Thread 27 Covid Cohort Snow or Like Spring? Let's Do This Thing!

[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 found here

@Isthisjustnormal When the kids complete their UCAS they have to add all exams marks and for those without a grade yet the predicted grade. The EPQ is on the UCAS form as an exam and once the exam board gives the final grade this is shared with the uni by UCAS. This is how my DDs school explained it.

@Isthisjustnormal
Well done to your DS for the EPQ results!

My DD got her result too (A). I was hoping the EPQ grade would be used to lower her entry requirements but only RHUL mentioned it. The others gave a contextual offer which she would have got anyway.

Doofus DS doesn't know this as his track updated and he didn't notice email because it got lumped into other track emails about Cambridge but I noticed this morning that Bath have given him an offer!

It's AAB or ABB with an A in EPQ.

So, decisions to be made from 3 unis all asking for ABB and one wanting BBB...

Ooh well done to your ds @Piggywaspushed! I’d better get dd to look out for an offer/rejection from Bath.

Yes, do, because he ahs had no actual email from them and it is easy for Track emails to all get muddled in together.

Oh: great news @Piggywaspushed: that sounds like a good offer from Bath? And good to know the Bath offers are starting to come through too!

That's a great offer from Bath, Piggy.
Has he got an obvious first choice?

That’s a good offer Piggy, wish DS’s was that. I’m a bit pissed off with Maths this year, some of them are definitely higher than they were unless I am losing the plot which is entirely possible currently !

That’s a comfortable range for him Piggy, well done to him (even though he is oblivious)

I underestimated the shortlisting process hugely, and as ever, the devil is in the detail. DD’s double blow this week was us establishing the Bristol course offer was not quite what she thought she’d applied for. And we’re struggling to establish fully whether a year abroad is offered with the joint majors programme for McGill, which all the others have as standard. This is a deal breaker, to make a language based programme worthwhile. I am favouring Trinity Dublin Right now but the waiting for offer post grades is a challenge.

Good job she didn’t kick out Durham Monkey, thanks for steering me off that. All she needs now would be a rejection from them to finish her off. But, next week is a new week…

@well done @BlueMarigold on the A for EPQ. I know what you mean as it looks like it wasn't worth the effort if it's not lowered offers, but it would have been a useful exercise and it could have made the difference receiving an offer - also could make a difference if DD doesn't quite get the grade she needs somewhere.

Well done @Piggywaspushed - great offers there. Does your DS have a favourite so far (I'm guessing your fav is Bath? :-) lovely place.

It’s good to know Bath have started making offers. All of DDs friends are waiting on either Bath or Durham now for various courses.

Wow more lovely news on here. Congratulations on all the offers, mock results and EPQ grades 😀👏👏👏👏

I’m sorry it’s feeling a bit rough at the moment Ealingbroadwaymum. Hope you can her to the bottom of what McGill offers. DD is a language student and sadly couldn’t do her year abroad. Thank goodness she didn’t defer as some of her classmates did as they can’t go this year either. She doesn’t feel she is where she should be at this point so looking at what to do when she graduates to get her a bit higher. Fingers crossed for a Durham offer for her and for a better week next week 💐

Volterra it must be awful for those UG students these last 2 years that have forfeited their 3rd year, I didn’t know you had a languages DD. I hope her options open up when she graduates, it’s tough isn’t it?

But, rejection is part of life. And my pragmatic side says better to learn early and how to rise again!

Well done to @Piggywaspushed! Bath is amazing, slightly biased as I went there but it is a lovely city and a great university.

Still waiting on Bath, Durham, Warwick and Nottingham here. Would like to get one more offer in soonish for some sort of comfort.

Another lovely offer there from Bath, congrats to Piggy DS.

We have an offer holder day booked in February at Nottingham (likely first choice), but the ones at Exeter (likely second choice) are not until March, after the Nottingham accommodation bunfight starts. Also waiting to hear when Aston are doing theirs.

Does anyone know - do you have to choose firm and insurance at the same time, or can he firm Nottingham so as not to miss out on accommodation and then add his insurance choice later, after visiting the others?

Ealingwestmum she's in her final year now. She had online lessons with host university but a 9 hour time difference and had to start really early and now has huge problems sleeping after them. She's found a MA at SOAS she was saying has a fair amount of language lessons attached so that's an option, as is her current university. Ideally she needs to get over and spend some time but who knows when she will be allowed in.

Congratulations @Piggywaspushed! I think you know Bath is horribly expensive and a long journey from East Anglia, but a great university and that looks like a nice offer. May be worth looking more carefully into bursaries if he is looking for things which might tip a decision.

@singingstones choosing Firm and Insurance happens together, sorry! I can't remember whether the Nottingham offer was much of a stretch for her? Definitely worth checking Discoveruni for the actual UCAS tariffs to see how much flexibility there is. Also, Extra opens 25/2 and if a course is showing in Extra, it may well be in Clearing too, so if 2 or 3 of her other choices are in Extra, rejecting them may not mean they have gone for ever. Warning - for Medicine Exeter forgot to take themselves out of Extra for Medicine last year, so adnin mistakes can happen.

A surprising number of people decide but to accept their insurance choice and enter Clearing if they don't get their first, so don't over-think it!!

Is it bad that I’m secretly hoping for a rejection from Bath? The living costs worry me and I’m not sure it’s right for dd but she loves the city (haven’t visited the campus yet).

These are also my worries crazy.

I don't think it is bad Crazycrofter ! I was really worried about accommodation costs but have now sadly got an inheritance coming which takes the pressure off and I think Dad would like to have thought he would be helping.

And the hill! But DS is as fit as a butcher's dog.

@singingstones concern about the Nottingham bunfight here too although for DD it will likely be her insurance (albeit at a higher offer than her firm) so can't book accommodation anyway!! I'm still not convinced it is the right approach, but she has decided to wait until after mocks to make her final decision to see if the grades are a possibility. She does have a much lower offer from Kent which I think would be better but she doesn't like the course as much.

@Seeline it is fairly likely that Kent will be in Clearing. I think they should take a bit of a risk now as it would be bittersweet to end up on a course you don't love if your grades would have been good enough for a course you preferred.

Re deciding based on mocks, make sure she looks at the results in the context of the school harshness policy as discussed yesterday!

@Piggywaspushed if dd gets an offer, perhaps I will make her walk up the hill on the offer holder day 😂 That might swing it!