about predicted grades and I don't want to annoy them into digging their heels in, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"Following up on my email of xth of September .... " , which you didn't respond to (you bitch), I'm therefore cc'ing UCAS lady/HoY - so you can't get away with not responding to me again (you cow) get your act together and sort out my sons predictions, by the end of play today.."

Perfect suggested email from oblomov I used to be so unpushy/uninvolved with school when my kids were younger but I’ve gradually got better.

DD’s good results are partly because she had extra time. I spoke to the SENCO about it and she explained the 101 hoops you have to go to to get extra time, but one thing was to get a letter from a ‘professional’ so I asked DD’s (former) therapist before half term if she’d mind doing a letter. She said she would - I chased again yesterday and she said she’d send it today but she hasn’t. I feel I can’t chase again for what is actually a favour

crazy, I’d go back to the SENCO. DD has extra time, based on a simple test given by the school. The hoops you’ve been told about are evidence that extra time is usual practise for your DD, ie she has extra time in all class tests etc.
It really shouldn’t be down to you to chase favours.

Maybe leave it till Monday crazy and then chase again, stressing the urgency?

And agree with piccolo, also an email to Senco saying politely that she doesn't even need the therapists letter to create a 'case'.

Thanks, good advice. To be honest it’s all a bit confusing as she saw a therapist for anxiety and that was also partly the reason for her meltdown in the summer exam but that’s not why she needs extra time - she just seems to be very slow? The SENCO said they’d have to work out why (slow reading/processing/writing) and then get her to take the right test…

@Oblomov21

"Following up on my email of xth of September .... " , which you didn't respond to (you bitch), I'm therefore cc'ing UCAS lady/HoY - so you can't get away with not responding to me again (you cow) get your act together and sort out my sons predictions, by the end of play today.."

I love this, thank you

Crazycrofter DS was awarded extra time this summer and has the option to use a laptop . College had someone in it assess him and it was subsequently awarded. He had it previously after we had a private assessment with an Ed Psych way back in year 7 where it came he was on the 3rd percentile for one of the processing ones they assess and his writing speed was low too, He got a diagnosis of dyslexia from it, has a really ‘spiky’ profile.

He then lost the extra time for GCSE as old school tested again (we were warned he would need testing again pre GCSE) , a school administered test rather than someone external as current college have done.

I would be pushing hard for school to do what they say, work out what is underlying and get her properly tested - it may be a combination of the factors the SENCO said. DS sat first exam yesterday since being awarded it and did end up using it and may well need it in another exam today and I think yesterday he finally saw the benefit of having it, whereas was a bit sceptical he needed it before , I am really pleased I raised it with college as he wasn’t going to and didn’t really want me to.

@Nards75 , good luck to DS today and to anyone else with a DC sitting TMUA.

@Volterra Thank you DS is sitting the TMUA this morning. Good luck to your DS if he is sitting it today as well. How did he get on yesterday with the MAT?

Yes he is, thanks. MAT was ‘alright’ he said with differing opinions amongst his friendship group as to which questions were good and which were awful. I’m very relieved he didn’t feel it was a disaster as think it would have made him really worry about today.

Ds is doing tmua this morning: he had a bit of a wobble yesterday at school and one of his teachers was so supportive and lovely - really calmed him down although he was still very cuddly last night!

Oh bless him Isthisjustnormal, hope it goes well for him. DS had a wobble end of last week. Haven’t seen him since Monday so hoping he is OK.