2015 Yr 12 support thread

[Needmoresleep]

Mocks this week, and the reality of AS exams in a few months is starting to hit home. I don't think it will be an easy journey, so would welcome some company.

Our school has a policy (2 days) but they seem very flexible.

Went to the ucas talk in college this evening - I was the only one there!! The woman was really pleased to see me and said often no-one goes - she did her powerpoint presentation which was rather embarrassing because it would have been much easier to just chat.

ds is at a land based college where only the minority move onto HE and the majority of those that do, stay to do their degrees at the college but his course is only offered at HND and he wants to head north anyway. Only 2 from the year above him on his course have made an application this year and both have applied to the same newish and bottom quartile institution.

Rather worried that the college won't be able to advise ds in the same way as school would have done having sent almost everyone in Y13 onto a wide range of unis since before the ark.

eatyourveg You always have good advice for others on here, hopefully you can help compensate for his college's lack of expertise.

eatyourveg - student room is also a good source of information (although also check each universities website as things change).
DDs' school, I think allows 4 or 5 days off for open days but do be aware that some courses require interviews. Last year we tried to keep open days for DD1 to weekends as much as possible as she also missed time from school for a summer school plus 4 days for interviews and 1 day for a post offer day. School had no issue authorising the time off but DD didn't want to miss her lessons.
DD2 (year 12) is currently looking into open days and we will be trying to keep to weekends as much as possible.

Thanks secret think the main worry I have is that as he is on a vocational course as opposed to A levels, it is all new territory for me (trying to work out how assignment grades are translated into unit grades which then become 3 final grades, is a completely different language from the A, B and C grades I understand) and I have no idea which unis are respected or worthless for what he wants to do.

Eatyourveg...the Queen of Clearing!

One advantage of knowing that the school is not going to be much help is that you know you have to do it yourself. The worst case is thinking that the school is able to offer good advice when it can't.

In terms of which Unis are respected, are there any specialist recruitment consultants in his field, who might be willing to confirm what they are looking for? Do you know any professionals? Has he done work experience and had a chance to ask people he is working alongside?

I guess then open days become particuarly useful as it is a chance to double check entry requirements.

Eatyourveg, as my family had moved abroad for half of my school years, I went to uni abroad & know very little about the process here. Along with mumsnet of course, I found www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/parents-and-guardians UCAS parent info page really useful. There's a guide (pdf) & other helpful info on there. You could also encourage your DS to go to the closest www.ucas.com/events/convention-exhibition UCAS event where I'm guessing he'd be able to talk to lots of uni's in one day.

Ugh, typing on a tablet. I'll try posting those links again:

UCAS parent info page UCAS event

Thanks sammy just seen on your link that the local ucas convention is next month - would have thought the woman last night might have mentioned it ds didn't have a clue what I was talking about when I mentioned it. ds1 went with school and picked up loads of useful info. Will get ds3 to ask college if they are sending a cohort but I think they will probably give him a blank look. Don't think you can go as an individual though. Might get him to ask school if he can tag along with them.

Seriously beginning to regret ds leaving school now

Eatyourveg, you can book as an individual. It says parents can go too but I don't know if that would be odd. Someone on here might know.

DD2 has just been to a ucas convention. TBH she and her friends thought it a waste of time but they got lots of goodies! It was very busy and huge queues at the desks. I think you may be better doing Internet research etc. and then booking some open days. Look on which university; what uni; unifrog; TSR and on the universities own websites.
School give the appearance of helping with uni hence the ucas convention but in reality most of the research is done at home with Google.
Good luck!

I think the open day is far less necessary now that with a few clicks you can get all the info you need, and first hand accounts/youtube videos of places etc - in my day in was necessary to actually go to the places to get the info.
DS school does not allow time out for Open days, probably for the same reason. If you want to visit the campus/city and wander around to get a feel for the place, no-one is going to stop you just visiting eg any Saturday in term time..

Clicked too soon... when DS As levels are out of the way, he will look at courses, then he/we may visit a few places that offer the courses he thinks are possibles before he submits his choices.

I personally would advise attending the open days where possible as they do give you a good feel of the department and university. Ones that I thought looked good on the website, DD1 (year 13) didn't have the same feel about when we visited e.g. She much preferred Manchester over Nottingham. We also found difference emphasis over different aspects of the course varies a lot even though you end up with the same qualification.

Anyone interested in York, they have just opened up books for their June OpenDays on their website. There will be more open days in September, booking not open for those yet.

Thanks, Gently.

How's everyone doing? DD has been revising hard all week and I veer between being pleased about it and worrying that she'll burn out!

She has also decided re Oxbridge to apply to Cambridge rather than Oxford as she prefers the course at the former. Which means that, having had all the stress of getting as many A*s as possible at GCSE for Oxford entrance requirements, we now have all the stress of achieving high AS UMS for Cambridge...

DS has also been hard at it and has done a maths practice paper every day so far as well as other stuff. It's very full on. I really wish his experience of lower Sixth could be what mine was; a year of hard work but plenty of time for fun in between O levels and A levels. I am not persuaded that AS levels are a good thing. It all seems utterly relentless.

Marni I read that Oxford looks at GSCEs and Cambridge at AS levels but didn't know if that is actually the case? DS's GCSEs are fine for Oxbridge and he is also hoping to apply but is currently in a panic on the maths front, so Oxford may be the better bet! I just wish he'd take the pressure off himself a bit.

Morvah I think it is the case in the main. Cambridge has a supplementary form that all applicants have to fill in listing their AS Levels with UMS scores for each module. They calculate the UMS% for best 3 AS levels (Arts/Humanities applicants) or 3 most relevant (Science applicants) and apparently it carries a lot of weight in deciding who to interview/offer.
Oxford don't ask for UMS scores at AS at all.

I agree re the relentlessness and am definitely not convinced by AS Levels. DD is doing Pre-U for one of her subjects which won't be examined until the end of the course next year. They seem to go into much more depth because they don't have the spectre (and pressure) of exams 9 months after the start of the course. Much better I think.

Cambridge have a lot of information about average ums scores expected to get offers and so on.

Dd2's school are putting on revision classes during the holidays, just got a timetable of them today, as well as the schedule of any extra revision sessions when they go back next term. She's starting proper revision next week apparently :) She also has the UNIQ summer school decision date on the calendar - hoping she won't be too disheartened if she doesn't get a place

She got offered a UNIQ place! So pleased for her

And she's been working hard all week, lovely child

Excellent news Atia! Well done to your DD.
My DD is going on a Headstart course - but she is very nervous about it.

Well done to your DD, Atia. And to your DD too, Hells. Hope they both have fun!

My DD is doing a half day course at King's next week, but it was first come, first served rather than competitive entry!

I hope your DD enjoys it Leeds2. I think anything that gives them a taste of either the subject or the university is great.
I am hoping that it will encourage DD to apply to university as at the moment she finds the idea rather scary.

That's brilliant Atia, she must be thrilled. What's she hoping to study?

DD has also been putting the hours in this week bar one day when we went to Cambridge for a college open day (for arts subjects) which was really informative and enjoyable. Cambridge looked absolutely beautiful in the sunshine too.

Exams feel like they're getting uncomfortably close now...