Thread 29 - Covid Cohort - Whirlwinds and Waiting

[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 28

@Fruitygal our school do something similar for years 9, 10 and 11. They give an achievement award for each subject, they usually invite a past student to give a talk as well, usually someone who has been to university and in a good career. Only those who will receive an award get invited though. Ds1 won an award years 9 and 10. Ds2 has never won one. Ds3 had an award in year 7 but they only get them in assembly in years 7 and 8. Not sure I like the idea or not. Those like Ds2 who never receive an award must be disappointed.

All students attend our school speech day, and parents are invited too.
There are speeches by the head, custos and an invited speaker, musical performances, awards etc.
I really enjoy it, even if my DC don’t get given anything (one parent in DS’s class told me very loudly that he had no interest in seeing other people’s kids getting awards last time ).
Parents watched it online last year and I cried buckets when they showed a camera roll of the year’s highlights.

Interesting all the talk of speech days. Are these private schools? Nothing here to my knowledge.

DS is feeling quite groggy and sleepy with the Covid but not so that I am worried about him.

I sneakily checked his emails yesterday. He got an invite yesterday to an offer holder day tomorrow at Warwick!! Now I know he can’t go anyway but two days notice is ridiculous. It didn’t seem to be a book onto an offer day, it was definitely an invite for tomorrow. He hasn’t seen it yet and I haven’t mentioned it. Thankfully it is one of the only places we actually got inside and had a full tour of the engineering facilities in the autumn. Surely you’d hope there must be another date on offer if they offer so late??

Just got a Warwick rejection.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn so sorry to hear Warwick was a no 🙁

Popcorn sorry to hear that. Seems we are hearing of more rejections than offers now.

@BlueMarigold The finance is factor but the MSci required grades are as high as Durham so if it's to be the insurance choice it is safer to go for the BSc.

Oh boy JustHere, so sorry to hear that.

I was hoping he could put them as an insurance. It appears now that even if your predicted grades fulfil their entry requirements it's not enough for York and Warwick, on that basis I'm assuming everyone they've offered to has A* predictions. It's times like this I wish our school had fewer morals on predicted grades!

On the upside, at least he's now firmed Notts and we don't have to sit here check UCAS daily. Just praying now that exams go well for him.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn how could he firm a place when all offers weren't in?

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn sorry to hear that, but I think there was an expectation that the most competitive courses would make significantly fewer offers as they are being squeezed from 2 directions - deferred places held from last year's excess numbers and the universities aren't expecting the normal number of people to miss the grades (for medicine, usually 40% don't get there grades!). So a course with 180 places might have made 500 offers in the past, expecting 200 to choose somewhere else and 120 to miss the grades, but this year they may have 30 held for deferred offer holders, and they know other institutions are making fewer offers, so might only make 250 offers for the remaining 150 places, assuming 100 will choose elsewhere and just about all candidates will get the grades. The same issues are impacting medicine offers, with additional pressure because the govt has said they will fine universities which over-recruit.

The offers may not just be going to people with A* predictions, the time taken to respond implies that they have read personal statements. Great that he is focused on Nottingham now.

@NCTDN they have all responded, we were only waiting on Warwick.

Sorry to hear about the rejection @JustHereWithMyPopcorn. What has put as his insurance? There do seem to be a lot of rejections this year.

[quote NCTDN]@JustHereWithMyPopcorn how could he firm a place when all offers weren't in?[/quote]
@NCTDN - if you want to firm a place before all offers are in you just need to withdrawal from those you are still waiting for and then you can firm/insurance.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn -sorry to read re Durham - I've def seen more rejections than offers this week. Great re Nottingham though.

Sorry to read about Warwick Just.

The Prize Giving Days that everyone is talking about, is what we have in July.

@Monkey2001 I understand the issues with last years grades and the restrictions on offers. They have actually given him a reason for the rejection and, in this instance, its based on his grades. Nottingham was always his first choice so I am very grateful that he has that offer.

@crazycrofter he put Birmingham but that's pointless really because their offer was the same as Notts (AAA) but ONLY if he firmed them, their standard offer is A*AA - no way they are going to take him if he doesn't get AAA. So basically there is no insurance .

[quote JustHereWithMyPopcorn]@NCTDN they have all responded, we were only waiting on Warwick.[/quote]
I read it that he'd already firmed his choice before Warwick responded.

Eek, hope all goes to plan @JustHereWithMyPopcorn. Dd would be the same if it weren’t for her contextual offers. Thankfully they’re two grades lower than the standard offers.

Sorry to hear about Warwick @JustHereWithMyPopcorn

@NCTDN ah sorry, no, he firmed Notts after getting the Warwick info.

@crazycrofter - yes 'eek' was my thought too! , hopefully all our DCs get the grades they need, it's a tough year.

Thanks everyone, onwards and upwards though, I know plenty of DCs have had lots of rejections, and particularly those medicine DCs who are really having it tough.

Its going to be really 'interesting' to see how this year does. They've no experience because they missed GCSE's so I think some may find it very tough.

I won't lie - I'm hoping for low grade boundaries!

Me too @Wheresthebeach, me too!

[quote JustHereWithMyPopcorn]@Monkey2001 I understand the issues with last years grades and the restrictions on offers. They have actually given him a reason for the rejection and, in this instance, its based on his grades. Nottingham was always his first choice so I am very grateful that he has that offer.[/quote]
In that case I hope they look at whether schools are historically optimistic predictors. Luckily it wasn't top choice for your DS, but if it was, it would be very unfair if they don't look at how generous a school is. At our school since subjects will predict an A* if there is the smallest chance you will achieve it.