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...

Wouldn't it be lovely if, instead, society could just erase social diasadvantage?

“I didn't catch which university were specifically not giving any out”

At the biomed subject talk at Manchester university we were told that Manchester don’t give any unconditional offers. I’m not sure whether it was for the subject or for the university overall. He did say that they wanted students to want to come to Manchester, and not be persuaded by an unconditional offer.

Looking back through my notes from DS's 'applying to university' talk by Head of Sixth, he specifically mentioned Nottingham, Birmingham and Southampton as the three most likely to hand out unconditional offers (and this a school where virtually all pupils go to RG universities).

I have two minds about contextual offers.

My dad, family tended to leave school before 16yo, so no qualifications, failed the 11+ and went to his local secondary modern, where he was the only one to do A-levels, did one at a night school, ones at school he did with his teachers (and scored better) while working through weekends, evenings and before school to pay for it.
I think he did well to get his A-levels at all, and contextual offers would have been fair enough.

Mine get some but not much advantage (state school, good area, parents went to uni etc)
I've got friends whose dc have been through private schools and are/have done 4+ A-levels getting A* at all, all encouraged by the school.
I don't know of any friends whose dc have been through state school whose dc have got more than 4, and very few have more than 3.

I do not believe that all the friends' dc who went to private schools are that much cleverer than the ones who went to state.

How can you fairly contextualise that? Do you say a child who went to private school and gets A A A A is worth less than a state school pupil who gets A A A ? In some cases it probably is true. In others it isn't. But how do you sort it out?
Will a university really look at a pupil who is getting 5x A* and take someone who's getting 3x A? I suspect not.

There are still pupils who will be disadvantaged, and pupils who will be advantaged.

"I do not believe that all the friends' dc who went to private schools are that much cleverer than the ones who went to state." I totally agree with you on that one.

Well DD pushed the send button today for UCAS.

Hoping DD will join yours with UEA offer @JanetheObscure.
Can I ask what your DD predicted grades were?

She wants to do History and Politics and UEA first choice.

Please keep fingers and toes crossed.

UEA is DN's first choice for English.

Getting increasingly frustrated at DS's lack of progress with his UCAS application, hindered mainly by school. It's mainly done and dusted but for the PS part (which is only at first draft stage).

I am amazed that so many of your DCs got to such efficient schools. DS's school doesn't even have a huge sixth form (circa 300 across Yrs 12 and 13).

DD has actually already gotten an offer (her 4th choice)
within hours of submitting UCAS-which seems crazy to me

@mumsiedarlingrevolta

DD's predicted grades are AAB. Good luck with your DD's offers!

We had DD's parents evening last night (Girls' Grammar School). DD predicted AAA. Head of 6th form was saying he hated unconditional offered as it plays on girls' insecurities and they end up accepting an offer at a university one level lower than they were capable of.

DD is applying to Edinburgh, Bristol, Warwick, Manchester and Royal Holloway. She loves the course at Royal Holloway and would like to be close to London, but not in London. RH give out unconditionals. Why do schools push students towards universities that boost the school's egos? Is she being insecure and foolish if she plumps for a non-RG option?

do they get an email or something from UCAS when the form has been submitted or do they just have to keep checking (still no idea what's happening at the school's end)?

Final parents' evening last night - no surprises, she needs to slow down, not give up when it's hard & be more precise. Exactly what we've all been telling her for the last 7 years!

Ds knew when school had submitted the form but not sure if that's because they told him or he got an email. He did subsequently get acknowledgements from all the places he applied to (within a working day or two) so that is another way of telling.

They get an email from Track when the form is submitted.

NewModelArmyMayhem18 - our local school's deadline is 30 November. I have a friend whose pushed for her sons to be submitted earlier, he just needed to ensure the school reference is ready and he submitted application in October. I know of another girl at the school who'll be going down the same route.

thanks, I expect it will take them at least a week to get organised & send it off. She's crap at checking her email, I'll have to remind her do to it.

School's 'deadline' was November 1st but only so they'd be mostly done before mocks. Apart from the Oxbridge/medics dd is the only one of her friends who has actually finished though.

DD1's school submitted hers yesterday. She knew for sure because the teacher made her push the "Big Red Button" herself so that she's 100% sure it was her own decision. They don't get everything right but I liked this approach - thinking of suggesting they get a bell to ring to encourage everyone else to get on with it.

She has already had an email from UCAS and acknowledgements from 3 of her 5 choices.

Bowbridge Edinburgh gave my DD an offer last year but it wasn't till late March, think they are always late giving out offers.

DD now has her Durham place! I think she’s going to cancel her Manchester interview because she now has Newcastle and Durham in, which are her two favourites, so she’s unlikely to opt for Manchester.

Lovely start to the weekend. Congratulations to your DD PancakeMum6

@PancakeMum6 fantastic news!
My DD is so stressed as now that hers is in she WANTS TO KNOW!!

How long are offers taking to come in?

I fear we will run out of gin

mumsiedarlingrevolta that’s exactly how DD felt - she was checking track obsessively!! I think it depends on the universities and the course really. Hers was submitted first thing last Thursday morning, she got Manchester Met and Northumbria through within 24 hours and then throughout this week has received her Manchester interview, Newcastle and Durham places. However she’s applying post A level with 3A*s, so that may be speeding things up too.

I remember last year her friends got fast offers from places like Lincoln, Manchester Met, Chester, Northumbria, Manchester, Newcastle, York, YSJ, Warwick, Birmingham, Aston, Birmingham City, Nottingham, Bristol, Bath, UWE, UWL, Exeter, Liverpool, LJM, Lougborough. They all seemed to be getting back within a fortnight. Slower I seem to recall were the Scottish universities, UCL, Salford, KCL. But it does depend largely on department too I believe.

And thank you howabout - it’s definitely put us all in a good mood! Shame DD found out on her break in an 11 hour shift... she’s going out with some friends after though to celebrate so that’ll be nice. Means we won’t see her until tomorrow morning so we’re writing her a card and I’ve sent DD2 to get her some little gifts.

Belfast was fast too I recall...

I fiund it interesting when dd told me that track rates their personal statememt with a % mark to show how similar their PS is to others they have been sent.

@PancakeMum6 just to say DS is at Newcastle right now-absolutely loves it!!

And DH was at Durham a million years ago-loved the collegiate system-

Your DD should be very proud-either will be fab!!

Most Scottish students are applying with grades in hand, so I suspect this may make them slower in engaging with everyone else. They can get an idea of the likely demand / quality for various courses from the Scottish cohort before looking at everyone else.

That said Edinburgh is notoriously late but DD has a friend who already has an offer from them. Definitely very subject dependent.