Post GCSE’s 2022 - Year 12 2022/23 General support thread

[Rollergirl11]

This is a thread for supporting all young people post GCSEs 2022, regardless of their educational setting.
Our DC’s may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed)
Everyone is welcome!

We're looking at more than 5 I think. Two we did last autumn. We have four booked this summer and one more to follow in September. That totals 7.

I'm going to stick my neck out and say his 5 will end up being Bath, Warwick, Durham, Lancaster and Southampton.

It will be interesting to see if I'm right!

Ooh this is a good game @QueenMabby

I will predict for DD - Edinburgh, York, Manchester, Cambridge and Lancaster. Reserve the right to change my predictions if she switches subject. Also she hasn't actually seen any unis yet so I have no idea whether campus or city will be her thing.

I'll have a guess too although my DS changes his course mind every week at the moment. I'll go for Cambridge, Leeds, Bristol, Warwick and Lancaster.

Oooh, can I delurk to play this game? Mine wants to do languages and I’m guessing Exeter, Southampton, Nottingham, Lancaster and Swansea

Ooh this seems like a fun game.

DD wants to study English and I'll go for York, Warwick, Birmingham, Surrey and Leeds.

We’ve got 4 open days booked for June/July and will potentially do another 2 in the Autumn.

DD’s currently are: Cambridge, Durham, York, Exeter and Warwick. She very may well swap out Durham or Cambridge for Lancaster though depending how she gets on at the open days.

@sheepdogdelight DD wants to do English too.

@Rollergirl11 well done to your DD, brilliant results. Also @Clarencebridge fantastic.

@hopelessbuthopeful but how do you know where to apply to if you don't at least visit the town/city that the uni is in? How do you know if you will like a sprawling city uni or a campus unless you have physically been there? Ds2 didn't realise Nottingham campus was so damn hilly until he got there, yes you can watch videos on Youtube but it isn't the same. Also true with Durham's cardiac hill between the two campuses, you have to feel the burn

The reality of how far away a uni is only hits home when they have to get on a train for 4 hours just to visit it. Ds1 had to visit after he had already applied due to covid. Ds2 has the luxury of open days. He has already done the campus tours of some of the unis he is interested in.

Ds's exams aren't until after half term and they have study leave for a week plus half term to revise for them. I cannot believe we are almost at the end of year 12.

We'll have to compare notes after Open Days :) DD was also very keen on Durham (from your list) for ages, but then took a dislike to the course. She's also possibly interested in English+ Creative writing, so think all the ones on her list offer that as an option.

We've looked at 3 so far and have Warwick, Cambridge, Bath and UCL booked for this summer. Have seen Durham, Lancaster and Edinburgh during holidays last year but I think ds wants to be closer to us in the south and a campus setting.

I think ds will go for two aspirational, two 'should be achievable' and one 'should be a dead cert'.

Ds thought first AS went 'ok'. Next one week after next then solid revision over half term for predicted grade exams. There is a school trip abroad in July which he's looking forward to.

We are only visiting two unis. DS wants a gap year too so two will give him an idea and he can look at more closer to the time.

DS was thinking maths but now he's thinking photography. He has at least sent away for one prospectus and is talking about visiting somewhere with some friends next month. I don't think any parents are involved....

If I had to pick the 5, I think it will be Warwick, Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Southampton but we shall see.

We'll have to remember to come back and check our predictions this time next year (gulp)

Update from the BTEC one. Call from tutor tonight. DS has currently got 2 merits and 4 distinctions with two assignments left to assess. He’s heading for a distinction so I’m told. One of the distinctions was for his cooking assessments.

Thats year 1 passed and one A level equivalent banked - official result and certificate in august. Next year is worth two A levels. It’s an extended BTEC subsidiary diploma level 3 so worth 3 A levels at the end :-).

shame he doesn’t want to go to Uni as he would need DDM to get in which he should get !

so happy. And he’s happy. Happy family tonight. :-)

DD wants to do History and Spanish (joint degree which means more to her than me although I think it is a course itself rather than doing history and also Spanish).

She wants to go to Oxford. Other possibilities are Edinburgh, Bristol, Nottingham and somewhere else but I can’t remember where. Not Durham though as she’s gone off that. If we didn’t live in York that might have been on the list!

My DS has only expressed an interest in 3 places so far. Strathclyde (favoured choice, very good reputation for the type of thing he's interested in, and good facilities for his hobbies) Loughborough (would also be very suitable, and has the advantage of being close but not too close to a sibling) and Bath (very aspirational, expensive and a nightmare journey from where we live!) He's got visits to a couple of other places coming up with school. He isn't interested in either but I think it's good to see a few different places. Time will tell!
He has work experience next week and his first official driving lesson the week after (though DH has been teaching him and he's pretty competent now) so he's more excited about those things than prospective Universities at present!

We have done virtual open days for all seven on DD’s shortlist. Not visiting any as all require train journeys and overnight stays - £300-400 a pop. If and when DD gets an offer, we will do offer holder days though. V important to visit but we will leave it til then. Open days break our budget

@Armyuni yes! Extortionate prices for hotels the weekend of open days.

We're only needing a hotel for one night, managed to get a Premier Inn for £80 which isn't too bad and seeing it as bonding time with my DD!

That's great news @NameInUseAlreadyAgain - must be nice for you all to have an excellent result in the bag.

The open days are proving expensive @Armyuni but I think a lot of universities can sub travel (not sure about accommodation though). It's good that there are virtual open days too. In my time, we never visited - just sent off for the prospectuses and picked from there really. However, seeing as it's a big financial commitment for us all, I'm keen to see the universities too and check they're offering value for money (ds will mostly be interested in what the food offerings are like

I’ve not factored in any overnight stays as DS can’t spare the time due to his job but it has meant hideously long car journeys very early in the morning and then again in the evening. Thankfully his friend’s parents took him to LSE.

Oh and well done to your DS @NameInUseAlreadyAgain My DS still not cooked anything other than a frozen pizza or super noodles 😮

Yep agree the travelling to and from for the open days is costing a small fortune. Durham and York are so far that I don’t want to drive as in excess of 5 hours so have booked trains for those. Staying overnight for Durham but doing York and back in a day which is going to be hellish as it’s 3 hours each way. Exeter, Cambridge and Warwick will drive and do on the day.

@NameInUseAlreadyAgain wow well done your DS! You must be so proud! 👏🎊

I have just booked hotels in Manchester and London 🤯