University of York starters 2025

[ClearFoundation]

So a while ago I saw a few threads on York and one of the mums suggested that we start a sort of Yorkies thread once everyone had results and knew where they were going.

I have a DD going who will be in James college

Anyone else?

I'm the other way - I've been surprised that 2nd year assessments/exams count towards the final grade. In the dark ages, when I was at university, your final grade was determined solely by the exams at the end of the third year (and it was all exams, no opportunities for course work).

I think my 2nd year was 40% and 3rd was 60% which included some coursework. And if you got a 3rd in any exam there was no way you could get higher than a 2.2 overall I think.

@londoncalling1989 I graduated in 91 as well
Glad not to be the only dinosaur here.😂

@FriendsinNameonly and @londoncalling1989 I see your 1991 and raise you 1986!

Awww so glad to hear she’s engaging more already, that’s great news
nice she’s coming back for your birthday too, happy birthday in advance !
you’ll have to do something nice now she’s coming back

I’ve got a feeling this years gonna go so fast

dd doing well, still keeping up good contact and we did a dinner together the other night over zoom the other night, that was a good catch up
cant wait to see her in three weeks

Langwith is excellent and the accommodation is nice and central to the bus stop on east campus… our YP is having the time of their life, was a very shy and a bit nerdy but has really come alive now, first few weeks were hard as they have a few nasty girls but that was also a great life experience as had to learn to cope with that can has done so amazingly, so many decent kids in York just a few bad eggs dragged up by parents more interest in material things, the uni is well run and lots and lots to do, and York is a safe magical area

My YP is also loving York. Also in Langwith which is great accommodation - en suite rooms, clean, warm and spacious kitchen/social area. Gets on well with flatmates but is aware of others who have not been so lucky. Good transport links around York and beyond if you need to travel (East Coast mainline trains). York Sport gym within walking distance of Campus East. Plenty of societies to join, both sporty and non-sporty, so much going on. Has only been home once, during reading week and only did that as no one else was staying! The only negative mentioned is that many socials and events are female dominated (unless she is in the wrong places!!) - at sixth form she was part of a mixed group who often socialised as such and she has been unable to replicate that at York (so far).

How's everyone doing ? All good in the hood ?
Not long till easter now

I started this thread and left MNet so now I'm back with a variation on my username.

My DD turned 18 and suddenly was allowed into things she'd been excluded from - which means she's now been clubbing, but isn't the biggest fan of it.

She has told me some horror stories about accidents/ drunken disasters happening to people she knows or has heard about.

The latest was that a boy fell / jumped out of a 4th floor window while high and ended up breaking both his legs and getting kicked out (sorry for the pun). He had apparently been harassing some female student and was shouting out the window at her when he decided to really take the leap.

I've been quite horrified.

But academically she is doing well, she's got a p/t volunteer position closely aligned to her studies, she has friends and seems well. She did come home for Xmas with a chest infection but hasn't had a repeat of that.

She does find York a bit small as a city but its safe and that's important.

Woah falling out the window sounds extreme,

Sounds like she's getting on well though and settled in well

Hope everyone on here is doing well and enjoys Easter
by the time they go back, before we know it the first year will be done, seems crazy when your think only last year it was all up in the air
In terms of kids knowing where to firm and insure
I don’t envy the kids and parents doing that this year
I think think that stage is harder

anyway hope you all doing ok

Anyone else YP thinking about doing a year abroad?

I can’t believe we are closer to the end of year 1 than the start! DD is thinking of a Placement year for year 3 rather than a year abroad. Does anyone have experience of placements at all or any advice?

My DD is a second year at York. She and several of her friends applied for placements for their third year. I don't think any of them were accepted on one - found them to be incredibly competitive. May differ between subjects/desired placements, but my advice would be to start looking early as a lot are advertised from September, apply to lots and be pragmatic that you might not get accepted.

You should also be aware that applying for placements is time consuming - it's basically the same as applying for a permanent job in terms of the application and then there may be interview and/or assessment rounds.

it does create a dilemma for Year 3 accommodation - potential housemates will want you to commit or not, so your DC have to decide whether to abandon the idea of a placement or keep looking and accept that they may be then looking at finding accommodation last thing or commuting. I don't think there is any shortage of accommodation, so that's not the issue - more that it wouldn't be living with friends or necessarily in desired area/type.

@redskydelight thank you for your advice, I had heard that they are incredibly hard to get so trying to be realistic as well as hopeful. I hear what you are saying about accommodation too, something else to consider especially in year 4 when all her friends will have graduated.

@redskydelight @HebeJeeby I don't know which subjects your YP are taking, but my DD is a 1st year psychology student. They don't have separate placement years but they do have placements that run concurrently / work around their course commitments. My DD applied to every single one available to her (I'm not sure of the total number but it was definitely a long list) and found out last week that she has one, starting in Sept at the beginning of year 2.

Also I noticed on the York instagram this week that they are helping people find placements, saying they know they are hard to come by and have information to help first years (or 2nd and 3rd yrs). Contacting the careers office / turning up is strongly advised.

@2ndClearFoundation thank you so much for that, I will have a look at Instagram now. My daughter is doing English Lit so her placement would be a year out in year 3. My daughter knows she has to start looking in year 2 but I’ve advised her to start doing her research now.

My daughter found the "careers service help to find placements" was limited to signposting to websites where they were advertised.

There may well be more help if a placement is a mandatory part of your course as opposed to being an optional extra after the second year.

@HebeJeeby My DD is also studying English Lit. Which obviously precludes them from a lot of the economics/IT/STEM based opportunities.

@redskydelight I do think that it is actually very helpful to direct the students to the websites where placements are listed. If they can't find them, they cannot apply to them.

They are supposed to be fairly independent at this stage, capable of putting a resume together, writing letters, sending it off, following it up etc. I am sure the careers service would look things over if asked.

Of course it's helpful to direct students to websites where placements are listed.

But most students will be able to use the internet to find this information themselves. I guess if students have never looked for a job before they will appreciate the guidance on where to look and how to get started. However many students will have had part time jobs during school/sixth form/summer holidays/while at uni and be very happy to do this already.

In advance of DD looking for a placement, I naively thought the university might be more helpful in terms of providing contacts and introductions, and there might even be regular placements that were earmarked for York university students. In case others had similar ideas, I'm highlighting that this isn't the case - students just apply to placements that are advertised online and are in competition with every other student at every other university that is applying for one.

Yeah, I don't think anywhere does that kind of spoon-feeding. I know that for a long time, Bath was the only place that "actively" helps with career-focused placement years. There may be more universities doing that now, but I'm not aware of which ones (yet).

@2ndClearFoundation U of Bath has had placement years and active support available for many of its degrees for a long time, but that is also true of L'boro, Lancaster, Man Met and others. Bath has also had the benefit of being STEM focused and having large numbers of London domiciled students who can more easily tap into the capital's (until recently) vibrant jobs and placement market. Nevertheless, its competitive advantage has been eroding as other unis have adopted the same approach.

U of York will have experience of supporting students taking humanities and social science degrees, subject areas where finding suitable placement schemes can be tougher and even more competitive than for STEM; programmes like the York Award are designed to nudge students into building their non-academic CV and hone application and interview skills.

@redskydelight Very few unis are in a position to 'reserve' placements for their students or effect exclusive introductions, though funnily enough York's MChem with the placement in the fourth year is probably one of the few degree programmes that gets close to that.

Very few unis are in a position to 'reserve' placements for their students or effect exclusive introductions, though funnily enough York's MChem with the placement in the fourth year is probably one of the few degree programmes that gets close to that.

I obviously appreciate that now, but lots of universities do advertise the option for having a placement year (or having a year abroad) so it's easy to think (I doubt I am the only parent that thought this) of this as part of the degree and that the university might actively support the student in helping them secure a placement as opposed to saying "here's a list of stuff that is freely available anyway; go and sort it out for yourself".

In reality, the placement year is actually just a gap year with a defined objective and, as you have to still pay some level of tuition fees, the value of it needs to be weighed up versus that of taking a gap year before university or after university, where you would have the advantage of being able to decide what you did with that year in a more flexible way.

While we are (sort of) on the subject - if you are looking for a summer placement for the summer after Year 2, good to note that some of these are also advertised from September and the applications are similar to those for a year long placement.

DS is not at York but coming to the end of his second year and found it tough finding placements to apply for. His uni doesn’t have a list either. Though back in the day when I did my degree we weren’t helped to find placements and it was very much get on your bike and find one (2001). I got a year at a company I had previously done a summer with- again that was found entirely independently.

Came on to ask if anyone else’s YP is having tummy trouble since starting at York? DD was at our GP this afternoon and is being tested for h. pylori- there was a throw away comment about halls plumbing/hygiene. DD (in Anne Lister) frequently mentions their maintenance team are chlorinating this, that, and the other- possibly they know they have an issue? DS didn’t have this in halls at his uni.

DD is in Anne Lister and has been fine, tummy wise. Permanent cough and cold but she goes out too much I think….