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

@Seeline

DDs school are telling them not to firm anything until after mocks which are straight after February half term.

I guess that's sensible advice - means they've got a better idea of grades after mocks. If DD gets a Southampton offer she'll accept straight away I expect, and then dither over insurance place.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn - oh that's tricky about moving it then. Hope he recovers fast!

Offer days normally between December and March for the DSs

@crazycrofter - thank you. Bit of a shame.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn - my daughter had an offer but she had an online interview first so some still doing it.

The only offer holder day DS1 booked in 2020 was late March and it got cancelled due to Covid. May is late, you would not want to take 5 days off for offer holder days that late.

The only reason I can see to make Firm and Insurance choices before the deadline of 9th June is if it affects accommodation.

I did a little statistical exercise in encouragement for DS.

In 2019 the grade boundaries for an A in his subjects were:
Maths 55%, Physics 76%, PE 61%

My estimates for 2022 based on the stats being halfway between 2019 and 2021 are:
Maths 50%, Physics 71%, PE 57%

A* down by 5% for all his subjects. It helps put mock results into context.

Interviews normally for Oxford, Cambridge and then the medical courses - so nursing, paramedic, dietetics and physio as well as medical training for doctors. Arts courses like Film and TV production and animation ask for a showreel or portfolio and some interview. Finally if you are a mature student or have different from standard qualifications then sometimes they want to meet you. Most of the rest will just offer based on predicted alone or GCSE grades, predicted grades, personal statement and school reference. Some unis like Exeter have an easy to find policy document that outlines the way they chose and how they rank candidates.

That’s a good idea @Monkey2001. DD’s mock grades were I think based on 2019 grade boundaries. RS boundaries are always ridiculously high - I think it’s about 92% for an A* so it will be good if that comes down a bit… although I’m still expecting it to be teacher assessed grades!

@Knickerthief1 I’ve just noticed your dd has already had a nursing offer! How soon was she interviewed?

@crazycrofter which board? I can share the way I am calculating.

It’s AQA @Monkey2001

DD just got notified of an offer from Portsmouth so there is a lot of relief here. We are off to the Open Day on Dec 4th which should be really fun now. They do a scientific diving module which she's keen on.

Very fast, application went in on Friday.

Congrats on that offer @Wheresthebeach.

Well done to @Fruitygal and ouch ouch ouch to @JustHereWithMyPopcorn!! I hope the GP appointment tonight is reassuring.

DS got a report from school today with upgraded ‘working at’ and predictions. We were originally told the summer grades were to be the UCAS predictions. One of DS’s predictions has been downgraded from A* to A which means his predictions now just cover the requirements of his three top choices. I was hoping it may get him motivated as he has been a bit off the ball this term so we’ll see. Annoying though that they can change what they told us would be the UCAS prediction. His personal statement is with the head of sixth form at school for Its final review so hasn’t gone off yet.

@Wheresthebeach DS1 loved it at Portsmouth!! Hope December visit goes well - congratulations on the offer!

@20newnames That's infuriating. We had something similar - suddenly exams were announced for end of Sept which could impact UCAS grades, having been given predictions which we thought were set.

Good that he has the grades he needs though.

@Fruitygal - that's good to hear. I've been quietly keen on Portsmouth so I've got my fingers crossed she'll like it.

Great news Wheresthebeach!

Manchester have said they’ll hold offer days from early 2022 for those holding an offer. This was from DD’s interview email.

@ZittiEBuoni

I agree with Heifer about keeping your choices in preference order regardless. This happened to me (a million years ago) - top choice offered lower than second. However, third choice offered lowest of all (and I ended up preferring it to the second after interview anyway) so I still had an insurance.

Well, dd2 has put a deposit on a Boardmasters ticket so that's happening... (she's also a singer, crazycrofter, AnneofCleavage, preparing for Grade 7 ABRSM atm and thinking of doing a Music degree - but she's current year 12, so not quite decided yet. Will follow your dds' progress with interest.)

The BIG news today, though, is that my more relevant-to-this-thread dd went into school and sat her RS mock! I'm so proud of her I went out and bought her a woolly hat she'd been admiring last time we were in town together . Don't care what grade she gets, this is huge for her.

My DD also singer, diploma currently, did G8 last year, but the received wisdom seems to be that as singing can be kept up alongside academic degree, better to do that then postgrad in vocal performance.

@Wheresthebeach He had heart set on Keele and narrowly missed the grades after a really hard year for the family - he was transformed by Portsmouth. Confident, loads of fab friends made, joined loads of things and really great experiences - sea kayaking, running his own radio show, parties on the beach, climbing, travelling the world, became social secretary of one club and president of another society and was course rep. Great place to visit for parents too xx PM me if you want any questions answered

@ZittiEBuoni what great news about your DD getting into school for the mock. You must be thrilled x

@Monkey2001 tell us more about your calculations Re grades - been reading back as was working on and off all day so missed some of news and chat - 50% is lower than I would think for Maths (very good news for DD as maths is her least favourite subject)

@Fruitygal we do Pearson/Edexcel maths.

2019 - 40.6% of candidates got A* or A, 16.5% of candidates got B

2021 - 54.8% of candidates got A*or A.

2022 - 47.7% should get A/A, so 7/16.5 of the people getting a B in 2019 would get an A in 2022. In 2019 a grade boundary of 50% would have resulted in around 47.7% of candidates getting A/A.

@crazycrofter applying that to RS:

2019 - 19.5% got A*/A, 25.7% got B
2021 - 39.6% A*/A, 30.1% got B
2022 - 29.6% A*/A, 28% B

So in 2022 10.1/25.7, ie 40% of the Bs would As

The grade boundaries are super high for RS!

2019 A* 91%, A 79%, B 64.5%

I am assuming an even spread across the Bs, so 40% of the Bs being As in 2022 means an A/B boundary around 7% lower than 2019, so I reckon 72% for an A in 2022.

Of course all the marks could be lower because teaching has been patchy this year or all the marks could be higher because people will be given advance notice of the topics covered, but the planned grade inflation means that 72% in the 2019 papers would have been enough for a A with the 2022 statistics.

No idea whether that will make sense to anyone else!!!

Congrats @ZittiEBuoni and @Fruitygal. And hope Ds is feeling better soon @JustHereWithMyPopcorn. Oooouch.

@Monkey2001 yes, that makes sense! That might make the A* she’s aiming for slightly more attainable too!

@Monkey2001 thanks for this !!

[quote crazycrofter]**@Monkey2001* yes, that makes sense! That might make the A she’s aiming for slightly more attainable too![/quote]
Definitely - 3.6% of candidates got A in 2019, 2021 12.9% (so a 250% increase). Should be 8.25% A for RS in 2022, so maybe 87% needed compared to 91% in 2019.

2021 was VERY generous for A*s!

@ZittiEBuoni that’s fantastic news about DD. I hope she’s made up with her hat.

Congratulations to your DD @Fruitygal
Our DD has her first lesson on Friday. I took her out tonight in my car to try and familiarise her and she too stalled the car many times! I think at this stage I’ll leave her to lessons with her driving instructor.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn your poor DS. Fingers crossed he’ll be okay for his test.

Congratulations to everyone with submitted UCAS applications and those starting to receive offers. We’re still waiting for school to hit the button after DD submitted three weeks ago. DD thinks it might be early next week as she has been offered an appointment with the teacher reviewing hers. I’ll be glad when it’s done and she can relax (at least for a while).