University applications for September 2025 - let's go!

[hornetgirl]

Hello to all you on the forum.

Having gone through this all in 2022/23 with my eldest ( just completing year 1 Southampton), I am back again with my daughter - just finishing year 12.

She is looking at Vet med or vet nursing

We have been to several open days: RVC, Chester, Nottingham Trent, Bristol and we have Surrey this Saturday and Nottingham in 2 weeks.

What a stressful process this is even for a second time mum (and expensive on the travel and hotel stays!)

What are you doing with your year 12s so far?

I don't know if it helps but DH and I were in Manchester in 90s when it was always in news for stabbing and drug violence - we never saw any of it which wasn't usual in student population.

I'm in exactly same situation as you OP - DD1 finished first year at Uni - she ended up at Leicester and loves it. Wasn't on first list of visits but we were a bit blindside about how high grade requirements had got and her AS level results weren't as high as predicted - so it came up on second look. She also ended up applying for two different course on UCAS application - so 3 uni bit two different subjects and the later subject change she ended up picking and loves it.

DS seeing Notts this weekend - Sheffield soon - already done Swansea- Oxford with college high achieving scheme he's and did summer school at Aberystwyth with school's version of scheme - and Bath with DH. He's more open about being between two subject areas at minute and isn't as sure what he wants from a campus. I suspect he's also waiting to see what his AS level results are to help know where to aim.

It's seems easier this time partly as DH isn't insisting it's all too early and I think he found he enjoys the visits - he tends to go but it's not cheap as we go by train.

Thank you so much. DS booked the Open Day so I’ll ask him whether he gets a satnav postcode - apparently he did book a parking space. If anyone goes next Saturday and sees a mad woman hurtling around in a white car swearing a lot then that’s me and I can’t find a space.

Nottingham does indeed have a lovely campus. Seems best of both worlds to me to have a campus on the edge of a city

Subject talk was much more impressive than Loughborough yesterday which lacked on content. A lot of talk of student experience, facilities etc that can be gathered from elsewhere but not much on what you'd actually study

I was a bit concerned that ALL the halls on campus are catered. It seems there are a lot more catered than self catering and no variation in the package so 10 meals per week. DD isn't up for a dining hall experience and no facilities to cook for yourself at all. However when we got to the self catering accommodation, which wasn't far away, there were a lot of buildings and room options and it seems there would be a bit of a community there.

Weirdly the on campus halls reminded me massively of my Cambridge college. They even had lettered 'staircases'. The dining halls look just like formal halls. DD was not impressed with one bathroom between 6 mixed sex although I think that's exactly what I had back in the day and was happy with.

DD announced she likes Loughborough better. I felt exactly the opposite. Not up to me.

That's us done for the summer. Booked for KCL in September and hoping to hit up Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds in October.

Is it probably that Loughborough is not known for Arts/ Humanities? I think its reputation is more for science/ tech stuff

Oh yeh and Nottingham still had a Gaza protest with megaphones and banners despite it being end of term. No tent encampment though.
Best Gaza protest officially goes to Exeter for their innovative leaflet dropping and best tent/ flag action.

I think I am particularly amused by this because I well remember my friends and I picketing the Newbury bypass with Swampy and co in the 90s (although I no longer recall why I was so against Newbury having a bypass) and my dad ripped out English language road signs in Aber in the 70s. I love a bit of over earnest student politics.

@ThePure I do wonder if Humanities at Loughborough are the poor relation but it scores really well for English in terms of course rating etc…6th or 7th in the country I think, so we thought we’d go along and have a look. Maybe it just wasn’t a good fit for us. I think I’m just going to trust DD’s instincts about where she feels would best suit her, as she’ll be the one going there.

Is anyone going to UEA next weekend? Hotels seem really expensive but it's a bit too far for a day trip.

Annoyingly it clashes with Kent too.

I think you might have it mixed up with somewhere else? It's not even in the top 96 according to the Complete University guide
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/english
But the Guardian has it at #20
https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2023/sep/09/best-uk-universities-for-english-league-table

@Wornoutlady that’s really helpful
thank you.

Loughborough is 7th for English in the CUG!

Can I join?
DD1 looking at studying Film hopefully with French in some combination.
Started open days last summer as she knew early what she wanted to do and is ND so we needed plenty of time to plan.
We have done: Royal Holloway, UEA, Birmingham, Warwick, Nottingham, Exeter, Warwick again and Lancaster today! Exhausting but very useful. Preference so far is Warwick (partly cos it's close) but course at Lancaster has more appealing modules. Still got Leicester to go in sept but off to Google Keele...

Following with interest!

First visit today with DS1 to Newcastle, looking at Geography or Chemistry. I was impressed but have nothing to compare it to since I graduated from UEA in 2000!

Lancaster and Sheffield booked in, and thinking of Chester for an insurance choice.

Exciting times!

We had a really positive day at Nottingham yesterday. DD ranked it up near Southampton and it did, for us, have a similar vibe. Nottingham has grandeur and landscaped gardens but Southampton is a very green campus too, more modern. Anyway, yes the catered accommodation on campus is a bit strange. York was like this too - the East campus had self catered not the main one. Broadgate Park looked good to us (we didn’t bother looking at the catered options) but we were told to consider Raleigh park which is sort of diagonally opposite Broadgate. It is supposed to be for Jubilee campus but is actually closer to some faculties on University Park than Broadgate. DD would be based in the med school so closer for her.

DD and DH went to Lancaster yesterday. I don't think they saw much of the vast campus because it poured with rain the whole time (although they said that paths between buildings were mostly under cover). DH said the buildings and facilities were fantastic, especially the library - his verdict was 'like Warwick but far far friendlier'. He said the accommodation was far nicer and less tired looking than either Keele or Warwick.

DD liked the look of the course and said she liked Keele and Lancaster equally.

The only issue seems to be that Lancaster is moving from the traditional three term system to the two semester system and the lecturers can't yet say which modules will be available, it'll be on the website in the autumn. Under the old system she could carry on with Spanish in some form but they're not sure if that will be possible under the new one.

Anyway, Cardiff next week.

The only issue seems to be that Lancaster is moving from the traditional three term system to the two semester system and the lecturers can't yet say which modules will be available, it'll be on the website in the autumn. Under the old system she could carry on with Spanish in some form but they're not sure if that will be possible under the new one.

The changes to the curriculum at Lancaster aren't coming in until 26/27 so until then the old structure will remain. It's also worth keeping in mind that even for some reason your DC couldn't do Spanish because of module clashes, she can take it as an extra course at the language centre.

The changes to the curriculum at Lancaster aren't coming in until 26/27 so until then the old structure will remain. It's also worth keeping in mind that even for some reason your DC couldn't do Spanish because of module clashes, she can take it as an extra course at the language centre.

Oh that's reassuring re the Spanish. I wonder why none of the lecturers that they spoke to mentioned that she could do that, they said that currently students could take it as a module but no guarantees for 2025 intake. So the changes would be at the start of my DD's second year, how will that work?

We thought the guy giving the talk at Warwick was awful. He kept referring to them and Cambridge and Oxford as Woxbridge which was frankly embarrassing.

Lancaster gets lots of positive comments on WIWIKAU so we're looking there and also at Bath and Exeter

Well since it will be her second year, the changes to part 1 part 2 won't make any difference to her since she'll already be in part 2 (the bit that counts towards your final degree classification). This also means that she will already have firmed her major or chosen to switch to joint honours so will already have benefitted from the flexible course structure that is currently in place in the first year.

The semester thing won't make any difference either really. There will still be three terms for practical purposes, with breaks at Christmas and Easter, its just some of the modules will span two terms because they're technically organised into semesters. Loads of UK universities now operate a two semester system. Term dates are already published for 25/26.

The language centre offers all sorts of courses for those wanting to continue a language alongside their degree (or learn a brand new one) as an extra. It's a popular option for those who can't make a minor work because of the compulsory elements of their major subject.

I'm starting to realise how little I understand of the modern uni system! Have no idea about majors and a relative who is a uni professor tried explaining semesters to me and even he struggled to make it clear. He says he doesn't see the point of the system really. I'm sort of glad it's not my problem, it's my DD's!

Most English universities don't operate a system where you can take various subjects in the first year. Lancaster allows you (for most but not all courses) to go in on one subject (your major) but then to take other subjects too in the first year. As long as you do well in the other subjects you can in theory change to do joint honours or even switch your subject at the end of Part 1 (first year).

I wouldn't worry about the semester thing at all. It doesn't really affect anything.

Apply strategically and accept that the chances are extremely thin, as most applying will have 3 or 4 A* predictions, RVC takes a high percentage of international and graduates. Look on Wiwikau on fb for more advice.

So we did Cardiff Uni this weekend, DD thought the Uni looked OK but definitely doesn't want to live there (far too busy and crowded), said it is a nice city to visit but it's made her realise that she definitely wants a campus. So I think we're making progress!

Also in the welcome talk there was a lot of talk about research but a lot less about teaching.

Lots of free tote bags!

I think that's us finished until autumn. So far DD likes Keele and Lancaster best but we shall see.

Joining!
DS wants to do Aerospace engineering which narrows down his choices somewhat. Gold standard is Imperial but vvv competitive. He loved it though. Also liked Bristol, but not Bath.
Need to do a second round of open days in the autumn - Sheffield will be top of that list, not sure where else, he needs to think about the full range and an insurance choice. Still feels like he could end up anywhere.
Also feels like it’s all happening at a million miles an hour!

Same here! It's interesting because I thought ds would really like Bath. He liked the course but the campus didn't do it for him. Sister is at Bristol and it's a lovely city and uni.
Southampton this weekend was very interesting. Ds didn't expect to like it but it's now near the very top, but doubt anything will beat Sheffield.
Need to look strategically at insurance places I think. It's ridiculously competitive.

We were at Sheffield’s open day on Saturday - ds liked it a lot, so it’s currently top of his list