Thread 24 Covid Cohort - Oh Come, Oh Come offers from Emmanuel - and all other universities aswell!

[OrangeCinnamonCocktail]

I tried to sing the title... It kind of works...

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 posts 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 goodwill continues.

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

Ds has just messaged from school asking me about Manchester metropolitan. I am assuming there are 2 universities in Manchester and this is the not so popular. Any know much about it. At least Ds is working on the university hunt at last.

Oh thanks everyone. I was serious. We had Aberystwyth in the list for ages, the courses look great and they have amazing bursaries for care leavers, but she got really worried that she wouldn’t be able to understand people, and yes it is a long way from everywhere. But I would love her to go there. I know nothing about Royal Holloway, except I thought it was in London? We looked at Kent for Liberal Arts but there was a confusing statement about offers, so we didn’t know if it would be an Insurance offer or not. We also looked at Sussex, but think the trans stuff was a bit off putting, for complex reasons.. But I’m going to have a proper look now, and get her to email the teacher who has the form, and ask her .opinion. I also thought it might be useful to ask about foundation courses at the unis she has chosen, and whether she would be automatically considered, if she missed an offer.. I know that was covered on this thread before, but cant remember it properly.

Royal Holloway is near Egham, which I think is a village on the edge of London. It seems to appeal to quieter types I think? You do get the London loan though!

Dh went to Aber and did live with Welsh speakers in his last year - but that was his choice! There’s plenty of English students there! I think Bangor is more popular with Welsh speakers.

Egham is near Windsor, so close to London but not in a city.
RH has one of the most beautiful campuses in the country/world, apparently.

Aberystwyth is lovely and I think I’ve read that most of the people living there are connected to the uni in one way or another.

Forgot to say, RH promise to guarantee your place, if firmed, in the event you drop a grade on results day.

@Zebracat have you looked at Reading? The grade requirements are BBB for year 1, there is an optional foundation year, the contextual offer is quite broad-ranging and will automatically qualify a two grade lower offer so BCC, also they offer modern language modules at all levels alongside their courses. We were also put off Sussex for similar reasons.

As regards whether to apply to year 1 or foundation, Reading said to us that they are completely flexible, if you apply for year 1 they will offer you foundation if your predictions are low but then move you up if you do better or vice versa. I have rung other admissions departments (for us it is because although DS is predicted BCC which would meet most his offers, due to the severity of his SENs it would make sense in many ways for him to have that extra transitional year). They have all said slightly different things, well worth ringing them.

Thanks all for the advice, I am a bit of a chicken with these things and not one for making proper complaints to the school just moaning about them at home! I think if he's off next lesson again I will have to email head of 6th form.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn Walk in there like a boss! (politely obviously, and assertively) make sure they tell you exactly what they doing about the situation and when they will be actioning anything agreed at your meeting. Get dates! also ask that they put everything in writing in an email that they have agreed to do to support DS/make sure he doesn't miss out on his grades (so that you have it for reference). Good luck!

RH is Surrey darling. I drove past it (rare) on my way home this afternoon.

@Shimy can you come with me? I'm too much of a wimp!

A friend who went to RHU said that at the open day they had puppies as they have puppy therapy available to students. 🥰

Royal Holloway was so beautiful.

Had an offer for AAB from Queen Mary London today for Mech Eng. Good as thats the one DS wants - the other 2 are pie in the sky!

Great news @ChristopherTracy

That’s great ChristopherTracy, especially if it’s number 1 choice!

JustHere wishing you courage to get final resolution on grades!

And Zebra, good options being throwing up the lovely folk on here, hope they work for her when you review together.

Oblomov, I’m a Surrey girl!

And puppy therapy?? Where do I sign up? 😍

Congrats @ChristopherTracy

Well done to your ds @ChristopherTracy!

@ChristopherTracy Well done getting the first choice in!

Well done @ChristopherTracy DS, I really liked QMUL when we had a look round at half term, a great place to be a student, I bet. I may have had a dalliance in my youth with a young fellow studying geography there
Funnily enough he was from Aberystwyth.

DS finally summoned the courage to go and see UCAS woman - and they are still predicting ACC (C in physics despite him just getting a B in the mock, one mark off an A), and she laughed and told him he'd better rethink his choices. (She probably didn't laugh, that might be his dramatic side coming out )

But I mean wtf. He has got himself from a U in physics to one mark off an A in less than a year. He was so optimistic and starting to enjoy school again. And now he's completely despondent. I just cannot fathom why they are doing this.

@ExquisitelyDecorated. Thank you. Reading sounds great. I will have a look. But we just looked at Royal Holloway and she fell for it’s beauty, . She wants to apply for foundation, but I guess we could email and ask them if she could move up if she met the entrance requirements ?
I also liked Kent mainly because there is an anthropology/ computing connection, and I think that the computing stuff is so desirable for employers, but there seem so many strands to hold onto with this that a few always get dropped

@ChristopherTracy ,that’s marvellous. @singingstones and @JustHereWithMyPopcorn. I’m not great at sticking up for myself, but I think in those scenarios I would be wanting a meeting and going full broken record on the facts. It’s just crap, they are so vulnerable to being knocked off course. Popcorns school know full well that’s not good enough in an Alevel year, and if there’s a parallel class they can certainly share the pain, @singingstones, that’s just appalling and unacceptable and they clearly don’t even see that it’s wrong.

DS saw his UCAS link teacher today. Submitted it now!

@singingstones That's really tough. Maybe time for a parental question about why they think he won't continue at that level or even improve further?

that would be to the school not at your DS!