University entry Sept 2021

[Guest]

Maybe a bit early to consider Open days for entry Sept 2021 but wanted to start a thread.

DS (16) knows what he wants to do and just started A'levels 2 weeks ago at his 6th form school. He wants to join the Police and now needs a degree or Apprentice degree to do this (or just join as a Special Constable, wait for local recruitment to open and skip the degree so this makes Uni pointless!)

Got me thinking that we should maybe think about going to some Uni Open Days this year just to get the feel.

Any comments/advice welcome.

[DiszeeBelle]

My eldest will go 2021 and we are going on 2 visits in October this year. She started a levels 2 weeks ago as well. The college has had two drop down days where universities came in one day and apprenticeships the other.
I thought it was far too early but with studying and competitions I think it's best to have a look especially if wanting to fit quite a few in by next year.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by DiszeeBelle

My eldest will go 2021 and we are going on 2 visits in October this year. She started a levels 2 weeks ago as well. The college has had two drop down days where universities came in one day and apprenticeships the other.
I thought it was far too early but with studying and competitions I think it's best to have a look especially if wanting to fit quite a few in by next year.

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My sister has DD in Yr2 at Uni and DS is same age as my DS (16) and they have started going to Open days as he knows what he wants to do too and has a lot of Unis to look at. This prompted me on to think about it, see some this year and some next year.

She said if you see what you like now and can decide soon then you can apply this time next year and it takes away all the last minute application in Christmas/Jan of Yr13. I'm all for avoiding last minute panic/uncertainty...

[Col&Ali]

I say go for it. We started early as DD knew what she wanted (primary teaching) and it was surprising how many university open days clash!

[Myakka17]

I’d be concentrating on putting him off joining the Police. Everyone is keen to join but it doesn’t last long. You soon realise you are just a number and soon want to leave. Best getting a degree that if he’s absolutely adamant he wants to join he can fall back on not long after!

[WhereIBelong]

I would say it is too early to be going to open days. They expect to be meeting students who want to go next year, they will be discussing predicted grades and how to match up to course requirements etc. They will be discussing entry requirements and finance rules for next year... that may well change for the year after. They generally do open days before summer break and after so there is a chance to avoid clashes

[DiszeeBelle]

Originally Posted by WhereIBelong

I would say it is too early to be going to open days. They expect to be meeting students who want to go next year, they will be discussing predicted grades and how to match up to course requirements etc. They will be discussing entry requirements and finance rules for next year... that may well change for the year after. They generally do open days before summer break and after so there is a chance to avoid clashes

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I thought that but the universities that came in to speak to my daughter and other students actively encouraged yr12 to attend the open days because of the clashes. We can only attend the 2 so far because some others are on same day.

[sammykitten]

Originally Posted by DiszeeBelle

I thought that but the universities that came in to speak to my daughter and other students actively encouraged yr12 to attend the open days because of the clashes. We can only attend the 2 so far because some others are on same day.

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yep, having been through it, I agree, lots of open days clash and the universities don't offer loads of open days, so if your youngster knows what degree they want to do, I say start as early as you can. By November of year 13 for example, my DD's college were expecting the students to be making their uni choices and putting in their UCAS applications for tutor references etc.
You don't need to worry unduly about student finance etc changing between year 12 and year 13 open/applicant days, as you will be able to get that info up-to-date in year 13.

We used the open days to get a real feel for the uni, the campus, the sample classes. Honestly not so much the finance, as that can be googled. By visiting open days my DD was able to say "no" to a couple of unis she was interested in on paper, and she then got a real "yes" feel for a couple, which became her first and insurance choices.

[galaxyflorida]

I wish we had gone to some in early Y12. It's very full on later on, and lots of them clash. By October/November time schools start asking for applications to be ready to send so that they can add their references. If they're not yet sure on the course then still going to unis to get the "feel" of them is a good start. Even though you don't have any predicted/working at grades you can (kind of) tell from GCSE results, though A levels are a massive jump up and good grades at GCSE doesn't always mean good A level grades!

[DisneyDaffodil]

We found quite a few open days clashed and my DD couldn’t get to see a few she was interested in. Even if your child is unsure of what degree they want and has a few options, it’s worth looking early as it may help them decide which course as well as which university they want.