Thread 28 - Corona Cohort Awaiting Offers, Advance Notice, Gap Years and New Jobs

[OrangeCinnamonCroissant]

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 27 Here

Ds has just asked if we can go to his insurance offer holder day. He has already accepted his firm and insurance. He can't change them now can he? I did ask whether he wanted to visit any, he said no he only wants to go to Sussex. So he got on and accepted Sussex. I wouldn't mind but the insurance is 200 miles away. So a fairly long drive.

I think you can change within 14 days, but I don't think it's straight forward.

It's probably a good idea to visit if you can. If he doesn't get the grades for Sussex at least he will know whether he wants to accept the insurance offer or not. He can then think about plans C and D in advance of results day (check what's in clearing, possible year out etc).

@ExtremelyDelighted we've got similar issues with History with both my kids! Dh and I did it and went on to teaching and accountancy, but dd definitely wants a healthcare/people facing job (not teaching!) so there's no point doing a history degree - but the option of taking a few history modules is appealing. Ds is choosing A Levels and had his interview today - the teacher interviewing (who happened to be a history teacher) wondered why he wasn't taking History A Level as it's his best subject. We'd thought he'd better do Psychology instead if he's thinking of a career in sports. But he does really like history... and he's the sort of person who does really well when interested. Hmmm...

Good to have that acknowledgement from PwC @Oblomov22

@icanbewhatiwant what is his insurance choice? It's probably worth visiting - just so that if he hates it and misses the grades for Sussex, he can reject it and go straight to clearing? But hopefully he won't hate it! And you thought he'd be very unlikely to miss the Sussex offer didn't you?

@Seeline @crazycrofter thanks. I really don't see the point going when he's already chosen. He thinks he can change them if he prefers the insurance. It was Gloucestershire university. I've never heard anyone on here mention it. It's the only one he could find that didn't want ABB like everywhere else.

Is he having a wobble about Sussex then icanbe?
I think if he prefers Gloucestershire, he can only get there through clearing now, it's too late to change. (Unless Sussex reject him for missing the grades and Glos accept him.)
Probably worth going to the open day in case he does want to think about doing that?

Is the course based at the Cheltenham campus or Gloucester? We have visited Cheltenham for a University of Gloucestershire open day and really liked it though it depends what you are looking for. I think it's going to be my DD's insurance choice if they offer her a place - she has an interview next month.

@singingstones no I don't think he's having a wobble. He has just realised he should have looked at others. Ds1 was just the same...he only wanted to go to UEA (where he is) He was called for an interview at Essex so we visited. He wanted a back up so that was his insurance.

@kiwiandcherries Ds just says Gloucester university. I just looked his course up and it says Cheltenham, it looks like there are 3 campuses.

Yes, there are three in Cheltenham - Park, Hardwick and Francis Close. I think Park is the main one for Cheltenham but I haven't actually visited there as DD would be based at Francis Close if she goes.

@kiwiandcherries it says Francis close for history with philosophy.

@icanbewhatiwant oh, that's the same then. Apparently it has the nickname Hogwarts because the old style buildings look like something out of Harry Potter!

@kiwiandcherries thanks. If it were closer I'd happily go. It's 3.5 hours away. That's a bit far for me there and back in a day. If he hadn't firmed already I'd definitely sort out going. But as he's firmed I'm not so sure. He's firmed Sussex with Distinction BC. He is predicted distinction star BB. Though has had A's in mocks. So hopefully Sussex shouldn't be s problem.

@icanbewhatiwant I totally understand, it is a long way to go when the decision is already made. Like you say, it's very likely that he will get his firm choice and if not, in my opinion anyway, Francis Close is a very good back up plan!

Very interested that 75% fail to get their predicted grades. I do feel worried that it could be even more this year. We are in a really peculiar funding situation, we don’t know if she will be classed as an independent student and we can’t supplement student finance, but the institutions have bursaries for widening participation students, but there are no standard definitions. We are asking if she would be eligible and they are saying they will tell us if we accept the offer, but obviously if she had for example her accommodation paid or all tuition fees, that would influence the decision, and we don’t know. I mostly tell myself we will tackle it when all the offers or rejections are in. But it is so complicated and frustrating. I don’t think anyone owes us anything, we just want to know.

Thanks @kiwiandcherries I'll have to talk it through with Ds.

@Zebracat sounds like a nightmare and so tricky for you

@Zebracat That does feel rather unhelpful. Hope you can get some clarity.

Lots of the 'new' universities have a very rich /interesting history, and Hogwartsy buildings Chichester and Winchester had similar starts (Diocesan/theological /teacher training ...for @anneofcleavage

@OrangeCinnamonCroissant

Lots of the 'new' universities have a very rich /interesting history, and Hogwartsy buildings Chichester and Winchester had similar starts (Diocesan/theological /teacher training ...for *@anneofcleavage*

And @kiwiandcherries (Winch is middle) and @ExtremelyDelighted (although I know DS firming elsewhere)

Royal Agricultural is quite Hogwartsy too

In fact apart from Bournemouth all DS's choices have impressive architecture (Winch, Chi, RAU, RHUL).

@ExtremelyDelighted

Royal Agricultural is quite Hogwartsy too

I do love an old building

RHUL is just simply stunning even Dd was impressed enough to whatsapp me photos from the Open Day.

@ExtremelyDelighted have you visited Bournemouth? We haven’t heard about an offer holder day yet but thinking about going to have a look around what we can see sometime

This Is DS1's hall in St Andrews

And some of the girls live in a mini castle!

@Fiddlersgreen my DS1 good friend did a degree there and loved it - never been ourselves.

I quite like Birmingham for its fab old buildings and Leeds main building reminds me of the tv show Man in the High castle 😂🤣

I would have chosen Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Oxford and Durham based on pretty buildings ( not all building on each campus are beautiful I hasten to add. There’s a lot of old ugly buildings everywhere - for quirkiness I probably like the thunderbirds building on the lake at York !😂