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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 Part 2, UCAS & offers

943 replies

Decorhate · 06/11/2018 19:54

Here we go!

OP posts:
goodbyestranger · 02/12/2018 19:47

Lonicera it seems sensible to me to. Mine did no open days apart from the school one to Oxford and that was overwhelmingly because it was a two day outing with friends from school at a nice time of year not to be in a classroom working. Each to their own - what's sensible for one family or DC may well not be for another.

whereshalligo · 02/12/2018 19:48

My ds changed his mind about his course in September after we did a couple of open days in the Summer. He has applied to 5 places that he hasn't visited. His course requires an interview so will decide from those visits assuming he gets offers. So far 4/5 have offered interviews. Not all families have the money available to travel to open days then pay again to travel to interviews/applicants days.

goodbyestranger · 02/12/2018 19:49

Well done on the Newcastle offer btw!

LoniceraJaponica · 02/12/2018 20:17

"Lonicera it seems sensible to me to"

DD was applying for medicine last year. It was very iportant that she didn't "waste" an application. Oxbridge wasn't on her radar, and still isn't. DD isn't the sort of person to be comfortable with the unfamiliar, and she wanted to know where she was applying to.

goodbyestranger · 02/12/2018 21:39

Quite right - that should have been 'too'.

Well that's why one approach is not definitely more sensible than the other. DS1 also applied for Medicine and didn't go on any uni visits, taking the view that he could see the places when interviewed and if he wasn't interviewed he didn't need to see them :)

As a previous poster said, it's fiendishly expensive to do multiple visits, especially from our part of the UK. Also costly in terms of time and our school only allows two single days off for uni visits.

The websites these days really are very good.

LoniceraJaponica · 02/12/2018 21:46

"Also costly in terms of time and our school only allows two single days off for uni visits."

DD didn't take any time off school for uni visits. They were all over weekends. Even the medicine interview she did get was during half term.

"The websites these days really are very good."

Yes, but not as good as the real thing. It worked for your DC to not visit. it wouldn't have worked for DD. She is not like your DC Smile Hmm

goodbyestranger · 02/12/2018 21:52

Lonicera you live more centrally than we do. Lots of DC in our area would have to stay the night prior to an open day to be there for the start time.

Even without an overnight stay, the costs for us are extremely high to go almost anywhere.

Yes that's exactly my point. Your DD might like to do things a certain way and have no problem with cost or time, but other DC either don't feel the need to or don't have the resources, or both. It's not about your DD being more 'sensible'.

LoniceraJaponica · 02/12/2018 22:16

She isn't more "sensible", she is more anxious, so removing the unknown helps her.

NicoAndTheNiners · 02/12/2018 22:34

I guess dd thinks that what the course has to offer in terms of league tables, modules, NSS is more important than how you "feel" about a place.

I never visited my first uni before starting there, or any subsequent unis which I studied at actually. So first day going to the uni and indeed the city has been the day before term began. With my first degree I may well have changed my mind and not applied if I'd visited before hand. My heart sank a bit when we were driving through the city. But the course was amazing and I had a great 3 years.

Saying that dd has been for an interview at Leeds yesterday and I think that's now number 1 choice, up from number 4. So yes, what works for one person may not work for another. But then is she allowing herself to be swayed by shiny, new facilities when when she'd studied all the facts of what was important to her she'd put it at number 4?

LoniceraJaponica · 02/12/2018 22:35

What is NSS?

AtiaoftheJulii · 02/12/2018 22:49

Student satisfaction survey. Not entirely reliable imo!

Hopefully we can agree that different people have different ways of making decisions Grin My 3 certainly have, and it would be difficult to argue that any one of them had the best method!

AtiaoftheJulii · 02/12/2018 22:51

(that's 3 who have so far applied to university.)

MarchingFrogs · 03/12/2018 00:20

Fair point about the cost (also the time element, although DD's school is a bit more relaxed about days off for university visits, so she was able to balance the weekdays against weekend ones, which involved taking annual leave from her part time job). We are lucky to have been able to afford it - partly because we are not much given to expensive 'big' holidays away. So this year DD and I and occasionally DS2 had what one might regard as a series of rather monothematic mini-breaks. Some visits were just for campus tours and the LSE open day, during the Easter holidays, really just an alternative to a day we might have spent in London anyway visiting museums or galleries (we are well placed for getting into London but getting to practically anywhere else involves going there first, iyswim). She may well go to offer holder days alone or with friends, if and when offers are received.

I would add, LSE was another example of a 'not wasted' visit; despite its lack of year abroad options, DD was quite keen on one of the courses there - until she actually visitedHmm.

RedHelenB · 03/12/2018 06:38

Regarding cost, some unis offer to pay travel costs to open days. Both my dds visited a few potential unis and it was very helpful both in terms of their PS and ruling unis in/out.

NicoAndTheNiners · 03/12/2018 06:49

As well as the money side of going to open days I can't take time off work to fit in with open days. I'm a uni lecturer and I'm quite busy with open days and interviews, teaching, etc at my own institution. It's a busy time of year!

Dd doesn't drive, the trains cost a fortune and would involve multiple changes and one we looked at was over 4 hours by train with 3 changes!

ifonly4 · 03/12/2018 10:48

DD is at a boarding school in another county. Officially, they don't allow time out for open days, just offer holder days. It wasn't easy but she still managed to view six unis, admittedly one was just a talk and walk though (and typical, that's where her first offer came from!). It cost £600 to get DD to Edinburgh and St Andrews, but as it's so far from home and no idea if either of us would get time off after she had an offer, I did it while I could. Also, it's so far from home I wanted to ensure those options were really right for her. She wasn't sure about one but the course is really good for her, so she decided to weight things up if she gets an offer but at least she knows her negatives.

NicoAndTheNiners · 03/12/2018 16:47

Dd has just got an unconditional offer for Leeds. Thrilled to bits for her. She's a bit down because even though it's her first choice it will mean leaving boyfriend. So I think she was half hoping everywhere apart from local uni would say no.

LoniceraJaponica · 03/12/2018 17:10

Offer holder day email arrived from Newcastle today. They don't hang around.

PancakeMum6 · 03/12/2018 17:28

ifonly4 £600 Shock I know we physically couldn’t afford or justify that cost and neither could most of DDs’ friends.

Nico well done to your DD!

ElizabethBennetismybestfriend · 03/12/2018 17:49

Dd offer day came through for Liverpool. We are waiting for Cardiff then we can fit in some violin shopping whilst we are there (violin shop was a lucky find whilst we were on the open day. Well done to Nico and LonericaJaponicas Dds.

Laniakea · 03/12/2018 18:16

Atia hope ds' interview goes well tomorrow!

dd's going to an offer day in Cardiff at the end of February, she's not visiting Bangor again & hasn't decided what to do about Liverpool - I guess it will depend on whether Southampton come through with an offer or not.

FrameyMcFrame · 03/12/2018 19:48

DD just got an offer from Sheffield, we haven't visited yet but planning on going to the offer day. I'm very excited for her! She now has 5 out of 5 back.

Decorhate, your DS was keen on Sheffield I think? It comes up very high innstudent satisfaction tables!

choirmumoftwo · 03/12/2018 20:15

Hi Elizabeth, is DD going for music at Cardiff? My DS is there and loving it.
Frame, Sheffield was his second choice. Only just though!

AtiaoftheJulii · 03/12/2018 20:17

Fab news Nico that's great for her. Lonicera that was quick, it's only been a day or two - she liked Newcastle, didn't she? Framey excellent, now to revisit and make decisions!

Laniakea thanks, he seems ok about it, will pass on your good wishes. Bloody Southampton, eh?!

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 03/12/2018 20:58

We have finally submitted DS's application - now to see how long it takes the school to complete their part. I suspect that with Christmas looming there may be a bit of a pause on offers...