Applying for uni 2020 :3: Decisions and revision.

[MillicentMartha]

New thread ready for us.

Old thread
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3721248-Applying-for-Uni-2020-2-Offers-arriving?pg=40

That would be funny oneteen!

He has an advantage in that his sister is already there so gave him the rundown on all the accommodation. He decided he wants self catered but not bothered whether it’s en suite or not and doesn’t really want the most expensive or the very cheapest so but somewhere in the middle. Also wants to be in the thick of things where most of the students are so went for the Vale but at the bottom end to reduce the walk to CS. He went for Tennis courts, Tennis Court Green and Mason. I really hope he gets one of the first three (you put down 6) as the others all had some form of compromise.

And before Hog s DD gets excited it was just built on the site of courts there are none there now 😀

My niece suggested having a look at Vale...she was in Shackleton. Not sure about self-catering or meal plan...my niece had a meal plan and it worked well ...DD keen to have ensuite....but this is assuming that she gets fed up with waiting for an offer from Warwick.

MarchingFrogs you are right, of course. There’s no hurry really. I’d just like to be applying for accommodation.

DS got offered Royal Holloway. Which is apparently his first choice now anyway.....

I’m away at the moment so he called me tonight to tell me. Very pleased for him. He sounded happy.

No final decisions yet obv but feel things are looking good!

@MillicentMartha we can't apply for accommodation until the beginning of March, am assuming they are all the same?

From what I remember with dd all the unis are different in when they accept applications for accommodation. I know nottingham are at the beginning of March and is first come first served (maybe to encourage people to firm them?) but others don't start til June or even later

Durham starts to allocate colleges to offer holders next month regardless of whether or not you have accepted a place. If you were hoping for something truly traditional in town and got allocated self catering on the hill, it may be a deal breaker.

Yoork opens accommodation in March, Edinburgh May. Most will allow insurance offer holders to apply as well firm but they may be further down the order when allocations are made.

Warwick website says accommodation application opens in March.

Manchester and Birmingham accommodation applications already open but not necessarily first come first served.

Manchester and Birmingham accommodation applications already open but not necessarily first come first served.

At least last year (and when DS1 was applying for 2015 entry), at Birmingjam, you submit your preferences, then halls are allocated from sometime in July onwards for Uncondotional offer holders and after results day, I think, for those with conditional offers. Both of ours were in the former category- DD had to inform the university that I had her permission to act on her behalf, as she was going off to Madagascar just before she was due to get her allocation. You have to accept and pay the deposit within a few days.

mum if your DS has accepted an unconditional offer from Nottingham Trent he needs to apply for accommodation as soon as it is available. My DS is at NTU (very happy there, it's a great uni 😁) but the accommodation goes incredibly quickly. I didn't really believe it but it was true, DS did get into private halls which are great & he's got a lovely bunch of flat mates but all the uni accommodation was snapped up really quickly.

Just found the thread again

@SirBObby

I don't think they show you any accommodation on Cardiff offer holders day.
I spoke to admissions person last week, as we've done our own Cardiff visit, last October.
Person said the normal open day on April 1st is much the same as offer holders day, but with an accommodation visit.
Makes no sense to me, but just passing on info.
DD considering Cardiff

I think it’s hard to do accommodation tours during term time so they do one in Easter hols. Birmingham do one in March.

Both Bristol and Manchester claim they do accommodation tours, but I bet it’s of a ‘show flat’ rather than the grim, mid-year reality of drying laundry draped everywhere, sinks of washing up and flu-ridden students lying wrapped in duvets on the sofas...

How are you approaching firm/insurance with grade gaps? My DS applied last year for maths and in hindsight probably had too big a gap to the insurance, and maybe too ambitious a firm. Went for Warwick (AAA*) and insurance southampton (don't remember the grades). He missed Warwick by one grade and they wouldn't take him, and he then felt dejected and didn't want the insurance anymore. He's ended up in Bath through very lucky clearing

Its a tricky system - you want to stretch yourself if you can and get into the best possible place, but you only get two choices so your firm can be wasted if you aren't careful. When its DD turn in a couple of years we'll see what her predicted grades look like and then maybe take a 'firm' and 'firmish' approach, rather than consider insurance as a safety net. If your DCs are predicted strong grades you could consider clearing as a (relatively) good insurance option which can give you more flexibility on your main two choices.

@HunkyDory69 he ended up in the town in postgrad accommodation. He got a free bus pass and it’s only 10 mins into campus so not too bad. Only for first year anyway and he seems to have settled well

That’s what I’d be worried about in Clearing - ending up in accommodation you wouldn’t otherwise have chosen.

I suppose it depends whether there is a handy insurance place with lower grades that your DC likes the look of. DD1 had Cardiff as insurance and really liked it on offer day so would have happily have gone there. DS1 has decided he doesn't like any of his potential lower grade offers so will take a gap year if he misses his decidedly risky firm (nothing in clearing for CS and anyway he would rather take a year out and look at the options properly than jump on results day). Clearing works well for some though. Every child's priorities and situation is different so you have to think about what's right for them.

Regarding accommodation for late applicants. DS went last year using clearing as his application process(!) to Sheffield Uni. They had reserved rooms in some of the flats for clearing applicants so they didn't all end up in a flat together they were slotted in as it were. This worked well altho the only accomm left was at the top of the price range. We felt this was the downside of late application really but if everything else is a good fit then it's just something we had to go with under the circs

Isn’t insurance similar? I think I only saw accommodation guarantees for unconditional/firm offers - insurance you’re maybe likely to get something but no guarantee

DS found choosing aspirational/insurance unis for UCAS difficult for maths. Warwick was probably too high, and his brother went there. The other aspirational ones were all too expensive, including Bath. Everything else seemed to be AAA or equivalent. Exeter, Bristol (contextual) as insurance too expensive. He went for 4 @ AAA and Cardiff @ AAB but now doesn’t like Cardiff! He should get AAA or A*AB hopefully, but his choice of firm and insurance will be nominally the same grades.