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...

[JanetheObscure]

@mumsie

Oh, fantastic news! Your DD so wanted UEA, that's brilliant.

@LIZS

Interesting you ask about incentives. My DD has a lower-than-expected offer from Exeter. It's AAB, which exactly matches her predicted grades, but she knows from the Student Room that others are getting higher offers for her subject (history). We can't understand her offer, as it's unlikely to be contextual, so we can only think someone liked her personal statement.

Anyway, she has had an email offering a reduction in fees for the first year if she gets three A stars! So I suppose that's an incentive.. though to be honest, I would say it's rather out of reach :)

[mumsiedarlingrevolta]

Thanks @LIZS and @JanetheObscure

Nothing about incentives so far-just said "this way the pressure is off and you can concentrate on your studies" sort of thing.

DD did get another unconditional from her 4th choice (won't name as feels mean spirited to list them as 4th) and when she got a big envelope in the post from them after offer it mentioned academic scholarships

@LIZS I think that's great for your DD-and I would assume the same-which is fab!!

[mumsiedarlingrevolta]

oops-overexcited-that was @JanetheObscure DD.

Have obviously completely lost my head!!

[eatinglesschocolate]

@mumsie Well done to your DD. Understand completely how you must feel. Exactly the same has happened to DD. Offer from joint fav (York) was changed to unconditional (if firmed) the next day. There were tears (from me...not sure about her ). She really feels exam pressure so this has helped so much. She's still working as hard - still wants her predicted grades but to know that offer is sitting there will make the next few months so much better. Her other fav (Lancaster) have offered one grade less if firmed so eminently achievable if not quite so enticing. No cash incentives dangled yet though. Has her insurance offer in and now waiting for the aspirational two but ecstatic that her favourites 'want her'.

[LIZS]

Eating, how long ago was the Lancaster offer? A few weeks after the initial offers were made to dd she has been invited to interview for potential Unconditional.

[mumsiedarlingrevolta]

@eatinglesschocolate so is there a deadline on firming the offers?
How fabulous for your DD to have such a great choice.

And thanks everyone for the support and enthusiasm-champagne tonight at the Mumsie household!!!

[eatinglesschocolate]

Hi LIZS It came through on the 29/10. I don’t think it’s really an ‘interview’ course🤔 (Pol and Int Relations) so doubt it’ll change now. What is your DD doing?
She’s happy with the dropped grade I think and will do both visit days and decide from there. Can’t lie though... I think York would have to blow the day to lose it! They were balanced evenly before she applied. It’s not as if the unconditional is for her insurance. She wouldn’t feel she’d ‘sold out’ by accepting it. Whatever else happens... she’s happy so I’m happy!😂

[eatinglesschocolate]

Hi @mumsie Doesn’t appear to be a deadline. They have to wait till all offers in anyway (or delete the ones they’re still waiting on). Think she may drop them a line though just to confirm that.
Honestly... you’ll feel like you’re walking on air now... even without popping the champagne corks!😂

[ifonly4]

Congratulations to all your DCs getting offers in - I'm jealous though as we know we're in for a long wait for all but one of DD's choices and that's a top ranking requiring her predicted grades so has to get her second PS just right.

School only sent application off last Friday. Edinburgh have acknowledged.

[MrsEricBana]

Gosh so interesting reading this, I had no idea offers could change after the event.

[Laniakea]

mumsie that's fabulous - an unconditional from your first choice is a dream and eating's dd too - such a relief!

I think only one of dd's give unconditionals & that is very much her insurance choice. There's another that might reduce the offer quite low for various reasons but she really doesn't want to go there. I think if she doesn't get an offer from her top choice she'll withdraw & try again next year. If she doesn't manage to get the grades I guess she'll reapply to the insurance one. Gah ... hate uncertainty!

Her reference is done - school have said the form will go off today or tomorrow, I'm resisting the temptation to ask her to check if it has. It's her 18th on Friday so at least we have that to distract us

Hope all the medic/oxbridge/other exams went well last week :)

[eatinglesschocolate]

ifonly4 If you're English you might hear from Edi quicker than if you're from Scotland. I don't know if the keep everyone till after deadline or just us Scots and the EU applicants.
DD's last two will take forever and I think she might've forgotten she's even waiting to hear from them by the time they get back. This might work for your DD too? Mine expected the three she has to be quick so was checking her phone constantly until they did. The longer ones, she's kind of forgotten about.

[AtiaoftheJulii]

Deadline for firming them to make them unconditional will be the same as the usual deadline, beginning of May.

Do have a look at the rules for allocating accommodation, because if you have an unconditional from your favourite, it might be to your advantage to firm earlier - my DD had an unconditional-if-firmed from Newcastle and they allocated their accommodation by order of when your offer became unconditional. So for many people that's results day, but she had her first choice of accommodation confirmed in June.

[eatinglesschocolate]

Hi Atia Thanks for that nugget of info. She does like to have a plan so being in with a better chance of getting the accommodation she prefers would work for her.

[AtiaoftheJulii]

All the unis seem to do it differently!

But yes, my DD is one who likes a plan too, so it was very nice for her

[LIZS]

Eating. Linguistics here. She had their offer about two weeks prior to your dc so it may yet appear.

[ifonly4]

eatinglesschocolate thanks for your comment, yes we are in England, I didn't realize offers could come out at different times based on where you live, which doesn't seem fair to applicants. She's also applied to St Andrews so will see what happens there as well.

Four acknowledged now. She needs submit a second PS to Durham within three days. Warwick were late last year for course, end March, and will want a second PS tailored totally for the course. Waiting to hear from Birm who require a 1000 essay in response to a choice of questions.

[eatinglesschocolate]

Hi ifonly4. I don't know if the offers do come out at different times but wouldn't be surprised if they did. It's probably fairer for the Scottish students to wait till the deadline though as our places are capped so I guess they have to really decide who best to give those limited offers to. I know from DD's friends that Glasgow pretty much offer immediately but so far only acknowledgements have been received from St A's and Edi. I'd love to work in admissions to find out how it really works. Good luck.

[Decorhate]

Goodness, the thread is nearly full already & we're only halfway through the first term!

I'll get Part 2 set up.

Congrats to all those dc with offers. An unconditional for your favourite is amazing!

[Decorhate]

Let's see if the link to the new thread works

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3416303-Applying-for-Uni-2019-entry-Part-2-UCAS-offers?watched=1

[Aurea]

First offer today for DS thank goodness!

Unconditional offer for Scots Law with English Law at Aberdeen Uni.

For context, he applied on 10 October and is Scottish. He achieved 5As and a B in his Highers in fifth year.

Still waiting to hear back from his other choices though.....(Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford, Durham)

Very relieved , especially as Scottish students often have to wait until at least January for offers due to the cap on numbers.

Glad to see other DCs offers are rolling in.

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Rolling in...there's nothing doing still here - DS seems to think his form tutor may get around to reviewing his draft PS this week. I suspect it's going to need revision though before being ready to use.

DS has two cousins of the same age - his favourite choice is also that of one cousin and two of his choices are the same as his other one. And all by accident rather than design.

The good news is that his predicted grades have been 'upgraded to A*AA (one teacher forgot to give him his grade at the most recent parents' evening).

Great to hear so many positive application offers.

[undergradhopeful]

Hi guys,
DS is in Year 12 and wants to do medicine next year, he's got his heart set on Leeds.

Just wondering how you helped your kids out, anyone in a similar situation?

There's a few courses available that offer UCAS proof reading and practise interviews - what are your thoughts on them? Would you consider putting your child through them? I have been told there are already a wealth of free resources available - can you imagine there being a demand for paid courses? If the free courses are so abundant and effective then why do paid courses even exist? Asking because there's a skype-based course that has limited spaces!

On another note, does the application/interview process vary a lot between universities? What is the consensus between universities, if any?

Thanks guys .