University Admissions - I'm willing to answer any questions!

[MrsBright]

I have worked in Uni Admissions at several different Unis, RG and non-RG, for over 20 years and am very happy to answer any general questions about UCAS/Offers/F&I Decisions/Clearing/Adjustment etc.

SecretSquirrels I think parents and those in other roles in education have something useful to teach or inform the academics too, especially with uni now being more of a buyers market.

MN has been very useful to me too. I've learned a lot.

Buxhoeveden an EHC is not valid for higher education - it will lapse once he leaves FE. There is a place on the ucas form to mention additional needs and your dn should contact the disability office at each university to see how they intend catering for his needs. Your dn could always give them a copy of the EHC plan as part of the information gathering process but they are not obliged to follow it in the same way as schools or FE colleges are.

So nothing's changed then?

Its a massive change - they are far far far better than the LDAs that students had for FE and they are now far more wide ranging in terms of provision as they cover health and social care too

Sorry, I wasn't being clear. I meant nothing has changed in terms of uni, for a high acheiving student as compared to a similar student with a statement (I have a handy comparator there).

I attended the meetings throughout the conversion process, annual review etc, as support for SIL and there has been constant rhetoric from the LA about how having the ECHP 'all the way through to 25' and 'to have as part of the university transfer process' would be helpful, wonderful, vast improvement on the old system etc etc.

SIL did raise an eyebrow at the hyperbole, but was assuming there was some truth in it.

They knew who they were talking about - no learning disability, no significant mobility needs etc. So I am underwhelmed. I'll send her the link to this thread.

(FE and LDAs -whatever they are- don't apply - it's a sixth form and statement scenario)

MrsUltracrepidarian Sorry i didn't mean to sound as though I was implying this only happens to those that go to private schools. It probably happens in many settings, cultures and walks of life. It just happens DH coaches a lovely group from those schools. I rarely hear teenagers especially lads being so frank and honest, talk about their true feelings to adults. So seeing things from their perspective was a real eye opener. I don't do Facebook, Instagram what's app so a bit anti social, I'm rather oblivious to what's going on out there with the young lot. It could be that they are more open than I think.

I have mixed feelings about all this TBH coffee.

Whilst I do think it must be horrid if parents are over bearing in their expectations, I really can't blame those who simply want their DC to find employment which will pay well and this provide a stable life.

Frankly, those are the expectations every working class kid faces, albeit the jobs don't pay so well and are often harder to come by; avoiding NMW/zero hours has become a goal for many parents for their DC.

I know several middle class kids who moan about the exam treadmill, parental/school expectation etc but none of them seem to actually have a Plan B.

They don't have burning desires to become plumbers, or set up their own businesses...

The ones that do have a Plan B have been thoroughly supported ( runner in film studio, athletes, start ups, chefs etc).

Which A level would be preferred out of English Literature or Sociology? DS can't choose between the two, he's hoping to study something to do with biology, the other A levels are biology and psychology.
thanks.

The exam treadmill is the necessary evil of our times. All developed countries put their DC through it in one form or another.

Wobbly wouldn't chemistry be better for Biology? English is the more rigorous of the two you mention.

Not doing Facebook doesn't make you anti social coffee. I've very consciously avoided it throughout my DCs' time on it (which collectively is pretty much since it was set up). I don't believe it keeps the parental generation any more 'in touch' with their kids, it just runs the risk of compromising their privacy, or making them more self conscious than they ought to be. I very much doubt you're missing anything at all on that score!

Wobbly Don't many Biology programmes need Biology plus another science or Maths? I know the ones that dd applied to needed Biology and either Maths or Chemistry.

Unfortunately chemistry is hated but thankfully it's not needed for the degree courses being considered.

Word your right, we worry that not having input/influence about the real world is going to put our kids unprepared and so do a our best to prepare them wether it be schools, clubs societies extra exams, work experience etc It's really hard to get the balance right without having too high expectations on both sides or too much parent/school influence to the point child is only doing what everyone else expects of them but not satisfying their own. Those with Plan B and are supported probably fair better in the long run as in a sense they have a realistic, healthy view that failure or things not turning to plan is alright "at least I gave it a try" attitude, they pick themselves up faster and turn it around, was only a minor blip it's fixable Learn and move on. Maybe focussing more on strength and resilience to the pit falls of the real world would be a good trait to help our kids prepare the rest will follow. Me and DH seem to be doing the latter on dd she's our own little experiment don't know if it will work only time will tell

molio so glad it's not just me who don't feel odd not doing social networking. The thing is i don't feel I'm missing out, neither do I want to realise/capture every moment of what's going on either in my life or someone elses. Though I can see those with very exciting /creative careers will want to. Good thing for DD she will always know I'm never going to stalk her she will have alot of private space uninterrupted by us. Skype is the only thing I'm going to install when she leaves in Sept.

wobblyrainbow is she thinking of doing psychology degree? Im only judging by her doing psychology maybe is something she might want to go into. My dd got offers to do psychology at uni she doing A2 Maths, Bio and Psych and Has a AS in history. DD says some psych degree courses at uni have preference for 2 science subjects in which psych is classed as one. But majority of uni will want only 1 science (Which only having psych is suffice). Depends what she wants to do and go. English lit is classed as a facilitating subject might be a consideration.

She's thinking of some kind of psychology with biology so will do psychology and biology for the two sciences. The facilitating subject issue is why English Lit. got onto the list, I expect she'll go for that. My degree is English Lit. so she knows what she is getting herself into in a way but my A level choices were too long ago to be useful (English Lit, Psychology and Sociology)

The exam treadmill is the necessary evil of our times. All developed countries put their DC through it in one form or another

In fact, there is no real exam treadmill in Canada or the USA, which I think both qualify as developed countries . Instead, students have to submit their grade point average -- an average of their grades in every test, piece of homework etc over the final two or three years of school. The only standardized tests are the SATs and Advanced Placement (AP) exams, which are a million miles away in stress and pressure from A Levels and various Baccalaureate programmes. It's true that in the States, parents pay a fortune to get their DCs tutored to get higher scores in the SATs, so it's not exactly a level playing field. I'm not sure which system I think is better, but they are quite different.

Academics and teachers tend to be pretty difficult prickly and think they are brilliant. So they tend to rub lots of people up the wrong way. they live in environments where they are kind of gods to those whom they teach and forget they are pretty down the food chain and pay scale. They can be quite unlikely to be kind to others which is rather sad when a poster was much appreciated and just being helpful.

boatashore - try France for size, where every grade counts (most HE offers are dependent on school reports, not the bac, which only needs to be passed with the minimum grade). I don't find the continuous assessment model any less relentless than GCSE/A level style. It's still an exam treadmill - the exams are all year long...

Ha, Lotus.

Bonsoir - I'm very glad my DC have not had to go through the French system, which seems to be the worst of both worlds. I do know from family and friends in the States and Canada that the final two years of school in the New World do not seem to be as stress-filled for parents or their offspring, even with continuous assessment. But I don't have first hand experience.

I know that better law firms recruiting my daughters in London want not just your degree (2/1 or higher) but every mark in every exam through your degree - worth telling your children not to let up work in the first year with some aim of bringing things round in the last. That is if you want that kind of job. Times reported yesterday lawyers on about £100k in London after 5 - 10 years for example

I know Mrs Bright has gone (what a shame) but wondered if anyone can help. When dd comes to apply for uni she says she doesn't want to declare one of her BTEC qualifications as she got a pass in it, but it doesn't look too great compared to her gcse. She didn't put much effort towards it as the work load was so much more, to get it further to a merit grade. She wanted to concentrate on getting good grades on her GCSE. To be honest she was pushed by the school to take the BTEC in the first place. She wants to apply to Imperial, LSE, UCL not Oxbridge. Any thoughts ? she got 7A*3A will this BTEC pass look like she's not commited or look bad on profile. And would university admission know if she didn't disclose it? Thanks

At my dc's school they say it is compulsory to include every grade (including BTEC's and failed grades) on the UCAS application. I'm not sure if that is standard across all schools or a just a quirk of our sixth form.