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

970 replies

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 26/06/2019 19:51

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

Gin, Wine and Cake for everyone Wink

OP posts:
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bizzey · 12/08/2019 22:36

Having a funny teary moment tonight (may be why i am miss reading things sorry )

On Thursday our little family of 4 may become 3 ( just me and 3 boys in our group)

PostNotInHaste · 13/08/2019 06:30

FlyingArcher depends on the university but Student Services is generally a good bet. With the finance have a read here

It’s not uncommon for people to decide they are on the wrong course or university, I’ve known a couple who have come back after a few weeks then gone somewhere else the next year or got a job. My DD is about to switch to a different university into year 2 of a totally different course.

SoonerthanIthought · 13/08/2019 07:04

Has anyone noticed (if I'm interpreting it correctly), Birmingham has relatively few courses in clearing (compared to, say, Warwick/Leeds, just taking two random examples)?

Is this telling us Birmingham's strategy of UCOs to applicants with high predicted grades is successful in attracting firm acceptances, or is that too simplistic - are there other reasons for the difference?

Piggywaspushed · 13/08/2019 07:22

Pretty sure Birmingham was named in The Times yesterday as one of the unis which puts aside vast numbers of available spaces for overseas students.

SoonerthanIthought · 13/08/2019 08:07

Thanks piggy, ah yes I read that article, but now can't remember which universities were listed!

The ucas clearing list didn't (from the few courses I looked at) to be showing very (or at all) reduced grades for courses - I think someone on the 2020 thread suggested the required grades would possibly fall by Thursday,, when universities will know how many insurance students they've got?

ZandathePanda · 13/08/2019 09:01

Which universities were listed??

Shimy · 13/08/2019 09:22

Birmingham was hardly inClearing last year as well. I say hardly because I think they just one random course and nothing else.

AtiaoftheJulii · 13/08/2019 09:51

I haven't been around for ages and ages so I apologise for barging back in with a plea for help Grin

(All this assumes ds manages to go to his firm choice, but I guess it would come up anywhere.)

Our plan for moving him in (as his preferred uni is quite far away from us), is for me, dh and ds to drive up on the Friday, move him in at some point over the weekend, and leave uni city on the Sunday. He has a long term (coming up to 2 years) serious girlfriend who spends a lot of time here, and is hoping to have a gap year.

She mentioned the other day that she was planning to drive up on the Saturday and stay for I don't know how long. I spluttered something about how she wouldn't want to do that or she'd get roped into unpacking for him, and he needed to make some friends, and then the subject was changed.

This is a terrible plan, isn't it?!? She can't be there on his first night in his flat, and for freshers week. She's just left, so I have today and tomorrow to talk to him about it - any suggestions as to how to sound nice and not insane - I worry that as I think this is so wrong I will just veer into screeching WTF???

Mustbetimeforachange · 13/08/2019 10:04

It is a huge mistake but he won't be the first & I don't imagine you can talk them out of it. Maybe tackle it from the point of view that he might get off to a bad start with his flatmates if there is an extra person there who isn't paying & strictly speaking shouldn't be there (I think most accommodation says no visitors for more than a couple of nights a week). If he actually agrees with you he may be looking for help to put her off.
DS also has a long term girlfriend who will be starting a few weeks later than him if all goes well. It hadn't occurred to me that we might get the same problem.
To be honest, having a partner away from uni really impacts on their uni life but there is nothing that can be done about it. A lot more seem to go through uni without breaking up these days, it's much easier to keep in touch (& get caught out if misbehaving!). I know a lot who have managed it (DD didn't & regretted the time "wasted"), although they all seem to have split within a couple of years of graduating.

Piggywaspushed · 13/08/2019 10:19

I threw yesterday's paper out but the idea was that some top unis (Brum was definitely mentioned) make it look like they are superior as they have no to few clearing places, on the face of it. But , in actuality, they are putting the places aside for high paying international students. So, in reality, that kind of 'oh no, we don't do clearing' spiel is smoke and mirrors.

I'll rummage about in recycling in a mo!

Decorhate · 13/08/2019 10:28

Aria, I would be freaking out about that too.

Would it be possible to take her aside & speak to her about it? Along the lines that it would be really unfair on your ds & intrusive at a critical time. Maybe play up the fact that she would be on her own a lot while he is at induction sessions etc.

Maybe suggest that she goes up for the weekend at the end of the first or second weeks?

Decorhate · 13/08/2019 10:28

Sorry Atia. Stupid phone

ZandathePanda · 13/08/2019 10:33

Piggy don’t worry about the rummage - was just interested as a distraction!

Dd has a new distraction. There is a HUGE event going on in a fairly local city nightclub billed as a post-A Level results party on Thursday night. ‘Everyone’s going’. Sounds horrendous. No late buses on a Thursday and I have no desire to bring back a vom of drunk teenagers at early hours in my car after (very likely) little sleep the night before.

Piggywaspushed · 13/08/2019 10:35

And so the British connection between being a student and vast alcohol consumption begins!

A dodgy place near us eventually got shut down for running these kinds of parties.

Mustbetimeforachange · 13/08/2019 10:39

Yep, here they are all off to Revs.

Baytreemum · 13/08/2019 10:40

Atia -it's a difficult one as in many ways it's for the 'kids' to work out for themselves without potential MIL 'interfering'. Having just been thro' my DD's new relationship being wrecked by an overprotective mum, and seeing the hurt caused, I would avoid this at all costs. Going to uni with a broken heart is not a great start either. Perhaps have a look at the halls contract and show your son the overnight guest clause which usually is quite draconian - hopefully this will do the trick without getting personally involved?

Piggywaspushed · 13/08/2019 10:43

It's all right : I have already rummaged!

The universities specifically mentioned are : Birmingham, Manchester, York, Edinburgh and Leeds

LIZS · 13/08/2019 10:47

@AtiaoftheJulii that is tricky. Sounds like she hopes to piggyback on his uni experience and make sure her presence is known from the outset. So few pre-uni relationships survive even the first term. He ideally needs to put his foot down and take the time for himself.

Decorhate · 13/08/2019 10:48

That’s interesting Piggy. Dd is at Leeds & I know her department don’t tend to over-offer to the extend other unis do for her subject- which seems to mean if you have an offer they are more lenient with dropped grades.

ZandathePanda · 13/08/2019 10:49

Piggy thanks for that. Interesting. Coming back from Europe, the overriding opinion was us British are bonkers for Brexiting and are being led by Boris the clown. I expect European students will be down and Asian students up. However the pathetic pound may make studying in the U.K. attractive financially.

Laniakea · 13/08/2019 10:59

That’s extremely not ideal Atia 😱

I’d approach it from the position that it is really unfair on ds’s flatmates for him to turn up with a plus-one in tow.

DrMadelineMaxwell · 13/08/2019 11:40

Love that the collective noun for a group of drunk teens is a Vom.

ifonly4 · 13/08/2019 11:57

Some CIE students have their A level results, apparently their centre gave them the username and password! DD did CIE geography like everyone else has to wait until Thursday. Only good thing is grade boundaries have been released, which are slightly down on last year. She's guessing she got 160, which makes a high A - we're trying not to get our hopes up.

I mentioned sorting out suitcase, deciding where to get a student account yesterday and apparently I'm talking about it too much so I think DD is feeling the pressure. I'm just aware she has her 18th, everyone will want to see her at different times, is away before starting uni early September, so we really need to think about things. To top it off, the car still isn't fixed and could be too things, so who knows if it'll be back by Thursday.

Witchend · 13/08/2019 13:04

This is a terrible plan, isn't it?!? She can't be there on his first night in his flat, and for freshers week.
Is it uni accommodation? If so they probably have rules on guests, which may restrict to 1-2 nights. Breaking the rules on the first week is not really a good idea, would be the line I'd take.

To me it sounds (not knowing her or him) that she wants to kind of put a stamp of "he's taken" on him.

GoldenRuby · 13/08/2019 13:12

I've just looked out of interest on the UCAS clearing site. Uni of Birmingham has only 9 courses appearing for students in England, but 184 for International students. Wow!