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

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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

@Ventress that is some commitment towards exams by your DS. Mine isn't doing that much and his mocks start on Monday!

@Ventress that’s amazing. I really hope mine would pick it back up about interviews, class tests going on, which was put on back seat due to ESATs and PS. But they don’t have big tests until Feb.

Hope there’s good news coming through today for those who have been waiting for admissions test results.

Echoing JessyCarr in that I hope test results were good for those getting results this week!

DS is in a good mood this weekend as he had mini tests in each subject at school just before half term and he has had good results in all of them. Still needs to pull up on economics to achieve his predicted grade but it didn’t help that he forgot to take a calculator on the economics test days 🙄

Is a weekend of industrial scale revision on the cards @AuntyBulgaria? Fingers crossed for his mocks.

Good news on the splint coming off @MuchtoomuchtodoHope driving practice goes well! DS has his test in February but only seems to drive to the gym with DH. I keep saying he needs to do more, both in quantity and variety, but to no avail. I have made it clear that we won’t pay for the next test so if he wants to save himself £60 and queuing on the website at 5.45am on a Monday morning he should aim to pass first time!

Yes, having an offer is certainly comforting. DS “only” has one so far but the other 3 non- Oxford are usually later to offer after all applications are in in January so no surprises.

DS has finally given his UCAS application in to school to get them to add his reference - on the final day they’d set as their internal deadline. So he’s basically drafted his personal statement in a week. He’ll update it once he knows what will already be covered in the school reference. It’s felt like pulling teeth though! He’s just started a weekend (16 hours) casual job in the run up to and over Christmas, so feel like we don’t see much of him at the moment!

Hope the entrance exam results have been positive for people. DS has decided against Imperial so won’t now do the second ESAT. And he’s keeping an eye out for degree apprenticeships too, there are a handful just advertised that would allow him to live at home, which he seems open to.

@Ventress I don't think my DS would ever spend hours revising - just not in his DNA!
I used to be the sort that would pull some very late nights for an exam but he is much more books shut at 9pm and an early night for a clear head. We shall see whether he has over estimated his ability come results day!

DH and I are going to message school tomorrow I think to support DC, as it sounds like there is one teacher giving everyone problems. The history teacher is apparently setting way too much work, and DC is now falling behind in both history and biology because they get in trouble if they don't complete the work set. Other people have complained and I think we should join because it seems to be the most likely reason teachers' assessment of DC seemed to suddenly plummet last term in History and Biology.

Not sure best way to approach it, something like 'DC has brought it to our attention that Ms X is setting what seems to be a very heavy workload for history and it is impacting his ability to work to expected standards in History and Biology. His teacher assessment in these subjects dropped sharply and uncharacteristically last term and he feels that this is the reason. We gather that other students and teachers are concerned as well and wish for the school to investigate the volume of work set as it seems to be having a serious impact on our child and other students which should be addressed as soon as possible'

@Echobelly hope you get a good resolution🙏🏼. My DD is also doing history & they've been told the work is going to ramp up, but more in terms of timed essays in class.
The school have been brilliant since my brain bleed & have given her extentions for course work, although tbf she's on top of it, but was very grateful as it meant more time to get her submitted written work in for Oxford - which she sent on the last day!
Two offers in now, Bristol & Warwick, so she's delighted about that, but realistically wants UCL so all fingers crossed for that.
Entrance results from friends have been up & down - a friend has an interview for Theology from Oxford & another friend deselected for Architecture Cambridge🙁 (both boys). But upwards & onwards.
Well done to everyone getting invites & offers - how quick is it all going?!

How soon do offers come back? I know that some people who applied for Oxbridge have got some offers through (like husband's nephew, though he's not heard from Cambs yet). DC applied just before half term, so not sure when we should expect to hear by.

Some come back in a couple of days, some won't come till next May, most are somewhere in between. It's super frustrating but no way around it. You can search around on The Student Room and Reddit for specific steers/a sense of who's getting offers from where/when but it can add to the tension as much as help so probably better assuming it'll take ages and then it can come out of the blue sooner or later.

Thanks - guess we'll hear when we hear! I won't sweat it then.

I think it depends hugely on subject as well as institution. DD came into the weekend with a full slate of offers, all within a week after UCAS submission. But it’s not because her application is so special, it’s because she is a linguist and there aren’t enough of them these days. (The downside obviously is that MFL courses are at risk of disappearing under your feet).

She is also making what is a very long-shot international application, so we will be on the “waiting on tenterhooks for interview invitation” bench along with everyone else!

DC has applied for anthropology, so they probably have more people to choose from then!

Well done to all for the offers coming in, it is an exciting time for our YP as well as being stressful y13 too. They can really start visualising where they might be living next year!

DD is in limbo waiting to hear about possible medicine interviews. They have started trickling through last week, but not for the unis she's applied for, most of which are later going on previous years. We obviously knew this before applying but it doesn't stop the feeling of being constantly on alert for when/if she hears anything. She is doing interview prep but feels it would be much more focused if she knew where she would be interviewing for 😂.

We have a face to face parents evening this week, the first one in DDs secondary school years! They have all been on zoom from covid onwards, and she moved schools for 6th form so it will be funny to go now, just as she nears the end of her school years.

My DC got her first offer (Bristol) within 48 hours of applying. She's hoping for a less popular humanities course, however, so they may offer unusually quickly.

@Echobelly DS is applying for maths and he had 2 offers back within 3 days of his application being submitted, but nothing else for the last 4 weeks!

I guess I do worry slightly about it given one of my best friends at school applied for medicine - straight A student, you'd think anywhere would be champing at the bit to have her for medicine... and she didn't get any offers. I think it was just really bad luck and everywhere maybe assumed obviously somewhere else would give her an offer. I can't remember now if she took a year off and reapplied or just managed to get a place once her results were in but she did go on to do it.

We're still waiting for school to even look at DS's application, it's been over a week now and no mention of anything. Sigh.

Yes, I asked DC if he'd heard anything and he said the school was waiting to check them before sending off, so in the same boat @JustHereWithMyPopcorn

Its so frustrating isn't it @Echobelly ? I asked DS to speak to the person who is meant to be doing it and just ask when he might be able to speak to them about it but he refused as he didn't want to annoy them.

My DS waited 7 weeks for his school to submit his UCAS after he submitted his bit 3 years ago. End of November to mid January. I feel your pain. The school will get it in before the deadlune. Hang in there.

Oh, that does sound frustrating @Echobelly and @JustHereWithMyPopcorn. Hang in there!

Our only update is a date in the calendar for an Edinburgh offer-holder day: 22 April. It’s later in the month than I was expecting, but good to know.

DS' internal school deadline is tomorrow. He only finished drafting his personal statement today and will submit it tomorrow.
Also only finally decided on courses today as well! It's been driving me mad all this leaving to the last minute.
He has picked some fairly aspirational choices so I won't be surprised if he doesn't get offers for them all.

I'm not too bothered now I know we're just waiting because it's not gone yet. But hopefully they'll sort out before too long.