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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 Part 5: UCAS, offers and exam season looming

992 replies

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 19/03/2019 13:09

New thread started. Here's the previous one

OP posts:
MrKlaw · 12/05/2019 11:24

@mailbecfan I thought you can’t open a student bank account until you have a confirmed place?

Do you mean she opened a regular Santander account which she plans to switch to a student one later?

Danglingmod · 12/05/2019 13:03

You can open a SA now if you have accep an unconditional.

Piggywaspushed · 12/05/2019 13:20

I think you still have to be 18 though?

Danglingmod · 12/05/2019 15:52

Oh, probably. Ds is already so hadn't looked at that.

Shimy · 12/05/2019 17:49

Oh, believe me, he has plenty of downtime! More worried about how much up there is! Hopefully, today will go OK. His first GCSE was a real shock to him and threw him.

@Piggy your posts about your DS always crack me up 😂. But believe me when I say I completely understand your plight because my DS could be your ds’s twin.

DS is starting to look just teeny bit 😬, which is a good thing.

AWanderingMinstrel · 12/05/2019 18:29

Good luck to your DD2 Malbecfan and to all others starting tomorrow- my son did the same thing and dropped down to AS FM as he doesn't need it and he has to have an A for Chemistry (would have been easier to get the A in FM) but there you are.
So deep breath, saddle up and here we go! WineGrin

Piggywaspushed · 12/05/2019 18:49

shimy Grin

blametheparents · 13/05/2019 13:01

DS was surprisingly chipper when he left for his Maths exam today. Let's hope it's a good day.
@bringonthescience - your DC will have Maths today too so hope it goes well.
300 students at DS's school taking IB Maths, and then they've got to find room for the GCSE exams too. I imagine there is barely a spare desk in the school!

Original poster
NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 13/05/2019 13:38

blametheparents wow that must be a large school, with 300 students doing IB Maths.

And so A Level season officially begins...

OP posts:
ShanghaiDiva · 13/05/2019 13:42

Blametheparents
Yes, must be a massive school. Ds took the IB last year - 7 of them for HL maths! Everyone taking maths at the same time, but HL paper is longer so just 7 lonely students at the end.

blametheparents · 13/05/2019 14:35

Weirdly, it doesn't seem massive! But I take your point - 300 is a lot!
There are 300 per year in the 6th form, and obviously everyone has to take Maths with the IB so everybody in year 13 is in today taking either Maths Higher, Standard or Studies.

Years 7 - 11 are much smaller than 300 students per year. The school attracts a lot of new students for 6th form who want to study IB.

ifonly4 · 13/05/2019 14:37

I've seen a copy of the timetable for all the GCSEs, IB and A levels at DD's school, and that was the first thing I wonder is how they fit them all in. I guess some of the smaller groups for A level and IB can be in classrooms though.

Hope they're coping ok with the pressure of IB. I guess there would be a lot taking maths, some will fly through it, others won't be naturals but just doing as part of IB.

We just have another A level geography on Thursday. Consensous i the first paper was hard as not much is taught or in text books for the two 10 mark questions, so who knows what's coming for second exam. What other A levels are happening this week?

bizzey · 13/05/2019 14:44

Ds does not srart till next Wednesday.
1 exam ,then 1/2term ...then it kicks in on the Tuesday.
He went into school today as their is "available" in the lesson periods to help.
He has been working hard on his 20 markers as that is what lets him down.
He cannot get them done in time.
Still taking 30 mins.

Interesting re where they do them /sit with the GCSE'S going on as well.
Just asked him .. and he doesn't know either !
Must be a headache for school to organise.
If they double or triple up the subject for space they have to make sure the shorter time exam students sit at the front for minimal disruption on leaving.

bizzey · 13/05/2019 14:47

Piggy.. think my ds2 (GCSE) is a younger version of your ds !

bizzey · 13/05/2019 14:51

Opps...their TEACHER is "available " obviously!

Shimy · 13/05/2019 15:04

blametheparents I just broke out in a cold sweat reading your post about 'Maths TODAY!' DS is doing Maths and is certainly not expecting an exam today. Then i read on and saw you were talking about the IB. Phew!Gin

bizzey · 13/05/2019 15:07

Ds edexel maths is after 1/2 term.

bizzey · 13/05/2019 15:10

Geography is AQAnext week .
Edexel chemistry.
Anyone else the same ?

Shimy · 13/05/2019 15:14

bizzey DS maths starts 5/6.

Original poster
NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 13/05/2019 15:42

bizzey DS has OCR geography next week and I think a history paper too. The remaining seven are after half-term. Know that he has what he considers the tricky papers first though.

OP posts:
BringOnTheScience · 13/05/2019 15:54

Yep - IB maths paper 1 today... DC1's least favourite subject. Paper 2 tomorrow morning followed by Russian paper 1. Rest of the week is more Russian, then the English papers.

blametheparents · 13/05/2019 15:59

Sorry Shimy - didn’t mean to scare you!
DS reports that maths was ‘ok’. Maths paper 2 tomorrow morning and then Chinese in the afternoon.
Ticking them off!

Piggywaspushed · 13/05/2019 18:45

Goodness, some of your DCs do really interesting subjects!

justasking111 · 13/05/2019 19:29

I asked DS to bring down his washing last night. He did not. I went up to his room this morning because he was moaning about school shirts, everything hung up on the floor. I found one white shirt completely ignored the rest. I have decided that once the exams are over I will no longer do his washing, but teach him to do it. His bro. bought him a recipe book for students, so one day a week he will cook dinner for us all. He will also learn to clean a bathroom because he insisted on an en-suite room at uni.

Piggywaspushed · 13/05/2019 19:33

Sounds like mine again! This thread is a support thread in so many ways!!