Another path to greatnesses

[chopc]

I woke up around 4:30 this morning and it hit me like a tonne of bricks. Couldn't get back to sleep so thought I will have a go and starting the new thread. Hope the title is not too cheesy

I don't know if this is a lightbulb moment - going to a particular university is not a ticket to a job is it? Whether you go to an Oxbridge university or Portsmouth (for arguments sake), you have to have character and ability and possibly relevant work experience etc in order to secure a job?

But is someone from Oxbridge or Russel Grouo more likely to secure an internship or training contract because of the character and ability of the individual rather than where they go to Uni?

Hope I have explained my question correctly

Yes it's good to hear of the offers being turned up and with today being deadline for UCAS for equal consideration applications then hopefully those still waiting will see offers coming through soon. Hopefully all positive news.

I am still not convinced the Testing will happen. Wales has cancelled theirs. I am not sure they will be able to go as far as saying the tests will form a certain percentage because my understanding was that it was to feed the TAG and give the teachers a more realistic view of grade capability. But it is still (as it stands) a finger in the wind. I totally agree and am mystified why a contingent plan wasn't even started (and consulted upon) immediately after last year's issues, even if it wasn't used now but in the future if there was ever another pandemic/event that necessitated cancellation of exams. But hey ho!

DYAC - firmed up not turned up!!

@quest1on . Glad you are feeling better and I echo your sentiments about our DC's mental health. My DS hates online school with a passion and finds his lessons boring. The difference in his demeanour when he was at school, full of life and now is very sad to see.

As for why I would prefer UCL - I may be biased as I graduated from there. But it is a bigger Uni with a campus feel (and yes I lived walking distance in all my years there but that was 20 years ago). LSE is a much smaller Uni, more international which would have its own drawbacks as well as positives and from what I hear, it does not have a campus feel at all. I may be wrong but to me UCL was THE college at the University of London (with Imperial close behind). I remember meeting LSE students at UCL events but don't remember attending any LSE events.

I appreciate my opinion may be outdated though and I know LSE is more highly ranked than UCL for many subjects at the moment

@ChimneyPot do any of the UK universities offer a year abroad? I know Durham offers a year in Boston College for History which DS might consider........

Thanks chop. Yes I was impressed by the UCL campus and so was DS (as we peered through the gates).

My only worry is could UCL feel too big? They offer literally every subject and combination of subject imaginable (which is what makes it such a great uni). But I was thinking maybe LSE might feel a bit more ‘containing’ if that makes sense because it’s smaller so maybe easier to spot familiar faces? Also, there’s so much overlap between courses as it’s all social sciences and they take modules from other disciplines. I’m thinking they could get to know people outside their course and / or accommodation because they might be in a lecture / seminar with people whose main degree is Anthropology, or History or whatever. I don’t know what to think..,

@ChimneyPot for your London DS, UCL will deffo not feel too big and in my opinion offers the community feel although not to the same level as a campus Uni outside London.

Because if it's big Campus all subjects are taught in the vicinity and as I mentioned it has a very active student Union with events. You will also meet others in Halls of Residence.

A third year LSE student has written on TSR describing his experience so that may be a place to ask for more details?

I think they have virtual open days online where you can get a feel for the place. I remember my DS doing one on accommodation at UCL

Due to the mixture of subjects offered you are bound to meet people on different courses in lectures.

Sorry Chimneypot I keep tagging you in the wrong thread and now wrong message. The previous message was for @quest1on .

Apologies. Will just stop tagging 🙈

Thanks chopc.

@BigWoollyJumpers, if your DD has access to a treadmill with a long, very steep incline setting, now would be the time to start using it. Exeter is a lovely place, but does go up and down a lot. Mainly up.
If you do get the chance to visit before September, I can recommend a guesthouse near St. David's Station (assuming that it will have survived the lockdown, of course).

@lockd0wn101 thank you so much! That is so useful. I'll discuss with DS and come back with any further questions if I may?

@ChimneyPot: I didn’t realise you were American. The costs facing us were massive. I know it’s different for usa citizens but we are uk citizens and nothing available in any meaningful way for us.

@chopc: of course jobs are available for non Oxbridge grads but fairly recent data from the Institute for Fiscal studies shows RG counts. They also looked at the best paying degrees after 5 years. Medics and economists. But not all economists. LSE leads the way with Wolverhampton bottom. So it does matter what you study and where you go. It’s true that not all degrees are equal.

However I don’t think anyone will be concerned about was it UCL or Warwick for history. Was it Bristol or Durham for MFL. Many larger employers are looking at what applicants can do. What “soft skills” do they have? What relevant work experience have they done? Can they shine at the selection tests? Do they speak coherently and communicate well? Have they bothered with a vac scheme or done something similar elsewhere? Are they going to be committed to the inevitable long hours? This sort of thing.

Employers know someone who went to a low Tariff university may not make it through early selection procedures. That tends to be why the brightest shine from RG.

@MarchingFrogs your advice to @BigWoollyJumpers re treadmill and hills at Exeter applies equally to all those DC considering Bath (I know from personal experience, more years ago than I care to admit!)

@BigWoollyJumpers well done to your DD!

Yes we too are hoping that with the UCAS deadline today UCL and Imperial will start sending out offers (or redirections!) soon - would just be good to know where we are/what DS has to choose from.

Have asked DS if we can have a chat at some point this weekend- really want to know where his head is at (doubtless in a much better place than mine!) - I am hoping that if he is genuinely excited about the prospect of one of the other Unis we can start moving on with some planning. He's very bad at planning and has been hard to pin down this week - lots of time spent gaming with friends which is absolutely fair enough for this week but I feel like I need more than a grabbed couple of minutes while he wolfs down some food!

I've felt worse the last couple of days as I feel like I've been an absolute naive idiot. DS changed his mind after a-level choices, was originally aiming for medicine then changed his mind to physics (and physical NatSci at Cambs). He'd chosen bio, maths, phys and chem. When we looked at the prospectus for Natsci, it said further maths was not essential but you would be more competitive with it. Not essential I guess because some schools don't offer it - but DS's does and I feel like I should have seen that in such a competitive environment he would need it, and - I don't know, spoken to the school about whether he could enrol late and catch up somehow?

I think it was always a niggle - I sent him a couple of 'teach yourself' links, but he and DH kept telling me 'not essential' and I didn't push it. Now I feel stupid. I'd love his feedback to arrive so we can see if that's what made the difference but that won't be til Easter. Worried that the lack of FM will cost him
Imperial and UCL as well (although he does have offers for Manchester and Bristol). I just feel like I've really really let him down with a lack of experience on how tough this process is.

Read a 62 page thread on TSR this afternoon on last years adjustment process- but there were no Natsci places in adjustment in 2020 and maybe there won't be this year either with the whole TAG thing. So that would be the last option gone.

I guess what I need to get to with DS is - does he want to take a year, do FM and practice lots for the NSAA and reapply grades in hand (with all
the risk of not getting an offer again) or is he happy with one of the other unis. He'll probably say he'd be happy with Imperial and we'll be no further forward

Sorry to vent. Any other dc considering reapplying? Not that mine is necessarily, I'm just musing and curious!

Hi just to let you know that after the 6pm deadline I have had some UCL and Durham science offers through and Edinburgh humanities offers so hopefully itbwont be too long a wait for people.

That's great news @SeasonFinale - fingers crossed!

Hi gang. Checking in after a few days away. Can’t catch up on everything that’s been said, though I’ve read it all. Pleased the argy-bargy has moved on.

I think like you @Pumpkintopf, I have been struggling with feeling naive and a bit guilty for encouraging DS through the process. And a bit humiliated for allowing myself to get carried away I guess.

The truth is, and I’m a little ashamed as well delighted to admit, that it’s me that’s been holding on a bit too long to feeling glum whilst DS seems totally over it and fine. I asked him yesterday if he regretted applying given the outcome and he said absolutely not.

He seems excited about Bristol and I hadn’t fully taken on board that at Bristol he will be doing 3 languages (rather than the 2 at Cambridge) including one from scratch, and he’s really pleased/excited about that.

So that’s where we are.

Ah @Tenpastseven that's really good that your DS is feeling positive about Bristol- I'm hoping my chat with DS will also prove reassuring.

It is difficult isn't it, such an intense process and we all put a lot into it.

DD is happy to have finally got an offer from Warwick, so is planning to accept that as firm with York as insurance.

@Pumpkintopf DH would like DD to reapply, but I'm not so sure. DD has asked for feedback (applied to O for English), so we will see what that says. I'm hoping that it will be specific, so DD can make an informed decision.

Does anyone have experience of feedback from O or C - was it helpful??

That's great news @pourmeanotherglass

@Stitchintimesaves9 we're the opposite I think, DH thinks DS should move on.

I have only seen people on TSR saying that their feedback was quite generic and I'm not sure we'll get eg their entrance test scores, so not sure how useful it will be - I hope I'm wrong as it really would be useful to know what aspects could have been been improved upon.

Evening all. DS is still fairly convinced Durham is his firm but I’m hoping he will change back to Bristol. I just feel Bristol will be a better fit for him and offer more of a rounded time than Durham.
He seems completely over his C redirection but I just worry that he is choosing Durham as a bit of a C ‘lite’ option.
Hey ho, he has time yet and I’ve asked he makes no final decision till he (hopefully) has chance to at least step foot in both places. Fingers crossed.
I really think he’d be bored in Durham for three years.
Ultimately if he does choose it, it is his choice but I am in a place where I think he’d be doing himself a disservice not going for the less parochial option.
Bloody kids eh.
Fully prepared to accept this is more my issue than his.

@Crikeyblimey funnily enough I've had the opposite reaction - DS didn't choose Durham as one of his options and following his redirection I was wishing he had as collegiate, felt a bit similar to Cambridge- but I recognise what you're saying, DS's only concern about C was that it was quite a small place really in terms of nightlife etc, so Bristol Manchester or (if he gets an offer) London might be exciting for him.

I wish ds could see that Durham is a really small place. I think he’d be far more suited to a bigger city.
Yes. I think Manchester Bristol London would be far better.
Ds didn’t apply to London (too expensive and he didn’t fancy it) or Manchester (too close to home) but I genuinely think Bristol is such a good fit for him.