Applying for uni in 2021...

[Parsley65]

Thought I'd start the ball rolling on this one...

Dd wants to study psychology and we've been checking out dates of open days.

Her school still does AS levels. She's doing psychology, physics & business.

Please come and join us on the long and bumpy ride past revision and exams and on towards the much anticipated start of uni life in Autumn 2021.

@calculatorqueen

DS heard this morning that he hasn't got an interview at Oxford. But as they say, it redirection not rejection, so most likely choices now are Exeter (BBB) and Birmingham (CCC).

Awww I’m so sorry to hear this calculator - it’s v v tough!! His redirections are flipping fab options though & well done to him with those outstanding offers! Where else did he apply other than Exeter & Birmingham? Did he look at LSE? @minesawine I’m also giggling at the ‘artistic temperament’ and loving how it’s ‘we’ who are putting together the portfolio! Fabulous news that all 5 are interested - well done to you both! Out of curiosity where is your DS reading economics please? I’m just being nosey!! Enjoying it? @gleegeek and @fayebebaby my DDs friend is also looking at psychology and has had a few offers with grade drops because she got A* in her EPQ - I’m quite blown away that for Birmingham she needs BBC! Exeter also dropped 2 grades so now ABB. I can’t recall the others but her EPQ was definitely worth her while!

@NotDonna it's definitely we, as I am suffering every second with her. My DS is at Nottingham Trent doing Economics and Business Management and loves it there. Its a great uni and one of my DD's 5 choices as well. Two kids in the same place would be very convenient for me and visiting, not that I'm trying to influence my DD

It's great to hear others are getting lots of offers, DS is applying for Vet Med and the process is much slower, with we think only a 1 in 3 chance of success. Nottingham have apparently had 2000 applicants for about 300 places. He's had one interview so far with Liverpool, and another lined up in January with Surrey, and should hear next week whether he'll get an interview from Nottingham (but they're only interviewing 1000 anyway). It's such a long process, and very nerve-wracking.

Good luck to all those applying, DD is on a gap year and applying for Acting, with History as a back up.
The odds of success are heavily weighted against, typically 3000 applicants for 30 places. Hence the need for a back up.

Full sympathy and support to @minesawine as I am the sounding board for DDs many monologues, and many stresses!

Thank you for the lovely messages re DS's redirection. One day on and he seems fine, he says it's more the failing than not going to Oxbridge specifically. Like many, I suppose he's never had to face that before, so one of life's lessons.

@NotDonna he's also applied to York and Bath. He didn't apply to LSE since he's not really a big city type.

So pleased to hear that @calculatorqueen. He sounds pretty self aware for a teenage boy. I remember failing my driving test first time at 17 and being distraught and angry at my first real ‘failure’. I was utterly lacking self awareness or any maturity of course. Hard lessons.

@minesawine how has your daughter been asked to submit submit her portfolio? DS hasn’t sent his choices yet and has a random selection of photos and film but I’m not sure how these will need to be presented? Do you think he’ll need his own webpage or hosting site? Thanks

@Bayleaf25 each uni has different submission criteria, from 20 PDFs and YouTube to uploading the 4 best items onto a portal and writing about them. All 5 have been different. When your DS applies, if he is accepted he will get instructions from each uni on what to do. The deadlines are about 2 weeks after receipt. Hope that helps.

Thank you @minesawine

Just wondering how everyone is doing? Portfolios in? Ready(ish)? Any more offers?
If they don’t get an offer do the university send an email saying so or do they just never get an offer? I don’t think my DD has heard from Bath or LSE yet. I’m assuming she’d tell me if she had.

Still waiting on Sheffield. Also Liverpool say you can book accommodation as soon as you get your offer. Now dd has been told by the uni the portal to book accommodation only opens in the new year - but her cousin has already booked his accommodation??? She’s rang them and rang and they are adamant accommodation portal not open. This will be her insurance and if her biology mock us anything to go by this is where she’ll end up!! So really wanted to sort it out

That seems crazy that they are letting people with early offers get in first to book accommodation- unless it's just registering and the actual allocation comes later? I feel that may have been the system when ds applied 3years ago.
Dd1 still waiting for Bath and she has a zoom interview with York next week.

@LeiatheSchnauzer agree it’s madness. Good luck with the zoom interview for York. My eldest currently 3rd year at Nottingham also had offers from both York and Bath - both lovely universities

@fayebebaby, yes, I really like them both! Ds is at Bath so we are pretty familiar with it now and love the city.

@fayebebaby if it’s going to be her insurance can she book accommodation anyway? I thought only firm offers could book accommodation. I’ve not done this before so no idea.

@NotDonna, the policy varies. My impression is that registering for accommodation at an early stage as an 'insurance' applicant is less common than having to wait until you know that the place has actually become your firm after all, but that may just be the universities DS1 and DD applied to. Also, they both actually took up 'unconditional if firmed offers - at the same university, 4 years apart - so the insurance accommodation policy at whatever might have been their insurance choice didn't come into it.

@NotDonna apparently you can book accommodation at Liverpool if you get an offer you don’t have to firm or have it has your insurance!!! Think it’s madness

Thanks marchingfrogs and faybebaby DDs insurance will be Birmingham but I’ve no idea about accommodation plocy there. I’ll tell her to take a look on their website. It does seem early though.

Mmm? I’ve just looked a Birmingham and it says ‘All students with an offer from Birmingham can apply for accommodation.’ This doesn’t mention firm or insurance. On another page it talks about ‘freshers guarantee’ and one of the conditions is that it’s your firm choice. I’m wondering if they like all students to register for accom but only guarantee it if they firm later. They also say ‘If you do not qualify for any of our Guarantee Scheme, we still strongly encourage you to apply for accommodation. Whilst this means that you are not guaranteed University or Partner accommodation, there may still be a number of rooms available’. It goes into to say that they guarantee to help you find accom privately etc. So I’m guessing DD should apply given she knows it’ll be her insurance.

It seems I’m answering my own questions.
Birmingham don’t do first come first served. They allocate in a random order after results day but aim to match preferences. So it doesn’t make a difference if you apply early or not in this case.

Gosh, dc and I haven’t even thought about accommodation!
I’m sure when older dc went, we didn’t think about it until after Easter
I guess if it’s just registering and you aren’t tied to anything then fair enough

DD is in second year at Birmingham and DS1 was there 2015 - 2018. Both took advantage of the 'unconditional if firmed' offer. I can't remember exactly when DS1's accommodation confirmation email came, only that he only remembered to mention that he needed the £550 payment to be made, the evening before the offer would expire, but DD's came on July 23rd. (Which was two days after she had set off for her World Challenge jaunt to Madagascar. Fortunately, she had preempted this and given the university her permission to deal with me. And me access to her email account).

@Lara53

My DS has received offers from Leeds and Oxford Brookes so far. Waiting on Southampton, Lancaster and Loughborough 🤞🤞

my daughter studies at Lancaster uni. Shes a first year there. Amazing uni, they have done really well during this covid and all the restrictions. Freshers week they did such a fab job of keeping safe but still having fun. Hope your DS gets an offer :)

I have a question about the "firm" and "insurance " side of things that I'm hoping someone may know the answer to.

If a student makes the grades for their firm choice (and therefore also has the grades for the insurance place too) are they permitted to change their mind and opt for the insurance choice instead ?

I don't think so, I think you'd have to give up both choices and then ask the "insurance" choice if they had places in clearing and go via that route instead.