Year 13 2024/2025 - support, discussion and looking after each other - continuation from year 12 thread

[elkiedee]

I've just realised that the year 12 2023/2024 thread is full - oops! - last message on 16 August - don't know if someone started another continuation thread but I can't see it. This coming year DS1 does A levels and university applications, DS2 will be in his GCSE year.

If there is a thread already started please let me know.

We are staying until Sunday lunchtime so we can explore the town. I have never been to NE so should be interesting.

Durham is also DS’ current top choice, for Physics, after going to an open day earlier in the year. It surprised me since he wanted a city but decided Manchester was too big. We’re off to see Sheffield next weekend. Then he’ll just go and see those he gets offers from and hasn’t seen.

Durham certainly hits his criteria of being far from home! It’s five hours on the train from us, in Bristol.

It’s been a good summer break - but I think it’s definitely time to go back to school now for both of mine before sleeping/screen habits get too bad!

It is a beautiful city - and very walkable. My grandma was from the Durham area and she studied in the city so it would be nice to think of DS following her.

The Durham uni open days are very well organised, there's a fleet of double decker buses taking visitors to the campus from the railway station. We are heading there again - it's still DS's top choice but we only got to see 3 of the colleges last year so are mainly going to check out other colleges. I highly recommend attending the general talk about applications as well as the subject talks, last year Durham emphasised the importance placed on personal statements as the differentiator when your DC will be up against many other young people with high predicted grades & stellar GCSEs. It a lovely city.

@legosnowqueen

Does anything need booking other than open day itself?

Ah, that's useful to know, @legosnowqueen – thanks. I came in right at the end of a general application talk while DS was on a labs tour so didn't catch that. The physics talk also emphasised the importance of citing books, talks or videos that that you'd read or watched to demonstrate your interest in the subject.

@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky We just booked the open day and then found the talks that DS was most interested in on the day. We could certainly just have turned up on the day since no-one was checking whether we'd booked. I think it's really just so they have an idea of numbers.

@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky from memory you get sent information about timings but don't need to book on. The site is sprawling so worth allowing time to walk between buildings. The cathedral is owned by the university & that's where matriculation & graduation ceremonies are held - I was reeled in by this!

Another great thing last year was that Durham explained that although via UCAS the DCs submit one personal statement only for all 5 choices, Durham allows an additional Durham specific PS to be sent within two weeks of applying - particularly useful if your DC is applying to different courses across the unis.

Wait, what? The university was founded by a bishop (and one of the bishops' former residences has become University/Castle College, the other being in Bishop Auckland) so it's more the other way around!

DS has also got on with his personal statement. I can't believe the amount of homework set for this summer though!

Oh that's a relief - we're going the other way from York to London, Nottingham and Bournemouth.

Just had dd timetable for this year which is not good, in for 1st n last lessons with huge gaps in between. Trying to sell this as study time. All her friends are in class when she's not so another issue. Its a big 6th form and too far to travel home. Off to Sheffield next week and the chem, bio, or mix needs to start narrowing. Trying to find a non AAB ( minimum) as back up. No idea if she's done her personal statement but she's revising for back to college exams. I hope we all survive this year!

@PhotoDad I didn't know that but it doesn't alter my perception that it's a special place.

@jamimmi

My daughter doesn't have many trees with her friends - she looks in it as a chance to really get a load of revision done so she can relax when home.

It is certainly a very special place, and the cathedral is stunning. It's on DS' shortlist because of the course. It's had some well-publicised problems with poorly-behaved students and (lack of) housing, but I really hope that's now in hand!

@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky thanks yes that what I've said. I think it's more she's in 930 till 4 and her friends all have 1045 till 3 time tables. I'm sure she will be fine, just currently sulking!

Does anyone else here have a DC who is planning on a gap year? I've started looking into things with DS, who wants to coach his watersport in Australia for our winter and then the Med for our summer; he is a qualified instructor. Any tips or horror stories or...?

That sounds like a great plan @PhotoDad. Will he go through an agency to find work?

I wished I’d had a gap year, but I worked abroad for a few years after graduating that gave me that sense of a wider world. People who had had a gap year seemed more mature when they did start uni, plus it’s a chance to save some real money.

But I can’t persuade DS to have a gap year - he just wants to get on with it. Plus in STEM subjects that approach seems to be encouraged, so…

@Changes17 The slight worry is that DS is in a STEM subject, but as he reads/studies in his spare time anyway I hope he'll be able to keep it going...

We've found a couple of watersports companies who recruit directly but applications aren't yet open for next season. He's happy to work in a bar or similar if he can't get that dream job sorted in advance. We're thinking of using an agency to help with the visa process and with settling in once there (BUNAC looks good value) but have no experience in this! Not sure how much money he would save but it would be great if he could at least earn his plane fares back.

I also worked overseas for a while and agree it gives you a different perspective.

Mine is also a bit sulky - last year she finished at 12/1 every Friday - this year she doesn't.

Her gf is also on an intervention for one subject - her school enforces 6th period study for anyone on that so there until 4 everyday. She is planning to also stay and revise in that time. School also ban them going offsite i think in frees if they are on the intervention list. Hopefully as it's only one subject she can get off the list in October mocks.

@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky yes mine intervention for a subject which the whole class failed. Interesting it's a new teacher this year thank goodness. No chance they could keep them on site it's a 2000 pupil college over 6 city centre buildings.

Thanks so much for setting up the new thread @elkiedee!

DD is also going to have a gap year. She is applying for Eng Lit (or possibly Eng Lit with Creative Writing), and wants to spend her year reading and doing creative writing courses. She already has a weekend job which will give her enough money to have some fun but she'd also like to get some more part time work and save up some money for when she needs it at university.

She's also not going to apply to university this year, but school will still help her when she does it next year. She feels that applying with grades in hand will be much less stressful. So it will be really interesting to hear all your experiences this year and learn from them!

The plan is, supposing her grades are good enough, to apply for English Literature at Oxford and then some other places that offer creative writing as well as English. This could all change though!

Well we are enroute to York for open day tomorrow - took 45 minutes to get from home to the train station 3 miles away. Then it said disruption on Thameslink! Not a good start.

Bonjour, my DD is looking for the same sort of courses Eng/linguistics/creative writing with added Spanish. She went to visit Lancaster in spring but I couldn't go so we're thinking of going again on Sept 14th so she can ask more questions!

@Sweetpeasaremadeforbees We've only visited UEA on a proper open day so far but DD was much less keen than she expected to be, and although she liked the people teaching on the MA that she met she was somewhat unimpressed with the undergrad-focused people that she spoke to. The campus and Norwich itself are both really lovely, though.

Have visited Birmingham and Oxford universities previously for other things and she likes both of those (Oxford obviously no good for creative writing but DD is reasoning she could do more of that in the holidays since they are longer). We are definitely planning to visit Exeter at some point too, which I think might be a good fit for her. We can only look at places that are Midlands or further south as DD suffers from SAD and I think even the Midlands might be an issue. Ideally she needs to decamp to the South of France or something!