University entry 2016

[Itsthiwooluff]

Apologies if I have just overlooked this, but is there a thread for the parents of potential, non-medic 2016 entries yet?

I really need somewhere to unload about the sheer teeth gritting frustration produced by dd's approach to her personal statement.

There's a Y13 thread in Secondary - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/2461903-Starting-Year-13-September-2015

Thanks Atia. Lots of A A* predictions flying around in that one. I think I need a 'if my child really applies themselves non stop they might scrape into an A, but in reality, BBB,if not lower, is where we are heading at the moment' type thread.

I've always wished for a non RG thread but never started one because I'm not sure there are more than one or two mners with dc applying anywhere else!

We're all keeping a low profile as there seems to be a bit of a culture here that if your DC aren't applying to an RG uni then they are wasting their time and money.

That made me smile, eatyourveg!

Where does your DC want to go?

Start a thread! Almost all the creatives go to non RG as that's where the best courses are and primary education at my DDs non RG university (not that it's her course) had a 100% employment rate last year! I don't call that a waste of time (Or money as you need a degree for teaching nowadays)

Hi, I am sure there will be loads of takers if you start one.

We had some great advice from my Dc's school;

1. You do not have to put all your choices down at once, so you can apply to say 3, see what kind of offers you get and then go higher or lower
2. They said 1 aspirational, 3 that you should get and 1 that would be lower so you do have a back up
3. Only apply to where you would like to go, sounds obvious but several of my dd's friends refused their insurance choices as they did not want to go there

I would also look at the Telegraph's clearing pages from this year as they give a good idea of where you might get into if they miss a grade.

good luck

Maybe we need a badge or recognition phrase.

"My next child will go to an RG uni" perhaps...........

My be worth reading through the 2015 threads - last years yr13 on Secondary and Uni preparation on this board.
We certainly weren't all straight A students on those.
And don't forget that now there is no longer an ABB cap, students are getting into RG Unis with lower grades.

It's only Oxbridge, Medicine, Law etc. and the very top Unis that appear to have a different application process.
Once you get below that, RG and non-RG don't seem to need different advice on how to apply.
More differences in personal statement approaches between subjects.

Kez Understand where you are coming from, also worth noting that the RG Unis are more likely to take dropped grades in creative than other subjects if undersubscribed. DD1 has just started a creative subject at an RG Uni. Best choice for her specialism within the subject, and was her firm choice. Most RG Unis, bar the top few were in clearing for her subject this year.

Think there is definitely a need for a non RG uni thread, where all mention of RG is banned! Not all of our DC want to go to one, and certain courses aren't even available there.

RG isn't all it's cracked up to be. I went to two (before RG even existed) and there was rather an attitude of "can't wait until you lot bugger off for the summer and we can get on with some proper work, ie my research" (half my course did bugger off, never to return).

Absolutely squirrelled I have been to two RGs flying high in the league table, one very recently, and I agree they trade on their reputations.

The Sutton trust published a report that suggested that when you take into account that students with better grades go to RG the difference in income between unis was very little.

I do get dispirited that on MN Cambridge and RG are heavily pushed as if there is no other uni worth going to. It's a bit like telling someone to buy a BMW as they are the only car to have not recognising that most of the population have not the money to buy one.

Yup, there are heaps of very good non RG Unis - Bath, Strathclyde, St Andrews, Loughborough, Lancaster, UEA, Surrey, Herriot-Watt, Reading to name a few.

I agree that the secondary Y13 thread has become a bit of an Oxbridge thread. DS2 is not aiming for Oxbridge and has looked at seemingly hundreds lots of unis, albeit mainly RG. I'd like to be allowed on this thread even though DS may end up at a RG uni . I agree with circular though that the process and stresses are probably the same whether RG or not.
I think UCAS stuff is probably better on Higher Ed anyway!
He has four choices made and can't decide on a fifth. I know from DS1 that you can add more choices later but he may just stick to those four. The PS is coming along. DS has zero extra curricular stuff but has done a quirky range of part time jobs so is using those to pad out the none academic part of his PS.

I think it depends on the course as well - things like nursing are often at more vocational universities. DD1 has just started at uni - her final choice was an RG one but that wasn't why she made it her firm choice. Her 5 original choices were a mixture. The course, location and employment prospects are what I would consider to be the important things.

I think RG is less meaningful to those of us in Scotland anyway - with only Glasgow and Edinburgh on the list (and Glasgow doesn't offer the course that DS is applying for). Financial reasons have a big part to play up here - saving £27k in fees is quite an incentive.

SecretSquirrels have you had a look at the presentation from Imperial on how to write a PS? Good ideas as to how you can incorporate your work experience skills.

SquirrelledAway no will point him towards it. DS hasn't looked at any London unis partly because of cost and partly because he wants campus.
He did like Edinburgh when we called in while on holiday. I don't think I could stomach him going there and paying £9k a year while everyone else gets it free and taking four years to do an undergrad degree.

I totally agree hellsbells a course you like, where you want, with employment prospects is a very attractive proposition. Those were the three things we felt were important.

Yes cost of housing is important to students. It can be easily overlooked, but in their second and third year you might wish they had chosen cheaper places, all other things being equal.

Also might not be relevant but my DD has a car and it cost her £20 for a Car park permit last year, yet my friends DD was asked for £500. Big difference, but not one we thought of looking for.

SecretSquirrels with A levels you can usually go straight into the second year of a Scottish degree, so you're back to doing three years. Edinburgh is lovely - there's an open day this Saturday. What's your DS interested in studying?

SquirrelledAway I didn't know that you could start in year 2! Actually it was the general uncommitted nature of the first year that appealed to DS, but I think it's a bit of a luxury.
Most unis discourage students from taking cars as parking is at a premium in many places. This was one reason we never got DS1 a car when he passed his test. He is at Warwick and there is no student parking apart from a few special cases.

No not all students have cars, it very much depends on location and course. Lots do though especially if you have placements to attend.

Having a car does mean no beginning or end of term uni runs for us!

We're all keeping a low profile as there seems to be a bit of a culture here that if your DC aren't applying to an RG uni then they are wasting their time and money.

Yes!

It wasn't a thread on the virtues of RG versus non RG I was talking about - it was more a support thread I suppose.