University 2020 :5: Results day approaching and beyond

[MillicentMartha]

Old thread
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3855474-University-2020-4-The-wait-for-grades-and-better-days-ahead?pg=40

Less than 3 months to go until we have a better idea what the future has in store for our DC. Let’s hope that even if most lectures are online that accommodation is open and they can move up, across or down to their university towns and start their student life.

We should have been in the middle of exams, instead we have this strange limbo of lockdown. It could have been worse, though.

Quick question, if ds misses his grades for History at York, can he apply to a different course at York in clearing?

Quick question, if ds misses his grades for History at York, can he apply to a different course at York in clearing?

Yes (assuming that York doesn't just let him in for History anyway). Biochemistry with History, French and Eng. Lit. as his A levels might be a bit of a non-starter, though...

The UCAS guidance explains how to apply for different courses.

LOL @MarchingFrogs he's DT, English, History and had an offer for another course as well as History so hopefully he'll be ok, thanks for the help

DS got his place in halls confirmed yesterday which was quite exciting.
And we also listened in together to a helpful webinar from the music department which helped answer some of our questions.
He's going to Trinity Laban in Greenwich, London to play trumpet for 4 years all being well (he needs two E's)
Feel very fortunate to be more sure of plans already this year with so much uncertainty around.
But at least in general plans seem to be coming together for an autumn start for them all - hopefully

I might kill DS2 soon. He has firmed a place at Durham (St Mary's) and insured York. Now he says he thinks he has made a mistake and would prefer York.
It hasn't helped that he was unable to attend his Durham college overnighter due to Covid and 3 of his friends are all going to York.
He also spent a week at York for a summer school in lower sixth and loved it.
Is he even allowed to swap?

Serin, I’m not sure at this stage. He’d need to phone UCAS to see if they’ll let him and Durham to ask to be released. It would be less stressful to do this now than on results day. For this year you can get released from your allocated uni on results day fairly easily but that wouldn’t necessarily get you a place at your insurance.

Serin, my DD made a similar decision about preferring her insurance over her first choice a few years ago.
She decided on results day though which made for an interesting day with lots of phone calls!
First she wanted to go into school to find out her A level results so she did that and found she was one lower than her insurance grades.
So we came home and checked emails and found that insurance choice were prepared to be generous and had offered her a place and she was off to Swansea. So some celebrations about that particularly as she'd just been there for a few days of summer school and loved it.
Then she checked through some more emails, and found she had one from her first choice, Sheffield, coming down from the AAB they'd offered to the BBC she got, also offering her a place.
She took some time to think about the pros and cons of each but decided she really wanted to go to Swansea - I think particularly having just been there meeting the lecturers and spending time in the department making hedgehog tunnels and other fun things.
So then she had to phone Swansea and check they'd have a place for her. Phone Sheffield and ask to be released (that bit was a little difficult to witness) So technically released into clearing after reassurance that Swansea would save/hold a place for her.
And then phoning Swansea again to firm all that up. They were great and confirmed there'd be accommodation in her original choice of halls as well.
She has loved it there and this year was able to add a year in industry year doing a project on rock pools!

Trinity Laban is fantastic! My dd went there for a drama course and we were wowed by the building and facilities. Well done him 👍 🎺

I'm also anxious about the awarded grades, we're all going to be nervous wrecks by the time results day rolls around! I'm sure that the teachers at D1's school will be scrupulously fair, in any case, only her English teacher knew she was applying for Oxford, AFAIK her other subject teachers don't know. And she never told school that I was diagnosed with breast cancer (even though I told her to!) so they won't be taking that into consideration.
I think I'll be feeling more nervous than if she'd actually sat the exams!

That's lovely to hear Newgirls
I love the gorgeous old buildings and the location just next to Greenwich Park and the Cutty Sark especially as I grew up in Blackheath and my parents still live fairly nearby in SE London
DS is excited especially about the move to London - he feels he's been out here in the stix long enough! And about taking his trumpet playing to new levels too - he's got an idea at the moment that he'd like to travel the world working on Cruse ships.
Which seems as good a plan as any!
Great to hear that your DD loved her time at Trinity Laban
Four years in London and Greenwich can't be bad I think!
And so nice to be beginning to look forward to things again now we're beginning to hear a bit more from the Universities about plans for the autumn term and beyond.

Where does your daughter want to go JulesJules? My son wants to go to Warwick to do Engineering

Thank you Millicent and Juggling.

@Lipsofchicken my DS left Warwick 2 years ago after finishing his MEng. He had a wonderful time and stayed in the area along with many of his friends.

JulesJules I can't imagine for a moment that my own DD has mentioned any medical concerns she might have had about me during Y12 and 13 either - possibly because I've been very blase, possibly because that's the way so many young people want it, not asking for any special treatment. Your DD will be in good comoany. I hope you're ok yourself.

But what does surprise me is that a couple of posters have mentioned that teachers are so little interested in their students' lives that they don't know where they're applying. DD4 is my eighth DC to go through the UCAS process in a reasonable sized sixth form and all of the DCs' subject teachers and Ho6 and HT and also other teachers who taught them earlier down the school have known where they applied. Good teachers just show that level of interest in all their charges, surely? I really find it astonishing that there are teachers about who have so little general interest in their students.

Sorry - company, not comoany :)

It surprised me too goodbye stranger. My DD is at a sixth form college hand I’m sure even there they would have some knowledge.

@JulesJules I hope you are better now. I did not realise that anybody was in that situation when I created a scenario of 3 equal but different candidates and ranking. I hope it did not upset you.

I saw a friend who is well connected in HE tonight and she said that the universities are expecting to be 20% down on applications for the current year, so there should be more leniency than there has ever been in the past if people do not get the offer grades.

I don't think it is lack of interest @goodbyestranger, more finite capacity of headspace.
I am genuinely interested in my friends dc, in my dcs' friends, nephews, nieces, godchildren etc., but I work, I am involved in lots of other things as well as family, and, although interested when I ask, I can't remember what subject each of them are doing, or hoping to do, and which university they are hoping to go to.
Teachers can teach hundreds of children every week. With the best will in the world, their headspace might be filled with their own dcs' worries, or elderly parents who need care or their own helath, or that little on in Yr7 whose Mum has just died, or that horror in Yr 10 whose parents have finally kicked him out, etc etc etc. Doesn't mean they don't care or aren't interested, we just all have a finite amount of headspace.

BackforGood I would expect an interest to generate headspace. As I say, all the staff teaching my DC knew what their plans were and other members of staff did too. I don't think the staff at our school are exceptional in having surplus headspace - no obvious reason why that would be the case in any event.

@goodbyestranger your family is not exactly typical! Would be surprising if staff did not know about them!

Not upset at all, @Monkey2001! I'm OK, thanks, still having treatment. D1 didn't want any special consideration from school, and she also felt diffident about telling her subject teachers she'd applied for Oxford. One of her English teachers knew because she was in charge of the ucas early entries.

I think I know the answer to this but wanted to double check with you gurus. Is there any way to defer a place in clearing?

Thanks!

@JulesJules surely her subject teachers would know because if the reference process ? They would know that she had early entry because the deadline would be different. All tutors at Ds school can see UCAS I think because they upload the references . I suspect they are aware but are respectful of your dds desire for privacy . Also surely they noticed she was out of school for interviews.

I am a bit worried about ds grades , his school have carried on teaching and uncharacteristically he has struggled to engage . We have argued and I have nagged, got him out of bed etc but he has just not engaged. I am worried that they will mark him down, even though he has worked consistently since year 7. But it’s done now 🙁

DD4 is my eighth DC to go through the UCAS process in a reasonable sized sixth form and all of the DCs' subject teachers and Ho6 and HT and also other teachers who taught them earlier down the school have known where they applied

At my DD's sixth form college you are lucky if your tutor even turns up for a lesson, let alone knows what uni you are applying to. Obviously all of your DC went to brilliant schools/6th forms, I believe they are/were all Oxbridge?

My DD's teacher's response when she said she'd try for Oxford was "Are you sure? That's not really for the likes of us".

All schools/teachers are not equal.