Starting Y13 (y12 support thread contd) - number 3

[Littleham]

Thread continued folks...

Me and DH didn't go either. Darn wonder if my dd should have wrote about it on her PS. Oh well too late for us to do anything. My parents were mean wouldn't let me go??

I thought the parental education bit was for statistical purposes and the info doesn't actually go to the unis you've applied to.

Re first generation to Uni, DDs school put it on the reference. Believe it's one of the pointers for a contextual offer.

Meant to say, well done to all the offers coming in.

I didn't go, my parents weren't that encouraging about me going. I think with a bit more support I would have gone. Part of the problem was that I didn't know what I wanted to do and so drifted into jobs rather than choosing a career. It's a fine line between being a pushy paent and a positively encouraging one, isn't it?
DH did his degree with OU.

Same here horsemad I would have gone if parents were more encouraging. Think my parents were very old fashioned believed women should be at home full time and look after husband, home and kids??? Little did my parents realise as time went by, that you have to be wealthy or hubby got a well paid job to be a full time house wife these days. Financially need 2 parents working. Ironically we encouraged all are kids to go to uni and didn't want them to not end up like us with not much qualifications to our names. Then what happens only 1 out of 3 wanted to go??? Luckily the 2 that didn't go have done alright for themselves can't grumble.

Well done everyone's dd's and ds's on all the offers!!

After reading about others parents that didn't encourage University education, i feel very lucky that my mum did, even though against her advice, I initially left school at 16 and got a job she later fully supported me at A levels and subsequently degree level. I must remember to thank her occasionally!

It's a bit of a blunt contextual measure though isn't it? Frankly I'd be appalled to think that, if you had two otherwise identical candidates, one might get a place because neither of their parents had gone to university, but the other's parent/s had. Why on earth should that be the case?

I don't think its whether they get a place or not, just perhaps a lower offer?

There's a bit of information here about contextual offers university.which.co.uk/advice/how-will-contextual-admissions-policies-affect-my-application but it doesn't mention parental education.

I'd be sceptical that universities give it weight- how would they know it was true? They can check on school results & postcode though.

Think it is also used as one of the criteria for initiatives such as Partners for Newcastle Uni and Access to Leeds.If successful you have to make them your first choice though.

How do they find out if you're telling the truth? I did read a while back that people were lying about parents' jobs, eg if father was CEO of Waitrose you'd put "shop worker" as apparently blue collar parents gave a candidate extra brownie points.

Who was to know I was disadvantaging my future dcs when I went to university?!

Nah - think the mother's educational status is still the main indicator of the child's educational success, so your kids are already advantaged by your degree

I went and then dropped out half way through the second year so does that count as having been or does it not count because I don't have a degree? ds1 just put "don't know" when he did his form

Well the die is cast... DS's application has GONE!

Fingers crossed for a quick offer to settle the nerves Horsemad!

Thank you! Feels more nervewracking now!
How do they get notified of any offers?

They get an email to say that UCAS track has updated and then they can log in and check what the change is - hopefully an offer!

Thanks webwiz

Horray horsemad joining the ucas club hope your ds won't have to wait too long for his first offer :)

Thanks polka, I have a bet with DH: he thinks DS won't get any offers and I think he'll get a couple. There's a bottle of wine riding on it!