University Applications 2026 - Support Thread

[Ventress]

DS is applying to start university in Autumn 2026. He's done several open days and has a reasonable idea of where and what he wants to wants to study - History or History & Politics.

He loved UCL and Exeter, liked Warwick, didn't like Bristol. He's also talking about early application but can't decide whether to apply to Oxford or Cambridge. He's also muttering about Durham, which he didn't visit but others in his History class did and loved it.

Anyone join me for a thread to support our DC as they navigate this process? DS is my only child so this is all new to me!

Thank you all for the best wishes. TMUA is done now, he is so relieved it is over. Good luck to everyone !

DS2's application has gone in, along with his personal statement- he grumbled a bit about it because he had to go back after school to do it, as he gets to leave early on a Monday!

Now he has to get his 'My Cambridge Application' in and then I think there'll be a bit of a breather for him! Although he'll be nervously awaiting the ESAT results during that time...

We are waiting for DS’s school to submit his - they’ve had it for a week now so I’m getting a tiny bit anxious although I know they’re on the case.

He’s left 3 slots empty as he could only really focus on the Oxford application and wanted a bit more time to look at other options.

Visiting Leeds open day on Saturday and wondering whether we try to visit York too when we drive up (from the southwest) on Friday - can anyone local advise if that’s a good idea or madness?

DD's UCAS form has also now been submitted. She's had acknowledgements back from 3 Universities and is now focused on submitting the 'My Cambridge' application. Exciting! After that I think she's very much looking forward to a few weeks of calm before November arrives and with it the nerve-wracking wait for an interview invite which may or may not arrive (But fingers crossed it will!).

Does she need to do any entry tests @Spinningonthatdizzyedge ?

No entry test thankfully, @Muchtoomuchtodo - some of them sound very hard!

I don't think I realised quite how time consuming all this would be - must be even more so when there are tests to take (and practice tests to do beforehand)

DS2 has yet to decide on what his other university choices are- he's been dithering about for bloody months and then of course had the excuse/reason of ESAT prep/Cambridge application. So there's all that to do now of course.

I really don't recall it being this difficult with ds1! Admittedly he wasn't applying to Oxbridge, but I just don't remember having so many discussions (or, actually so many thorough trips to open days) with him.

Ah well. Different kids, different personalities- but I'll be glad when all this is done and we 'only' have mocks/revision/A levels/results day to worry about! 😆

@Countrylife2002 good luck to your DD for next week. Forgive my ignorance, is the CAT classics admission?

@Blossomdearie We are not local to Leeds and York but within a short driving distance and have done both open days this year on separate days. It takes about an hour to drive from one to the other. York had park and ride at an offsite airfield, so if using that add a bit of extra time to wait for the bus to the uni. It was very well organised though. Leeds also had a parking area within walking distance to the uni but we arrived around 10am and managed to get in to the big multistorey car park very near (Woodhouse Lane carpark) it was getting very busy by that time though so I'd recommend only park there if you are doing Leeds first and arriving before 9.30am ish. I think both are doable but you will need to arrive early at the first (obvs taking your booked talk times into account) and leave in good time to do the second one (I'd be tempted to do Leeds first because of parking). Hope you enjoy, DD applied to Leeds but not York (med applications though so maybe different choosing criteria for her) but tbh I loved both of them for their own unique reasons.

@Shodan ds was going to just apply to Oxford and add the other 4 before the January deadline but he’s actually put all 5 choices down. I’m pretty relieved as we can fully forget about that now!

The UCAS site is registering as application has been submitted, and DS has heard back from 2 of his uni choices, so that's a relief, that all seems to have gone through with a day to spare.

I guess I will need to chivy him to check his designated email every day or 2, to make sure he is picking up messages from the unis.

York is an easy drive from Leeds. When I was a student it was not uncommon for me and my friends to go between the two (for different shopping / cultural experiences).

Amazing, thank you - it’s not an open day for York but we are hoping to just get a feel for the campus and the city. I think we’ll decide on our way up there and may just decide to spend the time in Leeds instead. I feel like such a southerner!

Thank you - sounds great, I’m imagining it a bit like the equivalent of Bath and Bristol where we are.

That's a good analogy. We live in Bristol so I can really see the parallel.

knowing Bath & Bristol as well as York, York is probably more akin to Chester.

Anyone else having to step back and put UCAS on hold because their DC is getting stressed about the whole thing - whether they’ll get the predicted grades they expect, maintaining the grades between now and the form going in, etc?

Mine had a mini meltdown yesterday, so we are not doing any more open days and parking the UCAS stuff until half term/November so he can just focus on his A levels and try to remember that he loves the subject…

Wise move @CautiousLurker01

@CautiousLurker01 mine was just like this last year, she just kept disassociating from it. We couldn't visit universities or talk about them for two reasons a) she was so terrified of not getting the grades and b) in her heart, she wasn't ready to go. I kind of forced her into putting in a UCAS just to get used to the idea.

She'd get a little boost from getting an offer but would quickly sink back into a doom spiral about the unlikelihood of getting the grades. There's a tiktok trend of people flashing up where their going to university on their phones that she found unfathomable - they had offers not places but were blithely 'oh I'm off to Edinburgh' or wherever.

She's now applying with perfect A levels but for a more difficult course and to universities where even that won't guarantee her an offer. And she's still stressing! I wish she'd just get one offer, which would be unconditional, and we could relax.

Such a stupid system, especially for those of a nervous disposition.

Thanks @ClaireBlunderwood he is on the spectrum so I have tried not to push it. I think he is ready in his head to go next year, but not right now. Issue for him is that he wants to study physics and, like maths, we think there would be reluctance to take anyone who has had a year out because they ‘lose’ their maths edge. [We could be completely wrong, so maybe I need to check this].

He did brilliantly in his AS levels, but is off to a slow start this year (like last year, though) and his tutor has told him that C/B grades in end of topic tests will mean that he will lower the predicted grade, so he has to pull his finger out and get B/As hereafter. We’re a bit hacked off with this as the whole point of doing the AS levels [we were told] was to benchmark them for the full A levels - ie he got AAB, so the prediction is 1 grade above. So AAA.

We’ve been to open days that reflect this and he’s fallen in love with a couple, but now is constantly being ‘picked on’ in class with kids who got C/D grades pointing out their grade was close in the test so he must be slipping. And the tutor is re-writing the rules. DS is quite beside himself now, having started the year full of confidence and fretting about whether he can pull off an A in the next topic test next week.

Am on the brink of contacting the college and asking for a meeting, except I fear it could make things worse.

@CautiousLurker01 that’s ridiculous of the teachers to say they could take away the predicted. What happens to the kids who had deadline yesterday. I don’t understand the whole prediction leaving to few ppl. DDs school is very bad in predicting good grades, especially in Chem. She was so tearful end of the year as she didn’t want to get a lower than good prediction when she knows she is capable. She did AS just for that, thinking of the prediction is bad, she is going to drop. In the end it turned out good, but I guess the whole system is giving school too much power, some schools/dept just decided to say we won’t give Astar because the subject is harder in Year13. How is this special for one subject, every single subject gets harder the higher up you go in classes!!
sorry for ranting, but I completely understand the stress and situation your DS is in. May be talk to teacher and say they are not helping? I have also heard about leaving a year for Maths is not good, but not 100% sure. Read on another post that Cam did say yes to defer Engg, so mixed opinions

Glad someone agrees. I am hopping mad actually. He was told - on the day he collected is AS level results - that though his tutor rarely predicts A-stars, he would for DS. He was over the moon as he has worked so hard after a very mediocre set of GCSEs.

Now he is just sick with worry, getting migraines again etc. I might try the gently gently approach with his tutor and email asking him to please be cognisant of his autism and that he is getting beyond anxious over grades so a) could he make sure they are not discussed/referenced in front of other students and b) can he refrain from trying the stick approach as a motivational tool in this instance…

That sounds awful @CautiousLurker01 and I think a quiet email to ds’s tutor would be a very good idea.

I’m very relieved that DS submitted his this week with all 5 choices completed. He was thinking of holding off some until he had his TMUA result but decided against that tactic in the end. With TMUA done and ucas submitted, and then MAT next week I really hope he will be able to relax well over half term (and get rid of his wrist cast which is pretty manky!) ready for the charge towards mocks which are just after Christmas.

I am looking on the ‘submission done’ posts feeling green with envy. Had hoped to have it done and submitted before half term so he could forget about it and enjoy his course 😭

Well done to those who’ve crossed the line!

@CautiousLurker01 i agree definitely contact the tutor, that’s just not on.

@ClaireBlunderwood good luck to your dd. It is so hard esp for those who are already naturally quite anxious. DD is one of these although does seem to get an adrenaline boost hit for exams so is ok in exam periods. She’s not so good at the longer periods of pressure and I’m having to work quite hard with her to keep her calm(ish), one step at a time etc.

DS's tutor has had his personal statement for review for three weeks now and done nothing with it despite saying he would look at it. He's not an 'early entrant' application but he knows what he wants to do and where he wants to go so just wants the application submitted now. I know they have been busy with the early ones but in all honesty those PSs were all sorted weeks ago.