Thread 34 Covid Cohort - Heat 'Waving' DC to final exams and drinking more

[OrangeCinnamonCroissant]

...water

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. It's all relative!

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 continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will find a thread within the Further Ed board.

Possibly a move to Parent of Adult Children Board in future? Post Results?

Previous Thread

Well done to ds @Horace123 and good luck for tomorrow to you and @HoneyMobster .

Dd’s choices aren’t in clearing but then I know Psychology tends to be over-subscribed. Dd got the Wireless festival job she applied for. Just three days, but at £100 a day that will come in handy! And I’d rather she didn’t dip into her trust fund money too much…

Well done on job @crazycrofter, will she get to enjoy the festival at all?

@Monkey2001 yes, if she finishes her shift early - she’s on welcome so it depends when the last people arrive. She did say that the main acts she’d want to see are also at Reading and she’s doing the full weekend there this year, so it won’t matter too much if she doesn’t catch much at Wireless.

That’s great @crazycrofter .

Good luck to the IB students for tomorrow!

Surprised to see 3 of the 5 DS applied to in clearing (Sheffield, York, Nottingham) for both BSc and integrated masters. On the upside, I think, includes his insurance.

DS and I have just had a couple of days in London including a day at Wimbledon. The sun shone and everywhere was not so busy you couldn't get a table. Good to shake off the end of school.

Everything crossed for the IBers tomorrow!

DD flew out on her girls’ holiday today. First time abroad minus parents for all of them; I’m feeling slightly anxious, but she’s promised me she won’t get any dodgy tattoos, at least!

Haha always dd went yesterday and one of the things I said was no tattoos!

Fingers, toes and everything besides crossed for those awaiting IB results tomorrow.

I've checked clearing and DD's course isn't there. Not sure how to feel about that, really. I guess it suggests very little flexibility on grades if things go badly for DD.

Good luck to all the IBers tomorrow. Hope they all get the grades they want and we have lots of hurrah's here.

Hi, I was worried the the thread would have moved on and I wouldn’t be able to find it. Is it a good sign if the firm choice is in clearing? Does it mean they are more likely to take my DD if she just misses the grade requirements?

Good luck to people waiting for results today!

Good luck to the IBers today 🍀🍀🍀

Are the IB results why clearing is publishing so early? This is a benefit to IBers surely as they get ahead on places. I didn’t know that.

Yes, IB and Scottish applicants get a headstart on Clearing, but the most competitive courses won't know whether they are in until they have A level results. The percentage of IB just be very small compared to A level.

Can makeno head or tail of the clearing lists. They all seem to be the same A-level entry requirements!

Good luck to the IB ers !!!!

Good luck to IB folk today. We made it to lovely Lanzarote after the appendix scare. Another 9 days to go here so hopefully will all stay well! Amazingly restful time here

Good luck Horace and HoneyMobster 🍀

There are fewer places in clearing in DS's subject than there were at this stage last year but his insurance is there, for now at least.

Good luck to the IB folk today and enjoy your holiday @craggyrat !

@OrangeCinnamonCroissant The entry requirements via Clearing will not necessarily be lower than the standard ones. This is because they know they will be able to fill their places with candidates who have narrowly missed high offers. and there will be enough of them! You will also notice in some universities do not publish the Clearing entry requirements. This is because they prefer them (students) to ring up and discuss this verbally. I suppose there's an element of the universities not wanting people to know about their low offers??? preferring to maintain that aura of 'academic selectivity' about themselves. This is just my guess.

@BlueMarigold I'd say it's a positive if your DD's firm is in Clearing and your guess is correct that if she slips a grade slightly there's a very high chance she will still be considered.

Good look to IBs - hope all goes well.

Have fun in the sun those that got away - and hope DD/DS's don't come back with new tattoos. I had the same chat with DD who did mention her whole friendship group wanted to get their group name (3 digit number) tattooed on the inside of their bottom lip - although not whilst on holiday.. Got to say I was somewhat shocked as DD never wanted a tattoo before. I told her if she did that then I wouldn't be funding her social life during the holidays or whilst at uni. Didn't make the same threat if she had it done on her toe which was other suggestion so perhaps that will be done at some point.

Anyone holidaying in UK?

Good luck to those getting results today 🍀🍀

@Heifer we're off to the Forest of Dean next week. Left booking a bit late - were trying for a couple of European city breaks, but could see flights being cancelled as we tried to book so decided against it!

Well done to @Horace123 on the driving test pass!

DS’s insurance is in clearing but not his firm. Not a surprise there really.

Good luck to IBs today.

I am currently away on a European city break with DS ☀️

Shimy, will the grade requirements in clearing come down for some courses, once A level results are in?

My way of (optimistic) thinking is that unis might prefer to take candidates already known to them, with a slight grade drop, rather than unknowns; certainly, DD’s firm choice told her they look at every firmed applicant on a case-by-case basis once results are in.

@Alsoplayspiccolo It's difficult to say as it all depends. My guess is it depends on how popular the course is and what the cohort profile is like (currently lots of inflated grades!). If they've got a half-full theatre then they'll need a lot of bums on seat from Clearing so there's a strong motivation to lower grades but if the average Clearing applicant has high grades anyway then perhaps there will be no incentive to lower grades as they can fill seats with the standard offers, ifyswim.

However, there are those universities who from history always inflate their published standard offers (not sure if it's all their courses)) and then go into Clearing with much lower offers. Sussex, UEA, Cardiff, Leicester off the top of my head. All excellent universities but don't know why they do this. Behaviours of some universities have also changed as a result of the pandemic grade inflation, so some that you'd expect to lower their grades may not in 2022.

It's also a bit telling that there's no adjustment this year!

@Shimy - interesting UEA is on your list. The Admissions lady was very keen to stress that if you'd accepted their offer, they were very keen to have you and would be flexible if offer wasn't achieved, and that this year they expect to be more flexible than other years. Makes you wonder how many students attending did achieve the published offer grades! I know it will be course dependent, but even so...
We've got everything crossed as it is DDs firm choice 😁