Any parents of Y12 DCs up for a support thread?

[cardibach]

to get us through AS and university Open Days etc.?

[LoveMyTeens]

Thanks for comments about Durham - we weren't sure whether to visit. We went to Nottingham on Sat. Lovely campus, good facilities, and the Maths department very good. Surprised how much of the accommodation is catered and quite old-fashioned (traditional?). Self-catered accomm. is off campus. Warwick was completely self-catering.

[cardibach]

I quite like the idea of catered halls for the first year - DD will have enough adjustment to do without having to cook every meal as well, I think. It will also help her get a handle on budgeting. I know I appreciated being in catered halls in my first two terms. By the end of the third I was desperate to get into a house and do it all myself!

[bruffin]

Ds back from his Headstart at Imperial. He did broadcasted engineering and loved it. Seems to have done a lot of hands on and made a few new friends.
Off to Southampton tomorrow and maybe Loughborough on Saturday.

[secretscwirrels]

bruffin glad your DS got something out of his HS course.
I took DS back to Warwick yesterday for a one day Maths course. It's definitely the favourite but tough entry conditions.
I had a good look round while he was busy, the place was eerily quiet apart from a few conferences. It all looks lovely and modern and green.
Not sure about it being all self catered. I know the traditional caricature of students surviving on beans for 3 years but I can't take off my maternal need to have him fed. DS eats poorly at the best of times.

[NewFairy]

Secret, I shared your concerns about self catering with ds1 as he is just not botherd about food and will forget to eat. However, a wise mum pointed out to me that if they have to go to the communal kitchen and cook, then they spend time there getting to know others, rather than just going to a big hall, eating, and then possibly disappearing back to their room.
And this was the way it worked, plus he often bought cheap food deals at the Students Union, so didn't rely just on hs cooking skills.
And after a few weeks, they all clubbed together for a weekly takeaway, or a communal cooked Sunday roast.

[NewFairy]

Bruffin, my ds2 did the HS course at Imperial last summer. He had a great experience, but knew he didn't want to study for 4 years in London (& was un likely to meet their grade requirements tbf)

He has applied to Warwick. It was great going there on a post offer day and meeting current students. DS also came across another student he had met at originally at HS, and then met again at eng interview at Cardiff.

[legallady]

Anyone been to Southampton today? DD looking at modern languages and the choice of courses looks great. She liked the campus and the accommodation as well. One of the favourites so far I would say

[Kez100]

We have three choices for application already made here, and two serious open days still to attend (plus two possible others). All well oversubscribed so my daughter thinks a full five choices would be sensible. Then, if she gets any offers after interviews, a decision will have to be made. Who knows, they may make it for her and make no offers. Scary thought.

[bruffin]

Newfairy
They have set up a facebook group so hopefully they will find out where everyone ends up. Ds had met a couple before through Arkwright. He loved the meet and greet with graduates that are now working and hopes he can get a tour of google from one of the graduates.

Legallady
We were at Southampton yesterday and ds really liked the course,campas and the accomodation. We did only look at Glen Eyre though.He is looking at mechanical engineering.

[secretscwirrels]

NewFairy That's a very reassuring tale and makes me look at S/C in a different light. DS struggles socially and would benefit from the communal cooking thing and he can actually cook a small repertoire, it's just that he can't be bothered.

[NewFairy]

Secret - always happy to provide a positive story

Re Soton, DS1 was in Glen Eyre. I thought it was much nicer than the other main student residential area at Wessex Lane. But tbh I think they all have such a great time it doesn't really matter.

[LoveMyTeens]

Re catered halls - someone said to us that maybe the dining hall can get a bit cliquey, and those who don't easily make friends may find themselves regularly eating alone anyway. Not sure whether this has happened to anyone she knew, or just a "mean girls" fantasy. DS has been cooking for himself at least once a week for a while now, and can manage a good curry! We thought it best to encourage him while he was taking an interest, rather than wait until a few weeks before he goes away.

[secretscwirrels]

I thought I'd resurrect this until we need a UCAS thread.
How is everyone? Had a good summer?
Are they all sweating over their personal statements or slobbing in bed all day still prevaricating?

Counting down to Thursday. DS in a cloud of gloom as he has convinced himself he won't get the grades he wants.

[BeckAndCall]

Hi secret. Same here - DD is really terrified about Thursday! Unfortunately, what would constitute a good set of results from my point of view won't be enough, given her aspirations - a few UMS here and there might make all the difference.

Otherwise the summer has been spent revising and rewriting the PS, reading very clever books to write about on the PS, and going through the course detail of the places she may put on her UCAS form if Thrusday works out well.

I will be very glad when we get to about 10.30 on Thrusday and she at least knows where she stands!

[secretscwirrels]

It will be 6am here! No need to set my alarm for work on Thursday as the results will be on the college website at 6am and DS will be waking me up at 6.05.
He has a plan A and, thankfully , a plan B that he is happy with if the results aren't quite what he hopes for. Here also a few UMS on one paper will make all the difference. He's done plenty of reading clever books but not much has gone down in writing on the PS.

[Timetraveller]

Hi, we're in a similar situation, DS needs all As and high UMS to do what he wants. He doesn't have a plan B either!
He's been reading a few books but I don't think he's done anything on his PS. He told me he'd done some 'bullet points' at the end of term but I haven't seen anything. I suppose he'll have to work on it soon, there's no point nagging him.

[cardibach]

Just back from a fantastic trip to India which has kept DDs mind off results, but it's a bit tense here at the moment. Some of the papers were unusual, so she has no idea at all how she will have done. School opens at 8.30 on Thursday and I expect we will be there about then with everything crossed.

She hasn't started writing her PS yet, but has given lots of thought to what to put into it - helped by a handy leaflet we picked up at Liverpool Open Day which gives a real insight into what works for the course she wants.

[BeckAndCall]

Tbh, for us here I think the AS result day is harder than than the A2 day. ( this is third time around in this house)
Applications all depend on how the ASs go, and by the time you get to the A2 results you pretty much know if you've got the offer or not.

Mind you, I'm talking about the days before A* offers, so don't quote me next year!!

[prettydaisies]

The Y13 students at DD's school say getting AS results was more worrying than waiting for A2 results too.
DD can't get her results until tomorrow afternoon. A2s in the morning and ASs in the afternoon.

[MABS]

feeling sick here :( dd need abb and pretty sure not got, 7am for results here .good luck to all.

[Milliways]

Holding hands here MABS, DS needs A*BBa or AABa, and the grade boundaries are looking nasty.