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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:
Piggywaspushed · 18/09/2018 21:11

Swansea have a guaranteed offer scheme... genuinely everyone who applies (I presume for certain courses) gets an offer.

Original poster
Decorhate · 18/09/2018 21:14

Anyone know about Maths/Furher Maths. Somehow I always assumed (probably incorrectly) that FM was harder. Ds has been predicted a higher grade in FM than Maths. Is this odd??

OP posts:
Original poster
Decorhate · 18/09/2018 21:16

Piggy if your ds would like something data related but needs maths, perhaps there is a foundation course he could do to bridge the gap?

OP posts:
Piggywaspushed · 18/09/2018 21:22

I don't think he would to be honest. He did want to do economics A Level but it clashed with another choice which is a shame. He ended up doing business and doesn't like it. I guess he'll find his niche. What he is genuinely good at is memorising things which is why he did so well in MFL at GCSE but he isn't enjoying A Level Spanish very much.

Piggywaspushed · 18/09/2018 21:25

I asked my DH your FM question. I didn't really understand his answer but - to summarise- this means he is better at the more conceptual so-called 'harder' content of FM ( mechanics type stuff) and it isn't that uncommon,a lthough usually those who do FM are pretty good at both. But he then conused me by saying it's only one A level anyway because Further Maths is the full A Level and then I got confused and lost the will to live.

AtiaoftheJulii · 18/09/2018 21:32

Ds has been predicted a higher grade in FM than Maths. Is this odd??

I would have thought it was odd (and perhaps impossible), because with the old A levels, many of the applied papers could belong to either maths or FM, and there were all sorts of rules about allocating papers to either maths or FM, and those rules maximised your maths grade.

But - from what I understand about the NEW A levels, and I'm no expert - the two exams are now independent of each other, and there is no overlap of papers.

So although it does still seem a little surprising, it's theoretically possible.

Original poster
Decorhate · 18/09/2018 21:36

Thanks all. Apparently his maths teacher (different to his FM teacher) said he will review it after his next assessment. It hopefully shouldn't make a difference to whether he meets the criteria or not, just don't want it raising any eyebrows in admissions!

OP posts:
hanahsaunt · 18/09/2018 21:52

Ds1 is in y13 so at the applying stage. He had absolutely no idea about what to apply for until a few months ago. He is resolute now and equally fixed on one university. He has (finally) been persuaded to at least look at others so we have done one open day and have one more lined up. It's surprisingly stressful! He's doing 4 fairly different A levels which is bringing it's own stress too in terms of how much of a gamble this is.

Monkey2001 · 19/09/2018 00:14

Piggy does your school have a Careers Advisor? It sounds like he needs somebody to suggest something which inspires him. It would be a shame to start a degree and discover that he was not interested in the subject. Apprenticeships are becoming more common, although there are still not enough. I am trying to think of jobs in which a good memory is a big advantage, can only think of waiter or actor at the moment but it is a great skill.

Piggywaspushed · 19/09/2018 07:08

Hi monkey. It does, and to be fair, I was quite impressed with their careers service last year. However, everything is quiet so far this year which seems odd. I am going to try to phone them today but DS does resent this kind of 'interfering'. His school thinks it's a college and so what he doesn't have is assemblies, tutors as I know them on a daily basis . It has a weekly PSE session which I don't think he goes to, seeing as it appears in a swathe of frees he has. They used to be good at emailing and updating parents but I haven't had any comms from them since June.

I must say all this has been an insight into why there is still a problem with young people from certain communities and backgrounds accessing universities. If I contrast this with the amount of help DCs get at the private school my DH teaches in it is quite shocking. As I keep pointing out to DS, it is lucky he has parents who are at least involved and reasonably knowledgeable....

Piggywaspushed · 19/09/2018 07:11

monkey : translating was something he had wanted to do which does require memory but he has gone off languages sadly. Journalism interests him, although I don't think he really knows what that job is like. No local papers any more for work experience! He knows every world flag and every capital city, bless him.

He'd be a terrible waiter! Those poor customers! Grin

Monkey2001 · 19/09/2018 08:43

Piggy - Sports journalism? Just googled it and Cardiff says Typical A-Level Offer BCC - CDD to include a relevant subject (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points) Sports journalists need to have a really good memory for scores which I think was one of his skills? Languages also useful. Marjon (Plymouth) is CCC. It may be that if he had an objective he would raise his game and anybody can create their own work experience now by blogging or youtube.

I think it generally does not matter much which degree a DC does as long as they are motivated to develop through the degree experience so they develop useful skills. If a career in journalism is difficult to get into, a journalism degree must be good for marketing or PR.

Piggywaspushed · 19/09/2018 08:52

raise his game is a good metaphor!
Do you mean Cardiff Uni? I haven't come across that one? It seems unliekly with that offer. If uyou mean USW , they actually interview which would terrify my DS but GPs are in the Valleys so he might feel tempted . However, nothing would lure me to live in Newport...
Thsi si why we are going to Huddersfield this weekend and then Derby next who both do sports journalism (Derby specifically does football journalism) to see if that sparks any sort of desire in him.

As a lower offer , I might get him to look at Marjon but Plymouth is very far from us. There is also Southampton Solent . It does seem nearly all unis lurk in the BBC range for these courses (so they say...)

DH put him off Eng Lang A Level which still annoys me! He may well have been crap at it but at least he would have known!

Thanks for googling for me ! Smile

Monkey2001 · 19/09/2018 09:19

Yes, just looked again and it was USW, but the Cardiff campus. Website says places still available in clearing for this year, which implied that it is not too stressful to get in. www.southwales.ac.uk/courses/ba-hons-sports-journalism/

Laniakea · 19/09/2018 09:29

If I contrast this with the amount of help DCs get at the private school my DH teaches in it is quite shocking

I couldn’t agree more. Dd’s seem to have the attitude that there is Oxford & Cambridge then everything after that is much of a muchness. Everything ‘extra’ dd has done is because I pointed out she should look at it - Headstart, future learn, epq, open days, emailing admissions tutors, Extea Reading etc. Some of the advice they’ve given (obviously I only hear it second or third hand) is bizarre or just wrong.

(Deleted a rant cos it’s boring)

My sister went to a selective private school (just a few years ago) my mum’s a bit shocked about how much we’re having to do - as I pointed out they paid 20k a year for school to do it for them. It started with a wine & cheese evening at the beginning of lower 6th when the admissions team from Kings cane to explain the UCAS procedure to the parents, school even arranged open days for them.

Piggywaspushed · 19/09/2018 09:36

Cardiff campus? Interesting... will look into that and tell GPs to organise a visit for 1/2 term!

wine and cheese evening Grin

I am having inward angry rant but don't want to be descended on by MN

I wish my DS's school did EPQ : that might have been good for him. My school do it and many students learn a lot from it.

MarchingFrogs · 19/09/2018 12:18

DD's state grammar school takes them to a UCAS Fair and has a knowledgeable and helpful rep from the University of Leicester come and do the 'applying to university' talk. (Possibly not so knowledgeable and helpful in the eyes of some MumsNetters, though, given that almost his first words were, 'Choose your course, then your university', as I appreciate that that is an open invitation to one's DC to become smitten with Animation and end up spending three years in Bournemouth, rather than choosing Oxford and convincing themselves that they have developed a passion for Economics and Management.Shock). They do draw the line at actually booking open days, though.

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 19/09/2018 14:52

DS's state grammar school has a very 'hands off' approach (I think their idea is to educate the boys to be self-sufficient from an early age - 11!). They are kind of left to get on with it themselves with the exception of some constructive criticism about draft personal statements.

I think the University of Leicester rep has the right idea. Really the course should be the main consideration.

Daisiesarenotflowers · 19/09/2018 19:37

I don't know if anyone will find this helpful, but my son did, and I like that there is actually loads of information to be found. nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/
I especially like the 'job profiles'.

eatinglesschocolate · 19/09/2018 20:45

So...if DD likes Lancaster and York for International Relations where else would she like? Something above and below AAB please? Preferably not south coast although Exeter keeps popping itself in there!
I’ve told her she doesn’t need to fill the 5 spaces on the application in one go but she ‘wants rid of it’!!

Piggywaspushed · 19/09/2018 21:07

IR is renowned at Aberystwyth ( they originated the degree) and has a v good reputation at UEA. Both around BBB, I believe.

Aurea · 19/09/2018 21:14

St Andrews for IR.

www.st-andrews.ac.uk/ir/

DrMadelineMaxwell · 19/09/2018 21:55

DD has finally shown me a draft of her personal statement. It's.... totally not what I expected at all.

She's always had a flair with English and has spent all her free time writing her own books since she started high school and it shows.

They'd better be bloody impressed with it, because I certainly am.

eatinglesschocolate · 19/09/2018 22:03

Aurea Well aware St A's should be on list but she's Scottish. Think roughly 8% offer rate for Scottish students there for that course. She will prob go for it although admissions told her to be competitive a couple of *'s in the predictions would help.... She is predicted 3A's.
Piggy Aberystwyth does look intriguing but is it not really isolated?

VanCleefArpels · 19/09/2018 22:09

Whilst I agree that the course is very important there’s no point in studying at the feet of the experts in widget engineering (or whatever) in a place that makes you miserable because it’s too big/small/expensive/far from home/close to home etc etc. Nirvana is where the course is great in a place that brings joy. But if there was a toss up I think you need to be happy to live somewhere for 3 years more than being a few rings up a league table