Applying for Uni 2019 entry Part 2, UCAS & offers

[Decorhate]

Here we go!

Hey... I have offers from Kent, Surrey and East Anglia. I really want to go to Essex tho - parents think I'm mad. They're not that different, are they?

Why is the turnover of staff at your DS's school so high, Piggy? I reckon by far the majority of the staff at DS's school have been there at least 10 years (and some decades!).

Well done CutePoro - think there's possibly quite a difference twixt living in Colchester compared with Canterbury, Guildford or Norwich but it is up to you and if you like the course go where you want to go - you're the one who will be living the undergraduate experience.

Newmodel- where has your DS had offers from? Here, DS had to wait ages for his school to finish their bit so his application didn't go off until the 12th. Not a peep yet. Probably NewYear now.

Has anyone's DC applied to Unis they haven't visited?

Of DSs 5 choices he has only visited 2 of the 4 straight Geography courses and the 5th he didn't like Geography but liked the Uni itself so his choice is geology which he had no interest in until he sat through a lecture during a gap in the open day. This is the course with lowest entry requirements. He was swayed by the idea of huge earnings!
I think his choices are intending to turn my hair grey!

Hi glitterbiscuits DS's was sent off by school two Friday's ago (so less than a fortnight). He's had offers from Exeter and York (both early last week) but not the other three, one of which is Durham.

Is anyone else noticing that the offers tend to appear on Track just before the end of the office day?

DS has only been to two of the five but knows York quite well. He's not that fussed - at the moment - about doing the 'offers' days' either but that might change depending on his 'firm' options...

Newmodel- Thanks. I had recalled that our DSs hadn't applied to the same places. Any unconditional offers for you? I still wish my DS had a better fall back plan.
I will watch out for the close of day news though. Interesting point.

It's going to be a long time until next August!

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 - yeah :/ I know the areas are quite different, but I really liked Essex's course content/pathways. I'm not sure... I've always had it in my head that I want to go there. I didn't really doubt my decision, until my parents were funny about it. I haven't even got an offer from Essex yet, so who knows. I just know their entry criteria is lower than the other unis that I have offers from, so I'm hoping I will.

TheFrendo - just to let you know DS got an offer for Maths from Durham a while back. I was surprised because I know Durham has a reputation for being slow in making offers. He had done the MAT test though, so perhaps that extra piece of information meant he went to the top of the pile for consideration?

Having been through this process before, I would say that the speed of offers can be really variable and probably doesn't mean a great deal.

Hi glitterbiscuits no unconditional offers so far but frankly I'm not sure I would want DS to get any. He has only really found his academic mojo since being in the sixth form so doesn't need an excuse to start easing off/resting on his laurels. He has already said: "If B'ham gives me an unconditional offer, I'll accept it." (and it's not even his preferred choice university).

Well done to your DS, zccv123.

zxcv123,

Thanks for that info. Had he already done the MAT before he applied this year? - just wondering how Durham know about it as I though MAT was an Oxford only test.

Is the offer be A*AA ?

www.dur.ac.uk/courses/info/?id=11549&code=G100#admissions

It is clear as mud. I think you could be right about getting to the top of the pile, given MAT.

NewModel - DD's went on track around 1.45pm and 2.45pm, so certainly not at the end of the day.

University of Birmingham offer/reject for DD's course within 25 days of submitting essay, which take us up to 26 December. They close down on 21st Dec and admissions re-opens for pm only on 4th January. I half suspect a decision will be late!

Yay - first offer received for Exeter at 38 points / 36 points if firmed.

MAT is not Oxford only. Ds took it for maths at Imperial. He is still waiting to hear from them though so doesn't know how he actually did on it.

@glitterbiscuits - DS has not visited two of the universities that he’s applied to. If he ends up liking one of those offers then I guess he’ll go to an offer holder day.

newmodel, not really sure. It is a stand alone sixth form annexe of a larger school . As such they have funny recruitment strategies. The sites are several miles apart and teachers have to drive between them during lunch, breaks or frees. I can only imagine that isn't popular.

It does feel a bit like they drag people in off the street to teach there sometimes.

cute, why are your parents being funny about Essex as opposed to your other choices? All of them are really good universities.

TheFrendo dd has an offer for maths from Durham. (A A A). What they said was that if you did the MAT and gave them permission to access your results then it would speed up the offer.

Dd didn't do too well in the MAT (she reckons 49-52%) as she was ill on the day but decided it was worth giving it to them.

I believe they are standardly very slow (March is not unknown) and are also dreadful about letting people know where they stand on offers day if they haven't made the grades. I think they've been given formal warnings on that, as if they don't either accept or release it means that people can not get accommodation for their insurance or are at the back end of clearing.

Wiifitmama the marks scheme for MAT has been released so he can have a reasonable guess on how he's done.

TheFrendo - he did the MAT this year and got an offer from Durham shortly after. It's Oxford yes, but is also released to Warwick and to Durham (if you give them permission I think).

And yes, the offer is A*AA which he's very happy about.

dd isn't expecting to hear anything - it'll be 6 weeks on Friday, Soton website says 2-6 weeks on average. She's planning to email the admissions tutor on the 7th when she goes back to school. She's fed up with waiting now & I feel irrationally miffed by them.

But - good news - they've had their first set of mocks she got an A for both physics papers, a A & an A for biology & she thinks chemistry went well though no results yet. They do another set in February but it's so nice for her to finish the term with good marks - she's managed to stay well-ish too!

Gosh, DS did his mocks at the end of Year 12...

Wow, everyone/everyone's children are doing amazing.

I have just been rejected from Southampton :/

I'm proud I have other places, but yeah...

Thanks all for the Durham/MAT/offer info.

ah that sucks CutePoro ... dd doesn't have a good feeling about her application there. Well done on your other offers though!

DD offers appeared to have been sent out around 4.30 each day!

Only ones now who haven't responded are the two RG uni's.