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.

Thanks I’ve just had a quick read on ucas but I don’t think they take deferrals for her course so I’ll try have a 1:1 chat with her new tutor see how we can secure the elusive reference from a person who only met her 2 weeks ago.. it’s a huge college and their tutor changed this year & most of her lesson groups have been re-mixed. They have about 200kids taking each of her AL options and 25 average in a class.

In most schools the tutor gathers comments from the actual class teachers, or from last year's teachers (or from reports) and then turns them into a reference, which is why the process can take so long, so it shouldn't matter toooooo much if it's a new tutor. That's also why it's good to get references before a gap year in case any of her class teachers also leave!

Early start for Durham today - sitting on tube waiting for it to leave. I only picked her up just over 5 hours ago from here after a concert. Should have just kipped in the carpark, would probably have got more sleep!

@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky we went to Durham yesterday. Very inspiring & cemented DS's view that it's his first choice. Hope your DD likes it (she can sleep on the train!).

Enjoy Durham! It's on DS' list but the main worry is that it might be too close to home as we're in the north-east... we're very used to taking the train southbound instead!

Ah, we’re in the south west and travelling north every time. Which I’m enjoying as a northerner who moved south for uni and never came back. Hope everyone’s open days are going well.

DS seems to have made two choices from the visits we’ve done and isn’t too bothered what else he puts on UCAS. Durham and Sheffield fit his criteria of good for physics, a city but not a huge city (so not London, Manchester or Birmingham) and not a campus.

Mixed views on Durham here. Course talk ok, seemed like a lot of social stuff around the course. Student life talk was mostly done by the head of one of the colleges - he really gave a sense of how it felt to come here and be part of the community of your college. He apparently came as a student 50 years ago and never left. He completely sold it.

Halls - we went to see one but no rooms available to view. Only thing I didn't like was the common area was basically a bar - preferred the common area at York halls which came across as more relaxing.

Plus side: I love sociology badges given out at the talk.
Downside - no free totes - and all the hills!

I think she will apply but on balance York is just ahead in the race.

We couldn’t see the rooms at Durham either but did see them at Sheffield. Didn’t seem massively different from when I was at uni, though, apart from more en-suite bathrooms now.

Interesting to hear about the college life talk, @Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky. Thanks for that. The college system does make them feel almost like an extension of how I’d imagine boarding school life.

I’m quite curious to know what Durham is like to live in. It’s very pretty but there was a level of being neglected (empty shops, old-fashioned facilities) that made me wonder if there were town vs gown tensions at some level. It’s a fairly small city compared to the size of the university, which must dominate in term time.

@Changes17

Within the talk was a comment 'when you are walking down the street in Clapham some years after graduation with your Durham pin on'

Felt it summed up the target audience.

I think it was the talk and giving the sense of community that sold it - other than that I don't think she would have felt the same. I think the town is possible a little smaller than she wants really. I made same comment as you that students would really outnumber town people.

So I think glad we saw it and she says she thinks she could go there but not first
Choice.

@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky Ah, it’s definitely top of DS’ list - and I’m not sure quite what it is he liked about it - probably mostly the academic side. He’s not currently planning on moving to London afterwards - though he may change his mind in future.

I’m biased (because this is where we chose to live) but the most buzzing university city I’ve seen lately is Bristol, where you barely notice the students are back in term time. He won’t choose that though because he wants to be far from home.

Well we have a first draft of Ds personal statement. It needs some work but at least we have something to work with. He is going to visit leeds in a couple of weeks time and he is looking forward to it. We now have 5 choices on the list!!!

That sounds good, @mumonthehill Leeds sounds like a great place to study.

DS only has two on his list so far. He’s up to the character count for his personal statement though. Hoping to get to read it at some point!

DS's personal statement is now on about draft five as his referee keeps suggesting edits. I wish he'd just send it off as the school's "early-bird" deadline is Friday!

Leeds is on his shortlist too. Strangely we're going to visit cities after UCAS goes off (and perhaps not until he has offers, touch wood). There were literally only five courses in the country which ticked all the boxes for him!

I can highly recommend Leeds - I went and I’m still here many years later!

PS in progress here, and 2 or 3 unis on the list, we’ll probably do an open day in Nov for a couple more.

@PhotoDad what does he want to do?
We're off to Leeds and Nottingham in the next few weeks then hopefully no more!

Nottingham's another one so keep us posted!

He wants to keep going with all three of his A-level subjects of Chemistry, Maths, and Physics with the option of keeping it broad or specialising later. But he has ruled out London for multiple reasons, so it's Cambridge, Durham, Leeds, Nottingham, and Lancaster.

Leeds has a great reputation, so that's good to hear. I'm pretty certain that he'd be happy at any of the five.

Oh positive on Leeds!! We went to Nottingham and ds loved the course which was good.

I’m from Nottingham so can vouch for that too 😅

DS was away this weekend coaching his sport. Unfortunately, he left his school bag there, which contained his laptop with all his UCAS stuff on, as well as his class notes, homework, etc. So this evening, instead of going to watch his friends in a school show, we drove an hour there and an hour back to retrieve it! Argh.

Three hours driving on a Monday night - sounds like a bad day @PhotoDad Sympathies.

While ds is still on a draft version of his personal statement, a girl in his year got the first offer from Warwick. I think it made him realise he needs to get a wriggle on.

Can I ask which course or department the offer was for? We heard at the Warwick open day they’re not making early offers for maths this year - if anyone hears to the contrary would be good information thank you.

I think it was for English. She has applied to Oxford as well.

Warwick has also made offers at the school where I work (for history). DS has put his UCAS form in... now we wait.