Year 12 - 2025/2026: Support Thread 2

[QueenMabby]

A new thread for us to keep chatting on!

DD visited Sheffield Uni with a friend yesterday and went to the Politics talk. Also had a look at Hallam. She really likes the city. Manchester is our local Uni so would be an option if wanting to stay at home. We’ve missed the LSE open days and there isn’t an Autumn one but she might apply as a long shot (as hard to get in) then if offered could do a Spring open day. Need to do some more in Autumn but it’s a lot harder fitting them in around PT hospitality job.
Driving test is on 17 July 🤞🤞 really hope she passes so I can stop paying for lessons!

@BellaI good luck with the driving test

@BellaI is she looking at straight politics or a combo?

@BellaI i ask bc DD is looking at a combo of history & politics and us also considering Sheffield.

@NotDonna shes considering Politics and International Relations or just Politics I think! Doing History A level but not considering taking further!

DD also went to Sheffield and really liked it too.

good luck with the driving test @NotDonna

@BreakfastClub80 DDs driving test isn’t until November but thanks 😊
Is your DC looking at Sheffield for history / politics or something very different.

Oops sorry I meant to tag @BellaI to wish good luck for the driving test! But also for your DD @NotDonna 😊

DD’s will be December so a while yet.

DD is looking at engineering, she went to a general engineering talk and a mech eng talk at Sheffield, preferred mech eng.

How is everyone? DS has now finished year 12 as college finishes earlier than schools. We have also finished our tour of uni open days, and I think he is now settled on his 5 choices, but still trying to decide which Cambridge college to go for. He also needs to make a decision on whether to drop chemistry or not. If he didn’t want Cambridge it would be fine, but despite most colleges he asked saying 3 would be fine I’m worried it might disadvantage him.

All fine here. School finished on Friday but dd off before then and is currently at the IBO which started today. We have more unis to see in September as she missed both Cambridge open days and imperial got cancelled in the last heatwave. York has been added to the list too.

She has an orchestra residential next month and we have a short family holiday but otherwise it should be a pretty chill summer which she very much needs.

DS is finishing on Friday. School is making them work on their subject statements as well as on their uni statements. Still need to so more open days in the autumn: Warwick, Kings, UCL. Has his eyes set on LSE and maybe Bath.
He is preparing the TMUA now.

DC finishing Thursday, but things seem to have been quite slack last few weeks. They have been apparently working on UCAS statements. He has decided he wants to prioritize school leaver/ apprenticeship programmes so we’re looking at that now, although will encourage him to also apply to uni so he can consider both. Those schemes open August onwards so he’ll need to get on it. His job has given him some experience to talk about which will hopefully help & several interviews. 7 weeks of holidays!

Dt finish this week.
Dt1 is now dithering between biochemistry and biomedical sciences after being set on bio med for the last three years. Has decided on two commutable unis (needs to stay at home due to medical needs) but doesn't want to look at any others (hoping that will change over the summer). We have 4 within easy commute (two being RG).
Dt2 is supposed to be sorting cv out for school to look at to apply for apprenticeships in the autumn. Has also looked at uni as back up and got an idea of 3 unis not sure about the other 2.
Seemed to be so much going on in June/first week of july but seems to have quietened down this last two weeks. Had dofe expedition last week and is just sorting out everything being signed off for that so hopefully won't impact on y13.
Think they're both in need of some down time.

@Placestogo subject statements????

I think this is something the school ask them to do for the subjects they are taking at a levels, just so they start reflecting on their experience and motivation. I would assume this is meant to inform their uni statement and further down the line their interbiews.

DD has finished school, but has a punishing programme of coursework and EPQ bits over the hols - she's also had glandular fever so is still very tired and we're trying to keep an eye.

She has registered with UCAS AND UCAS conservatoires and also needs to register separately for Guildhall. So much faff and expense. But we are trying to take everything one step at a time to stop her panicking and exhausting herself. She'll also need to practice excerpts and set pieces for anywhere she auditions have essays ready for Cambridge.

Meanwhile Manchester's joint music course requires a recorded audition including a set piece and contrasting own choice by OCTOBER 1 -which means even more prep over the hols.

Being DD she also plans to take her grade 6 piano over the hols. She self teaches herself this and likes to do a performance exam every summer holiday. Predictably, as this is entirely unnecessary, this is what she is spending most of her time on.

Subject statements sound good @Placestogo - probably a great way to think about the UCAS statement - which is paralysing DD.

That sounds very busy @achangeofnameisasgoodasarest. Dd has to finish her personal statement too. Still lots of square brackets!

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest that sounds a lot for her to do! Hope she is ok and recovering from the glandular fever

Good luck to those looking at apprenticeships too, I imagine that’s time consuming with needing to apply to them individually

My friends son has managed to get a degree apprenticeship related to biochemistry. The applications and interviews were gruelling as he got through on several to final stages. Had to spend time doing presentations/tasks etc which were all in the run up to A level exams starting so would have impacted revision time. Fortunately worked out for him. He will need to relocate to the Slough area in Sept to start the 5 years.

I dont know anything about apprenticeship.. what qualifications doe they get at the end of the 5 years? A MSc? Or equivalent?
and how is it structured? 2 days at uni, 3 days in work?
thinking about ds2 who is thinking about medical school but we have not considered alternatives…yet

There is another thread on go in higher ed. Degree apprenticeships they go to uni too. Level 4 is like first year of Uni and they can then build up, for accountancy for example. There a lot of options out there and people on thread with DC currently doing them. They are not all 5 years…

I’m a solicitor and our solicitor apprentices do four days of work and one day of uni. They have exams too.