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

@Millicent I get your point but I work in a sector that looks at applications without schools or universities being named. So a York Maths 2:2 would just appear as a Maths 2:2.
Also since DS has been applying I’ve been amazed at how outdated some of my perceptions of universities have been. For example I had previously undervalued Lancaster and would have thought someone choosing to do Maths at Warwick rather than Durham was making an odd choice whereas now I understand that I’m out of touch.
Anyway I’m probably getting too uptight about all this. DS will make his own choice anyway.

Yes, if applications are anonymised in that way, that's true. I'm not sure how many institutions/companies are that conscientious yet, but I guess it's increasing.

DS has finally received his offer from Warwick - standard offer A*AA or AAA with STEP for Maths & Stats. That's all five in and decision time.

He was half hoping for a rejection so that he could firm Southampton without worrying if he was selling himself short. Now he has to decide whether to aim as high as he can or firm the one he felt best about after the open days. His mock results weren't great, although he admits that he didn't revise particularly hard and it sounds like his exam technique was poor for at least one of the subjects. I think he's just hit that reality check moment where you might actually do poorly in something you thought you were great at if you don't put the work in and he's frustrated and pushing back rather than dealing with it in a mature way.

I'm finding it very hard to advise him - not sure whether offer holder days will extend the pressure and tiredness that he's pushing back against or get him excited about maths again and give him some motivation.

People whose DC have been to offer holder days: how does it work? Is it more broad-brush tours and selling the university or do they get a chance to engage with their potential subject tutors on a more personal level? The latter would probably help him. The former might make it worse.

Is it more broad-brush tours and selling the university or do they get a chance to engage with their potential subject tutors on a more personal level?

Much more the latter, at all of the ones that I have attended with DS1 and DD. That really is the point - much more, 'What it's like to study x here', rather than, 'What here is like', so to speak.

There are normally tutorials on the offer holder days... Warwick had sessions with about 7 students per group so it mirrors how they would be taught at the Uni..
Obviously there are very big lectures too...

@SoundofSilence Southampton had a big meet the staff session a few years ago. Tea/coffee and chat to academic staff in the maths dept. The advantage of insuring Southampton is that they have enough accommodation for insurance students as well as those firming. It may well end up being DS’s insurance (straight maths) for that reason.

My DC have found offer days useful for talking to current students and staff over a prolonged period of time. When you are with current students for the best part of a day (lecture, tour, seminar) you get a feel for what its really like.

DS also went to Birmingham offer day recently even though he had virtually decided to firm it. He found it really helpful for familiarization as now when he's studying he can actually picture where he will be and what he will be doing if he makes the grades.

DS did the offer holder day for his subject at Birmingham and there was no question after that that he wanted to firm it (and now has). He did a 'candidate' day at Manchester where he had an interview but to all intents and purposes it was an offer holder day (with interview) and it made him absolutely decide he didn't want to go to Manchester, it having been in his top three. He couldn't make the Newcastle offer holder day thanks to Storm Dennis.

I think the offer holder days are really important as Oratory1 says. DS can now picture exactly where he is going and it has made him up his game a bit too.

Friend's ds was very cavalier a couple of years ago and didn't bother with the offer holder days for his Firm and Insurance. He missed his Firm, had never seen his Insurance and had to hurtle down to Southampton to see where he was actually going.

Probably not the best place to post but some decent degree apprenticeships on offer at DSTL Porton Down www.whatcareerlive.co.uk/job/dstl/degree-level-apprenticeships-157

That’s interesting stuff, oneteen. It’s too easy to get on the university treadmill and neglect other options. We used to have a more general thread on further ed, but it’s too quiet there.

One of my friend's daughters applied to Uni last year and then started applying for Degree Apprenticeships too. I thought it was a great idea- she accepted an offer with Jaguar Landrover/Warwick Uni (earning £19k a year) and seems to have the best of both worlds...so no harm in looking and I suppose applying if a vacancy takes your fancy.

Has anyone had accommodation application email yet? Dd just got hers for York after the Open offer day today.
That was a surprise after we’d thought it wasn’t going to be until May

It’s different for each uni, Justyou. DS is waiting until he has made his final decision before applying for accommodation.

Justyou has your DD firmed York?

Hi @SoundofSilence !

Congratulations to your son on his offers! ... I really would Firm the toughest offer (for the most demanding and toughest cohort and academic staff). And, pragmatically, the easiest offer as Back Up. ... Keep it simple! ... I would be wary of Offer Days; they can mislead as much as inform. He will make friends at any of his Unis and be happy, providing he works hard and works steadily and develops good working relationships with a couple of Academic Staff.

Now is the time to work hard,really hard, and for your son to find out what he is made of ... and how much he really wants to study Maths at his Firmed Uni.

Good luck to him!

thanks for the replies, yes she has confirmed York.

Now not practising what we preach - ds announced last night he isn't going to go to the Warwick offer holder day next Saturday. We did tour it fairly extensively on the open day and, as he says, the new buildings for his department won't be open until he would be going in 2021 anyway, so not much to see. At least he has seen the place though, if he ends up going on Insurance.

DD has now booked to go to the offer holder’s day at UCL. I’d much rather she chose Edinburgh or York as I’m terrified we can’t afford London.

I have had to put DS off Nottingham for similar reasons. They don't really understand what impact on their lives living in a more affordable place will have. Spare money for going out, clothes, nicer food etc. I think you have to be honest that there isn't an unlimited pot of money. This is what you can afford. If they want a more expensive uni, they'll have to cut back elsewhere. Make it their problem, not yours.

Ednburgh is not a cheap option!

Millicent my dd is at Nottingham and I wouldn't say it is as expensive as a lot of places. You can choose to live In self catered halls off campus which are cheaper and in second year the houses are much cheaper than lots of other cities. Dd pays £90 per week for her house, which is reasonable. They use the trams or walk everywhere. There is lots of choice for accommodation to suit all budgets once they move into houses .

Would agree that Nottingham is probably cheaper in second year - with the advantage, like Brum, of having plentiful cheap housing walking distance from Camus.

Nottingham is such a cheap place to live. And halls are cheaper too if you go catered (we paid £7,200 for DD and some of her friends were paying the same with no food). Living out is so cheap - £75 a week for DD and she's 7 minutes walk to the medical school. Teams and ubers cheap and lots of clubs for student nights. DD2 choosing between Bristol and London and I may need to sell a kidney.

DS will be on max loan, which is around £9k, not much change if halls are £7,200 though some are £6,700. The catered halls are definitely the cheaper option, but still too expensive and he wants self catered. The self catered halls off campus start at around £120/week, ~£5,300. Brum self catered halls start at more like £95 and Manchester £100. Nottingham may be cheaper than London etc but still too expensive for us.

Complicated back story, but exH who won’t help and older DC with SN mean I don’t earn enough to be able to help DS financially. Brum and Manchester both offer better bursaries as well.

I think York let you apply for a band of accommodation, so you don't get premium ensuite if you can only afford economy with a shared bathroom. I think this was why I got so cross with the college allocations at Durham earlier this month, as they totally ignored preferences with what appeared to be little regard for people's budgets in allocating catered/self catered. A single room in a catered college with a shared bathroom is £7894, whereas the same in self-catered is £5526. That's a huge difference.