Any interest in a non-Oxbridge/ non-RG parents chat?

[SockFluffInTheBath]

There are lots of threads about applying to Oxbridge and other ‘top’ unis, anyone interested in a thread for those of us with DC looking elsewhere? Not trying to be divisive, but there’s no ‘drop in centre’ thread for other unis, and I thought it might be good to have a space to chat sometimes.

[Title edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

This probably depends on the student.

I think DD has benefited from being on a course where she met the original requirements rather than being a "bum-on-seater". Her academic confidence was pretty shot and I think she wouldn't have done well looking at other students and thinking they all had higher grades and must be smarter than her.

But another student might well just have shrugged off disappointing grades as a bad day at the office and not been bothered at all.

She can if she wants. I sat down with my son earlier this week and firmed Aber with Swansea as his insurance.

Just to add, Cardiff’s announcement is shocking. I wonder if it’s to try and squeeze money out of Welsh or UK government.

And she's done it. Firmed Swansea, insured Nottingham. Feels very final. Meanwhile dealing with foster daughter who has had TWO RG unis pull the courses she has applied for - which has meant quite a bit of scrambling around.

@minisnowballs lovely to have the offers sorted. Stressful for your poor FD though, I hope she gets good offers from her other choices.

I can't imagine the stress of settling on a course only fo it to be pulled. That's awful. Really hope it gets sorted

I live in Swansea - let me know if you have any Swansea questions. It’s a great city and very safe.

Just had a long call with a very frustrated DS, he's been invited to an assessment day for a degree apprenticeship (yay) but it's 250 miles away so will involve a long journey & overnight stay. Before he accepted the invitation he had the good sense to check that if successful he would be based in the office close to home. The reply was "apprenticeship locations are project based so you must be willing to travel as required". So now DS isn't sure if it's even worth going as he could end up at the other side of the country trying to live independently on an apprentice salary - who could commit to that?

This is why the degree apprenticeship scheme isn't all its cracked up to be. Unless you live in a large city its often not feasible

Yes you're right. I don't understand how you can sign up an apprentice to a part-time degree course at a particular university then expect them to be prepared to spend the rest of the week at the other end of the country at their own expense? Just seems like a waste of everyone's time to pretend it's doable for most 18 year olds.
Anyway he's got his UCAS offers so it's not the end of the world.

I've come to a similar conclusion. Ds was really keen to do an apprenticeship, but he wants to be in a big firm with a large cohort of young people, and their offices are all in big cities. Our nearest city (where I work but only go in 2/3 days a week) is over an hour in the car/longer by train and he really doesn't fancy commuting that far. He'd be happy to move to a new city, but I think that's a huge amount to take on at once - full time career, degree and looking after yourself. He applied to one in London, with the understanding he'd have to move (and he answered as much) but was rejected because he didn't live within an hour of the office!

I would go and see the Unis my DCs are at great Unis but we followed what we liked

Hope all the DC are doing ok. Another offer in here but typically waiting on the one she really wants. Mocks starting next week and having offers seems to have revitalised her, seeing more motivation.

People often forget most apprenticeships rely on businesses that are subject to the vagaries of the market and must make business decisions. This includes closing up shop in one location or field of interest. Or potentially going bust. I have a family member doing a graduate degree with a large national firm. Two thirds of the way through the company announced a restructure, moving 60% of functions in his location across the country. Most apprentices weren’t moved (or offered a move) but whilst they had been rotating departments this stopped and they were stuck in the department they were currently in - fortunately an interesting one for my family member but not the case for all.

4th offer in tonight, still waiting to hear from The One…

All five in

A no from Manchester which arrived prior to the amendment to his predicted grades. DS has decided he doesn't want to pursue now anyway as they are not going to shift far from AAB on the day and he's not madly confident or really in love with it.

Offers from
Notts - his favourite, but they have offered a slightly variation to the course he wants so he is now in a quandry
Liverpool
NTU
MMU

So his two non RGs are in as expected and then he has two of what I think of as RG-Lite to think about.

We will do offer holders days at Notts and Liverpool and take it from there...

Does anyone know if the speed with which you firm, makes a difference...? I can't see how, but just checking!

Does anyone know if the speed with which you firm, makes a difference...? I can't see how, but just checking!

It’s worth checking the accommodation policy for your potential firm/insurance. Some universities operate a ‘first come first served’ on accommodation choice for firm candidates on a certain date.

DS has an unconditional offer from Portsmouth and they use the strategy of only guaranteeing halls to firm candidates and opening applications (first come first served) for accommodation in April to try to ‘persuade’ candidates to put it as their firm choice.

DS absolutely will not commit to anything until he’s had his examined module results in March (BTEC), despite the temptation to accept now.

This is such a helpful thread. Hope it's ok to join while with a year 12 (my elder one got his offers with an access to HE course at 18 where you basically already know what you have and he had offers from all within 24 hours (not prestigious institutions but what he wanted for the course)
For my middle child looking at an aspirational BBB - a lot of the courses he is interested in were in clearing last year on ccc and ccd (geography) even if published entry requirement remains Bbb.
If he ends up predicted bbc, bcc or even ccc - is it worth applying to these bbb courses or will he have to see what comes back in clearing? I wonder if anyone has experience of offers with predictions below published.
This is where the state/private divide is stark. Parents at private who don't like the predictions are in a much stronger position to get them changed and it seems so daft that the whole system is predicated on that.

@Rumplestiltz not quite the same as Ds has his grades but he got BBC and has an offer from Swansea (published offer grades BBB) and UEA (ABB).

@Rumplestiltz maybe apply to 2/3 that he’s on track for and 2/3 aspirational/stretch choices. That way he’s covered and has also reached up. The unis will hope for ‘better’ grades this year, so won’t go low to start with. Bear in mind that published clearing trades include contextual and minimum offers, the lowest they took will not be a routine intake.

As said above, a couple of aspirational choices is fine. But apart from the obvious reasons for making safer choices too - potentially being rejected almost everywhere wouldn't do a lot for anyone's confidence.

Also, while in some ways the lower clearing offers were exciting, the majority of students in those places will have met the higher offers. Your DS would need to be sure that he'd be confident surrounded by people who all had higher grades than him.

My DD seems to be rebuilding her academic confidence at the moment (hope I havent put the mockers on that!!) and I don't think that would be happening if she was somewhere where she felt she'd just scraped in.

potentially being rejected almost everywhere wouldn't do a lot for anyone's confidence.
Agree strongly with this. With kindness, keep their feet on the ground. One of DD’s friends has 5 aspirational choices and was quickly rejected by 4, waiting to hear from the 5th. It’s not the headspace they need to be in with exams looming, and the feeling of rejection at scale will take a lot of rubbing out.

potentially being rejected almost everywhere wouldn't do a lot for anyone's confidence.

Also hard agree.

I posted a thread a while back sense checking DS thinking (ideally assuming an offer - Notts as Firm NTU as insurance) as he loved both and really enjoyed Nottingham as a place. I was worried that putting down an MMU/Leeds Beckett or a Trent was 'under reaching', and had somehow got it into my head that these places were last resort/clearing options.

Having witnessed DD nightmare of not getting her firm or insurance two years ago, visited some of the so-callled 'second rate Unis' and seen kids not even getting offers because they've gone for 5 really punchy RGs with predicted grades of BCD- I have completely revised my thinking.

I think that Ideally you choose on the basis that you want at least three offers - that way you have a sense that you are 'choosing' your firm and insurance, rather than settling. DS has four - he is happy with that and feels like he has some choice/control at the moment.

Obvs can all go tits up on the day - as I've lived through - but it would be DEVASTATING to him to have nothing at this stage. He'd find it very difficult to find the motivation to push through I think.

Apparently Cardiff Uni has now decided that cramming in students hasn't been a great experience either for them or the financial position of the uni.

Worth bearing in mind that other "lower" RGs may decide similarly this year.

bsky.app/profile/davehitchcock.bsky.social/post/3lhl45ufcec2t

@MarmiteMakesMeHappy I agree.

DD's school advised putting a selection of aspirational, achievable and insurance universities in case of a bad exam.

DD applied for medicine and only received one offer for a course she didn't want to do. It did get her down for a while, especially when everyone else in her peer group received lots of offers. However, she took a gap year did a different degree and is now doing post grad.