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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

Original poster

Thread 29 - Covid Cohort - Whirlwinds and Waiting

999 replies

OrangeCinnamonCroissant · 23/02/2022 22:29

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 28

OP posts:
Oblomov22 · 03/03/2022 19:27

Congrats on all the great news.

NCTDN · 03/03/2022 19:35

@scabby1

Ds received an offer from Bristol today (AAA). He is delighted. (It was only a week ago that they sent him a “your application is on hold” email). So that’s everything in - 4 offers (York, Leeds, York, Nottingham) & 1 rejection (Manchester). I think the universities in question are pretty similar in terms of reputation/prestige (am I wrong on this?) and the courses look similar too. Ds hasn’t been to any open days; he hasn’t ever even been to any of the cities he applied to! He is pretty certain however that he wants to firm Bristol & have York as his insurance. Being a Yorkshire girl who has lived in London since graduating, I’m a bit sad that he isn’t firming Leeds or York but hey ho.
I think they're all about the same reputation wise. York and Bristol are very different though in terms of the uni set up. One campus and one spread out across the whole city.
Wheresthebeach · 03/03/2022 19:40

@KingscoteStaff Fab! Nice to see offers coming in.

@Shimy. Yes, quite. But if she's choosing between two she likes, that's great. Up til now she'd expected to love Southampton, and was really deflated when she didn't.

ealingwestmum · 03/03/2022 19:43

Woohoo Kingscote!

It’s a nice feeling isn’t it Eww just to have a break in the storm Smile.

Shimy · 03/03/2022 19:47

@Wheresthebeach It's a shame when that happens. When is she visiting Swansea?

EwwSprouts · 03/03/2022 19:50

Definitely @ealingwestmum

@scabby1 I was chatting with an academic from Leeds Uni this week who spoke highly of the new vice-chancellor at York.

scabby1 · 03/03/2022 19:56

Thanks @ NCTDN.
York is the insurance because it is his only AAB offer ( reduced due to Ds having already achieved an A * EPQ).
Tbh, I think Ds would really benefit from a campus Uni -he has lived in London all his life, his friends are dotted around all over the city (school is in the centre) & as such he has never had the luxury of having all his mates in close proximity. I think it would be a lovely change for him.

scabby1 · 03/03/2022 19:59

God to know @ EwwSprouts.

I’ve got to say, York’s PR is very impressive- golden tickets, lovely emails etc…..

Original poster
OrangeCinnamonCroissant · 03/03/2022 21:19

Fab news all round ..hard to keep up!

@kingscotestaff ! Great news for top choice exhilarating when that happens

@christophertracy beep beep congrats 🚘

@icanbewhatIwant well done to DS... his plans seem to be coming together

@scabby1 sorry missed your news about the offer all great Unis guess you have the luxury of getting down to nitty gritty/campus vs non campus etc

Lovely news of great mocks ... peace in the household maintained @ewwsprouts

Dd had offer from Cardiff tonight. I watched her log on to UCAS it was loading for ages! Then she got so excited which was nice ABB offer or BBB with A in EPQ. She was so welcomed there and a bit pleased with herself. Just waiting for an offer from Soton to come through...she loves it just as much but the applicant day wasn't as welcoming. A plus for her for Southampton above Cardiff is the proximity to us at home for a very well designed /popular courseshe pikes the facilities a bit more there too.

Cardiff is much, much cheaper though and the city is great. I was so surprised when she wanted to look at the welsh accommodation with me tonight! It must be creeping up there. We also have her anxiety/mental health to think of.

DH tested positive for Covid this morning, bad cold symptoms which Dd and I have too so just a waiting game there. Anyhow that's my update it's nice to have choices for them isn't it ? I don't think I got any when I was younger (maybe two offers) 🤔. We are very lucky to have the diversity of choices available in this country..at least for now.

OP posts:
icanbewhatiwant · 03/03/2022 21:36

@OrangeCinnamonCroissant congrats to your dd. It certainly is difficult to keep up with everyone's news on here. I hope you all feel better soon.

scabby1 · 03/03/2022 21:43

Congratulations to @OrangeCinnamonCroissant Dd.
Fingers crossed for a negative covid test for you & Dd.

EwwSprouts · 03/03/2022 21:46

@OrangeCinnamonCroissant Congratulations on Cardiff! With you and @KingscoteStaff it looks like the power of MN is in action again.

Original poster
OrangeCinnamonCroissant · 03/03/2022 22:02

I know my posts don't make a lot of sense ...worse today because stuffy head.

I did mean to say , I wonder if some of our Dd/Ds (who 'forget' to let parents know about offers) give up on UCAS web page as takes so long loading. It was painful earlier!

OP posts:
DoggerelBank · 03/03/2022 22:27

Wow, loads of great news today. Congratulations, everyone! What talented offspring you have!

Wheresthebeach · 04/03/2022 07:32

@OrangeCinnamonCroissant and @scabby1 Congrats on the offers. So nice to see them coming in. DD has lots of friends still waiting for multiple offers.

@Shimy She's booked April 2nd for Swansea. I don't think she'll go to Liverpool to look as she's not as keen on the course. Hoping she likes Swansea too, but really think she'll go for Portsmouth.

BlueMarigold · 04/03/2022 08:05

Great to see more good news on this group. Congratulations to everyone who has offers and passed driving tests!

Monkey2001 · 04/03/2022 08:35

Was tied up yesterday, so catching up on lot of lovely news!

Congratulations on driving test pass @ChristopherTracy

Very impressive news on business results @icanbewhatiwant, great to have one in the bag already.

Lots of lovely offers! @OrangeCinnamonCroissant glad Cardiff is moving up, I don't know anything about music at Southampton, but have heard lots of good things about Cardiff and being somewhere with so many opportunities to see/hear great live performances whenever you want should not be underestimated!

@scabby1 congratulations on those offers. As a Bristol graduate who came back, I would say that although not a campus, Bristol is a very company city. I would be avoiding Leeds because I think they have grown too big and embrace the on line approach too much - they are still doing on line offer days for at least some subjects.

scabby1 · 04/03/2022 08:57

Thanks for the info @ Monkey2001. Good to know.
I know the cities of York and Leeds well & did postgrad studies at Nottingham, so Bristol is the only unknown- I think a trip there is called for!

Wheresthebeach · 04/03/2022 09:17

@icanbewhatiwant What a wonderful result! So nice to only have 2 A levels to think about now.

ChristopherTracy · 04/03/2022 09:58

So much positivity here- its really uplifting. And I mean that sincerely.

Original poster
OrangeCinnamonCroissant · 04/03/2022 10:01

Well more news from me! Full House!

Dd feeling rough but no covid result. Not at college today. She has just shouted out from her sick bed pile of blankets on sofa that she has an offer from current favourite Southampton of BBB !
She is so impressed with herself as she was told that was an offer they gave out if they particularly want you. She is still going to do her spreadsheet to weigh up the options, but I've a feeling the generous offer will help keep Soton at top. It will be a shame as @Monkey2001 says Cardiff has so much to offer as a city (from a financial point of view is preferred by me). She does have free train travel to London though. Good news to cheer her up when feeling not so well though !

For @singingstones benefit we now have the following

@OrangeCinnamonCroissant / DD / Music / Sussex (ABB-BBB), Surrey (BCC), RHUL (BBB-BBC), Southampton (BBB), Cardiff (ABB - BBB).

OP posts:
crazycrofter · 04/03/2022 10:08

Great news @OrangeCinnamonCroissant! When is she going to make the final decision?

Everything’s a bit chaotic here: house in chaos as we’re trying to sort stuff and decorate before putting it on the market, the boiler has been broken for a week so no hot water or heat til Monday at the earliest and dd is mid-mocks. I’ll be glad of the day out of the house in York tomorrow!

Monkey2001 · 04/03/2022 10:17

@scabby1 apologies for my typo - Bristol is a COMPACT city, not a company city! It is very much a city students live and loads stay after graduating because they don't want to leave. Both of mine would have applied to Bristol of we did not live here.

Monkey2001 · 04/03/2022 10:18

Students LOVE not live. I give up.....

Heifer · 04/03/2022 10:18

Wow so much has happend in the last 48 hours - well done to all offers, driving tests, results, mocks, and so much more :-)

Thanks for the financial info @Monkey2001 and @Fruitygal and anyone else who commented. We certainly hope DD can do it for less than the figure you quoted as we wont be paying for a 44 weeks contract in 1st year (thankfully DDs options look like 31 or 39 weeks plus we won't be paying her ££ when she isn't at uni either. She will need to work when at home for beer (vokda) money. If I could we would but we have to be realistic about what we can actually fund.

DDs school has just dropped a bombshell - from end of March all 6th form will now be expected to stay in school all day except breaks and lunch time. They are going to be allocated more self study time in school. DD is furious. She hates self study with other people in the room and needs the time at home to rest before starting again in the late afternoon or evening. It's very late in the day to make this change. A lot of the girls have work as the knew their timetable but they have been told tough luck they shouldn't be working more than 8 hours anyway... DD says it's because peoples progress isn't where it should be. They had already put loads on intervention (lunch time and afterschool revision lessons with teachers, and now everyone has to have more study time...