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.

We aren't tier 4 but term start date has been delayed a week. I wonder if we will actually get to the exams in the summer.

@cologne4711
Is the course he’s been offered instead something he fancies?
I’m a bit disappointed as I went to York (when dinosaurs still roamed the earth) and loved it.
I do think if they put AAB as the standard offer it’s a bit strange to offer AAA. Feel like we wasted an option as my DS isn’t likely to achieve that.

I don't understand why they do that. I remember my oldest dd being predicted BBB, applying for a course that asked for ABB and they made her an offer of AAA. Rude!

I’m quite shocked by these grades being higher than the standard offer that’s published. I do think in some of these instances it’s worth double checking.
Being offered a related course that sits within the predicted grades is fair enough and may well suit DC.

My son got his final offer yesterday from Warwick , I was surprised with it being a Saturday.
He had to submit an essay and had an interview last weekend but had given up hearing before Christmas.

Great news @ellaballoo- he was obviously an impressive candidate!

[quote GaribaldiGirl]@cologne4711
Is the course he’s been offered instead something he fancies?
I’m a bit disappointed as I went to York (when dinosaurs still roamed the earth) and loved it.
I do think if they put AAB as the standard offer it’s a bit strange to offer AAA. Feel like we wasted an option as my DS isn’t likely to achieve that.[/quote]
Sorry it was the other way round. He applied for history and politics (which is AAA entry requirement and we knew that, it was a stretch/aspirational choice) and they offered for history and philosophy at AAB. His first choice offered him ABB for the course he applied for so I think he will take that and a toss up between Southampton BBB and Hull BBC for insurance.

I spent a year in York at the College of Law, it is lovely. The CoL is in Leeds now though.

I'm new to all this. Hello everyone!

DD has sent in her UCAS form but there was a bit of a cock-up with school sending in a blank reference. School say it is all sorted now, the full reference is attached and the Unis have been emailed.

When DD checked in Track, her applications said 'Referred' in each box. Is that was it would normally say when a Uni is considering an application, or is this because of the cock-up, and DD needs to check with the Uni that her application is actually complete?

Does anyone know/ what does it say in Track at this point usually?

Referred is right. It means the application is with the universities. At some point (probably in January now) your dd will receive emails from UCAS asking her to log in for decisions (and she may also hear from the uni directly although it varied with ds' offers - some arrived within 24 hours of the UCAS notification, others were a few days later).

Oh thank you @cologne4711!

That is a relief - I will let DD know she's not to worry. Although these discussions about higher offers being made than the grades on the Uni websites is a bit concerning.

I suspect the references cock-up means DD will need to wait till next year before she hears anything. When will Uni admissions restart do you think?

@Limbbooks my daughter got a uni offer on 22nd December last year. I think some admissions departments must work over the holidays.

Oh @GaribaldiGirl - fingers crossed then! Although I wouldn't blame anyone for not working next week if they have any choice. I think everyone is pretty exhausted after this year.

I hope it worked out ok for your DD last year .

@Limbbooks my ds had an email from Bristol Admissions saying they were closed from 18/12 until 5/1 😒

@KittyMcKitty well, that is fair enough to be honest! I suspect those working at Universities this year have had a torrid time, and I hope they get a decent break.

It is annoying for DD that her application was delayed through no fault of her own, but I suppose she will just have to apply the patience we have been using in 2020 and wait till January now.

@Limbbooks I have no issue with them having a holiday. The long wait is hard though by 5th January they’ll have had his application for 7 weeks!

I think the death knoll has been sounded for A levels with this new virus strain. The peeps from Imperial on R4 this morning seemed to suggest it is very transmissible amongst secondary school children and they were not optimistic about schools going back in Jan. Fucks sake. Feeling really anxious for our DC.

I am so worried for them.

I'm actually feeling a bit stabby towards people in my Fb sharing posts about how much worse it was in WW1.

Laughing at a bit stabby!

It’s just desperate isn’t it 😒 I have dc in year 11 & 13 and it’s so worrying. My eldest became very down in year 12 and his grades really dropped- he has worked so hard to get back on track.

I'm the same kids in year 11 and 13 eldest has coped fairly well but youngest has really had grades drop and become a bit disinterested sadly. I can't see how they can keep schools open until we are better under control. At the same time though I know the provision online is wildly different and the access kids have to internet and laptops / tablets etc varies too. It's just a big sh*t show isn't it.

It is shit. I feel pretty much on my knees since we were put into tier 4 - very much the straw which broke the camels back - and it’s many times worse for our children. Just seems never endingly bleak at the moment.

It’s shit that’s for sure. I’m trying to be positive but really just want to find a dark room and scream & cry. I’ve also DD yr13 & yr11. Yr11 fine but Yr13 is seriously struggling. Albeit she had MH issues pre-covid. Covid makes getting sustained help very difficult. We’re now in tier 4. So it does feel like we keep getting slapped down every time I try to find something remotely fun or even normal. I hate being doom & gloom and KNOW it will absolutely get better. It’s just so very hard keeping it together.

We have a delay in school going back in January as well, but those sitting mocks (both A levels and GCSE) are still going in. I'm quite surprised with that, but glad in one sense as they've had enough of a delay in their education as it is.

It's also frustrating that Wales and Scotland are basing grades on school work and not exams, yet England are plowing on with exams. DS has done so much work, including in lockdown, he thinks he'd get the grades based on his efforts.

Sorry, we are in T3. I also have a child sitting GCSEs.

@ComplexNeeds I’m so sorry it must be awful and so hard. I’ve seen ds turn from a happy bouncy teen into someone quite down and withdrawn so can’t imagine how hard it is for your dd.

@AdditionalCharacter we’ve had gcse mocks before we broke up but A levels due to start on 6 jan. We had been told yr 11 & 13 would be definitely back on 4th but then we went into tier 3 closely followed by tier 4 so it’s anyone’s guess. Driving test rebooked for 12th Jan but we’ll have to wait and see as they’re not happening in T4 😒