University offers for 2017 start (Part 2)

[EnormousTiger]

Continuation of the original thread which is now on to 40 page maximum.
Original thread (part 1) here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/2759621-Uni-offers-for-2017-start?

Most offers now received. My twins have had offers from their 4 and are currently deciding which will be firm and which insurance. One twin
( possibly two of them) is going to an offer holders' day coming up at Bristol next month with his friends from school.

Another one here whose DD hasn't yet pressed the button.
I also get a dirty look and a reproachful tone if I ask if she is going to make her final choices...

The deed is done. Happy DS and I think we're ok with it. Good luck everyone.

I think mine should go it today but I think it's going to be Tuesday. I will try and persuade them.

We've got to choose accommodation but need to consider a diagnosis of anorexia just to complicate it. Self catered and some control or catered and none ??

Difficult one with anorexia. For my dd, she was more likely to eat if she had some control. The prospect of sitting down for a meal in front of people would have made her avoid it altogether. They are all different though.

Still no button pressed here!

DS has firmed his choices, now got to find and pay £500+ for a post 16 dyslexia assessment !!

I'm glad to be in good company here. DS has firmed and insured but DD has not.

She's been hanging on for the final audition for RADA. But personally I think she should just deal with the applications seperately.

I think mine will do it on Tuesday - they say they need to see the teacher in charge of it before they press the button - school rule . In my view they shoudl have done that last week or over Easter though, why leave it to the last minute when presumably lots of people at school being similar last minute merchants will be wanting that poor teacher's time. I think it's because they like both universities and I do too and would be happy with either choice that it's so hard for them to decide. I just want to make sure each twin knows the choice of the other before they choose and of course it's up to them if they go to the same one or a different one but they should probably both be aware of the choice of the other before committing to somewhere.

(The person asking me about Durham colleges you were right they were told ages ago they had got their first choice; but they say they just didn't bother to tell me. I suppose I should have asked. They say it does not affect their choice of university however so not relevant to choosing apparently!)

Which place do they prefer JanetBrown? Would it help to think about it that way?
I chose Bristol over Durham years ago ( by putting them in that order on my UCAS form, so got the offer from Bristol rather than Durham)
Though I liked Bristol I wonder now if smaller city of Durham and charming old style college system would have been even nicer.
But I've never been to Durham so I'm just guessing!

I think the Durham Bristol thing was a myth Juggling.

I really don't know. One has said he probably prefers Bristol. The other has not committed yet to a choice even verbally.

We are seeing family tomorrow so the one question you can be sure the twins will be asked by everyone is where they are going - they are fed up of being asked it. Perhaps that will help them make up their minds.

My father went to Durham and I'm from the NE. Their cousin went to Durham (and oodles of time ago it was always second to Oxbridge in the very very old days). My view is the decision should be based on job prospects but I don't see much difference between the two so they would therefore be choosing on other grounds.

Their older sister who had the same choice and went to Bristol which she liked very much found Bristol obviously closer to London where was are so easier to get to for us. I do loads of choral and church singing (and the twins have music scholarships at school) but Bristol is hardly lacking in classical music and I doubt that's top of the twins' reasons to pick a unviersity anyway whereas I was looking at where I'd go to church, before I went to university. I certainly agree with you about the smaller city point and I love how Durham looks. It's cold up there . I've lived up there so know about the temperature but that's hardly a major issue.

This is why it's hard for them to choose.

I will be content with whatever they choose although I have never driven all the way up to the NE without an over night stop and am not sure I'd be prepared to now either - i don't like long drives so that makes it harder in terms of logistics of getting there and train fares cost more.

Nice dilemma. Whether they then get the grades will be another matter of course. Nothing is certain particularly in this guinea pig year when some of their subjects are old system A levels and some new system.

Janet it's three hours by train from Kings Cross and there are massive bargains on trainline!

I've just checked: 2hrs 54 to King's Cross to Durham, 1hr 42 Paddington to Bristol.

Yes, I know as I am from Newcastle, but you have to add on at least an hour from our house to get into Central London, I allow 90 mins in case of delays so it's more like 4.5 or 5 hours to Durham station from here but I agree it's not too bad. I used to fly in fact when my parents were dying up to the NE which was easier if not much luggage as we don't live too far from Heathrow but it is certainly more difficult than the drive or train to Bristol. I thinking more of me driving them up with all their stuff which can't really go in the train. They passed their driving test a year ago but haven't done motorway driving yet although they will have to at some point.

Anyway these are nice problems and either option will be fine.

I don't think motorway driving is too bad if you go in the daylight, have a straight-forward route which you've thought through beforehand, and ideally a sat nav for any tricky bits and for reassurance. Also a mobile phone and membership and number for RAC, AA or similar. In other words with a bit of care and preparation it can be fairly straight-forward. Also a good idea to stop off in service station around half way point.
So maybe they could drive themselves? If they went to the same Uni they could even share the driving 😊
Thanks for general encouragement about trains and coaches, I've been looking into possibilities for travelling back and forth to Swansea. Both train and coach from London look like reasonable options. Costs look better with the young people's railcard, and good to know that booking ahead through trainline can find you some good deals.

BTW we don't live in London but most options for getting to Swansea go through London for us, although I think it's also possible to go by train via Birmingham ( not much in it)

When DS did an internship in South Wales last summer, he used coach rather than train to return to London (EVERY weekend!) Much cheaper and it did not take much longer. Bristol is even quicker and some coaches take you all the way to Clifton and Stoke Bishop saving time the other end.

We have foolishly booked a holiday the week our daughter should start at Bristol, so are hoping that halls will either allow luggage to be dropped off early or delivered (presumably overseas students have to make some arrangements) or am searching my address book for kind Bristolians who might lend space in a spare room for a week. I also heard that sports trials take place a week before Freshers week. If true DD better pick a sport which has trials.

I have bribed dd to pick her ucas choices today. Is that bad?

Need more sleep if I was in or around or going to Bristol I'd help you out, but sadly not.

I'm sure the uni have facilities for something which could help you out.

Needmore - not sure of your logistics but I think , if all else fails, some of the storage companies ( e.g. Big Yellow , Safestore ) will do short term ( i.e. up to 2 weeks ) storage for students. Don't know cost but possibly a fall back ? & then obviously getting it from there to her halls.

Happy to help if you need it. Twenty minutes from Bristol.

Ds still umming and erring about final choice, messaged me just now "why does it have to be so hard?" So I messaged back "ok I'll choose for you" left it a good 30 seconds before messaging him "😝".

Thank you both. If nothing else she can take a couple of suitcases down and we bring the rest the following week, away from the main rush. The trouble is that she has so much sports kit and is likely to want much of it for trials.

Or - cunning plan - hope Janet's DTs choose Bristol and she can hire a lorry and drive DDs stuff down as well.

"I'll choose for you"

I might try that one.

DD has promised to make her decision and pull the trigger by the end of today.

I explained that she will in all likelihood not have heard from RADA by the UCAS deadline.

If she gets an improbable offer from RADA, we will simply pull her UCAS application. Someone else can have the offer.