Applying for Uni 2019 entry, parents support thread

[Decorhate]

Now that they are back at school, working on Personal Statements, doing the final Open Day visits, I thought we could do with a new thread...

I did think that but essentially so is Lancaster? I think that is why Aber's offers are - relatively speaking - lower.

I grew up in Scotland. Never wanted to g to St A's, given that it always seemed stuffed full of over privileged Sassenachs!

Is Glasgow too near? V good reputation for IR.

Also, Birmingham springs to mind.

Warwick ? Campus uni like York. Haven't checked if it does IR , mind....

Voila:

warwick.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses-2019/politicsinternational

piggy for us Lancaster is relatively easy to get to with a megabus route too so not 'remote'. Aberystwyth does look interesting though. So.... Is it full of locals who clear off home at weekend? Glasgow...Course not 'right'. Warwick...Course not quite 'right' but not ruled out completely. She'd only want to go to St A's for that course not to go there for the sake of being there if you get my drift! What she really needs is an insurance that she likes. It's now reached the point that she's over-thinking it. She could've done a done an EPQ on unis the amount of research she's done!! I have a bottle of fizz waiting patiently for the night she announces that the application has been sent. LIZS I have used your DD's speed as an incentive.

Haha, she's now having second thoughts, maybe speed is not so good!

Piggy re a degree in sports journalism I can safely say that this is not a requirement for someone wanting to be a sports journalist therefore if your son is not sure what he wants to do do at the end of his degree I would recommend choosing a broader subject. If football is his thing then go somewhere where there are several teams and he could do some blogging or tweeting or see if the local papers wants a stringer for smaller clubs and games - get a few bits and pieces published, get a few followers whatever, make a few contacts and if he likes it then he’s got something on his CV when he finishes his degree. If he decides it’s not for him then he will have a degree in something other than sports journalism to help him on his way. I think for kids who don’t have a final career in mind when they start their degree (the majority probably) then the most important thing is to keep as many doors open as possible.

LIZS I'm not going to tell mine that!
House mistress and tutor both now have PS 3rd draft (their first look) so fingers crossed it'll be gone in the next few weeks and she can just get on with the actual work!

Any open days happening this weekend?

DD and I are suddenly at a loose end so could travel somewhere.

We are still at the stage of finding out what university is going to be like, and whether she even wants to go!! so looking at a few places will help u hope!

Edinburgh University and Dundee University are happening on Saturday.

Liverpool is on Saturday

Huddersfield, too. It's a busy weekend!

All open days are listed here www.opendays.com/calendar/

lilian , I knwo where you are coming form but actually the best unis at offering sports journalism have links with local clubs and do placements etc (some with the BBC ) Derby's course is directly linked up with Derby County. So, I think things are changing. DS has said he wants a degree where he feels he is learning something new and learning skills. He hasn't yet got the confidence to sort out placments and links himself so I am hoping such a course would build a portfolio for him. His IT skills are woeful so he needs teaching!!
Sally Nugent went to Huddersfield and the F1 guy did a sports journalism degree, so those are good signs. I hope.

I have looked up employment stats for the unis/ course and they are really good , in fact, so perhaps things are changing a bit.

chocolate : re Aberystwyth. I do think a lot of the students are Welsh . However, as it is in quite a sparsely populated area, there really aren't many who don't live in halls, from what I gather. That's mroe the case with the Scottish unis and unis towards the lower end of league tables which more often attract a fairly local cohort. Is my understanding anyway! The town itself is actually nice, if a bit damp and windswept!

I myself will be interested to see (hear!) how many people at Huddersfield Open Day on Saturday appear to be pretty local.

We live about 15 miles away from Huddersfield, and quite a few of DD's peers went there. They are in halls, not commuting though.

That's good to hear!

I meant to emntion before that the main journalism degree I have my eye on (God knows about DS!) is ajoint degree at DMU where he could cobine journalism with IR. Derby also does this and that seems a good option. i'd do it if I could!! One of the two does IR and Diplomacy which sounds fab!

@VanCleefArpels, the point was, not the specific course at a specific university (and anyway, the feet of the God of widget engineering will almost certainly be anywhere in the world other than on the floor of a lecture theatre back at his home university while he delivers Widget Engineering 101 to a bunch of undergraduates - trust me, I've sat for enough hours in research project committee meetings, wondering whether or when any of the particular gods of academe around the table ever actually do any teaching at all). It was more one step down - decide what you want to study first, then where offers it, that you would like to go.

DD is looking at International Relations and French, which may affect the grades required, but for that, the typical offer at UEA is indeed BBB, as it is at Kent.

It does seem from this thread that IR is going to be popular in 2019!

marchingfrogs we are at one!

DD's application will be in either Friday or early next week. She's going to have a punt at Oxford. We are a state school with few successful applicants so we have learnt a lot recently, MN has been an excellent resource. DD just wants the application in now I think, so she can get on with Y13. I wish we had done this for DS actually, we did most of our visits in September last year, and then he had to write the PS etc, it's a full on year anyway without this distraction but you live and learn.

I might point out that DD is a planner and an organiser, DS who is starting Lancaster next week was entirely the opposite and so I entirely understand the frustration of folk with DC who are somewhat blasé about the process.

It's Archeology and Anthropology here (in slightly differing forms) and she's chosen Oxford, Queen Mary's, York, Sheffield and Liverpool. We've seen all but Belfast, but will visit should she receive an offer.

Ds told me yesterday that his college internal deadline for early applications is Monday. He also said he thinks he might do maths instead of computer science So I'm not convinced he'll be ready by Monday That deadline will have to be flexible though!

He's been set on computer science for about 2 years. Although has always talked about how he will miss maths and is sad to think that there's maths he won't learn. I think he's thinking that a computer science degree possibly narrows opportunities afterwards, although he wants to be a software developer anyway atm and will almost certainly end up in IT one way or another!

Maths is DS's subject. Surely you could do a combined honours in both those subjects?

Justanothermile good luck to your DD. At DS's school about 1/4 of Year 13 is applying to Oxbridge and/or to do medicine so the teachers are prioritising those pupils' PSs/applications first. Also waiting on finalised predicted grades (in a month), after which point I shall be strongly encouraging DS to get his UCAS application done and dusted ASAP. I totally agree that they need to have all their energies focused on the final push, sooner rather than later. As it is, DS has a big Geography course work project to complete which will distract him until the beginning of next year. Lots going on.

Marching and Piggy I think Kent, UEA and Aberystwyth are all good options, however, Little Miss Fickle has announced this evening that she's not going to fill in that 5th option till later. So 1 aspirational (not a hope of an offer) 2 close favourites (should get achievable offers...fingers crossed), 1 a bit less but doesn't want to go really and that final box can be another aspirational if she gets the offer from the favs!