Applying for Uni 2020

[daydreamornot]

Thought it may be nice to have a 2020 support thread, everyone welcome! (maybe Oxbridge posts could be kept to the Oxbridge thread).

HugoSpritz I think that's the approach a lot of people are taking. DC applying for either of the two unis which shall not be named are of course also choosing up to four other unis.

The only reason the Oxbridge threads get toxic is because year after year there's a standard type of poster who's fiercely competitive and slags other perfectly helpful and grounded posters off. Sometimes they name change to try and come back for a second bite if unsuccessful the first time around but oneteen is correct that that makes it unpleasant - but overwhelmingly the nice people triumph! So not all gloom and doom. I think if people can avoid trying to out other posters' DCs' school's, that's also helpful in keeping things calm. Obviously a lot of us recognise others but it's not really ok to point out individual schools etc. It's not hard to keep threads helpful if one follows the guidelines.

Also, lots of DC did seem to get lots of 9s on last year's GCSE thread but it was a perfectly decent thread and those DC who do do well shouldn't really be castigated for it. Some of them even achieve with difficult circumstances. It seems quite wrong to shame 15 and 16 yr olds for doing well.

@oneteen - glad I could bring a smile to your day. I know similar mums here whose young geniuses are trying to swan into Harvard, MIT and Yale. I assume the young ladies you're referring to need to wait to establish residency in the UK in order to qualify for the standard/government subsidized tuition and fees.

@ExCwmbranDweller - Thank you and I shall wear it proudly.

Just by way of introduction, I have a 19 year old DS who just finished his first year of uni here in the US and a 17 yo DD who is in the process of applying now and will start her final year of secondary school next month.

I wandered in her some time ago to offer some information on how applying to and funding uni works here in the US to MNers who were thinking of having their DC apply in the US. The systems are very different. I'm an actual Yank, not an expat, and a New Yorker, so DS goes to a uni in Massachusetts and DD is limiting her options to uni's within a 5-6 hour drive from home.

I'm certainly pleased to meet you all.

MissConduct it's really interesting to hear about the US system - quite a lot of degrees here seem to offer the option of a year abroad (I think it depends on exam results in second year) and quite a few include a US university as one of the options. DS1 actually seems to know more about US politics than UK - maybe a slight exaggeration! - and I've wondered if he might benefit from that kind of experience.
I know Massachusetts quite well except I lived in Boston around 20 years ago so I imagine things have changed a lot!

@MissConductUS. Yes, they are having to wait for residency. I'm pretty sure they cannot even work next year...

@LooseAtTheSeams There are some grade boundaries floating around TSR for AS and A-Levels...but I am sure your DS would probably prefer to wait until tomorrow.

I'm generally avoiding getting stuck into the Oxbridge thread because the intensity makes me overthink things. And now I feel a bit twitchy about posting here as DD definitely falls into the "over achiever" category. But she's also very young in her year, quite socially challenged and intermittently finding the whole university thing somewhat overwhelming. From her point of view, she'd be happy to swap a few grade 9s for a share of the social confidence she sees in other young people who happily chat to tutors and ask questions at open days.

Although we did have a good trip up to St Andrews, after I had posted my summary here she had a panic attack on the train and is now resisting any further discussion for the time being.

Life's complicated.

Oneteen Thanks, I think he'll just wait. I'm not sure I dare look!

@chickencalleddaal. I think its a shame that people feel the way they do about the Oxbridge threads. I don't have an issue with high achievers my DD has good GCSE's grades (9 x 9-7A*/A's and 1 B)...Sorry to hear about your DD's panic attack...please don't feel twitchy about posting.

Hopefully, the posts will balance out as we move forward nearer UCAS submission dates.

Chicken I'm so sorry to hear your dd is overwhelmed. Anxiety is definitely becoming more of an issue and even DS, who is very laid back, said to me yesterday that he doesn't like the way that you become constantly aware that choices you've made as a teenager could be shutting down options later on. It can seem really, really overwhelming. In the same way that everyone else seems cooler, more beautiful etc. on social media, everyone else can also appear cleverer. It's not the case but it feels like it's the case.
I would advise your dd defers a year and applies with results in hand but I gather this is frowned on for maths, unfortunately.

Loose it also seems ridiculous that having got their dream place, they start a mad scramble to start looking for internships in year 2 to build up their CV for grad schemes. The pressure & anxiety doesn't stop.

I think there is some thought about moving Uni applications to after results day which I think is a good idea. Personally, I'd like to see the DC start Uni in January rather than September...just give them 6 months off after they have finished their exams (although this may not appeal to all).

To me ...it seems like a constant merry go round as soon as they have finished GCSE's they are on to AS or A levels (looking around Uni), then within a few months of starting Uni, they are also having to look at what accommodation they want in Yr2 and make decisions about who to live with.

Whilst I want DD to fulfil her ambitions and potential, mental health and happiness are far more important.

I realise I am very late (we have been on holiday and in the last few days had very limited WiFi) but would like to join if possible.

I have a DS who is applying to study Physics. He has decided on his five choices and has written a draft of a personal statement.

DS didn't do any AS exams, but I wanted to say good luck to anyone getting results tomorrow.

Hi Iron. It's so tempting to say that my DC is going to apply for photography at UWE, Falmouth, Bournemouth, Solent & Brighton just to add a bit of variety to STEM at the usual suspects!

Isn't it nice to have a year off if they're not doing AS levels.

Hello @oneteen - I have name changed since the GCSE threads but I was the mean mum who made DD1 go off to her second week on NCS and then felt like an absolute heel!
I agree that Mumsnet is dominated by the parents of the more able kids but I do tend to take most things with a pinch of salt on here....
DD1 is taking the hard road to Med school if she can, so we have an interesting year ahead - she is a bright lovely somewhat shy(but massively improved on that front) young lady who does not have 13 9's! She will be doing her best to pick the schools wisely to maximise her chances of an interview and giving it one shot.
No AS exams for us but good luck to everyone who is waiting.

Morning all, following this thread as DD1 will be applying for History. Great to see lots of familiar names, although I'm a bit of a lurker, and it seems more my kind of place than the Oxbridge threads!

At the moment DD has chosen 4 - UCL, Exeter, Edinburgh and the one beginning with C She might just stick with that and see what's in clearing. All of them are far from home, North West, and central
London accommodation in years 2 and 3 worries me! She's already put a fair amount of work into her PS, it's on version 3, and I'm hoping she'll let me read it at some point

My DS is awaiting AS results tomorrow, and having his first driving lesson as he’s only recently turned 17. His sixth form have continued with AS exams for 4 subjects in Y12 then most drop to 3 A levels. He’s still deciding which to continue with for his third subject, but will be sticking with maths and FM whatever the results.

He’s another wanting to take maths at uni! Lots of us on MN. He’s looked at Birmingham, Cardiff and Leicester so far to give him a broad range. His AS results will influence his predicted grades so we’ll have a better idea tomorrow which unis to visit in September/October. Ie, Nottingham and Southampton or Swansea and Reading etc.

He’s capable of an A* in maths at A level and maybe FM, though more likely an A but his third subject may well be a B or C which rules out the highest tier of Oxbridge, Warwick, Bath etc. Bristol is a possibility as his school entitles him to a contextual offer but I’m not sure he fancies a city university with a party reputation.

As a balance, my other DS is 19 and has just achieved a pass in his HNC which I am delighted with!

Estimating A level grades the day before his AS results is a bit presumptuous and hopefully won’t tempt fate! But you have to have an idea to know which unis to look at, and because they do AS, he hasn’t had any UCAS predicted grades from them yet.

DS has an absolute disaster a while back with one of his mock AS levels - and I'm not exaggerating. So anything above disaster in subject 3 will be a big relief.

It's not really surprising to get an excess of mathematicians when out of 750,00 pupils taking A levels in 2018 nearly 100,000 of them took maths. It's a popular subject. Looking at the old results as well it seems to be the subject which has the highest percentages of A/A* results too. Because maths is beautiful and black and white not like all those subjects with muddy words I might be biased. When we looked round Bath and went to the Maths talk they put us in the biggest lecture theatre and it was pretty full, I said to DS 'you are sitting in a room and all of the teenagers here probably expect to get an A in maths minimum, think of all the brains in here!'. Which he obviously gave me major side eye for but I think I made a good point.

I had a hunt round for grade boundaries (because I love the numbers, don't know where DS2 gets it from) but they seem pretty tightly locked down this year. Which is good obviously but I have a bad back and need a lying down day so could have had fun looking at all the different subjects.

Millicent just saw the HNC result - congratulations! ⭐️

But maths is starting to decline in popularity at A level - English has been hit as well.

I love having a 'proper yank' on here, having obsessively watched Gilmore Girls all the way through several times I feel like I'm an expert on the application process to and life in America's most prestigious universities of course but it might be cool having someone who has actuall knowledge around. I love the rounded education that's available there, more like our Scottish universities I presume. DS2 really wanted to go to Harvard but I think that's more to do with Legally Blonde being our all time favourite film.

I'm wittering big time aren't I, might be more nervous than I thought for DS tomorrow. If he doesn't get a good mark in Maths he'll be crushed and most of all I want him to be happy, (and live at home forever not leave like his big brother and go and get all grown up...)

The Maths A level grade boundaries look hmmm

A* = 72%
A = 55%
B = 45%
C = 34%
D = 24%
E = 14%