Starting year 13 2016

[HSMMaCM]

Continuing from the year 12 - 13 thread.

Good luck with continuing studies, uni open days, driving tests, etc.

Glad my DD's choice was straightforward - she (and DH) are working on the 'perfect choice' for universities. Much perusal of the QS rankings, Times good uni guide. But its not a simple comparison - we have to scratch out anywhere in London because she doesn't want to live there, she may feel the same about Manchester ... my own feeling is that TBH she will do fine anywhere she's happy and end up very employable. What the heck, they're enjoying it!

dd is continuing with all her subjects.

Can't remember when they get given their predictions but it must be quite soon.

Hopefully more realistic predictions than those ridiculous ALPs things!

Oddboots I don't have experience of Justin Craig myself but do know someone who used them for her DD and she felt it was worthwhile.

That's not good about the bus Horsemad. I looked up the price of ours for DS who is moving up next year. £510 this year, £640 next and £770 the year after, I was quite .

This tutor is sounding very competent and making me feel a lot better about things, fingers crossed DD and her get on well when she starts next week.

Errol do they have a spreadsheet? Nothing like a good spreadsheet...

Mirabelle - spreadsheets plural!
DDs bus pass is ~£900 ( its about 20 miles, our choice so I'm not complaining TBH) and they may be having to alter the timetable because of major roadworks causing holdups. She's not impressed that the bypass thats been on the cards for about 20 years will cause her delays and be too late to benefit her.

DD's bus pass is £800. I haven't bought one this year, because if she passes her driving test it will be a waste of money. If she fails I may regret that decision.

Fair play to them Errol

DD's bus pass was about 1k last year with the bolt ons so she could use it evenings and weekends. College was 20 miles or so away so it seemed decent value.

DS's new school (well probably) is just under 3 miles away so £770 in a couple of years time seems really steep in comparison, I'll be doing a lift share.

Feeling blessed to live in London with free bus and subsidised train/tube for teens!
And DD walks to sixth form anyway!

So she has made the decision and Eng Lit, History and Psychology remain!
She finishes at 11 this morning, so is planning to come back and sort her files/books/revision... Not holding my breath

If anyone is interested, there is a University of London undergraduate fair coming up next week (not for us, London is far too close!) undergraduatefair.london.ac.uk/YeMtWBjYOOCcquwg&_hsmi=33989184

DD just called to say she got one of her re-marks back and she has gone up a grade, so is very happy! Haven't heard about the other yet.

She has also sorted out her work/revision from last year/room

BTM, well done to your DD. When is the deadline? DS school asked for his paper back for Unit 2 with a view to remarking but it hasn't come yet. There was a palaver because mostly if you get them back you can't get a remark but Edexcel have some scheme to make money whereby you can order a script copy and then decide whether to have a remark. But the deadline must be soon??

That's good news bigtilly. My Dd has just applied for a remark, after her interview with her mentor.

Can I ask everyone if their dc have visited every university they are applying for. The reason I ask is Dd wants to visit Loughborough which is a minimum 7 hour round trip AND go to an 18th birthday party that night. We told her she can't do both. Loughborough is really a fill in the gap choice, she already has some favourites.

Great news BTM

Thanks! We applied for 2 re-marks at the same time, but only one has come back, so it must be a bit hit-and-miss!

DD has visited 3 uni's she will apply to. She may visit the other 2 before (bf is going to one, friend at another) but probably not on an open day. Or she will wait to see what offers she gets and then go if necessary.
I would say wait for offers and then go on an offer-holder day.

Thanks Tilly, I'll try and talk her out of it. We've already done 4!

There are offer holder days? I learn something useful every day on this thread. Thanks.

I hadn't heard of offer holder days, but there are usually applicant days which isnt quite the same thing - they could include formal or informal interviews prior to offers being made.

DD will have been to most but not quite all, probably - plus a few shes rejected. But I think this is a bit excessive unusual, I think most of her pals are doing 3 or 4

Well I think there are - I think that's when DD's bf went to visit his firm and insurance.

I checked, Loughborough certainly have one.

Makes sense that there should be those too I guess. Bit different to back in the day, just interviews, but then we weren't paying customers!

Most unis have offer holder days I think. Very similar to an open day but you see the department in more detail, and meet people applying to your course.

Sometimes unis hold 'applicant days ' which often include an interview (DS had this and got his offers after it). He was applying to Comp Sci though; I don't think they tend to do it for Humanities.

DD won't be going to open days for 2 unis she is definitely applying to. She is planning to go to the offer-holder days, assuming she gets the offers, of course.

She vacillates between assuming she will have to choose between 5 offers and talking about clearing. It's all a bit daunting.

Dd's visited 5.I think she's decided on her 4 choices.She wanted to visit Edinburgh but it's too far and extremely hard to get into and we've decided not to bother.Is it important to put them in order of priority now?I'm puzzled by this question.
I'm am also become increasingly worried by how the results will pan out for the new A level courses.There seems to be so much uncertainty arround at the moment.

They don't put them in order of priority now. They just name their choices on the UCAS form, there is no priority assigned to them.

In the spring after they have received all their offers, then they will have to name one 'firm' first choice, one 'insurance' second choice and decline any others.

I agree about the uncertainty. Our DC's cohort are guinea pigs for the new system.

Hi all, just joining new thread (thanks HSMM) and catching up with everyone.

Ds dropped the subject he was hoping to drop so is glad to have that confirmed after AS results. We're doing 4 out of 5 uni visits as he thinks it will be easier to decide which to put for 1st choice if he's seen them as there's not much difference in entry requirements.

I expect they will be told their grade predictions soon so that will help with the deciding too.