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

It’s quite a stressful time for them isn’t it, all the uncertainty - even if they have offers, they’ve still got to get the grades. Dd had a bit of a meltdown yesterday about her coursework, and the fact that even though she’s just done exams she’ll have to start revising for the Jan ones again soon. She’s also doing her grade 6 singing in a couple of weeks and her driving theory next week. @AnneOfCleavage I hope your dd gets the B she needs. DD’s school said the UCAS grades were set based on summer exams and they could only go up after the recent exams, not down, which was helpful.

esther wow great offer from Warwick for your DS.

Good luck for driving test tomorrow Fruitygal's DD 🤞🤞🤞
Also that is mad re the grade boundaries being so close between an A* and a B. Is that essay based A levels? DD is doing two essay based A levels and I'm dreading they'll fall on the same day and her hand will cramp up as it sometimes does.

@collywobble remember there are offer days where he can consider the places and courses in more detail. DD didn't go crazy with her PS and after a few drafts it went in to school. Exeter told us they don't look at the statement ?!? But Durham clearly do and so do York her favourites!

crazycrofter thank you. She's been in to speak to head of 6th form who is going to try and persuade the teacher to reconsider. Hope your DD's theory test goes well - DD hasn't even opened a book or downloaded the app yet despite a few driving lessons.
What genre of singing is your DD taking grade 6 in? I'm sure we've talked about your DD and singing exams but it's escaped me brain fog

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail Hope you are able to sit with your mum whenever you want to and she is kept comfortable.

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail I hope your Mum is comfortable and you have been able to spend some time with her. I too have been there 💐

Did anyone find a good source for competition ratios apart from whatdotheyknow? A friend is trying to find a "safe" paramedic science choice. The DC did not get any medicine offers last year and was disillusioned, now looking at Paramedic, but no idea how competitive it is. He would struggle with another year of rejections.

Thanks @AnneOfCleavage. Sorry to hear your DD is stressed. That sounds ridiculous re predicted grades. Am not counting any chickens for next year as to be honest with essay subjects and the lack of teaching continuity I have no idea what DS could end up with. He's actually working pretty hard but it is all so up in the air

@AnneOfCleavage - You sound like you are in our world regarding UCAS going off - we had some positive news as DD's friend who was one of the early ones submitted to the school on the day DD did hers has told her that hers was sent off by school on Sunday - so fingers crossed we get DDs off tomorrow. If not another email before resorting to the call.

I would push for the B and intervene if your DD is getting stressed and point out the stress that is occurring to the school. Predicted are that realistic aspirational so given what you have told us B is the most appropriate grade.

Exam grade boundaries can be narrow at the top and exams like history etc can be very subjective with marking and hard to appeal. Sciences and Maths are often easier for the teachers to gauge marks and A level grade as the answer is often more measurable.

Heaven knows how the bell curves are going to work this year! They have said that percentage of A/A was ~25% in 2019 during last exams, then last year ~35% and then this year ~40-45% with teacher assessed grades. They want to bring them back to the 25% mark but said this will be done over 2 years so this year they will position the bell curve to provide approx ~30-35% of kids with A and A.

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail sorry to hear your news. I hope your Dm stays comfortable.

I took Ds2 for his second vaccine. He can drive, but wanted me to take him. He did say I was making him go, he didn't really want a 2nd vaccine. He almost didn't have it, they asked if he was a care worker, asked why he wanted a second vaccine. I told them he's 18 in a few days. He looks young...but they had just asked him his dob so should know his age. Then he said ds had to have had the first vaccine after he was 17 and 9 months to be entitled to a second one. The man counted the days back, he was only a few days after 17 and 9 months. But it meant he could have the vaccine. I could see Ds hoping they would say no. If I hadn't been there he'd have come home without one. Ds does want to be vaccinated he just didn't want an needle in his arm. He felt quite poorly after the first too, but so far he's fine 🤞 I don't know why they made such a fuss over vaccinating him. He probably looked even younger taking his mum in with him.

@Monkey2001 - Paramedic courses are fairly generic obviously the universities themselves can be very different. Most have grades that are moderate and not crazy high - BBC with one science subject. They want to know that the person applying wants to do the course and is genuinely interested so PS and often interview for all applicants (unsure how this works in COVID - perhaps via zoom). Work experience in any medical area great or team working or caring/volunteering role if not . Know friend's DCs who have done it at Surrey, uni of Herts and Portsmouth - all have done fine x

Thanks @Fruitygal. I dipped into a search and it said that Birmingham have 1,000 applicants for 30 spaces, which is worse than medicine!

[quote icanbewhatiwant]@OrangeCinnamonCocktail sorry to hear your news. I hope your Dm stays comfortable.

I took Ds2 for his second vaccine. He can drive, but wanted me to take him. He did say I was making him go, he didn't really want a 2nd vaccine. He almost didn't have it, they asked if he was a care worker, asked why he wanted a second vaccine. I told them he's 18 in a few days. He looks young...but they had just asked him his dob so should know his age. Then he said ds had to have had the first vaccine after he was 17 and 9 months to be entitled to a second one. The man counted the days back, he was only a few days after 17 and 9 months. But it meant he could have the vaccine. I could see Ds hoping they would say no. If I hadn't been there he'd have come home without one. Ds does want to be vaccinated he just didn't want an needle in his arm. He felt quite poorly after the first too, but so far he's fine 🤞 I don't know why they made such a fuss over vaccinating him. He probably looked even younger taking his mum in with him. [/quote]
So glad he was vaccinated - The vaccine centre are wrong! (triggering post re COVID please scroll past if not good for you)

Adults aged 16 and 17 can have 1 vaccine only (nuts but there you go) - why do i call them adults? because they will be placed on an adult ward if they get sick at this age so should be called adults.

18 year olds can have 2 and those within 3 months of their 18th birthdays can have 2 also ( this was decided by government when they realised kids who are the youngest in the year groups would not be 18 until 1 month before uni start and they wanted them to be vaccinated before uni returned)

11% of those in ICU with COVID are 16-29 years old last week (ICNARC data). 40% are under 50 and 63% are 60 and under. Most are unvaccinated. Please get your kids vaccinated (doubly where possible) my friend had to tell a family last week their 20 something unvaccinated but previously fit healthy child was going to die and another friend has lost a pregnant patient in the past week. Vast majority of deaths are people over 50 not under but not all.

My DCs are vaccinated so they can go and have lots of fun but they still test before they mix with the olds and go to gigs. One has Asthma and they have seen family members in ICU for non covid reasons so it makes it more real and easier to understand why you want to avoid the place.

@Monkey2001 OMG!!!!! 30 places and 1000 Maybe its the covid effect? - Herts uni don't have that many applicants as a friends child went to look round a couple of weeks ago I think it was 7/1 offers to places but their DD has ABB and they were very keen - I would just phone admissions teams for paramedic and ask them.

@AnneOfCleavage I don’t think I’ve mentioned DD’s singing before but someone else has a singer - one of the girls hoping to do music at uni I think? Dd does Rockschool exams - the choice of songs is really good.

Just caught up on over a weeks worth of posts, nearly 20 pages!

@singingstones so sorry to hear about your lovely Nelly and thanks so much for the list of posters with their DC subjects and offers, very useful!

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail so sorry to hear about your DM, I hope she is comfortable and you are able to be with her.

@ZittiEBuoni DS wants to go to boardmasters next year too, he’s never been to anything like it before, never even camped!!

DS has had his ucas submitted by college and 3 offers since i last posted (MN stopped emailing me notifications and I need reminding to keep up with the thread!)
He has:
Bournemouth - 104 UCAS points
Brighton - BCC
Cardiff - ABB
He doesn’t have a preference yet but then we haven’t visited any of these ones!

DD used to sing. Stopped before G8 to switch to sax. I miss the concerts where students would solo their exam pieces, and marvel at how they could learn 4 pieces in different languages!

@Fruitygal @Monkey2001 An ex colleague decided to train as a paramedic & went to Herts. I don’t remember it being difficult to get in.

Just out of interest, do your schools give an idea of what the predictions means in terms of unis you should pick? DD’s school have said you shouldn’t apply for anything that wants more than two grades above your predicted grades. Is that generic advice or a clue to how accurate they they think the predictions are?

@BlueMarigold 2 grades above predicted grades sounds very aspirational. I would only pick one like that & make the others safer choices. Tbh my dc have only ever applied to unis that matched their predictions or were asking for slightly lower.

@Fruitygal if Ds had had his first vaccine about 4 days previously, they wouldn't have given him a second. He is 18 in 5 days. That would have been annoying.

DD thinks her predicted grades are aspirational, so she’s not applying for any courses that ask for higher.

I’ve got a question on the same subject - if it’s suggested you have one or two “safety” choices, ie with lower than predicted grades, is that simply to hedge your bets for getting offers? Or should one of those be your insurance choice ultimately?

@Fruitygal DD would love a second vaccine. She had her first as soon as she was allowed -beginning of August, a few days after her 17th birthday. So no idea if/when she can have a second. Several of her older friends have been turned away from online-booked appointments, being told they have to wait until they are 18, not 17.9. Even if DD manages to get one at 17.9 will that count as her second (even if it is 9 months after her first), or will she need another one after that? Really worried as she won't be 18 until about 6weeks before going to uni.

Don’t worry @Decorhate, my DD is only applying to unis that either match her predictions exactly or are a couple grades below. But her friend was also predicted AAB (same as her) and applying for unis that want A*AA for quite a competitive course. It is two grades higher but written down, it looks like quite a big jump.

Great offers @Fiddlersgreen!

DS grades also aspirational we both think. That would be on a v good day. He has had two English NEAs back after their pre submission check and both have said they are really good so hes happy. Needs to finalise those and his history one over Xmas for final submission