Starting year 13 2016

[HSMMaCM]

Continuing from the year 12 - 13 thread.

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

Dingit I get shrieked at regularly here too.Theres no telling them anything .

HSM - is it worth your DD discussing her predicted grades with her teachers and seeing if there is any movement? The majority of unis end up accepting students with a grade or 2 lower than their offer (as long as they are not the most competitive uni/courses). She just needs to make sure her insurance is a realistic choice if her firm choice is aspirational.

Errol, I agree - some strange results from DD's friends and aquaintances. And also fingers crossed for the working harder and getting better grades

And yes, shrieking is de rigeur here. I am trying my best to step away this year!

Mine isn't a shrieker, more of a -er.

Mine's a door slammer.

I've taken to going swimming in the evening to calm me down.The thing is my hormones are awry - I'm 52 - and I just shriek back.Which is no good whatsoever.The swimming makes me Zen-like and I actually sleep well.

teta, I've taken to leaving early for work for the same reasons!

I wonder what it's like at a girls boarding school

Sorry, hit post too soon, they have no dm's to take it out on

Predicted grades in, and all very official, AAA, her as grades were ABB, but high Bs, so may be achievable, but still a lot of pressure.

Sadly we are not near Nottingham, we are in Surrey, which is her first choice. Ah, she wants her mumma after all

That is the beauty of conducting your parenting via Skype, no shrieking.

However My PSB turned 13 last week and has turned into sloth boy. Clearly I'm not dealing with it too well as friend watched me in action then asked me if I am due on. I went to bed later and Googled the times of the swimming sessions and she asked today if I'd thought about swimming. Zen-like sounds very appealing.

I think DD is highly unlikely to want to ever go to University listening to her recently She's had some success booking in some photo shoots for portraits and I can see her going down that route . Although she will be loath to admit it the photography BTEC has really helped and I' glad she stuck it long enough to come out with the 90 credit diploma. Just need her to get this A level though to keep all options open.

Not jealous, not at all! Though second teen not so good.
re the friend asking if you're due on!

DD's laptop needs repairing - will take 2 weeks and cost about £200 But probably better than having to get a new one now - was planning to sort a new one for uni. Why do these things last only for so short a time?

Ouch, not cheap. Is there such a thing as reconditioned cheaper ones ?

This is why I only had one child..

Squeezed DD's predicted grades out of her today. Not brilliant, but not as bad as she's been acting.

No predicted grades yet. A couple of comments on the PS - take a couple of bits out and then expand which dd finds illogical.

They are not really Personal Statements by the time they have been through a couple of teachers. It woud be much more exciting to sit them in a room and tell them to write about why they want to do the subject. I bet the recipients at universities would find the end result much more entertaining to read.

Although I suppose that doing PS's that way would turn the whole thing into an exam and that wouldn't be great. I hope the 'powers that be' axe the darn things soon.

That's better news, HSM.

Definitely, Little! It is a bit of a joke, isn't it? The Head of Dept who gave the talk I went to with DD said they don't even look at them

Mirabelle, I am biting the bullet in the hopes that it lasts till next July. I can't face looking for a new one. DD is miraculously not moaning too much about it - probably because she is just relieved I am going to sort it out for £££

I actually think the process of writing her PS has been useful for DD - she's doing the subjects with least amount of writing, and was always rather dismissive of the gcse 'persuasive writing' exercises on subjects she wasn't really interested in.

That's good Errol.
As DD was doing 4 essay subjects and is now doing 3, she should find it a breeze!

dd is off to Warwick Open Day tomorrow. Anyone else going?

Can I ask if everyone taking biology have been predicted pretty what they expected?

Hope Warwick goes well LittleHoHum.

Yes pretty much Mirabelle - dd got a B for AS and is predicted a B for A2, they seem keen to be accurate at her school, which tbh is a tadge frustrating at this stage

Thanks Jugglimg. I'm helping someone with their UCAS application and she is a little sad she wasn't predicted an A, they didn't take the AS. I guess in the long run it is better to be realistic.

Teta, my DD was applying for vet med this time last year. I have PM'd you.

I wonder if schools are sometimes a bit mindful of their stats Mirabelle?

Being rather solidly realistic with predictions so that they'll be able to say 85% (or whatever) of our students got into their first choice Uni?

I hope not. I hope they are always acting first and foremost in the student's best interests.

To me though, no harm in being a bit aspirational with first choice - and setting out on Y13 hoping to do better than last year - and also making full use of your insurance offer as somewhere you'd be almost equally happy with?

Even though I gathered from one Open Day that it might affect accommodation options (ie. being offered a place in halls of residence) if where you end up going wasn't your first choice? (Something else to maybe bear in mind depending on the Uni and what they can offer accommodation wise) All very tricky!

Yes, it certainly can affect your accommodation options if you don't get your first choice - I'd got the impression it was the norm but I could be completely wrong!