Thread 30 Covid Cohort, Mad March Hareing Towards Exams

[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 29

I've made this one a little bit earlier as things are so busy, at home and on thread, so please feel free to use up previous thread first

I didn't like the surprisingly hair raising road to Aber either.

Good news for DD1 this morning - Warwick have made an offer! ABB (contextual) - she is delighted. She will firm Warwick but not yet decided on insurance. We have some offer holders' days to attend so she can hopefully narrow it down.

Great news @HarrietDVane!

Yay harriet!

Brilliant news Harriet!

Great news @HarrietDVane: hoping the Warwick and bath offers are incoming for Ds soon too …

Congratulations @HarrietDVane!

Congratulations on the recent offers. Hope this week goes smoothly for us all, especially those of you who are living through mocks.

Great news @HarrietDVane

Good news here too - my LFT was finally negative this morning so I can go back to work tomorrow. DD went back to school yesterday, DH and DS managed to not catch it.

Good news Harriet.
I'm not wearing a Mumsnet scarf will you recognise me?

Great news @HarrietDVane!

@HarrietDVane great news!

@Horace123 the UCAS timetable is still later than usual due to Covid, but I don't know how easy it is to know how you have done as exams are moderated, but isn't there also a significant coursework element for IB? I think the real advantage for IB people is that they have results much earlier, so can sort accommodation etc before A level results are out.

great news @HarrietDVane.

Nottingham Potentials. I read yesterday on WIWIKAU fb group that those who deffered from last year got to apply for accommodation on 4th March - and that some accommodation is already fully booked.... Hoping it doesn't affect DD (selfish I know) as hoping those that picked early picked more expensive accommodation (ensuite on campus etc) but I thought it would be worthwhile letting you know in case you need a plan B/C/D...

@heifer thanks. I did notice that some rooms are showing as ‘fully booked’ eg en-suite plus at Cripps. So you might be able to work out which have gone already?

@crazycrofter @Heifer Take what you read on WIWIKAU with a pinch of salt. The rooms showing fully booked have been like that since I first looked last year.

I think new en suites are the most popular at most universities. The next generation like their comforts!

@Monkey2001 I loved my uni shower, shared between 12, with only a curtain to protect modesty 🤣 We also had one under counter fridge with a tiny freezer compartment between 12. Kids today don't know how lucky they are.

@mummyinbeds but they are paying nearly 10 times as much as we paid - twin room in Manor Hall Bristol was £145/term, now £1,330/term, gone up 300% for inflation and a further 300% because universities are now more commercial. Still pretty good value, but very few DC would be willing to share a room now!

Congrats Harriet.

Glad your test is negative now ED.

That's a point about accommodation, hadn't considered deferred students.

DD thought everyone shared a room originall (too much American TV) - At Nottingham they used to have shared study room but even that has changed this year and they are all single rooms. I wonder if they made what was the study room into more bedrooms.

Good point @mummyinbeds . Fingers crossed we all get what DD/DS hopes for (and we are willing to pay for) :-) That is once DD actually decides for certain which uni to Firm/Insurance...

Congrats to those getting offers.

Ds has filled in his 7 accommodation choices this afternoon. He only wants en-suite. But there are only 5 with en-suite. There are some little houses on campus, with kitchen, bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, with washing machine and dryers. I quite liked the look of those as no traipsing to the laundrette, but 2 bathrooms were shared with 6 so he said no but put that as 6th choice. Another shared bathroom 7th. I have a friend with a Ds in 3rd year at university, the same as my oldest, he is at exeter. She said he had to have shared room as she wasn't paying more for a single room. He was quite happy sharing a room and bathroom with one other, plus he had catered, it was less per week than I paid for Ds1's en-suite.

Ds did start the student finance application but we need to wait for his passport as I've renewed it. It shouldn't be long.

I shared a room at Leicester. I've just looked at their accommodation and the room I shared is £2600 a year - so cheap! Even an ensuite is only £5700. Leicester's accommodation is really good value.

I didn't go to university but I don't think I'd have minded sharing a room. My dc's turned their noses up at sharing a bathroom let alone a room.

Single bedrooms with a basin from £3000! I might need to steer ds in that direction if he goes to uni. The frustrating thing is dd would have got £3k a year from Leicester if she'd gone there as our address qualifies for their contextual offer. She'd have been rolling in it! But she didn't think the uni was good enough

Bangor rooms are all ensuite apparently.
The ones we saw are £140.00 a week in flats of 8.
All self catering as well which suits Ds.
I can't remember what I was paying back in the day in Liverpool. I remember i had to move halls as I was in the 'party' hall with a serious course & 9am lectures.
But I do remember the multi shower cubicles & the passive aggressive notes in the kitchenette.