Thread 15 - Corona Cohort Year 12, 2021 Lateral Flow & Driving Tests

[orangecinnamon]

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So many of you with ties to my neck of the woods! We nearly moved to Kingston Ican in 2003, but the public transport links were the key drawback.

UCAS opens from May 18th for 2022 cycle JustHere, and depending on what/where DC are applying, there will be different deadlines, but the majority will have a deadline of Jan 15 2022, so yes, next year. But you'd probably want to be ready in the Autumn term.

x-post with seeline.

Thank you both for that info. So what can you actually do on the 18th May if you cant apply until September? Again I'm sure this is a stupid question.

Uni visits will be a challenge here, as DD's applications will be spread across 4 countries, not counting Scotland as 5 if she adds to her UCAS list (currently at 2). Would love to get over to Ireland at the very minimum, but their vaccination programme has not progressed as fast as their border neighbours or the rest of the UK.

All obviously cost and successful offer dependent, and with so much volume increase in applications everywhere, no where is a dead cert, hence the spread.

I think you can start loading info, but will need others to verify as I've never used it (for DC or ourselves)!

Thanks ealing

Decision making so easy for us as only 3 options for medicine with the wrong A levels, one of which is Cardiff, so looks like lots of Cardiff interest here. Did anyone do the Cardiff virtual open day? We did, but there were wall-to-wall medicine talks from 5:00 to 8:00, so did not see anything about accommodation or general University life

Yes Just, you can fill it in and enter PS etc. You will need your school password - our school uses sweets - it was "smarties" first time DS1 applied. I think medicine and Oxbridge at our school have to complete and pay by end of September so that the school has a couple of weeks to check and enter their reference.

Thanks Monkey DS hasn't even looked at PS yet, still has to do his EPQ presentation which has moved to next week and is now starting to mildly panic about the exams in June.

DS did a mini pupillage over Easter, they seemed pleased with DS and said they'd be happy to write him a reference. Is this something he could work into his application or is that incredibly cringey inappropriate? I haven't had the time to do any in depth reading on these things and pretty sure DS hasn't done much if anything.

From memory, 2 years ago, DS did most of his PS over the summer holidays. They use Unifrog to get everything drafted and then transfer to UCAS once happy with everything. They don't really think about post A levels until after June exams, when they have a whole week devoted to Higher Ed. I think he submitted his UCAS application in November/December.

We have a UCAS info meeting for parents today so I think they will be starting getting them to think about it all soon.

DS has his Cambridge workshop later although a careers adviser steered him away from Cambridge yesterday because they don't offer the course he wants.

I had to unpick that one a bit.

I've lost touch with this thread recently! I see everyone is taking driving tests and thinking about university. Dd is 17 in just over a month; we need to submit her application for a driving licence and find an instructor!

We've had a few more forced conversations about university. She doesn't really want to do an academic course and she really wants a career helping people, preferably in a mental health setting, so it's looking like occupational therapy. Southampton actually have a real life open day (fingers crossed) at the beginning of July!

Other than that, we need to visit Liverpool, Norwich, Cardiff, Plymouth, possibly Oxford Brookes. We live centrally, which is great, but all these places are 2-3 hours away apart from Oxford.

UEA I think also does OT?

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn I just looked on google. The horse market finished in 2007 after 100 years.

Ds just came home from school annoyed because football at lunchtime is banned. He loves playing football. It's the best part of his day. A ball was kicked onto the film studies teachers car, windscreen smashed. Ds wants to drop film studies and didn't bother to revise for the exam this week. I think he will want to drop it even more now. But I agree...they shouldn't play football if it might smash car windows. There are huge football pitches at school. But due to covid only certain years can play on them. So Ds isn't happy anyway.

Yes, Norwich is on the list to visit but it’s more than 3 hours away so may need to be an overnighter.

Sorry to hear about the football @icanbewhatiwant. Ds’ school banned football at break in Sept due to covid. Ds was really cross. Then they allowed it but only with tennis balls! Since Easter they’ve been allowed to use footballs. I can’t really understand the reasoning...

@crazycrofter, those are very spread out choices. Looks like you need to add Aberdeen for good measure! Do OT students get the £5k pa bursary? Mental health nursing is very unsubscribed, always lots in clearing, but I think it is a sector which is only going to grow!

Haha, we’ve ruled out Scotland! She considered mental health nursing but I think it would be more stressful and she’s a bit of an anxious type.

There is a new road to Norwich now and what used to be a tedious trek is now more speedy.

As a Glaswegian, I would say this, but Edinburgh is phenomenally expensive. And cold.

I'll let you decide whether that is literal or a metaphor , or both!

UEA on our list too

@Monkey2001 Dd did the Cardiff open day, loved it and reckons she will do a term abroad in Europe (didn't want to mention pathetic replacement for Erasmus ..pissing on chips). She has shown me the accommodation...cost is great and there is one most of the medics use ..University Hall? There are videos on YouTube too. I think is about 35 mins walk to union.

The cost of private accommodation is good too OrangeCinnamon. The SU is great and being refurbished. Also very little in travel costs for most.

I’m in two minds about Cardiff. For OT, you get a £5k bursary at English unis. If you go to a Welsh uni you get your fees paid but no bursary - which is obviously better but you have to commit to work in Wales for two years. Also, it would be better for us if she got the £5k!