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

[MillicentMartha]

New thread for us. Interesting times.

Old thread here

Ah that makes sense - big lectures online, some smaller labs, classes etc might be ok

I think ds would be very happy if he thought he could actually go to uni, do big lectures on line and have small group tutorials. He's prepared for an on line start and can't defer like Millicent's ds as he is a Maths student so actually 'going' and settling in would be a bonus.

That would make sense. Dd2 is doing languages which would be better with face to face for speaking bits at least.
She’s firmed Edinburgh too @ClerkMaxwell

Ooh more potential Edinburgh students ! @TheDrsDocMartens and @ClerkMaxwell . Dd too. She has submitted accommodation preferences and had SF letter today.

DS was planning on a year out to compete at his sport & travel but injury and virus means both are highly unlikely, so decided better to go to uni as it’s a 4 year course and he wants to do a 1 year masters after, so best to get started and plan a year out when he finishes.

His preferred unis reissued offers for 2020 start.

Dd has firmed Exeter and has received a questionnaire about whether she would prefer online lessons starting in September or a later start in October, November or even possibly next year.
So seems like they're trying to get a feel of what the students want before making a decision.

What does she think Snozzle?

Yes, it’s just lectures online, which is fine by me. A bit of a shame for DS to miss out on that at the start of his 3 years, but hopefully the accommodation will be fine which is the big bonus of moving away from home. If they started later, but with a more normal experience, that might have been better, but again, for maths they need to keep their skills up and DS isn’t self motivated enough to do it voluntarily.

This is all assuming he’ll get in!

Seems like a sensible approach by Exeter..

She said she would prefer a later start rather than online. But she's not going to defer for a year.
It's a science subject so she's going to have to spend some time in labs so not sure that'll work.

Snozzlemaid, hopefully labs would be ok if they are smallish groups.

How is everyone doing? Three months until results day!

Exams would have started this week for DS. We should have been posting about exam nerves, difficult exams, errors in exam papers, someone accidentally taking their phone in, looking on the Student Room for unofficial mark schemes etc! Instead, just more of the same, stuck indoors with the occasional walk. I hope all your DC are coping with it all.

Well, we're having problems, one minute one teacher wants x work, then they don't , then they do. Another teacher gives a date for the work then yet another teacher changes that date only for original teacher to ask for the work on the original date!
DS preferred option in all this is to sleep and then go on about how he knows he hasn't got a hope in hell of getting the grades...

DS has had a bit of computer science to finish off, but both maths and FM were finished by the 20th March. He hasn’t heard from his maths teachers at all. Is your DS at a private school, Light? I wonder why the need for more work? Surely they’d have been on study leave by now?

Dds first exam would have been next Monday...she's finished the course she was doing and now learning Spanish... Teacher seems to have now got a good grasp of setting appropriate Uni style work and the alumni mentor seems good too giving the girls hints and tips etc.

Dds going to meet a friend on Sunday....nice that they can get out. She's also made a list of London clubs she wants to visit when life gets back to normal.. Something to look forward too!

I'm really bored working from home and would like to get back out but unfortunately with my role you can't social distance so probably stuck at home for a few more months.

I’m trying to encourage DS to meet his best friend in the park at 2m but they seem happy to converse online.

I’ve been home since 23rd March from my job in a secondary school. Might go back before the summer? Who knows?

I've been wfh since 21st Marchn each day now blends into the next. DD meeting friend for walk around the lake..

Dds school ready to go back now.. They just want the thumbs up..

Results day is 6 July here (IB) for DS. He would have been 2/3 through his exams by now.

Has anyone applied for a course on Extra? DS received a late rejection from Durham and is thinking of applying for a different course via Extra. Would welcome any feedback re whether DCs had success getting an offer this route.

In school yesterday, planting out the sunflower seedlings my Year 6 planted on Friday 20th March! Hopefully they will be growing well when my class comes back.

We are meant to be having 15 11 year olds in each class room, but I spent the morning faffing about with desks and metre sticks and there's no way I can get them 2 metres apart.

DS is disconsolate, though cheered up a bit when he spotted next Wednesday in the diary with its THREE exams written in.

DS is doing 'assessments' this week (last one next Monday) and then that's it for good. He's been lucky to have the 'on line school' for a few weeks to give some structure and transition and the aim was to ensure they all finished the syllabus and consolidated their knowledge with some final assessments. But it is hard work and he's desperate to finish now and move on.

He has some things planned for the next few weeks, none of which involve leaving his room - lots of chilling, on line courses, gaming and uni prep. It will be interesting to see how he feels and how he reacts when its finally done on Monday. I wouldn't be surprised if there is some form of reaction.

Best wishes to all for the continued waiting!!

@truelove I wish our results were 6th July! I don’t have experience of Extra, but your DS sounds like a strong candidate, why not give it a whirl. There will be places available in pretty much all universities, I’d imagine unless it’s a very niche subject.

It’ll be busy here in August, I guess, but not much to say otherwise. I am hoping @FabTab ‘s DS has had some more offers from his unis. Really unfortunate to be a private candidate this year.

Thanks @MillicentMartha. He’d applied for Physics but is thinking of applying for Natural Sciences through Extra if he can. Having looked at the NS course, it could possibly have suited him better from the outset anyway but hindsight is a wonderful thing

Millicent - yes private. It's all related to NEA's and EPQ, but as I say the dates keep moving around. Study leave would have started 22nd so that's when they finish.
Probably want to make sure they've got evidence as Year 13 hasn't been particularly productive from DS shall we say!

@Kingscotestaff.. Interesting about the social distancing in schools.. a friend posted about this.. She got the impression that it wasn't so important about the children distancing themselves from each other but more important that the teacher could distance themselves from the children. I guess the guidance is that everyone needs to be 2 metres apart though.

Thanks for your best wishes @MillicentMartha
Unfortunately DS has decided not to go to university even though three of his offers are now unconditional. He wanted to take FMaths to prove to himself he was good enough (he had years of being treated as though every time he did well in a Maths test it was a fluke). Without the proof of being tested in an exam he doesn’t want to go.
He’s now looking for a job but there’s nothing suitable at the moment.
Although it’s very disappointing I’m not sure a Maths degree was the right thing for him. He enjoyed doing well at Maths rather than Maths itself.
With hindsight I wish he’d got a job last year when there were a lot more opportunities.
Anyway good luck to all your DCs, I hope they get, what turn out to be, the best outcomes.