Starting Y13 (y12 support thread contd)

[AtiaoftheJulii]

Well, I filled up the other one, so here's a nice new one to get us through dropping subjects, Uni open days, personal statement writing, and UCAS applications

Plenty of and and (nicely-intentioned) s available!

OMG text from DS1 at Bath - new accomm has electric blinds and remote controlled mood lighting!!!!

DD has just texted me from Nottingham - she loves it. Course and accommodation both look extremely good she says.

Lol mumslife, I haven't checked yet but can imagine it will be massively expensive!

just read upthread about the fire at Nottingham's Jubilee campus. That's awful. We visited JC in June and I thought it was really lovely. Hope they can rebuild quickly.

Circular - thanks very much for your post.
We went to Bath open day yesterday - all very nice. Accommodation looked good. DD went to a few different talks but I think she is again looking at her original course choice. Lots of research today for her so she can at least decide whether she wants to do any more open days ......but also lots of homework after a full day out yesterday.

DS not keen on Bath for his course but loved the new accommodation.

DH thought the lecturers knowledgable, but felt the department didn't sell themselves particularly well. Hardly any demos, which was disappointing.

Horsemad Good to see you've found us again, saw your other thread after it was sorted.

Also getting worried about how all these visits hanging over into this term are affecting the work. DD also had music rehearsals most of yesterday, but did take a bit of work with, not sure it got done though as was still working for a few hours last night. Has some test revision to do today, then hopefully back to PS.

As shes so busy today, said Id help a bit with the Uni research. So making a spreadsheet of all the Unis she is thinking about along with criteria/aspects.
Then possibly colour coding some boxed for good, OK, bad from her perspective.

Hoping no more visits in school time now, supposed to only have 3. Technically only taken 2 if not counting taster days. She seems to be a bit more organised this term, getting work in advance when planned missed lessons.

Circular - the time taken for uni stuff on top of increased work at school is going to be hard to juggle. DD did quite a few open days last term so trying to keep this term's to Saturdays. The course she is looking at involves selection by interview so that could potentially be another 5 days missed from school.

Welcome back Horsemad!

Hellsbells We intended to do more last term, but just as difficult to miss Saturday music school, so ending up cancelling a few. And of course nervous about results, so best left till now. Also saw some Conservatoires, not completely ruled out CUKAS yet either, and deadline for that is 1st Oct, although PS started is the UCAS one.
If she does do CUKAS, auditions in Nov/Dec. - so more time off school.
Don't think many of the Unis she is considering audition/interview for music.

Presume applicant post offer days have a Saturday option. though suspect (happened to a friend) if a late offer, they get filled first.

Good luck Circular.

Worth looking at this regarding required grades in university prospectuses.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-29141762

This is a quote from the article....

A university vice-chancellor, speaking privately, described the practice as being a bit like the difference between a hotel's official room rate and the price you might really pay on a discount website.

Thanks Hellsbells. good luck to your DD too !

Littleham Thats a really interesting article.

Am I right in thinking that if a student with (say) ABC predictions applies to a course typically offering ABB, if they get an offer it would still be ABB? And then possibly the offer was an indication that if they dropped a grade they would still keep the place?

Do many get offers when their predictions are more than a grade below the typical offer?

I'm just a parent that has been through this once, so I don't know for sure, but this is what I think.

The higher your predictions, the more likely you are to get an offer (so they probably wouldn't get the offer in your scenario, as it is all based on predictions) but university recruitment is a business, so it is worth trying to investigate the grades that were really achieved for any given course.

However, if they are predicted ABB, get an offer of ABB, but their actual grades end up as ABC, then they may well get let in. The same course may take students of an even lower grade through clearing.

Reports back in from DD on Cardiff and Nottingham.
Cardiff courses seemed good but she really didn't like the university layout and feel - she is all for a self-contained campus now. Also the day itself was overcrowded and poorly organised she felt, couldn't find anything to eat all day as everywhere had sold out or had huge queues and crowds tend to bring on her panic attacks so she didn't have the greatest time there.
Nottingham, by contrast, she loved and was really impressed by the course and in particular by the detailed talks from the modern languages department on the course and the way they arrange the year abroad - a real contrast to Oxford who say they leave it up to the student to sort out - Nottingham seems to have a wide range of contacts in business and links with other universities which would make the year really productive. So that's shooting up to the top of the list now and she still has York and Warwick to go.

That's interesting MissMillament. DS has been saying for ages that Cardiff would be his first choice but I don't think he was that impressed with the open day either. He didn't find the lecture he attended very inspiring and I don't think he particularly liked the feel of the place.

In contrast, DD liked Cardiff when she went! Felt it was more part of the City and less like being in a bubble which she felt Nottingham was. we liked Nottingham and the idea of her being in a safe bubble

Hellsbells - seeing a range of universities really helps them understand what kind of environment they would feel most comfortable in, doesn't it. DD has some social anxiety issues that mean a 'safe' campus style university ticks a lot of boxes for her - the trick will be combining it with right courses (and hoping her predicted grades come good) - spreadsheets here we come!
What are people feeling about catered vs uncatered halls - DD likes the look of the catered halls at Nottingham but I am a bit concerned that they are term time only so stuff would have to be cleared out over Christmas and Easter whereas with the uncatered halls they can leave their stuff there over the holidays.

ds liked Birmingham- he liked the campus and felt being only 7 mins by train from the city centre was great- he likes to consider his social needs first it seems... Just got to get him motivated with the personal statement now- he has lots to put in but can't seem to commit to actually getting on and writing it