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

Thanks @Decorhate. I get the impression a lot hinges on the interview/audition but it was
Southampton...Music. I know they won't take less than a B.

@decorhate ...Thanks!

@Piggywaspushed Just seen your DS has another offer and an interview, brilliant end to the week!

Still no interviews here, DD being stoic and burying herself in work for 2 mocks next week.

All the best Kingscote, hope she hears some positive news soon.

Congrats @Piggywaspushed and @ProggyMat.

Thanks Orange for the new thread. Fab title. Hope your taking care of yourself.

I’ve just confirmed DDs access arrangements as yet another new Senco. They missed off using lap top for biology but that’s sorted now. Mainly I want to make sure she has increased print size for mocks as that got messed up for gcse mocks and with the way things are going I don’t want to risk any issues with mocks.

Fingers crossed they come through soon @KingscoteStaff. One of DDs friends put in for Cambridge and hasn’t heard from any of her five choices yet. So she’s not the only one.

Bore da @singingstones, diolch am dy geiriau caredig. Thanks for your kind words for everyone else. I am still upset for DD as I think the teacher’s comments were uncalled for and unkind. It’s true that she hasn’t prioritised RS for the last 10 days but that’s because of history coursework and her EPQ presentation, not because she’s been doing nothing! Anyway, we’ll see what next week brings.
I hope everyone has a good weekend.

I can't watch Ibz. I find him too full on and just loves the sound of his own voice too much.

I didn’t know about all these YouTubers, I found Ibz Mo and watched his video about his thoughts on all the top unis.

There's a newer YouTuber called Jake Clarke who is nice. Slightly cockier version of Jack. He got rejected from, I think, Cambridge , ad is now at Bath.

Congrats @Piggywaspushed and @ProggyMat

Thank you for the new thread @OrangeCinnamonCocktail, love the title.

DDs mocks now over plus she recorded her actual drama monologue too so that’s another 20% of her A level completed. She’s now got nice things to do in the run up to Christmas with various rehearsals and concerts.

Going to put up the tree today - it’s not too early! [santa]

@Piggywaspushed

There's a newer YouTuber called Jake Clarke who is nice. Slightly cockier version of Jack. He got rejected from, I think, Cambridge , ad is now at Bath.

He is the one whose EPQ video I shared. I watched a couple more of his videos and liked him a bit less as he is just a bit too confident for me, but I thought the EPQ one was very helpful.

There are so many students making videos, particularly medics, they can be very useful, but it is interesting to see how self absorbed some of them are as they grow more famous. Ali Abdaal started off looking like he was really there to help people get into medicine but seemed to be intoxicated by his own success and posted videos about how much more money he made as a YouTuber than as a Junior Doctor. I think he has now left the NHS and gone to America, but there is no acknowledgement that he was privileged to access a low cost UK medical degree and really owed it to the NHS to stay for at least a bit longer.

@PaddingtonPaddington the concerts are making life feel much more normal again! DS was pleased to be asked to help the orchestra of his old school in a couple of weeks as the new school doesn't do greatly as much music. Lots of concerts, 9 lessons and carols and midnight mass (unless the new variant scuppers everything!)

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail Have they said that about a B for definite or is that on the website/prospectus?

When ds1 was applying to Southampton the standard offer for his course was A* AA. At the offer holder day I put the admissions person for the department on the spot about this (knowing it would be quite a stretch for Ds) & he admitted that they usually took everyone who got AAA on results day & a few with lower grades. The course was actually in clearing that year at ABB...

[quote Decorhate]@OrangeCinnamonCocktail Have they said that about a B for definite or is that on the website/prospectus?

When ds1 was applying to Southampton the standard offer for his course was A* AA. At the offer holder day I put the admissions person for the department on the spot about this (knowing it would be quite a stretch for Ds) & he admitted that they usually took everyone who got AAA on results day & a few with lower grades. The course was actually in clearing that year at ABB...[/quote]
Sorry should have clarified...if they take A-level Music and something goes terribly wrong on results day they'll see what they can do. But won't take less than a B for Music. It wasn't on the website /prospectus, makes sense though.

Quick needy question for everyone: how long did it take from submitting your applications to starting to receive offers/rejections? Was it weeks or months?

Feeling very guilty that the only YouTubers we watch in this house are holiday-based!

About three weeks to the first one - early submission but school missed off predicted grades … long story - then they came quite quickly and all answered within about 5 weeks - that was Birmingham Cardiff Warwick Lancaster In order of receipt for various versions of history

@ChristopherTracy DS submitted on 15th or 16th Nov and has had two offers. He had emails from UCL and Warwick saying don’t expect to hear until end of Jan.

@ChristopherTracy Son’s application was submitted on the 12th & he got his first offer on the 25th & 2 more yesterday. So just under 2 weeks. But it’s not a course that is hard to get into - no interviews or additional information required & he’s applied to unis where the standard offer is lower than his predicted grades.

I'm going to be cheeky and repost this qu from the last thread, in case anyone can add any thoughts on this conundrum for ds as we (finally!) add his last 3 choices this weekend: "A qu for the very knowledgeable ones on this thread. Ds is finalising his additional few unis to add this weekend, but looking like Warwick, York and Exeter. His PS is comp sci focused but with a very theoretical/maths perspective - which made sense for the first two courses he added. However, a couple of the courses he is now looking at are specifically comp sci with maths - rather than straight comp sci (York and Exeter) - it is (I think) obvious from his PS that's his space, but (b/cos the other 3 courses are straight comp sci but are theoretical/maths-y) he never explicitly says ' and maths' in his PS ito what he wants to study. Although a couple of his paras are on maths-y stuff. Likely to be a problem?? G'ah, knew this system of putting in two then adding would bit me on the bum!" Looking, I think Exeter put relatively little focus on PS, but York seem to and it's his preferred 'first choice after Cambridge' now...

Thanks all - so we can expect something in the next few weeks!

@Isthisjustnormal, I don't know anything about compsci and maths, but I think it must be fairly normal to have slightly different scope to the subjects being applied for, and a PS that fits some better than others. DS is applying to biotechnology,. Some unis include a fair bit of entrepreneurship in the degree. In Scotland they don't but there's presumably the option of some added business modules if wanted, and one has no business option with the biotech at all. He's put in a para about his interest in economics/business, and if that puts off the ones it's not relevant for, there's not much we can do about it. He's written his PS predominantly thinking about his top choice of those that seem to pay attention to PS.

Funny to read of all the love for Jack Edwards. He was in my DD's class at primary school. Very nice boy back then - one of those kids that got on well with everyone, boys and girls. But hard to get my head around the fact that people choose to go to Durham because of him!

Oh how interesting doggerel. Glad he is as nice as he seems because you always wonder about these YouTubers!

@Isthisjustnormal

I'm going to be cheeky and repost this qu from the last thread, in case anyone can add any thoughts on this conundrum for ds as we (finally!) add his last 3 choices this weekend: "A qu for the very knowledgeable ones on this thread. Ds is finalising his additional few unis to add this weekend, but looking like Warwick, York and Exeter. His PS is comp sci focused but with a very theoretical/maths perspective - which made sense for the first two courses he added. However, a couple of the courses he is now looking at are specifically comp sci with maths - rather than straight comp sci (York and Exeter) - it is (I think) obvious from his PS that's his space, but (b/cos the other 3 courses are straight comp sci but are theoretical/maths-y) he never explicitly says ' and maths' in his PS ito what he wants to study. Although a couple of his paras are on maths-y stuff. Likely to be a problem?? G'ah, knew this system of putting in two then adding would bit me on the bum!" Looking, I think Exeter put relatively little focus on PS, but York seem to and it's his preferred 'first choice after Cambridge' now...

I had this issue with DS : HSPS at Cambridge (so sociology, anthropology, politics, IR) ; SPS at York (no anthrop or IR), Policy, Politics and Economics at Birmingham (so economics appears!) , Quants at Sheffield with sociology and then straight social policy at Bath. All rather different. His PS is social history heavy, I'd say with the odd mention of economics.

It hasn't stopped offers coming in.

It's such a shame only Glasgow does a social history degree as I am sure that's whathe actually really loves.