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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:
crazycrofter · 06/03/2022 20:52

@Piggywaspushed history is a great subject Grin Dd is now bringing Manchester back into the mix as she’s remembered that a close friend from summer camp wants to go there! Plus we have family there. So she still has 3 to choose from…

EventuallyDelighted · 06/03/2022 21:18

DS is wobbling a bit too. We have just done his student finance and DSA application (really wanted to get in as soon as possible for the DSA assessment). He was tired, needing to pack for boarding and not really in the right frame of mind but we got there. This is definitely a problem with him boarding, we have to cram an awful lot of stuff into every weekend (football and hockey, work, open days, any admin that needs doing, school work and all of a sudden its Sunday night and he needs to pack again).

@PaddingtonPaddington, I submitted his diagnosis letter from the paediatrician, his EHCP and the EP assessment which was done while getting the EHCP which did have some standardised tests. I've no idea if it will be enough, or recent enough EHCP is from 2020 but the others are from 2011 and 2014. It says they will review the application within 10 days though. Hopefully there is a commonsense approach.

Piggywaspushed · 06/03/2022 21:22

I agree history is great Sad

Piggywaspushed · 07/03/2022 06:52

Thank God I noticed DS's phone had a text this morning. Driving test notification at 6.02! He only gets 15 minutes to reply...

Piggywaspushed · 07/03/2022 06:55

I was thinking about these offer days. They can actually be counter productive! Sheffield's was good and he still didn't pick it!

I am v stressed . DS1 in 3rd year uni is still procrastinating. He has literally never had a job, other than a few waiting shifts fir a conference centre! Birmingham's careers stuff looked excellent.

crazycrofter · 07/03/2022 07:11

Glad you noticed the driving test notification! Dd seems such a long way from being ready despite all the ££ spent.

What does ds1 want to do after his degree? It might be worth him just getting it out of the way and then spend some time working in a retail job or something while he thinks about it?

NCTDN · 07/03/2022 07:14

15 minutes only to reply from 6am?! Is it a same day test?

Piggywaspushed · 07/03/2022 07:33

No. The DVSA holds tests for 15 minutes apparently.

Piggywaspushed · 07/03/2022 07:36

crazy he really doesn't know. He missed all the deadlines for civil service and local government training.

He has toyed with a history MA but I think that is just him killing time. He hasn't even got history A Level! He likes the independence he has at uni and has just begun to find his feet, develop a nice group of mates, and wholesome hobbies. So I can see why he wants to stay there as they are all doing MAs. I tried to encourage him to look at a journalism MA in international affairs as he likes languages and will have an IR degree.

Heifer · 07/03/2022 07:42

@Piggywaspushed

I was thinking about these offer days. They can actually be counter productive! Sheffield's was good and he still didn't pick it!

I am v stressed . DS1 in 3rd year uni is still procrastinating. He has literally never had a job, other than a few waiting shifts fir a conference centre! Birmingham's careers stuff looked excellent.

I agree - even in this group it's looking like more people didn't like their open days and ruled the uni out rather than being inspired and loving it (the odd one has).

I think DD would be fine wherever she ends up, she spent time picking the 5 so if she can get her grades and end up at any one of those it's all good. I think she would have found fault wherever she went on open day tbh. I thought she loved Nottingham but apparently not but didn't hate it and sort of liked it so that will do . She can't be bothered to go to anymore but does want to take 1 day to look through everything again before pressing Firm/Insurance. Perhaps she will end up picking 1 she hasn't actually been too - at this stage who knows? She has Mocks from 18th March so I think she will decide after than - just before Nottingham opens accommodation.

BlueMarigold · 07/03/2022 08:22

@Heifer what was Nottingham like for Biology? I wish my DD had gone on more offer holder days but she only did them at her chosen two. Luckily they were both ok and didn’t do anything that put her off.

crazycrofter · 07/03/2022 08:22

Yes, I’m not sure the offer holder bit of the day has actually helped at all. But then dd isn’t too bothered about the content of the courses - and psychology degrees are fairly similar - so it’s all about the vibe of the city/uni. We shouldn’t have gone back to Southampton on a cold wet day as she’d visited in the summer and liked it. York was useful - but only in that she hadn’t visited the campus before so we could have gone any time. If ds does uni I’ll learn from this! At the moment he’s set on an apprenticeship though.

@Piggywaspushed presumably he’s still got time to apply for a masters? It might be worth doing something more job related though?

Stockpot · 07/03/2022 08:24

This worries me too @Heifer.

DD only wants to go to St Andrew’s open day, this is her first choice and she thinks going any other open days will just be a waste of time. In this situation she will only have her fantasies to compare it against!

Seeline · 07/03/2022 08:37

We actually had a useful offer day at Kent on Saturday. The taster session for applicants only really grabbed DD (more than anything else so far!), and it really seems to have boosted Kent to insurance position above Nottingham. We missed Nottingham due to covid, but Kent really clarified how their course worked, the support available for students, and even made gluten free food available in the lunch bags we were given.

Just hope the offer day at UEA, her favourite since the very beginning, doesn't upset things in 2 weeks time!

TangoWhiskyAlphaTango · 07/03/2022 08:50

DD having a wobble too and changing her insurance choice from Liverpool to Nottingham, luckily she is still within the 14 days. I am really pleased as I could see her there far more than Liverpool.

Heifer · 07/03/2022 09:08

[quote BlueMarigold]@Heifer what was Nottingham like for Biology? I wish my DD had gone on more offer holder days but she only did them at her chosen two. Luckily they were both ok and didn’t do anything that put her off.[/quote]
@BlueMarigold - DH said it was very informative and DD didn't mind the practical stuff they had to do (ie didn't hate it so that's a win) :-) DD did like some of the information she heard. She didn't think the Biology labs etc were that impressive but doesn't think they were shown everything. She's seen more online I think. She would be hard to please to be fair.

crazycrofter · 07/03/2022 11:26

We’ve decided a decision will be made by the end of the Easter holidays. When is the deadline? Dd has an access day in the holidays at Southampton so that might help. We can also visit Manchester.

DoggerelBank · 07/03/2022 12:02

Funny how different people's situations are. So many already at the big decision stage of which to firm - exciting! But hang in, those not at that stage yet. In a month or two and we'll all have more clarity. Fingers crossed for mini @Monkey2001 and everyone else waiting patiently for more news on favourite places.
We have an offer holder day at the weekend at Bristol, with a subject specific talk. But it's very unclear if subject-specific means anyone in the biomedical building or the actual course he's applied for. And there's no mention of accommodation tours (other than online, which don't reveal the smell of a place!) Has anyone done an offer holder day at Bristol? Any tips?

Cantonet · 07/03/2022 12:50

DS has received a 4th offer.
From Surrey for it's Sports Science Foundation Course. This was probably going to have been his Insurance choice, but fortunately Bangor has given him the same offer for their standard Sports Science course. I guess we will see what the Welsh unis are like next weekend on the applicant days.

icanbewhatiwant · 07/03/2022 13:50

It's interesting reading how the offer holder days go for everyone. Sometimes I think it would have been nice to visit other universities, Ds1 and Ds2 both decided on a first choice university without wanting to look at any others....maybe that was a good thing, far less stressful anyway.

Oblomov22 · 07/03/2022 13:51

Agree with Doggerel re how varied the stages our children are at. Some are dead sure, some firmed and insurance, some not even had offers.

I fear we may be forced to be the very last to accept on this thread. He has another PwC Flying Start assessment centre today, but that is the first of many and the decision wont be made till end march. He also has EY and Deloitte this week.

EventuallyDelighted · 07/03/2022 13:57

My DS is in no hurry to firm at the moment. He is feeling a bit backed into a corner now that his back-up plan of a gap year to make sure he really wants to go to uni is a non-starter due to the funding changes. He's also pretty unsettled by the events in Ukraine ATM.

crazycrofter · 07/03/2022 14:22

Hope ds’ assessments go well @Oblomov22. Good news on the offer @Cantonet.

@oblomov22 I’ve just checked and the deadline for deciding is 9th June. I cant see dd deciding before the beginning of May to be honest. I guess it would be nice to have decided before the exams start. She doesn’t seem too bothered and enjoys the city visits Grin

@ExtremelyDelighted there’s no need for him to rush into a decision yet.

Oblomov22 · 07/03/2022 14:36

Thanks Crazy. 9th June? I didn't realise it was so late. That's mid actually sitting the exams! I couldn't bear that. Ds just wants it all over with, and just to concentrate on his exams.

Monkey2001 · 07/03/2022 16:00

@Oblomov22 in the race for last place I think we are favourites with DS on Hold for Newcastle. Last year some people waited until the end of May and he will stay on the waiting list until results day if he doesn't get an offer before then!

@DoggerelBank thanks! Re the Bristol open day, I should be helpful as an alumni and Bristol resident, but I am not sure what to suggest. You can do a drive round Stoke Bishop for the big halls - Will's (prettiest), Badock, Uni Hall and Hiatt Baker. I lived in Manor Hall, in lovely Clifton which is handier for the university but I don't think they have en suites, the city centre halls are very popular and I don't really know them. The other Clifton ones which were around in my day were Clifton Hill House (catered) and Goldney (flats with lovely gardens and a well loved grotto and orangery). As students we used to like sitting on Brandon Hill to study. I would advise you to park at Trenchard Street car park if you are driving, level 8 for the exit to the university, or on the roof for great views of Bristol. I think it is probably all quite different from how it was in the late 80's, perhaps I should do an open day so that I can give advice!