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.

SOAS has been on the brink for a long time though. Hopefully it will be taken in by UCL or Kings

I had a well thumbed through 'UCCA' book as well.....and a 'PCAS' one .

I applied through PCAS as well as UCCA, my just in case insurance of Portsmouth Poly. And I certainly didn’t lose much sleep over my personal statement! No open days, applied after looking through the book that gave probable offer grades and some prospectuses at school and went for interviews with nary a parent in sight. Ah, what with ‘Grub on a Grant,’ housing benefit for students and even ‘sup ben’ in the summer holidays this has proved a nostalgic few pages. Those were the days...

Hilarious, it was so different then. Yes rattling off my personal statement. I’m not sure really anyone looked at it. Much less stress those days

My accommodation was £30 a week and I got £7 in housing benefit. At the end of 1st term, 2 housemates disappeared leaving 2 of us with all the electricity & gas bills. Naturally, we legged it as well and didn't return after Christmas. I got a fantastic place as a lodger with a single dad massive cosy room @£28 a week including all bills and 3 cooked meals . Sorry I just had to share .

@errorofjudgement Exeter is beautiful, isn't it? Both campuses.

@Monkey2001 - We've done that for several years - everyone has to cook one meal a week for the family. My older two have been pretty flabbergasted at the lack of knowledge of some of their flatmates / housemates during their times at University. One of dd1's flatmates in first year only ever ate ready meals. EVERY DAY.

Was just thinking about prescription charges, I assumed university/higher education students would get free meds

No they don't. Nor dental check ups. Nor eyes.
Once they leave school they have to pay.

I've heard there are a considerable number of Universities in serious financial trouble too. Of course no-one is going to share which as it will be self fulfilling with students then avoiding them 'in case' they go under, which will obviously seal their fate and they then will go under.

My rent was £100 a week. And I got £110 a week in housing benefit. No wonder I came out of Uni with cash. What with a grant and a job.

Sorry a month !!! Was the 80s

Student finance is madly different! My mum set up a covenant - meaning she could claim tax back on the money she gave us, then it turned out that because 2 of us were at university at the same time we got most of a grant too. And no fees, smaller classes, sigh......

Ds has to pick his accommodation this weekend. He would like a 12 bed town house on campus. He has a nut allergy, is ok with being around nuts but just can't eat them and carries an epipen. He is highly sociable but a bit scatty. I was wondering if 12 people in a kitchen was a good idea or should he go for a 6 bed flat instead which isn't really what he wants but possibly tidier? I guess you could get issues with both, I just have images of peanut butter smeared on work surfaces while he makes his sandwiches! Trying not to interfere with his choices but his allergy is always lurking at the back of my mind

@specialted that must be such a worry, what do people with severe allergies do?

As far as socially, the 12 person house sounds much better, much more likely to find people he clicks with. But I can see your point re tidiness. More people may also mean more likelihood of some being slobs in the kitchen. I think you have to let him choose, though. Explain your concerns so he has both sides to consider. Where is he going?

He's going to Lancaster. The townhouses are very sociable but the kitchens are never cleaned apparently! But you could get five really messy people in a flat of six. I think I'll let him decide, he'll just have to let people know when he arrives that he has an allergy. I'm sure he's not the only person with one

@specialted - shame they can't cluster nut allergy sufferers together - at least they'd all be equally careful!

From DS1's experience, I'd say he should get some dishwashable chopping boards and only use those for preparing his food on, and store them in his cupboard. DS was appalled by food hygiene standards in his 10 person kitchen .

@MillicentMartha

Only around 25k fewer 18 year olds than last year in UK, and only probably 10k of them would have gone to uni, so it’s more loss of international students and deferrals.

Ah!

[quote hobbema]@TheDrsDocMartens, the 65,000 have already applied and have offers waiting to be confirmed/rejected ...[/quote]
I get it now!

Divoc that's helpful thank you, will definitely get his own chopping boards etc

specialted my DD also has an unconditional offer at Lancaster and has requested townhouse accommodation. She is coeliac so will be keeping chopping boards separate and taking her own toaster!
I think even 12 tidy people can create mess but we were all really impressed with the townhouses. Maybe our DC will end up sharing!

I am wondering is we will see a lot of offers going unconditional over the next couple of weeks.

Or, unis will just accept students on lower grades on results day, which would be less 'visible' than a flood of unconditional offers now?

@Monkey2001

I am wondering is we will see a lot of offers going unconditional over the next couple of weeks.

I think universities have been instructed not to do this?

😊@specialted. Glad all going well.
Very much doubt Unis will give unconditional but agree that they are likely to accept lower grades than normal. In fact I am hoping they might take almost all of them as no international students. Wishful thinking as mine has vet place so needs those grades.

Sorry, they all need those grades ! Just usually bets don't let them drop much

@Railingsohno they put a hold on offers being changed to unconditional at the beginning of lockdown (can't remember the dates sorry) and then later lifted this when they had announced the arrangements for grading etc. As I say, can't remember the exact dates, just remember reading it!

@Railingsohno I think they were told not to bribe students with unconditional offers, but now they have all had to choose or lose their offers, it would not be so devisive.