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Original poster

School's approach to UCAS - is this typical?

190 replies

GrumpyOldBag · 28/04/2017 14:03

DS is in his last term at a well regarded independent school. We have generally been very happy with it, and he is happy there too.

However, the whole University Application process has been a bit of a mess and I am interested to know if this is typical.

Last year we were given no info by the school about Uni Open Days until the start of the Autumn term, so missed most of them last summer and had to catch up over half-term in October. I only became aware of the process through friends with kids at other schools talking about the visit they'd booked. (I've noticed they've now become more proactive about this though, so that's good)

The school was very slow to "sign-off" DS's UCAS form (review & check personal statement, that his choices were appropriate , etc) which culminated in my having to phone the teacher responsible on the last day of the deadline to chase it up - this after having sent several chaser emails in the preceding days/weeks. It was submitted it on the very last day of the deadline, although DS had done his personal statement & made his choices weeks before.

Going through the same process now to get DS to submit his offer acceptance & the deadline is next week! He made his decisions ages ago, but hasn't done it yet, and the school does not seem to be putting any pressure on him. Again, I am the one who is having to do all the chasing.

Now I accept that DS is 18 and an adult and needs to take responsibility himself. However, I also expect the school to have a process for ensuring these important things get done in a timely manner too. And DS has some special needs which mean he is not good at organising and managing himself like this - so I would expect some extra support from the school. Especially as we're paying a lot of money.

But maybe I have unrealistic expectations about this, and am prepared to be told I am?

OP posts:
maryso · 28/04/2017 18:32

Another thought comes to mind...

Centuries ago, when I was at uni, there was a chap who was always impeccably turned out, not just to look at but on time, properly equipped, etc etc... until he said that he had a housekeeper! It crossed my mind then that one of those would be immensely helpful, but I was insufficiently organised to make it happen myself.

Perhaps worth sorting out before October?

Original poster
GrumpyOldBag · 28/04/2017 18:33

Of course we all know he has to accept or decline the offers himself. But i had to google to find the deadline myself - next week - and ds still hasn't done it. And it's next week. And I'd just like the school to share a little bit of the responsibility for making sure it gets done. Because I can say it to DS every single morning, as I have done for the last 2 weeks, and he still won't do it because he's focused on his revision.

OP posts:
Original poster
GrumpyOldBag · 28/04/2017 18:34

maryso sadly I can't afford a housekeeper and school fees.

OP posts:
blueskyinmarch · 28/04/2017 18:35

My DD went to private school. They were really on the ball with UCAS and set deadlines for the students. All applications were submitted by around Christmas. They didn’t give any information on open days but allowed the students time off to attend any they wanted. There were lots of international students at the school and they could not have worked out all the open days for all the universities around the world that were being applied for.

Laniakea · 28/04/2017 18:36

I don't know what dd's school will do since she's only in year 11 but she's been reading prospectuses, looking at university websites & reading about various courses for the last 18 months or so. She's already got a list of places she's interested in looking at. She actually booked one open day without telling me but it clashed with a holiday so had to be cancelled

Certainly my school (state) didn't give us any information in the 90s when I applied - though neither did my parents tbh - I just got on with it, wrote off for dates and got them organised myself. It is a much quicker and more convenient process now everything can be done online.

I consider that dh & I work hard; he has an incredibly full on job & I home educate three kids (one disabled) in addition to dd1. I think being on the ball with these things is pretty basic. I would imagine a dc who was aiming to go to university would be able to start the ball rolling without prodding from school. Perhaps that is wishful thinking!

Laniakea · 28/04/2017 18:37

surely you can read about the UCAS application process online! It is quite straight forward.

BoboChic · 28/04/2017 18:37

You should have known, OP. There really is no excuse.

onadifferentplanet · 28/04/2017 18:38

Now his applications have been submitted he should be receiving regular email updates regarding dates, finance etc from UCAS

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 28/04/2017 18:39

Our school has spoon fed us over the uni process. The kids go to a couple of universities in the lower Sixth to look around. Loads of talks. Allowed two days off for uni open days. Then from September onwards in the Upper Sixth they work on their personal statements etc for an afternoon every week in school time. Their applications are always in with loads of time to spare.

maryso · 28/04/2017 18:39

GrOlB one must ask whether a housekeeper (in that situation, more a hybrid PA/butler) is better value than fees. You realise of course that uni is considerably cheaper than school fees, so plenty of wiggle room there.

Original poster
GrumpyOldBag · 28/04/2017 18:40

surely you can read about the UCAS application process online! It is quite straight forward.

Yes I did that!

And it's interesting that most of you who have the marvellously efficient children who are well organised and do it all without being asked have daughters.

OP posts:
UniversityGraduation · 28/04/2017 18:43

I work in a university.

Most open day attendees are self directed/motivated. Not many are directed by the school.

I think you should have gotten yourself/your son clued up earlier. You can't expect everything to be the same as when you went to uni 25 years ago.

Original poster
GrumpyOldBag · 28/04/2017 18:43

Anyway, I'm concluding from this thread that there is a wide variety of approaches taken by different schools, and perhaps i have expected a bit too much from ds's.

OP posts:
Original poster
GrumpyOldBag · 28/04/2017 18:44

you should have gotten yourself/your son clued up earlier. I didn't though, did I?

Ergo must be a shit parent.

OP posts:
Original poster
GrumpyOldBag · 28/04/2017 18:45

And I went to Uni over 30 years ago - so being menopausal doesn't help.

OP posts:
blueskyinmarch · 28/04/2017 18:45

TBH my DD is now at a uni which she didn’t even visit for an open day prior to applying, due to it being 350 miles away. Open days are not the be all and end all in uni applications.

Passmethecrisps · 28/04/2017 18:51

I am the UCAS coordinator in a perfectly normal state school and I think you are reasonable in some respects and not in others.

We start the process in June before we go off for summer holidays (Scotland) by meeting with those considering applying and introducing the concept of open days, personal statement and such like. In September We then have a series of lectures/information sessions from guest speakers and ourselves covering the application process and setting deadlines. We also have a parents information evening where we go through all this again. Everything goes on our website, twitter feed and email.

Based on that it sounds like you have either completely missed some information or there wasn't any to miss.

Standard applications are all sent by mid-December so your son's sounds slightly behind that but still well in advance of the January 15th deadline.

As for actually making and accepting choices I have no role in that at all. I keep an eye on the adviser track report for those who have been rejected by all so that we can support them but beyond that we do not step in as we presume that to have got this far they must want to go so should be motivated on their own.

We have supported many young people with a range of additional support needs and we would still step back from actually ensuring they accept their offer.

So a mixed bag really when you compare against our experience. I must say that I would have presumed that an independent school would be all over this like a rash but I, foolishly, would have presumed the same of the parents.

mousymary · 28/04/2017 18:52

It's all very well saying "look it up online" but how are you supposed to know at what point you are supposed to do this without a bit of guidance? Not everyone is immersed in the education world, and if it is your first child then you are likely to be a bit green.

Ds didn't go to a private school, but I was on a thread last year bemoaning the fact that the school had made no mention whatsoever about open days. As ds was my first dc, and there had been a few decades since I went to university, I was not on the ball. By the time I got round to steering ds towards thinking about such things everywhere was booked up. In fact I found that for places such as Exeter/Warwick, the open days were booked up half an hour after the booking system went live!

I don't think it's reasonable to expect students to be total self-starters (especially boys!) and rely on mums scanning MN education threads and impersonating kids on The Student Room.

If I had paid for school damn right I'd want spoon feeding. I'd want them to drive ds round open days, write his personal statement and possibly take his exams for him.

mousymary · 28/04/2017 18:53

Gosh, passmethecrisps, lucky pupils at your school! We had a parents' information evening but it was very, er, dumbed down and much geared towards, er, newer institutions.

Abraiid2 · 28/04/2017 18:54

Going through the same process now to get DS to submit his offer acceptance & the deadline is next week! He made his decisions ages ago, but hasn't done it yet, and the school does not seem to be putting any pressure on him. Again, I am the one who is having to do all the chasing.

I wouldn't expect the school to be involved at this stage. Both mine went to the same kind of school as you son's and they didn't get involved with nagging students about axcepting offers. Once you get to this stage it is up to the applicants.

maryso · 28/04/2017 18:55

If I had paid for school damn right I'd want spoon feeding. I'd want them to drive ds round open days, write his personal statement and possibly take his exams for him.

love it!
What a scream MN is

Passmethecrisps · 28/04/2017 18:55

Really mousy? I am not sure that what we do is all that unusual is it? I alwyas feel a bit bad as I would like to do more but in a very comprehensive school, we have other stuff to worry about as well so there are limits

user7214743615 · 28/04/2017 18:57

But i had to google to find the deadline myself - next week - and ds still hasn't done it.

Your DS can log into UCAS track any time he likes and see the deadlines. It will also prompt him to make decisions by email. If he can't cope with this, then he just isn't going to cope at university - where important deadlines are put on VLE and email reminders are not always sent out.

You seem to be making a lot of excuses for him. I find it very hard to believe that nothing was said in school about university open days in year 12. You admit that his friends were going to open days in year 12. So why did he not do something about it?

hellsbells99 · 28/04/2017 18:59

Hi Op. Your DS will have been receiving emails from Ucas reminding him of the deadlines etc. If he struggles due to having Aspergers, it might be worth you having access to his emails. I would suggest he has a separate email address that he uses for personal emails and one that you have access to that he uses for 'official' emails like Ucas and student finance. Has he applied for student finance? Has he filled in the bit to declare a disability so that he can apply for DSA? If he gets accepted for this, he will then have an assessment so support can be put in place at university.

KittyVonCatsington · 28/04/2017 19:00

Just in case anyone is interested, you can actually visit a University at any time, not just at Open Days. You can even turn up on weekends and ask to be shown around or just view yourself-happens all the time.

Hope this helps.

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