Another path to greatness - part III

[chopc]

Here is the new thread

@Millylovespuddles Fantastic news for your dd!

DS finishes 21st of May but there is promise of extra optional courses, possibly cooking, personal finance, that sort of thing. Hopefully ds will take up some of these. I have also just booked his driving theory test for June so he will have that to prepare for.

DH and I took DS to look at Bristol and Exeter in October. When we finished DH said that Bristol was his favourite 'by far' but DS preferred the look and feel of Exeter. Unfortunately due to the grade offers he will put Bristol second after Durham even though he says he doesn't want to go there. But his Durham grades seem achievable so hopefully it won't matter .

I think I may have drunk too much wine, but I'm sitting here chuckling at your wonderful turn of phrase @Millylovespuddles. I just love the concept of an "O-no".

Heartiest congrats to your DD on her medicine offer.

Dc finishes 28th May
We were hoping that there would be a chance to go on real life tour of Durham but dc received email saying they would be virtual. We are planning on going for a quick visit and walk around ourselves when allowed to stay overnight. We visited the city briefly sometime ago ( before dc was in 6th form ) but it would be good to get a proper look at it particularly now that dc has college allocation

DS finishes 9th June (study timetable prior to this date) - final exam/assessment for all at his school (or whatever they are called this year!) is 10th June.

DS school similar to Vargas DS school.

As far as I know only Pre U have stated they would like school to use at least one of their full papers/ past papers

Hi everyone. DS’ school also finishing before the May half-term. He’s done the first round of exams (1 per A-level). These were 1 hour papers (except it was actually 2x1 hr papers for the MFL as one was on the film and one on the play they have studied). So now they have a 2-week exam period from 20th April, during which time they only go in when they have an exam. These will be longer papers, but I think more like 1.5-2 hours. Then there is a “week of reflection” (not sure what this means)? Then final round of 1 hr exams mid-May. DS also did an NEA for one subject which is usually worth 20% of the grade, but not sure how much weight they will give NEAs this year.

My other one who is doing GCSEs (different school) basically has exams throughout the next half term and finishes school in mid-June.

Of course no reduction in fees!

Also, we still haven’t heard from LSE and it seems quite a lot still haven’t in most subjects.

What they have done now, is they are effectively closed all next week in the sense they’re not issuing decisions. They haven’t bothered to send an email about this to student though - I only found this out via looking at TSR. So probably loads of students will have no idea and will be waiting day by day next week - as they have been since late Jan. Is it just me, or is this very poor form? Particularly as they’ve already extended their decisions deadline. If this admissions process is reflective of the uni as a whole, I can see why they are reported as having low student satisfaction.

When DS sent off his UCAS to them in late Sept, I must say I didn’t think we’d still be waiting in April!

Yeah not what to make of LSE quest10n

Sorry for the essay but, to contrast LSE to Bath. DS had a student from the course he’s applied to at Bath ring him to have a chat and see if he has any questions. They have sent regular emails over the last few months to the effect of “hope you’re doing ok in these unprecedented times.” There have been quite a few online things. They have also been in touch to say they will shortly be running socially-distanced tours (DS just told me this, so not sure when). So far, the whole experience with that uni is totally different to others. I realise it’s marketing, but still.. it seems to be paying off as they’re in the top 10 U.K. unis on most rankings these days, despite being non-RG.

Anyone been to Bath (town or campus)?

Meant to write not sure what to make of LSE. In one way they were being fair in not sending out any offers before the deadline. However it has been over 2 months since. And going by the reported rejections on TSR not sure what's going on.

My friend's DS had his heart set on LSE but his school wouldn't give him the predictions he needed. They called up LSE admissions who said to apply anyway. His course is non competitive at LSE. After waiting all this time he was rejected saying whilst they think he will meet the required grades they are rejecting due to his predictions! In my mind they knew this even before he applied!

Even UCL have had various offer-holder online tours, Q&A sessions, plus a trivia quiz for Geography offer-holders the other week. LSE can’t even manage to send a circular out to say they are closed for the week, so please don’t expect to hear.

chop - yes, I agree it was fairer that LSE waited to the applications deadline before issuing any offers. At least they’ve avoided the trap that UCL and Durham fell into. However, what is also clear is that LSE have been steadily rejecting people since November, so must have them more or less whittled down by now, especially for the smaller subjects.

Well, I am not too bothered that they don't give offers out next week, it would only have been Tuesday-Friday, and I know dc1's uni is "closed" next week as well. I am more worried about this "majority" will be out by 15 or 16th April. Strictly speaking that could mean 51%....

Aren’t they saying, “We aim to make the majority of decisions by 16th April...”

So that could mean another extension then.

@chopc that's awful! Poor kid...

@quest1on the reason why LSE has the low student satisfaction score is that it was the first of the unis where the students themselves decided this was a daft way of ranking and actively get people to wither not answer or score low.

I suspect very much the person in admissions who said to apply anyway with lower predictionw was an administrator rather than a decision maker as it would be extremely unlikely that they would get through to someone in that position.

@chopc

Meant to write not sure what to make of LSE. In one way they were being fair in not sending out any offers before the deadline. However it has been over 2 months since. And going by the reported rejections on TSR not sure what's going on.

My friend's DS had his heart set on LSE but his school wouldn't give him the predictions he needed. They called up LSE admissions who said to apply anyway. His course is non competitive at LSE. After waiting all this time he was rejected saying whilst they think he will meet the required grades they are rejecting due to his predictions! In my mind they knew this even before he applied!

That’s awful and makes no sense! If they thought he would make the grades then why not give him a bloody offer?

Exactly @bendmeoverbackwards

So @SeasonFinale does it then follow there is no point calling ANY university regarding their admissions criteria because as you correctly pointed out, you will get through to an administrator and not someone responsible for making admission decisions?

@SeasonFinale thank you for the info on Bristol, it sounds like that’s what dd is looking for.

She’s kicking herself for not applying there in the first place, more stress. However she will phone admissions again on Tuesday morning and ask more specific questions about the possibility of an offer.

@chopc

Exactly *@bendmeoverbackwards*

So @SeasonFinale does it then follow there is no point calling ANY university regarding their admissions criteria because as you correctly pointed out, you will get through to an administrator and not someone responsible for making admission decisions?

Not at all. It just seems that they got bad advice in one particular incidence or they misunderstood what was being said.

The published criteria are always what you should go by. Perhaps the person who was enquiring was saying but I see you have taken people with lower grades before in which case they may have said it is up.to you if you wish to apply then.

There is a difference between someone missing their grades perhaps because of bad exam questions or issues on the day and someone applying where their teachers are already predicting that they won't meet those grades.

Sorry, I came back in ranting about LSE, but meant to say congrats to Milly’s DD! Medicine is a nightmare this year. DS has a good friend who got no offers at all. (Three A* predictions, all 9s/8s from an underperforming state school etc etc). She is now having to take a gap year.

Bend - I’m sorry your DD wasn’t overly taken with Exeter. To be absolutely honest, DS was the same, but I thought maybe it was because the campus was totally empty when we visited. He didn’t apply in the end. I’m sure it’s great in many ways, but that was how he felt. I hope you get somewhere with Bristol. Otherwise, you know, gap years can be very useful too. Especially if she wants to change course anyway?

Milly, congratulations to your daughter! It sounds like it's been even more brutal than usual for medics this year (we know of a couple of very able students without any offers) so that's a brilliant outcome.

I'm wishing DT1 had applied to Bristol now, too - it's a long way away and a bit of a faff to get to for us (though obviously not that much harder than Oxford) and I don't think either of the boys really considered it. I didn't realise the university was based in Clifton and was so attractive.

I understand where your daughter's coming from, bend - there is something special about being surrounded by lovely buildings and a more characterful environment.

That's why I was so gutted when DT1 was rejected by Durham, along with the fact that I think he would have thrived in a collegiate system.

Fortunately he doesn't seem to attach the same value to the aesthetics of his surroundings - probably takes it for granted as our town is quite pretty - and really liked the look of Leeds when we visited a few days ago. He's been to the city centre plenty of times before as it's only about an hour and a half from us, but not to the campus (pretty much in the centre) or to Headingley, the main studenty suburb, which was looking very attractive in the sunshine, and was bustling and full of young people.

Leeds isn't my favourite city but the English course sounds good, and DT1 hates the idea of a year out, so I'm thankful he's pleased with it.

I just wish we'd all put a lot more research into choices 3-5 as I know DT1 just didn't consider lots of places in much depth. And it's been so hard for them all without Open days etc.

Warwick contacted DT2 and it looks as if they are planning to do some 'real' open days, though we don't have dates yet. He still seems to be actively considering Warwick alongside Oxford. Whatever he decides, I really feel he needs to make the choice himself and own it, so we're leaving him to do a bit of thinking.

It is a relief to have all the decisions in, one way or the other, so am really feeling for all those still waiting to hear.

Hi, Exeter, Bristol and Bath are quite different. DS and I stayed overnight in Exeter, walked round the campus, drove to Bristol, did the same and onto Bath, before driving home. His preferences were Bristol, Exeter and Bath in that order, but this is individual. Bath is a proper campus (on a hill) and has a superb reputation for finding work for those opting for a year in industry. We got to meet the person in the economics faculty who was impressive but confirmed it was the wrong course for DS. DD applied blind so only saw Universities at interview. She loved Bristol...'Just like Islington'. But then she was looking for somewhere which was like London but not London. I think she would have liked the sports at Bath and indeed would have been fine at Exeter as well.

LSE are presumably being very careful. They won't know the extent to which social distancing will apply in the autumn and they are a small campus without much spare space. They will not want to go over numbers and normally do not enter clearing.

In terms of student satisfaction, it should be improving in that in recent years they have opened the student centre and the new Clare Market building. In DS's time the place was dominated by building work.

London Universities will always have a problem with student satisfaction. A friend of DS' described how very difficult it was during her first year away from home (Hong Kong) and in a different academic and social environment. She stayed on for a Masters and things did get better. However London can be difficult and 70% or more of students are from overseas.

That said, if DS is to be believed, it was a matter of real student pride that LSE consistently came bottom of student satisfaction surveys, and sucessive generatios conspired to keep it that way. They were encouraged by the Government a few years back having to U turn on proposals to rank Universities using measures including student satisfaction, as the LSE would then have had to be excluded from their gold standard.

Seriously though, LSE suits some students but not all. DS was fine as he was very focused on his subject, and met plenty of kindred spirits. However others regretted not accepting Warwick.

@bendmeoverbackwards
DD was at Bristol a while ago and the new library will be appreciated. The old one was often full apparently - with all sorts of students!

The facilities at Bristol are not that far away from each other. There are halls in Stoke Bishop, near the university in Clifton and in the city centre. DD always wanted a broader range of activities on hand so coffee shops, inexpensive restaurants, theatre and music venues were quite important to her. She did MFL and that was mostly ok. One or two bumps in the road - but with a 4 year course that’s inevitable. I think she found friends who were all intending to succeed at university and in life as well. They all had ambition. Her friends studied a variety of subjects but I think if you want a good start in your chosen career, Bristol is a good springboard.

I think their policy of having more students (Not limited to Bristol) has led to the need for more hand-holding and some students will mark universities down on student satisfaction if they feel they don’t get it. I think it’s a university where confident self-starters do well and enjoy it. Careers fairs were good and largely staff were helpful. DD isn’t sporty, but her friends that were had great facilities and good team experiences.

It’s not the cheapest place to live as a student but it has everything a student could want.

@LoonvanBoon my dd was also very keen on the collegiate system.

Glad you had a good visit to Leeds - round where we live, lots of our friends dc are at Leeds, it's a very popular choice. Must be a relief for you to know he's happy.

I know what you mean about not looking in more depth at choices 3-5. Back in September/October dd was so focussed on Oxford (and the decision to apply there and not to Cambridge) and she really liked Durham. I trusted that dd had done her research carefully and she had to a large extent, she has always been very independent. I'm now wondering whether I should have intervened a bit about her other choices.

It just seems like it's been months of let-downs - first Oxford, then Durham and now Exeter not living up to expectations. Bristol really does tick the boxes for dd but if she does this UCAS extra thing, it'll mean waiting on tenterhooks for goodness knows how long.

She really does want to go this year.