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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:
ifonly4 · 30/10/2018 15:15

anniehm - we're in the same situation as you. If she thinks it'll help her decide, then yes she should go. This year is important, but so are the next 3/4 years.

My DD has only done a one hour tour at Edinburgh and hasn't visited Durham and I'd want her to see more before accepting. Travelling independently it'll take her 48 hours. However, trains are a lot better from our local station, so better if she travels with one of us from there and that adds more time. Due to one car and distance, we'd have to go on the train.

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 30/10/2018 15:36

Thanks for your comments, PancakeMum6 and VanCleefArpels. It just seems a pity not to list them but it makes sense particularly given the predicament with not being able to find most certificates....

Piggywaspushed · 30/10/2018 18:25

A question : there are two quite similar courses at Brighton... can a student apply to both?

LIZS · 30/10/2018 18:37

Yes you can apply for different courses at same place.

Piggywaspushed · 30/10/2018 18:39

Thought so. Thanks !

FrameyMcFrame · 30/10/2018 21:38

There is a space to list the music exams so you don't need to add them on to the PS. Didn't notice whether drama exams were there too.

ElizabethBennetismybestfriend · 30/10/2018 22:06

LaBelle Dd is applying for Psychology. She has looked at Birmingham, Liverpool and Cardiff. She expected to like Cardiff the most but at the moment Liverpool is the favourite. The thing that made the decision for her were the options to study abroad, Liverpool seem really organised and it doesn’t’t add an extra year to your degree.

PancakeMum6 · 30/10/2018 23:57

ElizabethBennetismybestfriend one of DD’s good friends is in her first year of psychology at Liverpool. She’s absolutely loving it and would definitely recommend it! DD is off to visit her in two weekends.

AtiaoftheJulii · 31/10/2018 07:03

Ds just got his third offer, from Bristol - AAB where the standard offer is A*AA. I'm assuming this is a contextual offer based only on low levels of progression to higher education in our postcode as we come in the second quintile in POLAR 3 which is what they say they use. He's an ex-grammar school boy, now at one of the (self-declared Wink) best 6th form colleges in the country, both parents (plus most grandparents) went to uni, etc. I'm guessing this must be new as both my older daughters applied to Bristol and both just got the standard offers - seems like a pretty crude tool to use, and now he's on the receiving end of it, feels vaguely patronising!

Anyone else had any surprisingly low offers?

FrameyMcFrame · 31/10/2018 07:33

Could it be to do with the birth dip rather than contextual?

Original poster
Decorhate · 31/10/2018 09:37

May also depend on the subject. If it's not going to be oversubscribed they may want to nab him!

Ds's school sent his application off last week. Really was hoping he got an offer or two this week or next. I'm sure dd got one within a couple of days.

OP posts:
GoldenRuby · 31/10/2018 10:10

DS now has 3 offers and one interview, but still nothing from NTU. He visited UEA last week on a mini open day and loved it. Their offer is significantly lower than Birmingham's, so he will see how he feels about Birmingham when he goes to the offer holder day in January. If he doesn't like it as much as UEA then UEA will get firmed, and he will need to decide on his insurance. I suspect if NTU don't respond soon he won't consider them on principle if they do eventually offer, as he is getting frustrated by the radio silence.

ElizabethBennetismybestfriend · 31/10/2018 10:14

Thanks PancakeMum6. We are going to spend the day in Liverpool tomorrow but as far as Dd is concerned the decision is made.

AtiaoftheJulii · 31/10/2018 10:43

He had an email from Bristol today - contextual. So he gets a two grade advantage (contextual info says up to2 grades lower, some courses may only drop one I suppose) just because his parents prefer to live in an urban area than out in the suburbs Grin

VanCleefArpels · 31/10/2018 10:59

goldenruby DD still waiting for NTU as well - although has had an email about dates to apply for accommodation etc which is a bit weird as no offer....

PancakeMum6 · 31/10/2018 11:05

DD has got her interview at Manchester but it’s also described as a “visit day” just featuring an interview for half an hour - she remembers last year her friend went for a maths one and felt it was more just them advertising the university. She’s not sure it’s worth going as she already has her Newcastle place (which she prefers) and if she gets Durham she has no intention of even considering Manchester...

GoldenRuby · 31/10/2018 11:15

@VanCleefArpels that sounds promising. I've worked out today is 14 working days since submission, which is what NTU advise is their usual turnaround, so hopefully DS will hear soon.

Laniakea · 31/10/2018 11:28

Atia!?! Really blimey... I looked to see if we were on the contextual list but our postcode wasn't, are you more urban than us (bottom of the hill Wink )? Maybe it has changed if the girls didn't get them? It's fab btw

dd's tutor has said that she'll write her reference of Thursday (which is also parents' evening but we're not planning to see her). I am seriously unimpressed with school (deleted rant) ... am counting down the weeks until she's done. In positive news she managed attendance over 90% last half term - that's the highest since 6th form started, I'm crossing everything that she stays stable now.

Laniakea · 31/10/2018 11:34

humpf well our POLAR 3 is 3rd quintile - I wonder if we count as suburban (!)

VanCleefArpels · 31/10/2018 11:38

goldenruby it’s been much longer than that for us (DD’s school encourages all students to be ready to roll by or near to the early application deadlines regardless of where applying, just to get it out the way)

PancakeMum6 · 31/10/2018 12:15

Our POLAR scores are first quintile across the board - quite a nice family area too!! Not sure they’re a very good/accurate measure. If DD1 was getting offers I imagine she’d be eligible for contextual due to that combined with low school results but her school is actually excellent and the area fab... just very diverse - nobody speaks English as a first language.

JanetheObscure · 31/10/2018 13:00

My DD has, amazingly, had all five offers, so she is very chuffed indeed. Exeter the favourite as things stand, with UEA as insurance.

The offers were more or less as expected, though a couple were possibly a grade lower than she thought. No unconditionals and for that, knowing her, I give much thanks.

DrMadelineMaxwell · 31/10/2018 13:30

DD sat her pre-interview Cambridge exam for history today. We now await whether she is invited to interview or not.

I hope they do as it means she knows she'll have had every opportunity to show what she knows/can do etc before being offered/rejected.

All other 4 offers in with 2 wanting 3 x A, with an A in history - and they accept Welsh Bacc for one of those As, so extremely achieveable based on previous results.

Liverpool A, A, B is her lower tarriff offer, with the now discounted Bangor, who offered 2 x A but unconditional if firmed (with the sweetener of that £3.5k bursary if she still gets the high grades and goes there) as they were only really applied for because she did like the course that she could take there - heritage as well as history.

If Cambrige interview and offer then it's A, A, A she will need and they won't consider Welsh Bacc as one of her results, which will really pile on the pressure as in her AS levels she got A, A, B. Which, based on UMS is more like A, A, high B, but still a B and they won't offer a B.

FrameyMcFrame · 31/10/2018 14:50

Quick question, if a university is not going to give you an offer, how do they let you know that?

PancakeMum6 · 31/10/2018 15:05

FrameyMcFrame I think they usually update UCAS track to say your application was unsuccessful.