Applying for Uni 2020 :2: Offers arriving

[MillicentMartha]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3655914-Applying-for-Uni-2020?pg=40

Previous thread

Applications made up to January 15th have to be given equal consideration by the university. After that, the university can decide to 'waitlist' the application (or possibly not consider it at all?). Applications received after June 30th are automatically entered into Clearing.

So, if adding more choices, best to add them by January 15th. Also, any applications made by then have to be responded to (by the university) by May 2nd; again, best to have all your chosen universities working to the same timetable, so to speak.

Dd submitted her form today so just got to wait for college to do their bit now.

Thank you, I think the school internal deadline was last Monday so hopefully, they have been sending quite a few off last week. I know DD's reference was ready because she had it read to her weeks ago.

I too read it has the 30th June hence why I asked the question but agree its best to add them by the 15th January.

DS is very pleased with a ‘personalised’ letter from the Manchester department he’s applied for, congratulating him on his offer and sharing some news about new dons joining for 2020.

Well done @KingscoteStaff DS. I know it's all part of the marketing but it is nice to feel wanted.

Interesting to contrast the approach with the deafening silence from Durham so far for DS1.

Nothing from Durham here either.

DS’s rugby match yesterday was notable for 30+ parents wandering round at tea saying
‘Heard anything from Durham?’
(Relieved voice) ‘No, us neither.’

@KingscoteStaff - Ha! I was at DD's 6th form entrance test yesterday and it was nice to be with a group of parents who had other things on their mind.

I sent DS1 off to his rugby match in Kent on his own. Bad parent.

Good luck with all the applications.
Can I offer some advice when your DCs come to making their decisions?
I have 2 DCs and have been through this process. I also know a lot of their friends and I have been on MN for a long while (and the Facebook group). If your DC has (or had) mental health issues, they are not likely to disappear when they go away to university - in fact they may get worse. So if this is the case, I would be encouraging them to choose somewhere within a couple of hours of home. They can then visit home easily or you can visit them. Going to university isn’t easy for some.
Another piece of advice, is please can them to sort out ID. Apply for a provisional driving licence if they don’t drive. Some student unions, pubs etc won’t let them in at night without ID - even if they are not drinking.

Thanks @hellsbells99.

I have been reading the Facebook page and was quite surprised to see how many DC struggle after the initial few weeks of independence has worn off. It also looks as if we should be looking to see whether our DC need a top-up Mumps vaccine because Mumps seem to be widespread within several Unis at the moment.

Hi Hellsbells We’ve been on GCSE threads together before but I’ve name changed.

I’m trying to persuade DS not to be influenced by the speed of contact from the unis. He hasn’t heard from 2, except for acknowledgements but it’s not personal!

He’s got an interview at Manchester next month according to UCAS and he’s accepted it on Track, but he’s heard nothing directly from Manchester, so their marketing strategy isn’t that consistent!

Luckily he has his provisional licence. Lessons are continuing. His father gave him 10 lessons for his birthday but it seems that I’m having to pay for the next set. By the time he gets his full licence his passport will probably have to be updated, so at least he won’t look 13 on his photo!

Re MMR, my DS2 was dxed with ASD right in the midst of the MMR controversy. I’m afraid I didn’t get youngest DS vaccinated with both sets until he was 10, so hopefully it will still be active.

Hi Oneteen and Millicent. Good luck with the offers!
The good news is that most do seem seem find what they want to do - even with a false start, change of course/university, or getting an apprenticeship instead. But support from home can be needed.
Lots had mumps last Christmas too - I heard lots of reports including Bath, UEA, Nottingham and Liverpool

I think the problem with Mumps tends to be that the MMR vaccine only gives 80% protection ...so it looks like quite a few DC who have had the vaccine are still catching mumps - seems really common in Welsh Uni's so not sure whether the uptake of MMR was lower in Wales.

Driving lessons are so expensive ...DD had 90-minute lessons which seemed to be a little more cost-effective...she got her new car yesterday (Thankfully funded by the bank of DF). New stress dimension added when they are driving on dark wet nights!

The only two Durham offers I'm aware of Kingscote are for social sciences/humanities where both had the standard offer dropped by 1 grade for each subject.

I'm aware of Durham science offers as well as two humanities subjects all with dropped grades. This year there's a huge drive on contextual info and the same is true for Oxford, where schools are being banded and applicants assigned a score for their contextual profile.

And before I'm told that there's been contextual input for years - this year is supposed to be much more radical and the info handled in a very different way. I think this is the fruition of various trials etc in sectors at certain top unis.

According to TSR stats Durham is in number 1 spot for the most offers so far www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6141704&page=39.

I'm not sure whether things will have changed from last year but I got the impression they tend to make quite a few offers to DC who are likely to get Oxbridge offers the day before Oxbridge send out their offers...

oneteen, on mumps my son caught it just after the Easter holidays as did his friend (they came here to stay for 3 weeks for a bit of peace and rest). I was a bit cross. My children have had all the vaccinations going including MMR which means he only had 1 in 9 chance of catching mumps. yet he stil caught it. I am pretty sure the only reason mumps is so much around is because some parents chose not to give their children the vaccination.

His twin brother (they are both at Bristol) who had also had the MMR did not catch it (given the odds are only 1 in 9 if you have had the vaccination and I think zero if you have had mumps itself that is not surprising).

I have their vaccinations card here and I did copy that as his Bristol GP did a blood test and wanted confirmation of what vaccinations he had had; so parents might want to look out their child's vaccination list/cards at home in case new students are asked to produce them.

ui second the ID point. Mine passed their driiving tests at 17 but either way having a provisional or full licence and indeed for letting a house a passport is often needed or at least asked for can be a good idea. My twins had to find and book their year 2 accommodation before end of term 1 in year 1 by the way in Bristol and I remember posting both of them their passports by special delivery as teh letting agents apparently insisted on having them. They now keep their passports at university (and have not lost them so far).

I sent DS1 off in first year with a folder with his passport, EHIC card 😢, NI number letter and birth certificate. I’ve still got his GCSE and A level certs, though and his ‘red’ book, (which is cream.) Now he’s left home ‘proper’ he should probably have those.

Regarding mental health issues that hellsbells mentions above, my dd suffers from anxiety and struggled starting a new college. Her favourite choice she's applied for is an hour and a half away so we're hoping she's successful with that one. To know she's a familiar short train ride away will help her I think.
She took part in a scholars program there earlier this year, so she's familiar with the uni. I encouraged this as I knew it would help her with the move away from home.
I also pushed her to do a residential at another uni. She said she was scared sending her applications off but then I reminded her how much she enjoyed her stay at the residential and she cheered up and admitted she hadn't wanted to come home. So this has worked well for her. I just need to keep reminding her when her anxiety kicks in.

This post on the student room summarises it well.

www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6177978

Sorry, by ‘it’ I mean which universities have given offers.

DS had single jabs - he was due for MMR exactly at the height of the controversial article and as my PFB I was just terrified! We were extremely lucky to find a nearby reputable clinic and be able to afford single jabs for him and his brother, but there was a huge shortage of mumps vaccine (I think they may have had those first, while there was still stock), so perhaps some of the herd immunity has been lost due to peers having had single M+R but not mumps as well. Or perhaps not having the boosters? It was such a scary time and even as an intelligent educated adult, I really wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing, especially when our GP said he would have done single vaccines if his child was that age

I think DD's friend would be surprised if her Durham offer was contextual. She is privately educated with a jolly nice postcode and not a FSM or complicated background in sight. It is still dropped by one grade for each subject though, so they obviously want her.