Year 13 2026/2027: Support Thread 1

[QueenMabby]

Sorry - I was not on it on getting new thread open. I hope you all find this one! I’ve updated the
year as we’re basically at the end of year 12 now. Scary!

@CatHairEveryWhereNow not sure where your DH lectures but that seems a bit unusual. The offer holder days are not usually ‘post accepting first and second choices’. They are normally after you’ve submitted your 5 options and have received offers for them; so definitely before you have to state your firm & insurance. If I remember rightly DD2 attended hers around March April. She did attend another day for her firm only but that was after results day and only for students with disabilities. Both were incredibly worthwhile as she too missed the generic open days.

Really as I know DD1 and DS only got offer days for two uni they accepted not all five but I may being thrown by them accepting their first and second choices as soon as last offer came in.

That is something open days have helped with as DD2 is already ranking the uni she seen and intend to apply for - though obviously the offers may change her rankings.

DD1 and DS went to both offer days they were offered - DD1 had a interview sprung on her with her first choice and it led to a huge reduction in grades being asked for with her offer - DH said that wouldn't be done at his department/uni and it wasn't for either of DS offer days - so they do vary.

DH does seems to think his students have accepted - and the offer days he does are later in the year but he may be assuming based on our kids experiences and not going into detail. I've certainly suggest it past makes more sense to do offer days before final choices but he seems to think they've already accepted.

The main point I was making though was if you can't do open days - there are later chances to see campuses with offer days and of course there will be many students who first view of the campus is when they arrive to start course.

The cost of attending open days quickly ramps up, once you factor in trains/petrol, food, and possibly even hotels. I'm glad we've done the ones we've done; it totally changed DS's mind about some places and he's also changed his mind entirely about the course he wants to do as a result of some taster lectures. It does mean that we now need to look at a different set of universities in the autumn when I'd hoped to be done and dusted in the summer. Now we're going to be caught coordinating open days and my DD's crazy sports regime. But, DS seems to have strong preferences and it is not always what he thought he would like, so I feel that we do need to go and see the places just in case.

re driving tests, logged on , 3 times today,nothing. Then suddenly Got a December test date in our home town, so well pleased.

Another DS here who has completely changed his mind about uni preferences following open days, so I'm also glad we've done them, even though they're a bit overwhelming and hard to fit in with everything else.