Applying for Uni 2019 Part 7: IB and A Levels are but a memory, we're relaxing and let's not even think about the 15 August yet!

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Carrying on from the previous thread which filled up very quickly.

, and for everyone

Thank you everyone. I think it is time for me and my son to get started on this. If it was up to my son or dh he would go with the clothes he was dressed in and his 6th form backpack.

What they need will depend on whether they are catered or self catered. I don’t think the kitchens in halls have anything provided other than appliances. Ds likes baking & cooking so will want to do that at weekends anyway even if he is allocated catered. I’d advise buying cheap things (or given them your old stuff & buy new for yourself). So much goes missing.

Re bedding, if they are given a “small double” it’s probably better to buy normal double sized bedding & tuck it in. After 1st year, houses will have standard sized beds.

DS's halls didn't have a kettle or toaster which came as a bit of a surprise (DD's did). They were going to club together but I think someone turned up with some in the end. If they have a Facebook group for their flat they can discuss who is taking what beforehand. There is also likely there be no washing up bowl or drainer.

DS is going to be self catering so will need some bits I expect. I really cant imagine him joining a facebook group though. Annoyingly and very unusually for someone of his age, he is very anti - social media!

From experience of 2 DS having gone through this, bear in mind that storage is really limited.
We prioritised cutlery & crockery for 2, so in theory there would always be a clean plate or bowl available.
2 pans pref with lids one for pasta/rice and and the other for a sauce, lid also means food can be drained more easily if the colander has disappeared.
Small frying pan for meat and veg eg bolognese.
A small baking tray for oven chips/ fish fingers and a small baking dish - the enamel ones work well as they’re light, virtually break proof and can be used with foil in place of a lid.
Some cheap spatulas.
Items like colanders, tin and bottle openers tend to be used communally so take cheap ones and expect them to disappear! Same with tea towels.
We took a couple of collapsible crates with dry goods like pasta, rice, sauce, orange juice (for the vitamins) and DS stored them under his bed to use as needed.
It meant he had a ready supply to get him through the first couple of weeks while finding his way round but the items were safely stored so didn’t disappear.

Vodka, coke, (substitute drinks of choice) and a cake or box of sweets all to share is great for breaking the ice after parents have left.
Plus a wedge to hold the bedroom door open when you’re working but still want to
be sociable.

Good luck to everyone awaiting results on the 15th. and congrats to those with IB results already in, hopefully any near misses have had a successful resolution.

DS2 off in September although as he applied in the cycle following A levels we don't have results to worry about, although with DS3 getting GCSE results on 22nd its still not a year off!

As an unconditional place he has all his accommodation confirmed, down to specific room number. Appears to be on a facebook group with 2 or 3 others in the same flat so far - hopefully a full group in place not long after results day, and a dozen sets of toasters / kettles / woks etc will be avoided. :)

Door wedge and lidded pans (for draining) noted!

Note wedges not usually allowed as they are fire doors, but they use them anyway.

Must 😁

I have printed off a list now. I've said to ds that we will go through it and highlight things to buy. He glanced at the (very long) list on my desk and muttered "Good God!" and thinks I'm overreacting. However when I was at uni I remember literally starving as I had no money, no equipment or help off my parents. I worked in a job all the way through but was always short of stuff. I remember seeing fellow students arriving with 'stuff' and I knew that I would struggle without. I like the idea of door wedges - my son is friendly once he is settled but very quiet initially. I am really worried about his shyness, though I wouldn't say so to his face! On his first day I wish I could secretly stick a label on his back saying "Please make friends with me."

@Clankboing, the details re what is provided / required should be somewhere on the Lancaster website or at least in your DS's 'pack'. Check the bed size - some of the beds at Lancaster are 7ft rather than the normal length. One solution (according to a friend with a DC there) is to use a flat double sheet and wrap it round the mattress rather than actually 'making' the bed.

DD's accommodation at UoB provides kettle / toaster / iron, which her brother's didn't. So she has no need to take the rather nice iron that he never used.

Marching love your comment on the iron!

My DS has said that if he doesnt get into his Firm (NTU) he doesn't want to go to his Insurance (Essex) and also won't go through Clearing. His Halls have an open group where they chat all the time and have even got Snapchat groups for each floor and he really likes them all. He is also in a couple of chat groups for his course. He thinks he has invested so much head and heart in his potential NTU life that he doesn't want to start again and will take a gap year, do any job and re-assess. I don't necessarily agree but he is adamant. I pray he gets his grades as I think he will be a little lost if he doesn't.

dd's starting to get really nervous. She's got Southampton as firm & insurance and there's only two other places that do her degree ... all are on the clearing list but with pretty much the same grades. She doesn't have a backup plan if she doesn't get the insurance place and she isn't at all confident about her chemistry grade.

She's been working all summer though which has been great - we're not having to give her money (!), she's already saved a chunk towards her gap year target (£6000) & it has been a useful distraction up until now. She's actually working the evening of results day but has a celebration/commiseration party the day after ... it's a horrible feeling, not being able to change anything ... I'm not good at waiting!

My dd has said pretty much the same. He wants his first choice but would rather try again with a gap year if he can't get in. The advertising was too good! He's worried about getting the dregs of accommodation if he ends up with the second choice. I'm pretty chilled which ever way it goes. I just don't want him to be overly upset if he gets less than expected. He is one of those kids who has always done well at school and hasn't really ever experienced less than the highest scores (this is not a brag, just aware of the pitfalls of this type of student).

clank I understand. But maybe need to be a bit more relaxed and have a what will be will be attitude. I think that I have worked myself up to facing the fact (and devastation) that he is going so I may have to also adjust my emotions. Finding ot all a bit difficult

Well DD heard today that she’s successfully applied for a part time job starting next week, and a place on a part time theatre course from September, so hopefully her gap year is starting to have a shape to it.

error that sounds like brilliant news. A combination of a job and course can only be a good thing. Hopefully, you feel like the pressure is off for a while.

Providing we can fly from Heathrow, we've got a few days away. DD has some potential festival work lined up when she's home from uni New Year/Easter and some flexible work lined up after our break, so looking good here. It's all a good distraction from results day!

@ifonly thank you!!
Hope you manage to get your break, and great news that your DD already has some work lined up for the holidays!

TSR have put up a useful guide to clearing which answers some of the questions we’ve been asking such as when do universities get the A level results, answer 4 days before they’re published - link here

www.thestudentroom.co.uk/results/is-it-possible-to-predict-what-universities-will-do-on-results-day?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_campaign=TSRT02AUG19

errorofjudgement thankyou for that list. I managed to miss it when I checked this thread earlier. I will add that to my ever lengthening list! It is such a strange limbo at the moment.

What are people’s plans with finances? We’re getting the minimum so probably will cover his accommodation. Aiming for him to work summers to ideally pay us back for the previous year. We are happy to help him but also want him to work to get used to it. We’ll put his money into a separate savings account for if he needs it later on (house deposit etc) - probably do the same if we charge him rent when he comes back home

Any advice what to do with big gaps between firm and insurance? He seems happy enough with both but is not confident about getting the grades for Warwick (aaa*!) but the drop to Southampton is quite large. Is there an opportunity to use clearing for an ‘in between’ Choice?

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/boys-will-beat-girls-at-a-level-results-for-a-third-year-9s6003jzj?shareToken=12aa10e03fb936b79e30361f67c114b9

In the Times today, boys' grades will top girls' for the third year in a row. Suggested again that this is related to scrapping of coursework at which girls do better, but many of the A levels still include coursework...

Dangling that article is interesting but, as you said, misinformed as coursework is still alive. Dd worked hard (like a true girl!) and got top marks in coursework. Luckily she has a habit of changing gender expectations in exams, so fingers crossed, she is a lovely anomaly in 10 days.

Ds got full marks in coursework for one subject and rather more disappointingly (to him) in a second. Hoping to shake gender expectations, too, with high grades in "girls" ' subjects!