Year 12 - 2025/2026: Support Thread 2

[QueenMabby]

A new thread for us to keep chatting on!

DD2 and I did the Bath and Bristol open days. Beforehand she was trying to decide between Physics (either Pure or Astrophysics) and Architecture, and I was pretty sure, that Astrophysics was going to be "the one". However, the first lecture we went to was Architecture, and she was hooked. She's now got Architecture at Bath as her top choice, then Design Engineering at Bristol. I'm another who wasn't terribly impressed with the accommodation at Bath. DD1 is at Cardiff and her place is loads nicer, and far cheaper!

She has managed to get a week of work experience with a national Architecture firm, and has been selected as one of 4 students to work with the city council on a regeneration project in the city centre, so lots for her UCAS form.

DD2 did AS exams, which she thinks went decently. She has a processing disorder, and so is supposed to get extra time, coloured paper and tinted overlays for exams. Despite me speaking to her Tutor back in March, and confirming that the exam arrangements were in place, they weren't, and DD2 only found out a week before the exams. It was pretty stressful, and a repeat of what happened with her GCSEs (which is why I insisted on a face to face chat with the tutor to confirm!). She did really well in her GCSEs despite this, so I'm hoping her AS grades will be good enough for her UCAS applications and I will be making sure the exam arrangements are in place for the A Level exams next summer!

Thinking of looking at Bath, anything in particular about the accommodation that you disliked @OliveWah ?

Was the national WEX an advertised placement or speculative application? DD didn't get any of the big firms she applied to, but did secure a local one. I know it's silly to base decisions on work experience but I think the rejections/lack of responses was one factor in her changing direction.

We've had problems with access arrangements too.

@CreamBeforeJamOnScones There was one block of accommodation that DD2 did like, but it's nearly £200 a week! The rooms were smaller than her sister's in Cardiff (I suspect if she hadn't seen that then the Bath ones wouldn't have been deemed "tiny"), and she's not keen on the wet room set up in the en suite rooms. The accom with shared bathroom facilities were 12/14 students to 2 toilets and 2 showers, which wouldn't be possible for DD2, who has (properly diagnosed) OCD.

I've obviously spent too much time looking at the accommodation prices at Imperial - £200 a week seems like a bargain!

I've just checked and I remembered incorrectly; it's £226 to £250 a week for the en suite rooms, which would be more than DD2's entire loan. DD1's Cardiff place is a single room with en suite wet room, only 5 of them in the flat, sharing a decent sized kitchen and it's £157 a week.

The Cardiff accommodation sounds really cheap. At Sheffield I think it was £155 for shared bathroom and £195 en-suite in halls. Shared bathroom flats were 2 bathrooms between 5ish.

Surrey single rooms we saw were £147 ( shared facilities ) and £211 ( en-suite) - single beds- think they have a few doubles for a bit more . DS1 is 6ft2 and bis feet were right at the end of the bed though there was space at the end not a cupboard - pretty sure another poster mentioned bed length

@waitingquietly That was me - some of the cheaper rooms at Leeds had beds set into an alcove that meant there was no room for manoeuvre at either end!

I can’t remember whether I did an update on here. I don’t think I did. Ds had announced he was no longer applying for maths at Cambridge and that it wasn’t open for discussion. He’s now told me, he has changed his mind on subject, he’s going to study physics instead. Cambridge don’t offer physics, they offer natural sciences, he doesn’t want to do that. So he’s now thinking Durham, Birmingham and Warwick. Too short notice for Durham open day this Saturday as I’m working (he’s got mocks Friday) he can’t go to their September open day as dh and I are away that weekend, I did check that the open days he wanted weren’t that weekend, but now he’s changed his mind. So if he gets an offer for Durham we will go to offer holders day. We will book Warwick open day when they open the bookings. I think one of Birmingham’s open days might be the same day as Warwick, not sure we’d fit both in on the same day.
So physics instead of maths now. There’s still time to change his mind. He was going to carry on with 4 A levels, but the head of 6th form said there’s no point if he’s not applying for Cambridge and Imperial.

@icanbewhatiwant - the Physics course at Oxford is mathsy so might be just perfect for him. Did he already dismiss that one?
I am so relieved I am not going to Durham with DD on Friday, it is just too hot for me! I cannot think and am feeling really out of sorts.

@icanbewhatiwant what about including imperial on the mix for physics?

A lot of the accom we looked at for DD2 three years ago was in the £180/£200 mark for a shared bathroom self catering. It’s then quite similar when they move out of halls into privately rented. The clincher there though is that it’s 52 weeks - sometimes 50. DD2 doesn’t actually re-start uni until Oct (4th yr) but her private accom starts mid July! A lot of landlords start the contracts early so that (with the new rules) students can’t give early notice at the end. Accom has been £8k - £9k per year. For DD3 looking at London it’s £300-£400 per week for halls.

Yes I found with my older 2 ds’s, for the first year of university accommodation is more per week than a private rental, but it’s only part of the year. 2nd and third have cost so much more once bills etc are added too.

@Araminta1003he won’t even look at Oxford.

@NotDonnado they need extra exams for physics at imperial? He’s said he’s not taking any extras.

@icanbewhatiwant oh I’ve no clue! I just know it’s good for physics and anything mathsy. DD2 works with a few grads that did physics at imperial (some masters) and engineers - nuclear stuff. Maybe worth him having a look? Warwick is also up there. They’ll both want high grades but not sure if they also want entrance exams.
DD2 didn’t see her uni at an open day but went to offer holders. I actually think they’re better as more targeted to the offer; less people etc.

We didn’t go to any offer holders day with my older 2, but they’d been to the actual open day. So I don’t know what they are like. Hopefully good.

My friends 2 dc’s went to Exeter and York universities, they made their 2 choices but didn’t visit any. They just chose for content in their subject. They didn’t see the point in visiting. Both were happy and enjoyed their time at university.

Ds 2 has finished his 4 year course at Brighton university. He’s staying down there until his rent ends at the end of June. He has a summer job here, the same one both of them have done every summer, it usually starts around 1st July. I’m hoping ds3 will be able to work there summers too, they have to be 18.

@icanbewhatiwant - DD does not listen to me either, they want to figure it out themselves! Fair enough, it is their life. She won’t even let us go to any open days with her.
Oxford open days on 1 and 2 July, just putting it out there. Both Maths and Physics I think less “intense” than Cambridge/Imperial in some ways. Shame he won’t even go to the departmental talks to see.

DD is vaguely interested in Oxford but really does not want one of the stuffy old colleges with lots of formal halls so we shall see what she thinks after the open day, whether she will be successful in finding a modern college!

@Araminta1003 'modern buildings' don't always mean modern ways at Oxford! DD particularly liked Somerville as a forward-thinking college (poss because its chapel isn't explicitly christian) and that's not one of the more brutalist ones. My own was a medieval gem, but one of the least stuffy. I chose it because you could sit on the grass with your lunch and this turned out to be a perfect signifier for what I wanted.

DD does not listen to us either.

Meanwhile we have discovered via blood test that she has not got tonsillitis, or perhaps not 'just' tonsillitis, but glandular fever.

Which might explain the stress/anxiety/chronic sore throat and headache she had for the whole of mocks and her diploma. Not quite sure what to do with this information now as she feels much better and is obviously in a million rehearsals.

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest - thanks for the tip, will pass it on… knowing my DD if she does go for it, it will be her best friend’s uncle’s nieces best friend’s recommendation, but never mine. But yours will probably do too!

Re Glandular Fever, I would recommend supplements to her immune system over the summer to really build it up and lots of rest. For many it is fine as long as they rest and rebuild their immune system properly. For a minority, it can develop into ME and chronic fatigue. That happened to several of my friends and a cousin too. Don’t mean to scare you, but we went through health issues with one of mine who was incredibly busy too and had to do a lot of work on rest and rebuilding her immune system.

Adding to the chorus, DC don't listen to us either

Also, if there was an Olympic sport of eye-rolling, they'd be up there on the podium for sure.

I’ve just seen UCL have now cancelled their open days this weekend too - doesn’t affect us but I think some here were going. I wonder if any others will follow suit - weekend itself doesn’t look too bad with temperatures but Friday now very hot.

I've just realised I only replied to the first part of your comment, sorry!

DD2's architecture WEX was from her sending speculative emails out to all of the suitable places she could realistically spend a week commuting to from home. If she hadn't had any luck from these, the plan was to do the same for the cities/towns where various Grandparents/Aunts/Uncles/God Parents etc. live, so she could stay with them for a week. She had a few rejections, but this one apparently has a work experience programme and they asked to see some of her work, and to write a piece outlining why she is interested in studying architecture. She then had a telephone interview, and was offered a week in August.

Although I thought they were a national group (because I knew I had seen a couple of branches), they aren't, but are based across the South West.

I'm sorry your DC had issues with access arrangements too, it's so much harder when they are this age and want to handle it all themselves, so I don't feel I can go over her head and read the riot act to the college!