When to apply and have we missed open days?

[Howmanysleepsnow]

DD has only just decided on a course, and it’s not available locally. Are we too late to look around for 2025? And if so, any opinions on UCL/ Warwick/ Brighton/ Durham/ Huddersfield/ Sussex?

That’s quite a mix of unis! Brighton v different to Durham, for example - one requiring very high grades, one requiring much less. You wouldn’t usually have the same student applying to both. What’s the degree course and what are the predicted grades?

A lot of open days are in June but there are still a few in the next few weeks so still time to do visits.

Yeah I really wouldn't have Huddersfield and Durham on the same list! What are her grade predictions?

She can apply up to January, though school may have earlier deadline to give them time to do the reference.

Some open days happen in the Autumn, failing that there are offer holder days in Spring.

She wants to do a primary teaching degree apprenticeship. It’s new and currently only offered at 7 unis (hence the odd mix). Nottingham is the 7th- I missed it out accidentally before.
She’s predicted AAB.

Universities have a June and a September/October open day. So you will still have some. Bristol’s is on 26th Oct for example and Lancaster on 12th Oct.

There’s a calendar on “opendays.com”

Not too late and if you can't make open days you can sometimes still arrange for an independent visit but I'd suggest trying to do that when students are still around. Failing that there are offer holder days - we went to six open days but my DD only applied to one of those (she changed her mind about which course making the first three irrelevant and she didn't like two others) but based her decision on offer holder days.

Even if you've missed the open days, visit the towns that have unis that are of interest to your DD anyway and see if she likes it/feels comfortable there. Also, have a look at the websites of these unis - many offer virtual tours where you can see a typical room in halls etc.

Hang on - OP's DD is interested in a degree apprenticeship. I don't know how teaching specifically works (I think it's quite new as a degree apprenticeship?) but generally you apply to an employer and not a university, and you just have to go with whatever provider they've chosen. So your interaction with the university is very different to that of an average student. You'd be better to look at schools offering apprenticeships and where they are based (which might not be very close to the university).

Sorry to be negative OP, but if my add had those predicted grades I would be steering them well away from primary teaching! It's so demoralising atm. I know it's for the love of children etc and that's the only reason I'm still in the profession. Too many people go into teaching now because they don't know what else to do but unfortunately it affects even the most dedicated teachers. But if i had those grades i would be looking for other careers (that's what my dd is doing).

Huddersfield hasn’t got much going for it in terms of a city. There’s no shops, very few bars, full of homeless and immigrants. I wouldn’t want to be a student here at all. Just nothing going on at all.

Yes I thought that usually Degree Apprenticeships worked like that too or is it different for Teaching?

Sorry to be negative OP, but if my add had those predicted grades I would be steering them well away from primary teaching! It's so demoralising atm.

Me too. I'm a teacher, part time now, and I almost rugby tackled my dc to the ground when she mentioned it.

🤣🤣@DoublePasta me too. My DC also go mad when any of their friends suggest going into teaching.