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

Great news @estherfrewen!

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail: so sorry to hear that - sending strength, calm, and gin. @estherfrewen - sounds like a lovely course - fingers crossed!

Ds is taking FOREVER to choose his last few UCAS choices - looks like we need a trip up to York and Sheffield as well as the planned open day in Southampton before he finalises. Anyone got any info on Exeter for comp sci? Annoyingly, we drop through it a month or so ago at which point he thought it was defn not worth looking at, and now he's decided it is!!

I'm a bit of a lurker on here and it's lovely to see some great offers coming through. I have a question and not sure if you lovely people can help me? DS has submitted his ucas application in a mad rush as his teachers wanted him to apply to Oxford so he did a personal statement in a rush . He's picked his other choices Leeds , Lancaster , LSE and Loughborough ( yes I do think he might have had the page open at L on the website! ) I know he can't change these now but he's got an offer from Lancaster ABB which is great and we are very pleased with but what if no other unis offer , can he add one in later or would it be a case of going through clearing if he gets a higher grade as he's predicted A*AA

They will! Unless it's medicine or something the chances of no other offers with those predictions as very slim.

There is a version of clearing (forgotten its name) where you can trade up but really it shouldn't matter if you get A*AA and the offer was ABB. Presumably the course was chosen for other reasons.

[quote Isthisjustnormal]**@OrangeCinnamonCocktail: so sorry to hear that - sending strength, calm, and gin. @estherfrewen - sounds like a lovely course - fingers crossed!

Ds is taking FOREVER to choose his last few UCAS choices - looks like we need a trip up to York and Sheffield as well as the planned open day in Southampton before he finalises. Anyone got any info on Exeter for comp sci? Annoyingly, we drop through it a month or so ago at which point he thought it was defn not worth looking at, and now he's decided it is!![/quote]
Same with my DS normal!

He doesn't want to visit Sheffield now and seems very unbothered by it but it is the only one of the original longlist where he could get a BBB offer. Assuming no Cambridge offer he could end up with all his offers at ABB.

Adjustment is the name you’re thinking of, Piggy.

Ah, yes, that's it!

@collywobble it may be best to mention the subject your DS wants to read as others on this thread may be in ‘the same boat’ and could share their experiences to date?
UCAS Extra opens in February which maybe something to look at but given your DS has an offer to date I’m sure you won’t need to!

@estherfrewen congratulations sounds like a really interesting course.

DD found out today that friend has had UCAS sent off on Sunday by school which is hopeful so we decided to leave it until tomorrow before chasing the email re UCAS form (that has not even been acknowledged - very unlike the school) until tomorrow afternoon to see if things happen in the interim.

DD has a last minute Driving test tomorrow which she only got on Friday so out on driving lesson and another pretest one in the morning. After 1st test debacle when after 29 minutes with no minors she got cut up by a car on a dual carriageway and panicked and failed - tomorrow needs to go well! She's a great driver and far better than the DSs were when they passed so everything is crossed!

Yes of course sorry he's looking at PPE at Oxford and Economics with all the other unis .

Good luck to you DD for tomorrow Friutygal!

Thanks @ealingwestmum !

Good luck for the test @Fruitygal

@collywobble - PPE and Economics - fab subjects! I imagine he will get 3-4 offers with his predicted grades. Obviously Cambridge is a punt no matter how good the grades- LSE can be tough too. Is it the rushed PS that is a worry where you think he won't get offers or is it you think the courses he has chosen? or something else?

@Piggywaspushed what are DSs predicted grades?

@collywobble

Yes of course sorry he's looking at PPE at Oxford and Economics with all the other unis .

Sorry I can’t help with that but I’d advise you join the ‘ Oxbridge aspirant 2022 thread on HE board Sorry I can’t help with the link - I’m shite at that on my phone- but a lot of us are on that thread too! There is a poster that ‘dips in and out’ with a DC at Oxford whom is reading PPE

@estherfrewen thanks DS1 said he'll get up for 9am so he can distract me from my nerves while she does her test and I wait at home for her to phone me afterwards. Find it one of the worse things for stress that these DCs every have to do!

[quote Fruitygal]@Piggywaspushed what are DSs predicted grades?[/quote]
It seems to vary from AAA to AAA depending on when you talk to the teachers!

UCAS predictions are A A A

Tbh, I teach sociology too and would be very surprised if he didn't get an A* in that but the economics is more hard to call and could go to a B easily.

Bloomin asterisks! First one should say A A A* !

@Piggywaspushed I would say given those predicted grades the ABB ones are ok then and he doesn't need the BBB so I wouldn't consider it if he's not fussed. We are not doing the whole Oxbridge thing so ones DD has chosen courses spanning AAA- AAB ( but 3 should offer ABB for the EPQ). One of the AAB (possible ABB) was in clearing last year so that is her insurance one.

Yes, true. It's just difficult choosing firm and insurance from all this.

I also never really trust predicted grades for essay subjects!

@Piggywaspushed yes they can be subjective and difficult to predict - also in some grade boundaries can fall very close to one another so a A* to B can be super close.

It seems reasonably common amongst my friends’ kids, to drop a grade or two, so I’m thinking DD could easily end up with BBB. Especially as we don’t know whether she’ll get extra time. But in her case it won’t matter anyway. @piggywaspushed I’d have thought if your ds got as low as BBB and missed all his offers he’d be able to pick something up in clearing? My friend’s dd missed her Birmingham offer for Liberal Arts a couple of years ago as she got BBB but she managed to get on a similar course at Nottingham.

@Fruitygal yes it's the rushed personal statement that's the worry. I don't think he's thought his choices through as much as I would have hoped , we have only looked around Loughborough which he loved and Leeds we are local to so can take a look around there anytime. I like to explore all options and this seemed a bit rushed. The main thing is he's happy with his choices.

Hey everyone, not been around for a while and wow this new thread has moved on fast.

Orange so sorry to hear your news. I hope you are surrounded by lovely people who can share in the happy memories and spend time with you and your DM

Wheresthebeach and Fruity our school is doing the same. Have badgered DD and the rest of the form to get UCAS sorted by 15th Oct and are still sitting on DD's as one teacher - who's been on mat leave - now can't make her mind up whether to give DD a C or the B she needs so she can have a chance at all her Uni choices (was predicted 3 x B last year and has months to prove herself). Got an A in last years mock but a C in this latest one so teacher wants to give a C when DD is trying to point out that a B is the midpoint.
She's so stressed her skin has broken out really badly so have phoned the GP to get an appointment- none for over a week and then only a phone call.
To rub salt in, like others on here have experienced, her peers are getting offers flooding in and hers hasn't even been sent off.