University 2020 :4: The wait for grades and better days ahead

[MillicentMartha]

New thread for us. Interesting times.

Old thread here

DD has firmed UCL and insured Exeter. College have given her some work to do and is having a little break until Monday. She has taken some overtime at the naice supermarket she works in

DD's job has also disappeared.
No sign of work or lessons from school - they've basically said try to get a start on reading for degree subject.
I suppose they're concentrating on the other year groups who they'll still have to teach next year.

She has offered to look after her cousins 3 days a week as dbil and dsil are both key workers but places at their school are limited.
That should keep her busy at least.

I'll be back at school teaching key workers children next week - it looks like almost half our children will still be attending. Not sure how that will help with distancing, particularly as we are already down to 60% staff just by removing the vulnerable ones - that's before we all start getting ill.

It's difficult in terms of schools I think some parents are not doing what was asked when one of the parents is home based and could look after their DC and are still using the key workers option.

I don't think there will be many Dc in Dds school although a few are doctors etc... Only 50% of the Girls were in on Friday and the remote schooling will help occupy them next term.

Oddly enough the only lesson that is compulsory for Dd next week is REMOTE PE and the girls have to sign in!

DS is at his dad’s this weekend so I’m not sure what work his school have set or even whether they will. He’s finished pretty much all his courses bar some normal maths and he has his CS project to hand in/submit online.

He needs AAA or AAB. He’s doing maths, FM and CS. His latest report (2 weeks ago) had him on AAB but his mocks were A*CA. He dropped the EPQ to concentrate on STEP (maths exam) which would have given him one grade flexibility but I guess he won’t be able to take it, and no idea if they will be able to predict that!

I’m trying to be upbeat with him. His school are not offering any extra last minute tests/mocks to try to provide evidence of their grade as apparently some schools are, so it’s now out if his hands. He’ll need to do some maths regularly to keep his hand in, so past papers and STEP preparation will go ahead anyway.

Settling in to the ‘new normal’ will take a bit of time. I can imagine this thread might go a bit quiet as nothing much will happen between now and end of July. Hopefully everyone will stay safe and not go too stir crazy. I’m still at work, support staff in a secondary. There will be a few key workers’ children in, we’ll know numbers on Monday, so not sure how often we’ll need to be in. School have hinted that as we are being paid, we should still come in. Not sure what I think about that. I’d be happy to go on a rota, to cover term time and school holidays as well as necessary. But with only a handful of children, staff may well be outnumbering them!

Dd has had her student finance agreed online but it says they're waiting for her bank account details.
She's not added that yet as she's planning to get a student account. But should she add her usual bank account details now and can it be changed once she has her student one set up?
Or is it best to wait?

@Snozzlemaid.. I read on the Facebook forum that you can update these details later..
Dd put her current details in...

Thanks. I'll think that's what I'll get her to do.

DS just put his current account details.
When he gets a student account he'll amend the bank details via the website.

Yes, DD1 used current account to set it up then updated once she had her student account.
They can't get a student account without a reference number which they only get after results day I think.

dd is feeling really unsettled by it all.
She's also tossing and turning between what to put for her insurance.
She knows her 1st choice but had an interview on 11th at her 2nd choice. She'd had a letter in the post congratulating her on her interview (quite personal - referred to something specific to her, so seemingly not an automated response) and saying they will be making her an offer but UCAS still not updated.
She thinks they will probably offer the same grade as her first choice, which, in normal circumstances would mean she would probably put her 3rd choice as her insurance, but is wondering if the whole strangeness of this year means it is worth it ???
So difficult for them all.

Checking in. Not much to add tonight.

Checking in.

DS1 has firmed Oxford (A star x 2 plus A). He's insured with Durham A star A A. He's been flying with History so feeling cautiously optimistic that he'll meet his Durham offer as that 'only' requires an A star in any of his 4 subjects.

Oxford requires 2 x A star in Chemistry, Physics or Maths. DS1 has had a supportive 'don't fret' email from his tutor but I expect we'll hear more tomorrow. He's working hard still and submitting stuff to school. He's sad Oxfam has shut as he loves his volunteering job there. He's also sad that the children he has been tutoring for GCSE not get a chance to sit their exams, although both had really positive feedback at their last parents' evening so hopefully their teachers will have clicked their progress.

I work for a major food retailer so I've had a crazy week as we struggle to fulfil demand and put in measures to support the vulnerable and key workers (not just NHS). If you go shopping this weekend please go out of your way to be supportive to our staff. They are really struggling and a friendly smile and thank you goes a long way.

Happy Mothers Day everyone.. Xx

@KingscoteStaff - all the questions you asked above are the ones going around in my head too. No idea how the unis will sort out over offering, drop in overseas highly lucrative students, deferrals etc. It will have a knock on effect in next year too.

Thankyou oneteen, and to you.
Haven't seen my offspring yet 😆

My boys are still at their father’s. (Nothing ‘dear’ about him!) But I’ll see them later.

Happy Mother's Day all. I didn't have any expectations about today as we've all been in quarantine for the last week, and still a week to go.
But my girls organised afternoon tea to be delivered from a local hotel which was a wonderful surprise.

DD2 is very unwell now though, far worse than I was at the peak of my symptoms.
Hoping she starts to come out the other side soon . So frustrating that we have no way of knowing if this it "it" or just some other virus.

Can someone tell me about over offering? I've seen it mentioned on here but nowhere else.

Well StSaul, most applicants make 5 choices on ucas so altho individual Uni's don't know the other 4 the applicant has selected they know that on average they might get 20% of the applicants who have chosen them.
Then there is the 'not meeting the offer situation'. This happens when results come thro. Unis see the grades before applicants do. So they can accept everyone who has achieved their offer and concede to applicants who have fallen short. The unis will do this in the few days leading up to results day so that the confirmations or rejections are on the system on results day.
Where not enough people achieve their offer grades or the concession given by the uni the spare places go into clearing.

So to cover these eventualities unis make more offers than the number of students they can take. 80% - as I understand it from a mumsnetter- of final applicant grades fall short of their predicted grades. For very popular courses such as medicine where concessions might not be necessary as most offers are met this will be tricky for this year. Hope this helps

Should have also said- if the course is very competitive then unis are banking on some applicants not getting their predicted grade (they will have their own stats to estimate this from previous experience) So they will make 110 offers for 100 places say. This year there's no exam to weed out the ones who don't get their predictions so more students than places now.

@HesMyLobster... Hope your Dds health improves.

The issue with some of the top unis is that they over offer, knowing they won't make any allowance for dropped grades. So they might offer 30 places on a course, but only have 15 places, if, typically, half their candidates don't get the predicted As. But if everyone gets their predicted grades then the high-offer unis will have too many candidates and those candidates will form the offers because these are their first choices. Just my guess, but I think it'll be more a problem with the AA*A places than the ABBs or those who are happy to accept dropped grades.

What will the effect of over offering be if the amount of foreign students is down this autumn? Might it cancel out?

Good thinking Kingscote

Optimistic thinking...