UCAS 2024 Entry Thread

[VerbenaGirl]

I searched and couldn’t spot a thread about this in general (just early entry). How’s everyone getting on now that the Open Days are nearly done and dusted and it’s time to start making some decisions? Any unis really standing out for your DC? How have they found the open days?

DD is really struggling with where to go and what to do! She's doing an unusual combination of A levels and can't decide! Currently, Sheffield and Sussex are the favourites

@Tortiemiaw It's such a big decision isn’t it? I think if they don’t have a clear pathway because of wanting to go into a particular career then they have to go for the thing that really sparks their interest and they think they’ll enjoy the most - as they’ll get the best degree from that. I thought my DD would love Sussex, but she just didn’t feel the vibe - which was a shame. It was the only open day that DH took her to rather than me and he really liked it (hope it wasn’t that that put her off 😂) Her favourites are Reading and Kent.

My dd has applied early entry but only has three on her form (Cambridge, Durham and Bath) for variations on Sociology. So still looking for two more. She didn't like Bristol, nor Exeter (surprising - I thought she would) after Open Days. Has three A star grades in hand, would like to keep it about three hours from London (I know Durham isn't). I like the look of Surrey. Much lower entrance requirement but very high student satisfaction for the course and graduates do well. She did not like the (only from websites) Loughborough or Warwick. Not interested in London as we live there. She'd prefer campus and she's a non drinker.
I think if she got a Bath offer she wouldn't add another but looking at last year's TSR thread they don't start to make offers til November - guess there's still time after that to add.
She abruptly changed her course after results so had to start looking afresh. We had done several open days last year for her other degree interest. I'm fed up with open days to be honest, but they are invaluable. We visited one not on an open day but as it was mid summer couldn't get the vibe at all and our guide didn't know anything about her degree, even though they had asked in advance.

My daughter wants to go to Greenwich but is also looking at Kent next month.
She wants to stay home and commute which is possible for both

DS went to Exeter and found it very difficult. It's a long, long way from home for us, and the subject was very intense. He left after a year and transferred to UEA, which he absolutely loved!

@mondaytosunday Has your DD looked at Southampton ? Close enough to London to tick that box for you and ABB for sociology. (I doubt she will need that level of back up with three A stars achieved). Best of luck to her.

@Tortiemiaw What subject did your DC study at Exeter ? Was it the subject or the environment he found intense ? Good to hear UEA is a success - being happy where you live and study is so important.

My DS is an early entrant too.

He put his application in about 3 weeks ago and has 2 offers already. He firmly wants to live in London if he doesn't succeed with his Oxford application although one of his offers is Royal Holloway which is not in central london and he did quite like that.

Good luck to everyone making applications and final decisions now.

He was studying Physics (being about as scientific as a speck of dust, I was completely baffled in the first place!) He liked the place on the whole but found the subject a lot harder than he'd expected and it didn't, he said, cover the aspects of Physics he was most interested in. Also, the distance was a barrier we hadn't expected.
Yes, UEA was a massive success for him. He left a year ago and is now working in a completely non science related field!

Mine’s early entry. Just glad the whole thing is off to be honest.
Have done half a dozen open days in June/July and September. Last one is Glasgow this Saturday.
DD applying for Law which I studied 30 years ago.
She wants city not campus and not northern (we are northern)
What we visited in case it helps anyone.
Queens Belfast - both very impressed it’s made list. Only AAA and no lnat. Accommodation cheap and all first years together in the elms. Russell Group. Paid DD £100 for going to open day from GB.
Queen Mary London - went with her dad and hated it. Didn’t like area it was in either.
Lancaster - I made her go to see a campus and a lower grade accepting uni think it’s AAB. Campus and too much like home so not for her. I admit I was underwhelmed by law talk but seems to have good reputation generally - them saying contract law exam was multiple choice and a few other things put me off.
Kings London - made list. Both really liked it but I’m worried re eye watering accommodation costs.
Liverpool - she went with school and disliked it.
UCL - both liked but preferred Kings so didn’t make list.
Durham - liked course reservations re small city and private school heavy - was very in your face on day compared to other open days. Has made list as we both were impressed with law course.
Oxford and Cambridge. She went in school trips - really liked both applied to Oxford.
Leicester - nice but my DD didn’t like it.
Glasgow - this Saturday..

Feel like we have been to loads! We have certainly been up and down the country a lot. DS is in Y2 in Scotland which is a very long way from us, DD wants to be closer.

DD after thinking she wants city, actually wants campus. And after thinking she wants a big vibrant cosmopolitan city is I think a bit scared of that.

We have been to:
Royal Holloway - visceral hatred

UEA - didn’t like but was empty when we went (not an Open Day as such)

Sheffield - she was meh but DH & I loved. Subject talk was amazing and got a really supportive vibe from them. Accommodation being a bit away put her off and solidified she wants campus.

Birmingham - gorgeous campus, subject talk the least good of all we went to. Will probably make the cut. Course is excellent.

Nottingham - current favourite. Talk outstanding, faculty and all staff super welcoming. DD felt “at home and comfortable”. Course OK. Accommodation a bit tired but not a problem.

Lancaster - will probably pick as insurance. Too far away but everything else spot on. Love the collegiate thing and the small city felt very safe.

Exeter - will probably make the cut. High proportion of one type of student ie not very multicultural or diverse. Course good. Campus and city good. Weird offer system.

We didn’t visit Loughborough, Reading, Cardiff and Southampton as we all ran out of steam!

@ReassessedTwice I laughed aloud at the "visceral hatred". It is such a great expression for the way we all react to certain universities. Often for not very good reasons 😀

We went to open days last year as he wanted to go early. He had a list from one of my colleagues who works in his subject area on where was best.

Went to York first and he absolutely loved it - both the campus and the Department - decided he wanted to go there to do integrated masters on the day and hasn't changed his mind since.

Really liked Aber and Leeds also so that's the insurance sorted! Didn't like Manchester and not interested in looking at London universities or Oxbridge, or Durham where I work.

So quite easy decision really - not even interested in using his 5 options!

Absolutely. DD’s reason? Apparently “it was giving posh mean girl vibes”

I was there with her all day and have absolutely no idea where she got this idea. 🙄

DD is looking to study Accountancy. Definitely campus and not too far from home (2 hours ish).

She really liked Reading and Kent.
She really disliked Surrey and Sussex.
She quite liked UEA - but the issues around RAAC in a chunk of their accommodation has concerned her, although I read that they have worked around this by funding some private purpose built accommodation in the city and also providing a bike grant or free bus pass (but kind of defeats the campus objective for her).
She thought Essex and Hertfordshire were okay.
I went to Lancaster about 100 years ago and loved it - but it was too far away for her to even entertain a visit. (I wanted the distance for me back then, but kind of glad she doesn’t feel the need for that).

Open days totally consumed our weekends for a fair while - but I did really enjoy that time together.

A lot of her friends were early entry and offers have started coming in for them.

Why didn't she like Surrey?

DS liked Nottingham and loved Leicester. Has just applied to them both, together with Birmingham, Newcastle and Swansea. Haven’t visited those three yet - DS got fed up of open days and decided to wait for offer holder days. Application sent to UCAS on Friday. Studying Modern Languages with Business.