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).

[goodbyestranger]

sandy what is your DS expected to do from 28th Aug? I'm very glad DD hasn't been summoned. Did he get plenty of notice? What if you'd had a holiday booked?

[oneteen]

@goodbyestranger I'm also not looking forward to my DD going either (she's an only). We have become incredibly close over the last 12 months, I know she's my DD but she's such a nice kid with so many considerate qualities. I'm thankful I can start to work away from home quite a bit so hopefully, I'll cope.

[HairyPotter]

I’ll join if I may. Dd2 is going into 6th year next week and is hoping to study Pharmacy. She got 5 A’s and is doing AH chemistry and AH biology as well as higher music and history.

She was originally doing AH physics but with her results she doesn’t really need the additional stress 3 AH sciences would bring. History and music should be relatively easy and take the pressure off a little.

She’s planning on applying for Pharmacy at Strathclyde (where dd1 is studying chemistry) and Robert Gordon as they are the only two in Scotland, then pharmacology at Strathclyde, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Hoping for unconditionals for pharmacology as Pharmacy don’t tend to give them out

[goodbyestranger]

oneteen I hope you didn't think I meant it was worse for me because DD is number eight. I really don't. She's the only one still at home full time and it's the thing of going to no-one. My DD is lovely too - very easy going, funny and kind. Ah well.

[goodbyestranger]

I meant to say I really don't think that - at all.

[oneteen]

I actually think it is probably harder going from 8 to no one being home full time. My DD spends a long weekend with her dad, once a month so I'm used to her being away a little bit ..I think it's just the fact that we have grown so close and she's "grown-up" now!

Hello @Hairypotter - My DD is looking to do Biochemistry - well done on your DD's results.

[ExCwmbranDweller]

I think them leaving is made worse by this year, I seem to spend so much time with them learning to drive and then driving them everywhere for uni look rounds (and staying over night because everything is so far away from us!) so you get lot of one to one time, space to talk. You make yourself a lovely adult and then they bugger off!

[EightToSixer]

Hello everyone,
I know some of you from medicine 2020 thread. I thought it would be useful to join here too.
DD is sitting UCAT next week. She's waiting for her AS results (Wales - hello to other welshies with AS results imminent).
Currently taking maths, physics, chemistry and biology but will likely drop Physics for A2 as she also has to study Welsh Baccalaureate too (yawn).
Applying for medicine to Oxford, Exeter, and possibly Southampton with Plymouth as her safer choice (cut off for ucat for interview is 2240 next year). She is struggling to decide on her non-medicine choice as she would wait a year and apply next year rather than take a non-medicine option. She's very young in the year, last possible birthday of Aug 31st so if she takes a year longer it's not a massive deal.

[oneteen]

You make yourself a lovely adult and then they bugger off! so true! A smile came to my face when you mentioned driving - I'm not a good passenger ..I was out with DD driving last night and I am sure my blood pressure was off the scale.

Dd's stranded in London at the moment - all the trains have been cancelled on our line ...

[goodbyestranger]

Lots leave the fifth choice blank EightToSixer, on the basis that they'll have another go next year if needs be. That's what DS did at any rate; he was quite clear he wanted to be a doctor and two goes to get there would have been preferable to taking a fifth option he was iffy about.

[goodbyestranger]

A friend of mine recently was such an incredibly bad passenger her learner driver DS opened the door and walked home.

[sandybayley]

@goodbyestranger - DS's school always goes back early. I have known it officially start in August but they do finish early (often 2 or 3 July). We are always careful to make sure we're back by the Bank Holiday as things often happen that week.

This year he's officially back on 3 September. There is pre-season rugby training on 28 and 29th and I think the prefects, house captains, head boys and girls are in for planning meetings. They all have lots to organise - definitely 'managerial' roles.

[EightToSixer]

Thank you @goodbyestranger I didn't know they could do that, well worth considering.

[goodbyestranger]

Yes there's absolutely no need to fill up the UCAS choices, whether going for Medicine or not. The DC have only ever known one school peer (who had left for sixth form elsewhere) put down a single choice (Oxford, History) and rather annoyingly - because let's face it, that's massively arrogant - she got in.

[goodbyestranger]

sandy DD is one of those things (actually two of those things, I think) but although she has fortnightly meetings with the HT I'm not sure that anything I'm aware that she's doing could be called managerial, even at a stretch. What sort of things do the prefects etc etc take responsibility for at your DS's school? I suppose I also haven't really asked DD about what she has to do but if the HT suggested she came in before term starts and we were away, I know where my priorities would lie! But then our term didn't end until July 22nd so you lot get an extra three weeks. Perhaps I wouldn't bristle so much if the holidays ran into two months.

[goodbyestranger]

Although I still definitely would if I hadn't been given buckets of notice (ie a year).

[sandybayley]

@goodbyestranger - it's the same every year so absolutely not an issue. DS doesn't mind at all. Neatly two months off is plenty. It's only this year he's had to go in for house captain stuff but sports training (particularly rugby) always happens.

The pupils organise a lot of events like internal music and drama festivals. They also organise fundraising and house sports competitions. The school gives them a lot of responsibility and it's a huge opportunity to develop lots of soft skills. I think the pupils organised themselves for the Edinburgh fringe (they are there now) as well. The school is quite hands-off about such stuff.

[goodbyestranger]

Well I'm glad our school holidays are ring fenced sandy! Yes, it's the same sort of stuff I just wouldn't have couched it in managerial terms (our school doesn't send a group up to the Fringe though, more's the pity).

[HesMyLobster]

Hi, please can I join?
Lovely to see some familiar faces
I have DD2 starting the application process, which all feels far too soon as the 2 years since I was here with DD1 have flown by!

She is doing Psychology, Chemistry and French + EPQ.
Planning to apply for phsychology. She's been to open days at Cardiff, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle, Liverpool and Birmingham, planning to go to Exeter and Bath next month.
Current favourites are Leeds and Birmingham - she likes the "campus within a city" vibe. But they are also the 2 most aspirational choices with the highest entry requirements (both AAA) so all depends on predicted grades . . (No AS here, internal mocks in May we're promising but they have more at the end of September before final predictions are given for ucas)

I was allowed along to one open day (sheffield - I loved it!) the others she has done alone or with friends.
PS first draft has been done this week - I haven't been allowed to see it until big sister gets back from her travels and gives it the once over - her opinion is way more valuable than mine!
She's very driven and fiercely independent but prone to putting too much pressure on herself resulting in meltdowns so I'm preparing for a rollercoaster of a year ahead . . .

[LooseAtTheSeams]

Slight insomnia - too hot so having cooling drinks!
I use sharpies for name tags. Haven't needed them for DS1 this year - no uniform, no sport (unless you count skateboarding).
Will definitely miss DS when he goes - he's very good company and I just hope DS2 becomes a bit chattier by then (very 14-ish and monosyllabic at the moment!)
I went to 2 open days with DS (Warwick and Birmingham) and he did one on his own. I kept out of the way as much as possible! I think he might be planning to go to a Southampton open day with friends. He needs 2 more choices but we'll wait for AS results before worrying about which ones. He's got a philosophy talk booked at UCL in September so that might go on his list.

[Oratory1]

Same here Sandy as DS goes in for a full day of planning and organising on the 27th. It was only mentioned in an email last week so I did ask what if you were away or lived overseas - I guess you would just miss out as it didn’t sound compulsory but he have hated to miss it. A lot of things are student led and run (eg choir and band captains arrange rehearsals etc, house completions are student run) and they do a lot with the younger years and are expected to set the tone for their year - a huge responsibility but great experience as well. DS is usually itching to go back to school by about now so he was up for it

[sandybayley]

Waves to @HesMyLobster - good to see you!

Well we're off on holiday today! Despite a lot of reminders DS1 still had to make a dash to Sports Direct for swimming trunks (we're sailing) and rash vest. It's so painful leaving him to sort this stuff out. I did have to remind DH that we need to factor in A Level and GCSE results next year (DD). Irritatingly he is always really busy at work in July so we can't take advantage of the DC all finishing in early July.

[Hoghgyni]

Post exams holiday & results day (ICE) had to both be booked last September for next July & August. Slightly annoyed that I can't make any plans for my 50th, which falls on a weekend, as it's in the block of weeks when we could feasibly be travelling from one side of the country to another dropping off for freshers week.

[prettybird]

First time I took ds out in the car to practice (he'd had about 5 lessons) we lasted the sum total of 5 minutes before he insisted on going home as I was too nervous and putting him off.

Swinging into a wide road too fast with cars coming the other way wasn't a good start ....and then driving past parked cars with only 6" clearance and continuing to do so even when I suggested he was a bit close did mean I was very nervous!

We've even out since and I have he has been much better - to the extent that I've suggested he's nearly at the stage of being able to go in the car with his dad .....he doesn't think so, as he had a bad experience with him right at the start (before the car was insured for him) when dh let him drive a short bit in the private car park at the rugby club.

Good news is that he passed his theory test yesterday at his first attempt.

[oneteen]

@prettybird - well done to your DS at passing Theory. I drive a lot with work (30k miles a year), so I'm not used to being a passenger.

@HesMyLobster My two nieces went to Bham and Leeds Uni's and have both loved the City/Uni experience.

DD has now loosely planned her PS, we had a little chat about how it would be better to do things when they arise rather than defer until last minute (because the later tends to add pressure).

Busy few weeks ahead she starts her job training next week (5 x 1/2 day sessions in two weeks), has work experience at P & G and is off to Reading Festival (which is where most of DD's attention is going).

I've just ordered some reading material for DD (10 books).