Continuing Year 13: January 2016

[Needmoresleep]

Only two more terms at school. Let's support each other support our DC in getting through to the end.

That's interesting Atia and good on him for being so forward!
We were at Sheffield yesterday for the last post offer day. Now he has to decide on an insurance choice and then he can get on and make firm choices.

Birmingham was lovely. A sunny day so I took the opportunity to explore the different areas of student accommmodation. (Which all looked very nice.) Another interview this week, this time in the West Country, then a third the following Monday. I know DD could go on her own, but I am being selfish and enjoying the trip with her. It is not long now before she leaves home.

Apparently the interview went fine, but who knows what that means. Until she actually gets an offer I don't think she wants to even think about whether she likes the University.

In the meantime it is busy, busy, busy. Mocks last week, and now three sets of coursework to complete before the end of term, plus sports fixtures and the like. At least the days are getting longer and it feels as if winter is on its way.

Good luck to all.

I think you mean Spring is on its way! I was just saying that I didn't think we'd had a winter this year, I hope it is not on the way!

You are right. What I meant is winter is on its way out.

DD is not talking about University applications. It has been like a lengthy hurdle race, starting in Year 11. I was really nervous before her Birmingham interview, probably because I know how much an offer would mean to her. It seems she was just as nervous. It will be nice to have the interviews out of the way, then see. An offer would be wonderful. I still think medicine is what she wants to do, but am not sure she is willing to go through this a second time.

I love the lighter evenings.....

Whew, final offer in (which is the second to include the EPQ - AAA with, A*AA without), so thankfully we can now start sorting out disability stuff and student finance . And maybe that will focus DDs mind on school work and revision...

DS has got Cambridge for his maths (firm) but is wavering between Warwick and Durham for insurance.He knows Warwick is better mathswise but thinks he would like the university and city of Durham better.
There is a post-offer overnight visit at Durham in three weeks , so maybe that will crystallise his feelings.

Good time at Bristol post-offer day yesterday. Very well organised & he feels he would be happy there if Warwick doesn't work out. So that's all sorted then.

DH & I had good time wandering round - really interesting city, glad I was well wrapped up though as bitterly cold.

Feels strange with all these uni visits - getting to know several different cities but don't know if we'll ever go back to them or not.

The good news here was that DS1 got a job lined up for the summer, so will hopefully have some savings tucked away by the time he goes off.

Distraction is a Grade 8 music Exam at the end of the month.....

Bethan, we must have been in Bristol on the same day, though unfortunately for DD it was for an interview, not an offer.

She loved it. As did I. It really was somewhere I would be happy revisiting. They say she will hear in about 5-6 weeks. Can I hold my breath that long?

One set of coursework is largely done, and a second started. I think she is hoping to make progess on those and the third over the weekend, though she is exhausted. It really is not that long till the end of term so it needs to be done. I don't think there will be time for her to buy something for mother's day, though I caught her texting her brother telling him he needed to step up.

DS has finally decided on Exeter over Southampton. I think my coming down in favour of cheaper to live in Southampton has backfired and he is even more in favour of Exeter because of it. Damn it, should have used reverse psychology!

I love Bristol. It's where I grew up and the city is lovely if a bit tatty here and there. Clifton is beautiful. It was too close to home for DS as was Bath as we have lots of family in both places.

DS is now thinking about getting a job in the summer to help fund him and has applied to a couple of software places and a government department that runs a summer school type thing. Fingers crossed otherwise he'll be trawling the shops and supermarkets.

Needmore if you saw someone going round Bristol in a wheelchair with her leg sticking out that was me (recovering from broken kneecap). Not very easy for DH with all the hills.

5-6 weeks seems a very long time to wait, hope it's good news when it arrives.

Hope everything works out with everyone's DC's summer jobs. DS says he's going to try & get some more maths tutoring work, doesn't pay a huge amount - only charges half the going rate as still at school - but he enjoys it.

Gloria I'm fairly sure student finance is "open" now. We haven't quite got round to it but 2 P60s are sitting around in anticipation.

Ds thinks he's going to firm Warwick but says he's not going to do it until the last minute incase he changes his mind. Exeter is preferred insurance, but can't be his insurance as their offer is AAA and Warwick AAB, IYSWIM. Has an ABB from Royal Holloway but didn't fall for them at the offer holder day.

Is anyone else just choosing a firm with no insurance?

Are we the only ones still waiting? Two replies are expected at the end of the month and the third not before mid April. And it could go on till May. At least the sun is shining. I did not spot Bethan in Bristol but did see lots of groups of French students.

dunlurking my DS has firmed with no insurance. After discounting the option with the highest offer, his firm and 2 others offered the same and the last one with a lower offer wasn't so where he actually wanted to go. So he decided he didn't want to commit to anything other than the firm and rake his chances.

Student finance is open. We did the application today.

DD1 has no insurance. No point.

Can I ask why there is no point? My son's offers have almost all been the same 3 As. However, some have let him know they will not accept him with less and 2 others have said they probably will.
Hopefully he will get what he needs but isn't it still sensible to have an insurance choice (that on paper still says 3As) and negotiate if necessary.

mygrandchildren I cant speak for Uhtred but my DS didn't go for an insurance because the UCAS system clearly says that if you are not accepted by the firm choice you are COMMITTED and when it came down to it he decided he didn't actually want to be committed to any of the others. He'd rather take his chances and if he has to go in clearing he can reassess.

Of course if you get an unconditional offer that would also mean there's no point in choosing an insurance.

It's a real dilemma when the range of offers isn't actually much of a range at all. Typical offer for my DS subject at good RG Unis is AAA - AAB so not much wriggle room there! Then offers drop down to the BBB - BBC sort of mark at the next level which would represent an underselling IYSWIM and mean going to a less well thought of establishment for his subject.

Thanks homebythesea (which I actually do have!) that makes sense.

It is not entirely true to say that you are committed to going to the insurance if not accepted by the firm choice but accepted by insurance. You can request to be released from your insurance and then enter Clearing, and it is rare for such a request to be refused. (Why would universities want you to come if you don't really want to?) Dropping Insurance places and going into Clearing is not uncommon, particularly given the increasing number of places available at highly ranked universities during Clearing.

But of course if you absolutely do not want to go to any of your other choices apart from your firm then there is no point in holding an insurance offer.

dusquit it makes it v clear on the UCAS website when you are going through the process of firming that if you ultimately turn down the insurance place this will delay the ability to get into the clearing system. Which makes sense- On results day staff at Uni's are going to be dealing with willing applicants rather than the admin required to release students from places! By which time good clearing places might have gone

Uhtred's DD has a conservatoire offer that was either unconditional, or just about, I cant remember exactly.

In practice however the release usually does not take that long.

Of course if you don't want to go to the place at all there's no point in insuring it but for many students not having any insurance is a very dangerous strategy. Remember that universities may take a grade or so lower from a firm/insurance candidate than they would take in Clearing. E.g. if they are in Clearing at AAB they might well accept a firm/insurance student at ABB. (The logic is that the people really want to go there if they have firmed/insured, so tend to do better than people who chose it last minute in Clearing.)

I can understand the principle of still putting an insurance, but there's no way Exeter would accept someone who didn't even get AAB (i.e missing the Warwick offer) when the Exeter offer was AAA. Surely.....????? Definitely doesn't want RHL (who gave an unconditional if he firmed, but ABB otherwise). Bristol offer is AAA and Birmingham AAA or AAA + A in EPQ, so they wouldn't accept something lower than AAB, I assume. And he prefers Warwick over Exeter - so surely he has to firm them if that is where he really wants to go, and hope they will accept a dropped grade if necessary?