Fighting our way through 1st year uni (starting Sept 17)

[HSMMaCM]

Continuing the previous thread.

Exams, assessments, essays, etc.

Support, or lack of it.

Will they all get accommodation for next year and can they cook a balanced meal yet.

All those things are true, NeedMoreSleep, and IMO most university first year courses are designed with inbuilt provision for catch up and gap filling. Students arrive with different qualifications and varying knowledge and skill levels and come across gaps needing to be plugged.

Struggles with accommodation and conflicts over housekeeping and noise levels are never going to help with all of that. Obviously there needs to be a certain amount of room in the system for give and take, but students who are living in Lord of the Flies accommodation scenarios need to be able to voice their concerns with no fear of recrimination and immediate solutions.

Next, it's really interesting and more so than how are our children this week (I just by the way sent one of mine the July rent due by 1 June as I had it in my paper diary and asked the other about his although part of university is learning to remember that kind of life stuff yourself).....

If my son is right that most contextual offer people he knows on his course have got very good grades indeed in the end it may all just come out in the wash and mental health issues etc might arise from something entirely different like fewer children these days going for a run, being outside or fewer avoiding alcohol, sugar and junk food (not that students other than I have ever avoided alcohol I suppose).... Anyway I hope those who need help and support are able to find it both from their friends, the university and their families.

The point about the Beckham's school being on the contextual list isi interesting. By the way yesterday when I looked at the Bristol list and linked to it that list was state schools only whereas I thought Bristol had a list including private schools where results are poor although I did not see it yesterday. it is still valid - if you get stellar A level grades 2 grades higher than anyone else in your school even if they are not 3 A stars that is a huge achievement whatever school you are in and right the university recognise it. It can become a bit unfair for those who don't have that much money and pay fees or their child works very hard to win a scholarship and then does not get the easier offer but I am not sure these easier offers are helpful anyway as it can make some children slack off and your A level grades are exactly what many an employer in higher paid jobs looks at so they might be a bit of poisoned chalice if they lead to people not working as hard for A levels as they might have done.

How my 2 have done in year 1 remains to be seen. One is still doing exams and I am not sure when the results are out for them both.

First year of university all finished here! Last exam was last week and today is the end of term; she'll be home tomorrow. I cannot believe how quickly it's gone.

Xemia, exactly. My initial point was that students having problems may not have pre-existing MH problems, but simply hit a perfect storm involving a mix of accomodation, relationship, academic, or health and well being problems. Which is why first tier easily-accessible contacts in a department or in accomodation may be as important as specialist central support.

DDs course is new and there have been some teething problems around academic support which seem to have been recognised by staff and student reps. This happens. However throw in accomodation problems, the distractions of a fun city and being away from home, and perhaps a shortage of domestic skills and a student could be floundering.

Mainly just bookmarking here so that I don't lose you again. My DD has learnt a lot less this year than she was expecting, mainly because they have done catch-up work in one of her subjects to bring everyone up to the same level. She claims that is mainly the private school kids to blame, as they were taught to pass the A Level rather than having a firm grasp of the subject. The lecturers' strike hasn't helped either. In some modules she has had to teach herself from a book, with little or no teaching input. She is doing exams now and will be home in a couple of weeks.

I don't think private schools should get contextual offers because they could afford tutoring outside of school too. So if they still can't benefit from a private school education then top unis may not be for them!

I don’t think private school pupils should get contextual offers either. Contextual offers should be targeted at the undeniably underprivileged.

The Bristol Iist I found yesterday was called state schools contextual offer list (although I thought I had remembered from earlier years it might have included private schools on a Bristol list).

Everyone on ds's course at Bristol came from state school. Private schools are not allowed to apply.

Gosh simbobs, I was thinking maybe it would be the other way round with state-school pupils being taught to jump through hoops because of the league tables. Very interesting!

Also agree re state-school pupils only to get contextual offers.

How many of us have DC at Bristol? It seems to be unusually well-represented!

Hello everyone.
Haven't been on MN in an age. Busy, busy, busy.

But earlier DD connected that the first year was nearly over, and I got all sentimental so looked this thread up.

Both kids have enjoyed this year so much. Enjoying their course, good friends, hectic social lives.
DS is in luuuuurrrrrve . Though he's home for bank holiday and in the bath at the mo.

Champions League Final tomorrow night

Xenia - to go back to a previous point - there are more Firsts awarded now. I read Law at Nottingham in the very late 80s. I found my degree list this year, digging out my degree certificate. No one got a First. No one!

I have been scannning old papers and only one girl got a first in our year of law and I think no one had for 5 years before that!

Sims, I think it will vary by subject. My brother at a fairly academic private school did lots of year 1 university science in the sixth form as they finished the A level course early I remember. It probably depends on the school. The academic state grammars and very selective private schools will not be teaching to the test particularly but extending people and going beyond the subject.

Caution, I think you and I both have twins. I am glad yours have had a good year (as have mine). Time flies.

I just looked up what was niggling me - this is what I remembered on contextual offers and private schools (poor results private schools that is) www.independent.co.uk/student/news/bristol-university-criticised-third-of-places-disadvantaged-pupils-scholars-scheme-private-school-a7607546.html

So it looks like there is a Bristol Scholars scheme which in 2017 gave some places to private school pupils and then the main contextual offer scheme were if you are one of the 40% worst state schools in the country you can get in with grade 2 grades lower than those in the schools with better results.

One first in my cohort of 70 in 1984 (not me ).

I think there used to be some sort of external moderation of degree classifications though I could be wrong. My chemistry degree had about 90 on it at the start, not quite sure how many left at the end but only 6 firsts, and also fewer 2:1s than 2:2s , and a good few thirds. The proportions would be significantly different now. I read recently that there's talk of introducing starred firsts...

Well at least the new GCSE grading system will put an end to the star nonsense- when they want to inflate the grades again they can just add another number 🙄

Those stars didn't half mess up the bolding back when we started out on the GCSE and A level support threads.

*ErrolTheDragon

Those stars didn't half mess up the bolding back when we started out on the GCSE and A level support threads.*

xenia glad your two have enjoyed it all too.

I told mine to take lots and lots of pictures thrse last weeks.
They'll look back on this for the rest of their lives. I know I do. I'm still mates with the girls on my first year corridor even though two live abroad now.

Got to say I'm a bit apprehensiveabout the long vac.
I'm used to having the house to myself all day. And my career has jumped ten notches since they left ( wonder why ).

That explains it Xenia. ds's course had mostly local state pupils and as this is an area devoid of Grammar Schools they were mainly local comps. Bristol seems to have developed close links with the local schools.

3 months is al ong time. I was telling them what I did - a week tour of Spain with university choir; 2 weeks work experience in a law firm; a month residential work with a children's holiday company in England; our family holiday and a bit of down time at home. I think that was a good mix not that anyone ever listens to me in this family and they can do what they like.

Xenia - am trying to imagine what it would feel like if someone said " that's such a good idea mum! Thanks for that!"

My two are both going on holiday with friends pretty much as soon as they finish.

But that still leaves an awful lot of weeks...jobs have been applied for. So fingers crossed.

I live in hope, captain. However it is up to them how they spend the summer and just because I liked mine does not mean it is the best way to spend it. I think mine plan some trips. One ist rying to get his home friends to firm up on something.