Starting Year 13 (number 4!)

[Mindgone]

I just thought I'd get us started up again!

That sounds great, Decorhate. They didn't do two week tickets back in my day!

Dd is just planning to do it for 2 weeks. There are different tickets you can get which specify the amount of days and journeys you can do. They are planning to stay in hostels but have a few places where they know people they can stay with (conveniently!)

No idea how much DS will need to live on.
A friend whose DC studies in London gives them 30 a week which has to pay for everything. Food/transport if needed/clothes/toiletries/entertainment.

I think that's a bit too little to manage on personally. Their DC can't work easily due to the hours (med student) so can only earn in holiday times.
The parents could afford to help quite easily, but refuse to do so

Re hols after exams; DS is going to S. Africa with a conservation project via school.
Paid for by us for his 18th birthday present.

Dd got her fifth offer last night (from Durham). Her offers look like this, in order - Exeter(!) A A A; Cambridge A A A; Durham A A A; York AAA and Warwick AAA. So Exeter are well and truly out of the running! She is going to firm Cambridge and then needs to decide between York and Warwick for her insurance place.

Still at Exeter's offer. Ridiculous!

That's a mad offer from Exeter! Is it for history?

No it is English GypsyFloss. They kindly said that if she firmed them they would lower it to A* AA

Heh. That's generous of them
I wonder what their rationale is for those kind of offers? Surely they realise that they risk losing out on some decent students?

Yes, you would think they would realise that. If she had had an AAA offer they would definitely have been her insurance choice. I think perhaps they are going for students who have been rejected by Oxford and Cambridge who may well firm them now as it is such a high offer it can't be used as an insurance offer.

Ah I see. So I suppose they are competing with Durham etc on the A*AA but perhaps are trying to imply their course is even better and as you are a chosen student you too can join us if you make us your firm?

Yes - I think they are trying to up the calibre of students and are probably fed up being used as an insurance choice!

....but they are also competing with places like York who have offered AAA. Risky.

They offered DD AAA for her course but then said they'd accept a B in French if she got the equivalent to an A in her GPR, which then put them on a par with similar offers from Warwick and Leeds for her.

Just had a pursue at this thread and thought I would offer our experience as we were in this position last year (I'm also a 6th form tutor).

Student finance can be a nightmare; as soon as the window opens I recommend getting the application in. Even if you as parents are not declaring income/or will not allow for more than minimum this needs to be done asap. You don't have to wait until firming as they can put any of their offers and change it later.

As other posters have said, when deciding firm/ insurance, don't bank on unis dropping grades just because they might have done previously and always choose an insurance they would be happy not only studing there but also living there.

Get you DC to join The Student Room - each university has its own forum; information re accommodation etc are answered by those who live/have lived there and this can prove to be invaluable

I would never recommend anyone firming/insuring a place that they have never visited you would be surprised how many do

Have an action plan ready for the summer incase of unexpected results - your DC need to be prepared

Do train them in life skills! My DS reported that 2 of his flat of 6 hadn't any experience of washing, ironing, cooking, shopping and these were the ones who were the most homesick.

Thanks Cricketballs that's all very useful

I am assuming that if parents will not be declaring income, they should still 'support' the application, in case they wish to declare in subsequent years.

DD has a mix of options - London, not-London and at home. So whatever she chooses to name in the finance application could well change.

if they put the finance application in before they have firmed, then firm somewhere else, do they change it then or just wait until results day in case it changes again?

I'm not 100% sure about that circular but I would recommend speaking to SF sooner rather than later. But I would imagine that you keep them fully informed with every firm decision

at DH.

DS had decided to withdraw from M'cr and firm Soton and insure Nott'm...until DH stuck his oar in and now DS wants to go for M'cr interview.
DH on a course with work so I've got to take him and we'll have to stay overnight.... Men!

I think parents only "support" an application if they are declaring income. I did nothing in the 1st year as stbx's income meant she wasn't eligible for any grant so there was no point. However after I separated I created my own account in support of DD1.

Note that the relevant income year is 2013-2014 for parents of DC going to uni in 2015-16. I did have to send in a lot of paperwork but it was worth it!

Does anyone know how much is taken into account for siblings (of student applicant) still in ful time education, so dependant on parents?

Does anyone know how much is taken into account for siblings

As far as I remember - zilch, nada, nothing for siblings (but please check that out).

At school, nothing; at university, a grand. I think that was what it was last time I looked.

Not that I can find where I got that £1000 from! But I know I've had it fixed in my mind for ages. We'll have children at home for most of the time we have any at uni, and more years of having two at university than just having 1! (Assuming they all go!) Fortunately we just manage to avoid having three there at once.