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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Applying for Uni 2019 entry, parents support thread

998 replies

Decorhate · 09/09/2018 09:51

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...

OP posts:
Original poster
Decorhate · 03/10/2018 20:23

Has she looked at Bath? Know someone doing languages there is is currently doing a year abroad. Haven't been to York but think it may have a similar feel

OP posts:
LillianGish · 03/10/2018 21:06

I thought Bath would be great - she hated it! Something to do with it being miles out of town, stuck on a hill. Took an instant dislike to Warwick for similar reasons (though obviously flatter!) She's definitely focussing on the place as much as the course - loves Cardiff and Bristol. I sort of understand - her years in the UK will be like years abroad while her year abroad (if she comes to France) will feel like home. I've tried to explain that the experience is as much about the people you are with as the place, but she's a Parisian girl at heart - wants to be in the city (but nowhere ugly - her words).

Aurea · 03/10/2018 21:46

Edinburgh?

amirrorimage · 03/10/2018 22:44

LilianGish has she considered something like this
www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/degrees/european-social-political-studies-dual-degree-ba/
I imagine it is rather competitive though.

Other PPE type degrees including at Edinburgh offer the possibility of a year abroad in France (although may depend on any consequences of Brexit for Erasmus schemes).

VanCleefArpels · 03/10/2018 23:37

DD pressed the “pay and send” button on the UCAS form tonight. Feels quite monumental, and exciting!

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 04/10/2018 07:58

Very envious of those of you whose DC have 'done and dusted' their UCAS applications. I suspect DS's won't be finalised until end of October earliest.

LillianGish in a way it's not surprising that some universities won't accept students who are bilingual to do MFL degrees, particularly if the courses are very language content driven. I would have thought it might be expected that they do join honours (two languages or the one they're fluent in plus something entirely different) at the very least to offset their natural fluency advantage.

LittleSpace · 04/10/2018 08:23

Thought it was done but there seems to be a supplementary form. Not sure how important it is. In fact two of the universities so far have asked for extra personalised stuff.

Sigh.

LillianGish · 04/10/2018 08:23

That UCL course looks interesting amirrorimage, though AAA - so competitive as you say (also in London so eye-wateringly expensive). I will get her to look at Edinburgh. You are right in saying just French would be silly NewModelArmy*, she wants dual honours and a year in France. Will keep looking - like you I am very envious of those who are done and dusted - DD has always been an up-to-the-deadline girl though so I shouldn’t be surprised.

LittleSpace · 05/10/2018 08:00

Three offers! Firm and insurance have both said yes.

He is going for another aspirational one but to be honest that is a really outside chance so I'm glad he has heard back from the others early.

LIZS · 05/10/2018 08:02

Offer here too, dd was very excited and relieved. It will be one for an offer holder visit though as she did not do an open day there.

LittleSpace · 05/10/2018 08:07

ds is doing the same as he saw the universities when he tagged along with his sister. He decided to go straight for the offer holder days.

Monkey2001 · 05/10/2018 08:49

Wow, congratulations to both DC! Are the offers achievable? I am hoping that actually having offers would help DS to up his game - he is calmly expecting A*s without doing any work other than the basic class and homework. All "free"/study periods spent playing computer games.

LIZS · 05/10/2018 08:53

Yes, it is a standard offer well within her predicted grades. Congratulations to other dc with offers, but it is still early days and so much can change yet.

eatinglesschocolate · 05/10/2018 09:04

Congratulations to those with offers. Aiming to have it gone by the 11th here. PS on final edit but she is going out at weekend Hmm so guessing it’ll be start of week before she’s done it.

HostessTrolley · 05/10/2018 10:36

Wow, congratulations on the early offers xxx

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 05/10/2018 12:49

Congratulations - a great confidence boost for the DC who've had the offers.

BringOnTheScience · 05/10/2018 12:53

Crikey! V impressed that so many have offers already !

We're at Edinburgh tomorrow, then Sheffield on 20th. PS to be finished at half term, along with the driving theory test.

Lililili · 05/10/2018 13:30

Hello - Joining this thread as I’m off work and not very mobile so I have a lot of time to worry about / be involved with DDs university applications!
She is applying for variations on Politics to Bath, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff and Warwick. The application went off last week and now she is getting asked for supplementary information from a couple. She is getting a little impatient with my interest although she did call me yesterday to let me know an offer had come through from Bath. She is delighted. She loved it there at the open day.

Piggywaspushed · 05/10/2018 13:37

Parents' evening wasn't toooo awful . DS wouldn't come. One of his teachers was clearly relying on student attendance to know who she was talking about! It is a worry that he has new teachers in evry single subject and they barely know him. Therefore, it became a data based conversation. However, his Spanish teacher seems impressed by him (only knew hs average GCSE scores across all subjects, though, not that he has got full marks in his actual Spanish GCSE!) so that's promising. Other two subjects more mixed. At least we could now be looking at BBB- BCC ballpark, rather than lower. And now his new Spanish teacher (who seems to be in possession of the ability and qualificaiton to actually teach!) knows the score, I think he will push him more. This is when I hate indicator grades. All his Spanish teacher will measure him on/ be measured by is whether he achieves or exceeds a C...

Oxford Brookes tomorrow. Maybe. Hopefully. We'll see. Languages degree looking more likely, in some guise. Battle of the UCAS grades may commence as Swansea, funded by the Welsh government , pledges to give unconditional offers to anyone doing languages who is predicted at least BBB and has a 'good GCSE profile' (unspecified...)

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 05/10/2018 14:02

Hi Piggy that sound encouraging for your DS - how did he respond when you relayed feedback to him? Good luck at Oxford Brookes.

ifonly4 · 05/10/2018 15:06

Do they have to pay a fee when they send the application? If so, can they pay by debit card? Might sound like a silly question but DD doesn't live with us term-time and reckons her friends who've already applied haven't had to pay anything.

Little Space and LIZS congratulations to your DCs.

Little Space and Lililili what sort of supplementary information do the universities want?

BringOnTheScience - can you let me know what you think of Edinburgh as a uni please. We did an hour's tour there in August, but obviously didn't get to see much of it.

LIZS · 05/10/2018 15:23

Fee is £24 , yes debit card accepted.

Lililili · 05/10/2018 15:26

@ifonly4 She had to answer some questions for Bristol or Bath, but she wouldn’t share it with me so I don’t know I’m afraid. For Cambridge she had to give all the UMS of modules already taken, class sizes, topics being covered and could submit an additional statement or ‘anything else’.

ifonly4 · 05/10/2018 15:30

Thanks for your quick replies. I'd better make sure she's got some money on her debit card as she's not at home with us.

Monkey2001 · 05/10/2018 15:41

@Piggywaspushed - Hurray!