UCAS applications

[mumblechum1]

When are people's DCs planning on finalising their personal statements, with a view to getting the UCAS applns sent off?

DS's school have done the grade predictions but as far as I know haven't done the reference bit yet.

DS has done the first draft of his PS, has feedback from his tutor and is aiming to polish it up this weekend.

[Copthallresident]

At the end of the day whitesands your daughter needs to come to terms with the situation, make her own decisions and take responsibility for her own application (and academic results), not lash out at you or resent the HofS . She would be very lucky if this is the only time she finds things not going her way, as I keep telling DD2 if she tries that on with real people in real life she isn't going to have many friends let alone a partner!!! It does sound as if her uni choice is determined by being at a RG in certain cities (let me guess big cities with good nightlife????) and if that is what she wants perhaps you should let her take her own risks, there are lots if things she can do to improve her application, reading around, getting involved in relevant extra curricular, talking to admissions tutors so she targets her applications /PS better (and maybe even makes an impression). Shouting at you isn't going to make any difference!!! Personally as soon as my DDs start that malarkey I walk away (doesn't stop DD2 trying though!!)

When you say that she was moaning at you that January was too late to put in her application, I would hope she knows that is rubbish, which suggests she possibly taking out her frustrations by winding you up. I do not believe any course at any uni runs out of the ability by by January, certainly at my uni it is part of the strategy for widening access, since late applications tend to come from students who don't have the advantage of being guided by good schools. Durham have had a policy of not making offers to anyone until Feb on some courses for some time for that reason, now obviously stretched to the Law course (glad to hear they now warn students upfront, has caused a lot of angst in the past)

On the other hand even if she makes one of her choices an insurance it is only 1 out of 5 options, it isn't going to weaken the applications to the other four and she still has four shots at what she wants. This year it is highly likely she will have better options at Plan B, HofS can only go on past experience. As creamteas says applying during a gap year has positive advantages.

Some unis, Bath, UCL certainly, have a sift based on points in which her GCSEs would score highly. Something to look into to assess the chances of success for her chosen courses.

Aiyah! not looking to DD2 doing this next year, as far as she is concerned it'll be 5 applications to Leeds, insurance will be studying the sociology of film studies ( not that I don't think Film Studies can be a rigourous and valid academic subject done properly, waves to wonderful Film Studies PhD across corridor, but you know what I mean)

[WhitesandsofLuskentyre]

Thank you copthall, that's great.

Much happier all round today. Just waiting for the final approval of Ho6. 2 X RG, 1 x 1994 Group, 2 X former poly in RG choices of city.

I did read what yellowtip wrote about Oxford/Durham and the former polys in those cities, but DD isn't Oxbridge material (I know what I mean by that - she just hasn't got that elusive something that all the Oxbridge people I've ever known have got), so I don't think she's underselling herself with the applications she'll be putting in. Good grief, one of them even has a 360 point top offer for her chosen course (but it can be as low as 300, and she does have UCAS tariff points in that discipline, which she can use).

[Copthallresident]

Hope it all goes well and that she knows this is just the start. DD1 doing Science at elite uni, now in third year and they have to work really really hard just to keep their head above water, third only to Medicine and Architecture at her uni. It is hard when her flatmates who do arts subjects are partying, swanning off for reading week etc. Still she wants to spend the rest of her life with small cells so......

[ISingSoprano]

Woohoo - Ds has just had his first offer for one of his top choice courses. All he has to do now is get the grades.....

[Pleaseandthankyou]

Maybe I should ask this on a different thread. Does anyone have any experience of Imperial College? What is the social life like? How hard or expensive is it to find accommodation after the first year? I have heard some very mixed reports. DS applying for engineering and I wondering if the positives outweigh the negatives.

[NewFerry]

My DS took part in an engineering head start course at Imperial in the summer. He enjoyed it a lot, but ultimately decided against applying, but I think that's because he doesn't want to live in London.

Actually, I'm not really sure if that's helpful!

[Copthallresident]

DDs friends have had no problem finding accommodation in London, there seem to be no shortage of landlords renting to students. Obviously not in Kensington/Knightsbridge but Clapham, Camden, Shoreditch, Holloway, Finchley..... They pay around £600 per month and obviously the further out you go the more you get. Inner places tend to be ex Council flats, on main roads, above shops, the sort of places that are cheap because no one would buy them to live in but students don't mind.

I'm afraid she only knows a rather geeky medic at Imperial but student life in London is fun. Plenty of cheap student nights in clubs etc and all the culture London has to offer. ULU is another layer to the student life.

[Yellowtip]

unitarian is a very helpful MNer with a DD at Imperial. She's been consistently positive about Imperial. DS got an offer last year but in the end wasn't keen on London - he reckoned the social life would be a bit sparse/ fragmented and was dubious about accomodation too. But that was based on assumption rather than proper accounts.

[Copthallresident]

From what I gather London social life is a bit more fragmented than if you were at a campus / city centre uni but then London has more to offer than any other city. DDs friends have had opportunities that they just wouldn't have had elsewhere, being part of London's cultural scene etc. Most of DDs friends from her International School who have come to the UK for uni are in London so there is more of a "multicultural" (to use a dirty word) dimension too.

[JellicleCat]

DD now working on draft 3. Tonight's conversation was around the number of choices of courses. Currently she was only aiming to put 4 down, but think we have persuaded her to go for the 5 anyway as she has nothing to lose.

Just wish she would get on with it and get it sent off!!

However we are hoping she will get her first choice (if she ever finishes the damn thing) as she has now been predicted 3As at Advanced Higher.

Who else's DCs has still to actually sumbit their UCAS application? Please tell me she is not the only one left.

[eatyourveg]

ds despite school advising otherwise, ended up only going for 4 courses at 3 unis the thinking being there were only really 3 places he wanted to go and if my christmas he hadn't had any offers he still had another choice to put down which would probably have been somewhere asking for lower grades. As it was he got all his offers within a week of the form going off.

I don't think it matters only putting 4 as long as they aren't all really popular courses at top RG places where competition is often fiercest - I would only recommend it if your dd stands a very good chance of getting an offer.

[JellicleCat]

According to the university website she has the entry requirements for her first choice course (one of the advantages of the Scottish system is that Highers, unlike AS levels, can get you an unconditional offer). However I am sceptical and also aware that if the course is popular she may not get a place even though she has the entry requirements. Just wish she would get on with it.

[Milliways]

DS now has 2 offers, 1 letter saying they are recommending him for an offer and 1 interview, so 4 out of the 5 responses

[JellicleCat]

Well done Milliways' ds, but this just makes me all the more anxious about my dd's situation. However we are now on draft 4 and her guidance teacher is happy with it. I think it could still do with some tweeking, but God only knows if she will listen to me. No idea where she gets her independant, stubborn streak from!!

[fussychica]

Jelliclecat I was really unhappy about something DS said in his PS but a friend who was an ex head of sixth thought it was great so DS didn't listen to me and left it in - he got 5 offers so what did I know! Hope it goes well.

[JellicleCat]

Thanks fussy, I know I am probably overthinking this, sigh, just want her to get into the course she has set her heart on.

[happyinherts]

My son submitted his application. it got returned to his college saying there was a mistake and he had to go to student services to rectify it. He had only applied for one university course and obviously UCAS thought it was a mistake. Spent a fiver on travel to get to student services to sort this out and explain that he only wanted one course and didnt want to apply for anything else.

attitude is, que sera sera, if it happens it happens, if it doesn't it wasnt to be and i shall do something else with my life. he does have options. application is now awaiting a college reference from someone who doesnt know him from Adam. Will probably miss November deadline now. grrrrrrrr

[MABS]

Ps finished, uni applications all done and ucas paid for.
Now the wait...

[Milliways]

DS heard from his final Uni today, so now has 3 offers and 2 Interviews :)

[mumblechum1]

DS finally filled in the UCAS form online, c&p'd his PS, just waiting for his form tutor to add her reference and then hopefully it'll go off next week sometime.

[NewFerry]

Goodness Miliways, congrats to your DS

My DS has had one offer, & 4 acknowledgements. Would be great to get a second offer before Xmas.

[Bossybritches22]

DD 1 has offers from Warwick + Reading + an interview for Cambridge......

Stunned + delighted given her AS results!

[Milliways]

Yes NewFerry - DS is hoping he will have all 5 offers by Christmas as will have finished interviews by then.

BossyBritches - good luck with Cambridge. Seems a long time ago that my DD went through this, and the last 2 years she was helping with the interviews (looking after the interviewees - especially those who were staying overnight).

[Bossybritches22]

Thanks Milliways- lovely thing is DD is so delighted to have just got the interview she just thinks anything more will be a bonus, which is a much less stressful attitude than her mother! :D

[mumblechum1]

DS finally got to see his careers adviser and referee today and I've paid the fee so I think it just to HoY for something or other next week and hopefully then it will go.

It's quite exciting! He's applied to two RG Unis, a 1994 one and 2 ex-polys, having messed up his ASs