Year 13 -2025/26 - Support, discussion and looking after each other (new thread from y12)

[scandinavianyellow]

Hello
I have started a new thread following on from this one
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/further_education/5340007-year-12-202425-support-discussion-and-looking-after-each-other-thread-2?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

Hello @scandinavianyellow thanks for the new thread!

Still no words written for personal statement yet, though some revision has been taking place for his assessments next week. Which is a first! So hopefully we might actually see some better exam grades!

Also off to Durham's open day this Saturday - anyone else going?

Found you!

PS writing is progressing well.

TMUA and MAT preparation continues.

Still not got the final 5 choices sorted but as long as PS is sorted for the Oxford deadline, I think DS is going to add the other 4 applications at a later date.

Checking in, thanks for starting the new thread @scandinavianyellow!

UCAS application has been submitted to the school, now waiting for them to do their bit.

@Muchtoomuchtodo your username strikes a chord with me!
my ds has done his PS and sent back to school. Waiting for tutor meeting in 10 days. We also haven’t got all 5 sorted outside of Cambridge And London
he has been doing some prep for the Esat.

Thank you for the new thread @scandinavianyellow

DS has had feedback from his school sponsor on his ps and has revised it last night. He just needed some tweaks and to lose about 300 characters.

DS seems to have decided on Oxford for history. Mainly because it’s closer to home and he prefers the city. Now he has to decide on a college.

Like you all he doesn’t have 5 choices but does have 3 or possibly 4 so can always do the final ones later.

I’d be interested to hear what you think of Durham @AuntyBulgaria please as it is now on DS’ list but he didn’t get to the open day. It’s also about 7 hours away so well outside of his self imposed two hour travel limit!

Thank you for the new thread @scandinavianyellow :) DD was up very later yesterday tweaking the PS before meeting teacher today, I wish their teachers would do a little bit more help. That school thrives on kids’ attitude towards learning and nothing else.
@Muchtoomuchtodo We have decided to add another two options on UCAs with cam and London, according to DD if they get early offer then it would be better. Let me know your thoughts on this please? I really wish we could talk to someone who can deal with PS outside of school or prep with ESAT, so many ppl seem to do, but it’s too late anyway for this.

Hello! PS completed here. Now to find 4 more choices for the form..........

@Newlease i really don’t know about early offers. Is there any advantage? Not that I can think of. An offer is an offer and as long as it’s in time to take advantage of any offer holders days and apply for accommodation that’s fine, isn’t it?

DS seems to be quite ambivalent about it, veering towards it being a negative for other places to know that they’ve applied to Oxbridge as they’ll know that they’re probably not the student’s first choice.

School haven’t said anything one way or the other.

I’m interested to hear any other, better informed points of view on this though.

@Muchtoomuchtodo from last years year13 thread many of early applicants got offers in Nov, so I am assuming they all had their 3/4th choice given when the appln went in? And thought that’s the norm and leaving the last one to fill in later. I am pretty clueless as this is my eldest, but knowing there is offer from one uni would take the pressure off, I guess. Now that you put it “ not their first choice” making me think twice! Hopefully someone with better knowledge would help.

Well done :) big chunk of the job done

I read that too @Newlease. I think an early offer from somewhere “safe” would be a bit mental boost. DS will put Oxford, Exeter and UCL on his form first and hope to get a quick offer from Exeter while waiting to hear if he gets an interview for O and an offer from UCL.

I know some universities are known for offering late regardless of when the application went in but some do it in batches.

Jumping over from the old y12 thread to join in. DS has decided against an early application - having decided very late on what he wants to study, and having not started his personal statement. Looks like he will put Imperial as his aspirational choice for Engineering, though he’s not convinced about London. He’s thinking about moving to do the later ESAT test date now that the urgency is gone, so he’s thinking has more time to prepare.

Yes I feel very unprepared for the esat

We went to the last one, it was my favourite , no 2 for dd

Well, a milestone here - the school have submitted the UCAS application!

DS got an email to say that it’s been sent to his chosen universities, which is both exciting and scary! The email also said that he has 14 days to change his choices, which is a nice safety cushion to have.

@ComingInByAnsible Ooooh exciting, gosh I don't think I'm ready for this. Then again I actually can't wait to get DDs UCAS off to try and stop the circular conversations we are having over which unis to apply for. DD has until the end of Sept to decide on her 4 choices and we are going to Liverpool on Saturday to see if this will be her 4th choice. If not, back to the endless research on a replacement.

Since the interim UCAT deciles were released yesterday DD has been a bit down on where to apply safely as the deciles were much higher than anticipated. So although DD has a decent score, it now doesn't look quite so good. They will adjust down slightly at the final deciles in early Oct but she will still be in the top 20% rather than top 10%. Although this won't make any difference to where she can apply to, she is convinced everyone else has now done so much better than her.

She is wavering on whether to risk applying to Newcastle as she may well be very near their cut off. Problem is she won't know and will just have to give it a go I think. Her other choices are reasonably 'safer' so hoping she's done enough to get some interviews. I wish I could distance myself from it and not feel so involved, but I can't!

That’s very exciting @ComingInByAnsible and a huge job done.

what’s next to focus on?!

Thanks @bluefineliner and @Muchtoomuchtodo! Yes it feels like a relief to stop discussing and second-guessing the choices and we aren’t even facing the complexity of medical applications (yet - watching and learning for DD who is just starting to figure out A-level choices for medicine).

Best of luck with the trip to Liverpool @bluefineliner, hope it proves a good 4th option.

@@Muchtoomuchtodo the next focus is definitely TSA practice, DS has tons of work to do on that. Plus he is still in the shadow of two NEAs although one is very nearly done.

Also to add @bluefineliner that your DD is clearly absolutely brilliant to be in the top 20% of UCAT. How crazy is this system so that talented YP like yours end up doubting themselves, seems very cruel!

@scandinavianyellow thank you for the new thread!
PS all sorted & handed in for checks and reference to be added. DD has found the new format tricksy, my advice was to write the PS you want to, take advice & go from there.

On meeting with her head of 6th & explaining she hadn't really followed the format & was preparing to get dragged, nix it & start again - the head of 6th had a very frank convo with her, that went along the lines of; "we can see how this new format may be very helpful for some students & give them somewhere concrete to start, we recognise for others it may be restrictive, not every Uni will pay detailed attention to PS, but gor those that do - we think its important to write the PS as you would've before the re- format, much like years ago advice was extra-curriculars now everyone knows it supra-curriculars, we feel its a similar situation & we hope advisors elsewhere don't hamper students by strict adherence" interesting food for thought!

Glad to hear all your DC are chugging on!😃 its such a lot & I'm full of admiration - this generation get a hard press at times, but I think the kids are great.

We're still visiting unis. Off to Plymouth on Friday as the only place in the U.K. that does Coastal engineering.

DS has finished his epq and presented it thank goodness. Now working on his nea for his design tech A'level.

I'm quite impressed. He's gone from leaving work until the last minute to being a mini workaholic.😁

Just on the way back from a very wet Durham. My son was quite taken. Personally too many formal dinners and balls for my liking but he seemed think that sounded fun!
The other potential students all had a certain look and they weren't very diverse.
But it's not me that has to go there and it looks like it's being added to the list.

@AuntyBulgaria we too got very wet at Liverpool today! Like walking through a monsoon back to the car 😂. A family member of mine went to Durham recently and your reflections on it are fairly accurate.

We loved Liverpool, in fact it may be DDs favourite so she has now confirmed her final 4 choices for med as Newcastle, Leeds, Lancaster and Liverpool. I am relieved she has finally decided. We had a very positive experience at Liverpool, their students were a joy to talk to and the facilities were fantastic. Once UCAS is submitted we will wait to see if any interviews are forthcoming and DD can try and focus back on her A levels again.

@ComingInByAnsible do you expect any early responses from your Ds's choices?

Sounds like a good weekend of open days.

DS broke his wrist yesterday playing his favourite sport. Luckily his non dominant hand and he doesn’t seem to be in too much pain but something he could do without tbh.