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!

Aw thanks @Countrylife2002 that's very kind. I'm sure she'll be fine - I find it hard not to get up in her pessimism but then I think, really? She's not going to get any offers, applying for a humanities subject, perfect grades, went to a comprehensive and a personal statement that I'm sure is adequate? But the system fosters paranoia.

And for most people, applying with predicted grades, it's two-step paranoia.

@CautiousLurker01 DD is possibly on the spectrum, certainly has real issues around rejection and huge social anxiety (which feeds into the rejection thing). Her sixth form were real stick-users - in the January y13 mocks kids who'd been predicted A stars were getting Ds. It works on some pupils but for others it can be counter productive.

Dd submitted early as she’s applying for Oxbridge and she has two offers already!!! Manchester and Nottingham. Very competitive course and she was convinced she’d got get anything at all.

That’s very exciting @madnessitellyou congrats to your DD. I think my DD it’s really feeling the pressure. She is burying her head in the sand about the My Cambridge application. I know she will do it before the deadline, but I just wish she would get that one ticked off - I really need to stop mentioning it. So much art coursework/portfolio work to do.

Congratulations to her; how exciting! DC is in a similar situation: offers from Bristol and Exeter came in quite quickly. She's still waiting on Nottingham and Leeds and tying herself up in knots daily about whether she'll get an interview at Oxford. But knowing that, come what may, she has a great place to go next year is a comfort.

Does your son think they are holding back on reviewing his PS until the early application students have been submitted @JustHereWithMyPopcorn? I guess, frustrating though it must be, that these have the earlier deadline so must be prioritised. Now they are submitted can your son chase up his submission with the school?

Lovely to see those offers coming in!

@CautiousLurker01, that’s not on. As pp have said they wouldn’t be able to change his PGs if he went for early entry so why can they threaten to change them now? I hope you can get some clarity from the school.

DS2 still hasn't completed his My Cambridge Application either @ArchitectureMum - and he's off on holiday with his father for five days today!
But "it's ok Mum, I'll do it at the airport on my phone" 😤

Honest to God. This whole process is driving me demented.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn hope school would start picking your DSs application now. I don’t know how many in adds school applied early, but DS’s school newsletter said they did 100s, I think it will be really busy period for school too. But they can start looking at it now, by all means.
@ArchitectureMumnothing on it here either. Too many 18th parties and other competitions, that were all in queue waiting for entrance exams to finish. @Shodanis it holiday already for you? I am hoping DD would finish this in mid term that’s next week for us. When is the deadline for this?

@madnessitellyouCongrats on getting that offer. We haven’t got any offer yet, but only just submitted on the day before deadline.

@Newlease The deadline is the 22nd, but ds2's school is one that has a two week half-term holiday, so he's off as of now.

@Newlease ds’s application went in on Tuesday and he got offers from Warwick and Manchester yesterday! I can’t believe how fast it happens! Hopefully having those will take a bit of the (self imposed) pressure off for the MAT this week.

For kids getting offers already, are they conditional? How common is an unconditional offer? No where near submitting as it’s all on College’s timeline (which I think is Dec).

@Aboutmeabouttime yes, both of ds’s are conditional on getting certain grades next summer.

It didn’t even cross my mind that he might get unconditional offers - he still needs to ‘prove himself’ at A level despite having fantastic GCSE and AS level results.

Both her offers are conditional on final grades. I think unconditional offers are only likely for students applying with grades in hand.

DD went to the wire but got her UCAS application in on Wed and now has to do the My Cambridge application - but she's suddenly got scared and doesn't know whether she wants to or not and says that if she doesn't complete it, it will disqualify her Cambridge application so she gets another UCAS choice. I don't know if that's true and I also don't know if that is really what she wants, but we only have a few days to get it written and submitted if she decides to go ahead.

I think if she wants to change her Cambridge application to another university she would have 14 days from the day the ucas form was submitted by the school. The My Cambridge deadline is 22nd October and it is really only administrative unless they have anything to add to their personal statement which is mostly for unusual Cambridge courses. The photo apparently would be on their uni ID for the whole of their degree if they do get in.

Oh, I thought there is a lot of time before the deadline. Hopefully DD does know and dealing with it. @Fifty50FiftyDid she do an Exam for Cam, they are probably feeling it all real now. But if she strongly feels like not going to Cam, then this the time to change. Mine went the other way round, all they way until Aug, she wanted to only apply in Jan and do test in Jan that would give her more choice and then suddenly decided that IF she has to do the exam anyway then no point in not applying for CAM. All the while I was saying this, she just defended her argument but something changed. Not sure what. After all it’s their life, we can only suggest and say from experience.
DD also thinks she can change the options for 14 days so it’s okay that the school made her put all 5in, but without having the result before that, we know nothing more than what we do now. So that is not really helpful, other than change of mind.

Unconditional offers can happen even without having done your A-levels, sometimes for smaller courses, a mix of contextual situations etc. I know some people who had them, randomly didn't expect them, however most out it as their insurance. That way they are definitely going. They are quite uncommon so don't vank on them for most courses, some more small or like lower down unis do them, there isn't a rule for it, as all times I've seen then happen, it has been very unexpected.

Most are for those with grades already. Otherwise the vast majority of offers for those in Y13 are conditional upon getting AAB with an A in history for example. Sometimes reductions for contextual offers, doing a unis programme in Y12 or EPQ at an A or A-star can happen. Certain courses struggling like languages with Politics or English etc can get lower offers then just Politics alone as they are struggling with uptake.

Personal statement question - my youngest is applying and was ill the day they talked about PS in tutor. Am I right in thinking they have to use the new 3 question style PS now? My eldest applied a couple of years ago so it was the old style.

@MyOtherProfileYes, it’s been structured into 3 questions. There’s guidance on the UCAS website about how to approach the new format PS.

Great thanks. She's planning on doing it today.

Could someone help me please? DD is thinking of not adding anything specific to my Cam application, is this the right thing to do? I can see that she has lot going on with CCF and other stuff, plus too many exams this week before end of term, but is this the right thing to do? I am probably worried that she is ignoring it

I don't think she has to add anything more to the My Cam app @Newlease . My understanding is that it is mainly to include anything specific to the Cambridge course she has applied for. So if she's applied for chemistry elsewhere but Nat Sci at Cambridge she can use the additional PS in My Cam to focus on Nat Sci.

I think our sons might be at the same school. Are the headmaster's initials CE?

My friend's son got unconditional offers but he was doing B Tech which was course work based and assessed ongoing so it was pretty much guaranteed that he would get his predicted D*DD grades before the end of year 13.

Oh wow. I disappeared for a few weeks and lots has happened. I’ve enjoyed reading through everything, very informative. Sorry to hear that some of you are having a stressful time. Congratulations to all those getting offers already. I think that’s fantastic.

For us we have been to a few open days and the PS writing is now in full swing. There’s a short list but still some thinking and narrowing down to do to work out which are going to make the final 5.

Hi @Newlease , I agree that if your DD doesn't have anything else to add to the PS bit of My Cambridge, them she shouldn't force herself to add something just for the sake of adding something.

My understanding is it can be used to add any extra super curricular information/ evidence of further independent study into the subject (which she couldn't fit onto the UCAS PS), as well as perhaps writing something about the specific Cambridge course as the OP has said.

But if she's already said everything she wants to say on the UCAS application, that should be fine!

Look at the Cambridge applicant webinar series. There is a whole webinar on the my Cambridge application. They say that about 50% of applicants use the extra personal statement and it doesn’t disadvantage the ones that don’t. Although if she’s applying for Anglo-Saxon Norton Celtic or Land Economy for example, then it’s probably a good idea to use it.

Thanks so much @Ventress. Ha, yes it is, small world. DS only in y8, but glad to have an insight into the school and how much less DD’s school do in comparison. Both catering for similar capable kids. I have found an IG video explaining it page by page, on what goes into my Cam. Didn’t search for it or anything, but gosh, god knows what we sign up to when we download apps and type on our mobile. It might have gone through the algorithm, so may get more help whenever I open IG. Lol
@SpinningonthatdizzyedgeI think writing the original PS was really difficult for her, due to teachers being inconsistent with their opinion and she being stubborn when I was asking her to start on it in Aug!! I don’t think she would have anything particularly interesting that’s missing on PS, but she is applying for very specific Engg for other colleges and Cam it would be general. I feel like she is giving up already, thinking she messed up her PS with last minute change !! I will have a look At Cambridge applicant webinar series, thank you @ArchitectureMumWe had the same issue with selecting a college, and the day before suddenly found somewhere that ticked all her “likings”.