Applying for Uni 2019 entry Part 3, UCAS & offers

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Wow that last thread filled up quickly. Well done to your DS, Piggy!

Lovely to read that offers are coming in thick and fast. Dd1 is still waiting to hear from Manchester and Edinburgh. It is very unlikely she will make her decision until 1st May as she’s hoping to try and visit places in the Easter holidays now that she’s realised how far away they all are

Lonicera - what started me off yesterday was telling my parents about Ury which is a great Indian restaurant. I also loved Quay Ingredient for breakfast, Hei Hei for Chinese food, and Olive & Bean for a cup of tea and a cake. Plus if your dd ends up in Jesmond for her second year, Francesca's is a must - not classy, but a cheap and cheerful experience!

Useful review site.

Thank you Atia. DD is vegetarian so any good reviews of places that sell veggie food are gratefully received.

Aberystwyth wrote to DS yesterday and it turns out there are also a couple of Saturday offer days (with £75 contribution to expenses which is great) so Cinders may get to the Ball.

They're great , actually. They offer loads of scholarships (some based on an exam, some automatic) with payments and reduced offers as rewards. DS1 won't be motivated by these carrots but it is interesting for DS2 in a few years, conceivably.

If I were applying, I might be swayed ny the relative warmth v coldness of some unversities' communications : Aber and Portsmouth are very friendly and informative, Lincoln rather slower to get their info out and less clear, NTU being slow comparatively and Hull seems rather cold and formal by contrast.

I think Aberystwyth suffers from its remote (for most of us) location as they seem to have to offer a lot of incentives for students to study there. They tried very hard to woo my niece, but she ended up at Southampton instead.

Yes, it does : which I have noted previoulsy. DH is faintly opposed for that reason but does realise that it has a good reputation notwithstanding.

The other thing for me is it has catered halls, unlike all DS's other choices. And that would be good for him. He burns bread.

If I were applying, I might be swayed ny the relative warmth v coldness of some unversities' communications Agree Piggy. Exeter has been 'cold' to date, Durham possibly too soon to tell (as the offer came in just before Christmas) but with York and UEA both seemingly much more friendly in their approach.

Aberystwyth always comes out very high for student satisfaction. And I think it had one of the first international relations courses in the country. I love Aberystwyth, but yes, it is remote ...

Yes, I have found that even just with UEA's mailshots. Their Open Day was friendly, too. I have no real idea why DS formed an aversion to it. Largely accommodation, I suspect.

DSis and DN were really taken with those 70s 'extreme' co-share rooms, Piggy but understand why they wouldn't be to everyone's taste - DS didn't like the idea of them! Yes, UEA defo had the most positive vibe of the universities that DS visited. 99% likely to be his back-up option unless B'ham pulls a better offer out of the bag.

I commented on an earlier thread about Ziggurats. If I had known in advance quite how spartan they were, I would have taken the tour of the slightly better accommodation!

Very good value for money though, Piggy, from what I can recall .

Depends on how you define that , I suppose!

Yes, I guess that's true. Actually the cost of accommodation is shockingly expensive IMO, not helped by the very long rental periods (most well over 40 weeks)

It really is. Oxford Brookes was astronomical. The nicest at NTU is pricey so I am sure there will be arguments ahead about that!

DS reckoned he wants a room with a bathroom ensuite - have suggested that he may need to lower his expectations!

Mine, too. I pointed out a) he doesn't have this at home and b) he will have to clean it (he seems to be incapable of this act)!

I have read quite a few stories on Student Room about universities fining students for dirty kitchens and toilets! Back in my day, our kitchen would have been condemned by Environmental Health!

DD's kitchen on her halls corridor last year had the electricity turned off until they had cleaned it

"I have read quite a few stories on Student Room about universities fining students for dirty kitchens and toilets!"

It does happen. DD's boyfriend and his flatmates are pretty skanky (and noisy party animals) and have been fined and complained about several times.

Accommodation prices seem to vary hugely both between and within universities. DS is in a fairly basic but en suite room at Cardiff which was only very slightly more expensive than a room without en suite. He's a bit obsessed with cleanliness and tidiness so the en suite was important to him. Sharing a kitchen is stressful enough!

It was quite telling when, of the university long-list that DS drew up, the Royal Holloway London accommodation seemed to be cheapest (but only because they offer shorter rental periods than most others).

can you believe dd still hasn't heard from Southampton!? She emailed them on the 2nd with a gentle "oh dear I haven't missed an email have I?" vibe but tumbleweed from that too. She got an acknowledgement from them on 8th Nov.

Dunno what she's going to do - she just got last term's report with grades far above what she's been predicted for UCAS, it wouldn't surprise me if she withdraws completely this year & has another go next autumn. Or she could firm Cardiff at BBB in case she totally bombs in the summer, or go for Bangor at AB (prefers the course, but it is so far away and not RG for what that's worth). She's got even less idea of what to do than she had this time last year (definitely not Liverpool though)!

How frustrating for her, Laniakea. So effectively a two month wait to date?

Can I join? We’re not in the UK - DD is applying to Scottish Unis as a European citizen. She sent her UCAS application last Thursday - we waited ages for the teacher to write the reference. Think he was stressed about having to write it in English.

She’s applied for politics & economics at Glasgow and Edinburgh and politics and international relations (and maybe economics?) at Strathclyde. It’s all changed so much since I studied in the 90’s - don’t remember it being this much effort. Fingers crossed she doesn’t have to wait so long to hear

yes! Their website says 2-6 week too.

She got all the others within a week & since she's applied to two courses at Southampton it is doubly frustrating.