Applying for Uni 2019 entry Part 4, UCAS & offers (and thinking about exams)

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Following on from the previous thread.

Yes DD is the same and didn’t take the call. I think it’s a bit odd and pressurising. Maybe it would be better if applicants had the opportunity to call and speak to a student if they wanted to.

DS would run a mile if someone phoned to ask to speak to him about university courses! I think it's intrusive. Might be okay to do once a young person has confirmed their 'firm' and back-up universities but not otherwise.

No calls in our household thank goodness. DS would run a mile!

Still waiting to hear from Manchester 2nd choice) He was quite a late application though so not too bothered (yet!)

DS wants to take a gap year so I don't have the same feelings as some of you but he does want to travel for 6 months so that could actually be worse when the time comes, as he won't be returning for the holidays. Luckily, I have 3 younger dc's to keep me busy!

the phone calls sound off-putting, not sure there's any teen I know who'd be delighted to receive one

DD will be taking a gap year & I have another three at home so not facing any kind of empty nest here!

DS got a call from Sheff on Saturday too! He had quite a chat with the student calling and actually asked a lot of questions

DD remembered getting one when she applied a couple of years ago. They both loved Sheff, but it was her insurance and it will be DSs because the offers are slightly lower.

dd was muttering about it being a violation of her data (giving her phone number to the students). She did say the funniest thing about the UEA one was as she was saying 'hello' she heard someone in the background saying 'fucking hell has someone picked up??'

'fucking hell has someone picked up??'

They'd get a shock if they tried to call DS as they all have my number. They'd end up embroiled in a discussion with a middle aged woamn who is definitelyprobably more interested in university than he is. They might end up having to hang up on me!

I’m now wondering about those phone calls I ignored from the Sheffield area assuming they were cold callers!

Laniakea, just wondered about your dd firming & insuring the MSc & BSc. Are they very different courses? For ds’ subject lots of unis would offer the BSc automatically if you missed the grades for the MSc.

DS phoned an ex student he met through weekend work to ask about the halls, he had narrowed it down to two and wanted the low down. Pleased to say after what he learnt he has now decided. So you can just ask about accommodation rather than the course you are on.

yeah she'll get a place on the BSc automatically but she really doesn't want to go to any of the others.

They've said that they will be lenient on grades so Liverpool is effectively the same/higher grades & she doesn't want to go there anyway, Cardiff isn't the right course at all & Bangor is "okay but too much programming not enough chemistry & too far from home". We asked her to consider putting Bangor down as insurance but she thinks there's no point - if she doesn't get into Southampton she'd rather retake or completely rethink.

It's either insure Southampton or not bother with an insurance at all - she was all set to only apply Southampton at the start of y13 so I'm not surprised really.

Looking at Facebook, it looks a little like it's a mad dash for accommodation at Lincoln, too. Opens 1st March and some of it goes on the first day!

This is all such a learning curve!

What are these phone calls that people are getting? Is to try and influence the applicants to firm their offers?

DD is on a gap year and knew where she wanted to go, so she firmed her favourite pretty quickly. She is at an offer holder's day tomorrow.

Laniakea - 'too much programming not enough chemistry' ... curious what the course is?!

Off to Loughborough today for an offer holder day with DS.
Not been there before. It went down as one of his choices without visiting it. They’ve made a good offer though so it’s likely to be his insurance, or maybe even first choice if he really likes it.
Early start though - we’re on the train already.
Breakfast at Prêt - there’s got to be something nice to get me through the early start!

Still nothing from Bath 😢
Dd is desperate to firm it, her offer cant be higher than NTU but they might take her EPQ into account - i hope so because she worked really hard on it and noone else has mentioned it!!

We are both thinking that she won't get an offer - if she does I'll be so grateful and it will be a fab boost for her.

Fazack - DS still waiting for Bath too, it’s so frustrating waiting.
Mind you DS said yesterday he’s gone off Bath as there is no ‘5 Guys’ in Bath 🙄
Teenage priorities !!!
You’re UEA call description cracked me up 🤣

I know the Biology dept. At Bath take EPQ into account.
DS didn’t do one though.

Still waiting for Edinburgh and Exeter in our house. DD has achievable offers from Cardiff (which she loves) and Sheffield, but don't want to go to any offer days until we know what she's firming. We live in France so any visits will be a bit of an expedition. We did all the open days (except Edinburgh) last year so only want to go back if it's a serious proposition. Slightly alarmed that all the accommodation seems to be opening up already, but thinking of my niece (who as previously mentioned chose hers in February and didn't get what she wanted at all) can't get too exercised about it.

Accommodation in Newcastle opens in 3 weeks. Apparently it is a bit of a bunfight to get into the best accommodation as it is allocated randomly

I think it is fairest to everyone if accommodation is allocated randomly, although I don't think I'd be happy if DS gets allocated the most expensive option!

Errol the one at Bangor is physical oceanography. She expects lots of data handling with all the courses but because it is physical there's even more & several programming modules which she has no limited interest in. Bangor do a geological oceanography which would have suited her better I think - but (atm) she's idealistic & wants to avoid the oil & mining industries (which put her off Liverpool too). Once you remove all the joint honours with marine biology there are very few suitable courses & even fewer where there are lots of biogeochemistry modules - the woman who interviewed her at Southampton has that as her primary interest so it was a good match!

Bath was incredibly slow a few years ago when my sister applied (with grades) - she withdrew eventually because she got a place at UCL.

Lonicera we were told 1st April for accommodation at Newcastle Uni as did the website. Has it changed?

Ooh am annoyed. A friend found out that one of our school friends children got an unconditional offer and was off on a steaming tirade about it being all about private education. His DS was refused for medicine, so did a gap year working in nursing homes, surgeries did his Ukcat etc and was accepted this year with an unconditional.

We happen to know this privately educated child has kept her nose to the grindstone since the age of 4 when she was in the state system, her portfolio is amazing, she was only accepted after interview.

Our friend is a committed socialist so is prejudiced against private education to start with. What is imo. hypocritical is that his son when he qualifies is buggering off to family in Australia to work. We have seen the spreadsheets they have created, uni. debts versus the benefits of working abroad. Bangs head.