Year 12 - 2025/2026: Support Thread 2

[QueenMabby]

A new thread for us to keep chatting on!

Congrats to your DD @Poisoningpigeons, that sounds like a great opportunity!

The whole of Y12 at DC2's school had half a day of starting off their UCAS forms today. It feels quite different from the experience DC1 had at the school where both of them did Y7-11 but it's hard to know how much of that is because DC1 wasn't interested in uni and only went through the process in case they changed their mind.

DC2 has been to one open day so far and will be going to another in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure they'll bother with visiting others at this stage as the course they want to do requires an interview. There aren't loads of places that offer the course anyway but because DC2 is keen to be able to continue with their sport and music whilst there, there are even fewer options. I think the current plan is to apply fairly early on for the current favourite two and add others later on. As the result of attending the open day and our postcode making DC2 a candidate for a contextual offer, they were invited to apply for a widening opportunities programme and have been offered a place. That involves a residential including taster sessions which DC2 is very much looking forward to. I'm really pleased they did the autumn open day as they'd have missed the boat had they left it until the summer dates.

DS gets his results in just over a week. He went to Bristol open day today with college, we had been going to do Bath tomorrow but he left it too late to book and it was full when he went to do it a few weeks back. Then Sheffield next weekend, and Birmingham, Nottingham and Southampton the following weekend (maybe, we may not do Nottingham if it gets too much!)

Well done on the summer school @Poisoningpigeons, DD applied for similar but was not successful. But she did one a couple of years ago and that really gave her direction. And she's finally secured work experience thanks to the kindness of a random stranger on a local networking forum.

Hope your DD isn't too despondent about the leadership role, @QueenMabby. I recall you have shared some of her other many successes, and I've told my DD about them, so she's definitely led the way on this board!

But what is the modern day mantra for consoling a young person? You've got to throw your hat in the ring / you win some you lose some / something else???

Also, DD has a thing at Warwick so any ideas what can I do to entertain myself nearby for 7 hours?!

@elkiedee i think the prestigious universities for maths are known as COWI - Cambridge, Oxford, Warwick & Imperial - I suspect they all require the maths exam. He may need to register for that soon? Are his school helping him navigate this? DD has sessions next week about UCAS applications but they’re siphoning off kids wanting vet, med, law, Oxbridge, maths because of the various extra tests and prep needed.

No, DS1 (19) has been through that stage, he's now coming to the end of year 1 at Manchester. We live in London and he wanted to study elsewhere (not Imperial), he got to interview stage at Oxford (no), and he had a contextual offer for Warwick without having to do the exam. Oxford and Cambridge each have their own exams, and Cambridge applicants have to also do the same one as a number of other prestige universities do.

DS2 is the one hoping to restart year 12, and I'm not thinking further ahead than his hopes and plans for a fresh start college application to study A levels. He was ok at Maths with a grade 7, and he's interested in Economics as one of his A levels, but not Maths itself.

Oh of course @elkiedee I was getting muddled! Apologies.

@CreamBeforeJamOnScones recommend driving across to Leamington Spa which is only 3 miles away - nice town and nice river side park - we used to live up that way

there is also Warwick castle but that will be pricey

apologies not needed!

Thanks @CreamBeforeJamOnScones. She was mostly relieved. She’s still a prefect so can now pick and choose her volunteering rather than having an obligation to do it! Parenting-wise I just tell dd that it’s ok to feel disappointed and that the result doesn’t define her as a person. Fortunately she seems incredibly healthy on that front and is able to shrug off most things.

Agree with the PP that Leamington is a nice town. Lovely river and park and some decent shops. Also Europe’s largest independent romance bookshop if that’s your thing!

Well… it was a ‘no’ for Leeds today. He just didn’t feel the ‘vibe’ so we left early and did some shopping. However, I did gain something from the day - I’ve realised that we’re going to have to look at accomodation carefully. DS is 6’4” (& probably still not finished growing) and some of the beds are tiny and crammed into spaces where there’s no space for feet to hang off the end!

Don’t go to Bath then. Some of that accommodation is microscopic and it’s expensive too! I think when we went to look at Lancaster for DS they had an option for a longer bed in some of the accommodation.

Oh dear - Bath is high on his list 😪

I guess the hunt for big beds could make it challenging! at least with a clear no to Leeds today it helps to narrow it down. DS was inconclusive on Bristol yesterday - he liked it, but didn’t feel a burning desire to go there either. He didn’t manage to see accommodation as he said there was a big queue and as he was on a college trip he didn’t have time before the bus went.

@QueenMabby how did you find Bath today other than accommodation? After not being able to book, we then got tickets coming through at 10.20 this morning which was unhelpful! 🙄I guess someone else made a late decision not to go, but too late for us.

DS was in quads at Bath last year. He’s 6ft 2 and survived. The rooms are tiny with a single bed but proper en-suite. Not sure how a girl would cope with lack of large wardrobe. Great kitchen with washing machine though. He had a great time.

@Poisoningpigeonswell don’t you dd. Mine applied, but we didn’t hear back, to be fair we didn’t expect to as the only criteria he met is that dh and I didn’t go to university. Or he heard back and didn’t tell me 🙄

Bath was “fine”. The campus is good and the course (biochem) looked interesting. Their placement year scheme is very strong which is a draw. I think it will make the long list for Dd but likely not the short list (on the assumption she gets an offer). It would probably be an insurance option for her but if you don’t firm it they don’t guarantee you accommodation so that’s not great.
Interestingly at no point yesterday did anyone check our booking or qr code or anything so technically you probably could have rocked up and seen everything you needed to!

@labradorservant that’s good to know. A standard single and he’s fine - he’s used to his legs hanging off the end. He’s survived many nights in premier inn on the ‘extra’ bed with no issue. The problem at Leeds was that the bed was built into an alcove so no space at either end. He’d bang his head and have to sleep curled up in a ball!

@QueenMabby interesting to know that Bath won’t guarantee accomodation for insurance. This is something we need to think about for his potential back up options. Bath is currently sitting in his ‘top 4’ for maths, but could still find itself as a back up if he were to do well in the TMUA and gets offered either Warwick or Imperial.

Yes the beds are normal and have about a foot of dead space at the end!
Yes they don’t guarantee for insurance, even firms it’s basically a lottery as to what you get. They are building new accommodation soon so it will hopefully help the kids in future years but I doubt ours.
DS is having a great time. If you want the full city busy night clubbing experience don’t go! And bear in mind you are at the top of the hill and it’s a £5 return bus fare to go into town!! Apparently the overseas students have parents that don’t mind paying for Ubers so he finds them after a night out 😂.
It’s also a lovely town to visit. Dd wants to look at it properly and can only do the October open day but is a bit in 2 minds as her brother is there. Although he’ll hopefully be in industry in her first year.. although easier for me as I now know how it all works.

@otherthoughtssareavailable- dd is also looking at Imperial. She has to sit the ESAT for Cambridge and Imperial requires it too so she thought why not! I’m not sure she’ll be overly keen on London though.

ESAT prepper here too. I'm surprised Imperial doesn't require early applications like Oxbridge.

@QueenMabby I’m not sure London is the place for my DS, but I think the kudos of imperial has got to him. School push it as pretty much equivalent to Oxbridge if you’re looking at STEM. From my perspective it’s SO expensive and I wonder about the vibe - is being surrounded by only elite STEM people going to provide a rounded uni experience? I’d prefer he opted for Warwick as his ‘top’ choice (he’s adamant he won’t consider Oxford or Cambridge), but Imperial is Imperial and the reputation speaks for itself. So, all I do is point out the downsides and support his interest in going there 🫣

Ar DD's school, when students say they're interested in Oxbridge, no-one bats an eyelid, but mention Imperial and you get talked down!

@CreamBeforeJamOnScones At DS’s school they’ve been told it’s harder to get into than Oxbridge.

My niece got a first in materials science and engineering Masters from Imperial. She got a relevant job in London soon after finishing. Did the whole 4 years there. Not as many women go there. She wanted to study in London rather than Oxbridge. She likes living in London. Was an expensive 4 years for my brother!

@Poisoningpigeons well done to your DD- what an amazing thing. Those are seriously sought after. Great to hear everyone getting out and looking at unis as well. DD2 is now refusing to see anything - I think the weather is too nice for her to want to go to open days and she has so little time. So I'm hoping that she'll be able to do enough with offer holder days (if she gets offers) and interview/audition days.. ditto.

We're just getting mock results back here. still not got the one where the timetabling went wrong though, but both history and music were good. It just feels like a lot all at once and she's really tired (as I'm sure they all are at this stage in the term).