On Saturday, Mick and Eleanor had a trip to Chester to look round the university there. This is the first open day she's been to and she liked the look of the university, though of course, she doesn't have anything to compare it with as yet. Mick looked round quite a few with Daniel when he was making his choice of which university to study at, and said that he thought it was very small, though that's not necessarily a bad thing.
There's four more open days to attend over the next four weeks and then more after the summer holidays. Eleanor's only recently come to a decision over which course she's wanting to take. Unfortunately, many universities require Chemisty to at least AS level in order to be considered for the course but Eleanor hasn't taken this subject. Luckily, some universities will accept her with the subjects she's taken, she just needs to get the required grades now. It's so important when choosing A levels to really look at the requirements for any particular course you ultimately want to go on and study. Eleanor had done this but has since changed her mind about the course she wants to study so is limited to which universities will accept her.
In July, Eleanor is going on a university summer residential from Wednesday until Saturday where she gets to attend workshops in the subject she's interested in as well as staying in student accommodation and attending leisure activities on an evening. I think it will give her a bit of an insight in to what student life is all about. It's being held at one of the universities she's interested in so it will also allow her to see a bit more of that university before making a choice of which ones to apply to.
It was all new to Mick and I when Daniel started looking at universities, neither of us went to university ourselves, in fact, we both left school at sixteen after our O levels, we didn't even go on to take A levels. We're both so proud of Daniel and Eleanor, that they've put the effort in to get good grades and that they're following their dreams.
It sounds as though both Daniel and Eleanor have done really well in their studies. I hope that Eleanor enjoys her time at Uni when it comes. The course to go on in the summer sounds like a great idea. I would have no idea how to even begin with Uni as I did much the same as you at school! xx
ReplyDeleteThey've both tried really hard so I do hope they get the success they deserve. Daniel's loving his time at uni so I just hope that Eleanor does too when the time comes, she's really looking forward to her summer residential. I didn't have a clue how to go on with applying for university before we went through it with Daniel, I'm an old hand now that it's Eleanor's turn.
DeleteIt's good to hear from an old hand; we're just looking for the first time with David! Open Days are planned before and after August and he has finally begun to look as if he realises he'll be a university student soon!
ReplyDeleteThey've got amazing opportunities available to them. If I'd know what university was like when I was their age I'd have been desperate to go myself. I hope David's exams have gone well, Eleanor feels that some went well, some not so, it's all a waiting game now to find out.
DeleteI remember visiting universities with our daughter. My husband and I had attended college sporadically through the years, he was in the military and we moved a lot. Finally when our daughter went off to Uni we both buckled down and finished up, we all graduated within a week of each other.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great story. Sometimes our children spur us on to the finish line.
DeleteIt really does seem a bit complicated. I think it's slightly different there in some ways but a lot of things are the same. I think your pre-university requirements may be more stringent in some ways, for example. I have a few years before I need to worry about it but I do think about it sometimes. College education is extremely expensive here. I had nearly full scholarship coverage when I went and I hope my children will have that too. One means of making it more affordable for them may be to have them go to a school within the University of Texas system, which has an agreement with my husband's employer; children of employees can attend for in-state tuition rates, even if they live in a different state (we live in New Mexico, right next door to Texas). We'll see. I think it's great that Eleanor is so motivated about the process. I hope she enjoys visiting the schools and seeing what student life is like. Your children both sound like such good, intelligent young people and I am sure they will both be very successful.
ReplyDeleteI've had a bit of insight in to the American way as Daniel's girlfriend comes from Colorado. She's doing the same degree as he is and is paying a fortune for it. I thought Daniel was paying through the nose, £9000 per year tuition fees plus a maintenance loan but she's paying much more. She could have studied in Colorado for much less or in their partner state, Hawaii, for the same price. I think she's mad for not going there. I'm pleased that both Daniel and Eleanor have wanted or want to go to university as it can be hard these days if they don't have a degree, though it's not always necessary, it just depends really what career they want to go in to.
DeleteI'm sure that she'll get the required grades, and go on to enjoy whichever university she goes to. Flighty xx.
ReplyDeleteI do hope so, she's put in such a lot of work that I hope she's rewarded with some good grades. We'll just have to wait and see. As for universities, whichever one she decided on will give her lots of brilliant opportunities.
DeleteFirst one seen and it's got a favourable review and therefore something to measure the other against. Living and studying at the residential course is going to be such an excellent experience. I really hope Eleanor gets onto the course of her choice, she has worked so hard.
ReplyDeleteIn fact both if your children have which comes from having such supportive parents I'm sure.
Lisa x
I've heard good things about Chester itself, though some of the students she met said the city was a little quiet. We'll just have to see how it compares to the other universities she visits. Eleanor has worked really hard so I do hope she can get on the course she wants to. Thank you for saying that, we have tried our best to support both of them, giving guidance when needed but not forcing our views on them, I hope we've helped them in some way.
DeleteGood luck to them both.
ReplyDeletexx
Thank you. It's going to be an important year for them both, Daniel's final university year and Eleanor's A levels.
DeleteIt's a very proud time for you both, ours would not go to uni, both preferring to work their way up big companies.
ReplyDeleteIt's very competetive in the workplace these days, it would seem that you won't get anywhere without a degree but that isn't always so. It sounds like your children have done well, a bit of ambition goes a long way.
DeleteYour children have done very well and I'm sure Eleanor will make the right choice about which university to go to.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a big decision but I'm sure she'll make the right one. There's so many things to consider but she's quite sensible so I'm sure she'll make the right choice.
DeleteEleanor sounds as if she's working hard and is focused on what she wants, which is great. No matter what you study, the experience of living away from home and being independent is valuable in itself. I wouldn't have missed it for the world! (I went to Cardiff and loved it) xx
ReplyDeleteI'm so proud of Eleanor, she's working really hard to make sure that she can get on the course she wants. I tend to agree about living away from home, even though it's something I didn't do. Daniel put Leeds University as his second choice and if that's what he got he was going to live at home. I think that you need to live away from home for the whole university experience so I was hoping that he'd get his first choice of York, and he did. If you ask Daniel now, he'd say that he's pleased that he lived away from home, he's having a wonderful time at university. It isn't just about the studying and the course, it's the whole experience. He's grown up so much in the last two years and he's very independent now.
DeleteGood luck to Eleanor in finding a place where she wants to go. I can't believe that Daniel is finishing up his second year! Crumbs, time really does fly, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteIt certainly does, it's hard to believe that Daniel will have completed his degree in just one more year. He's having a great time at uni, it's such a wonderful experience for them.
DeleteDon't the years pass by so quickly ... no soon as you see them off on that first day of school and now Daniel at University and Eleanor will be soon. I say soon because the years pass by too quickly.
ReplyDeleteOur youngest has just taken final University exams and is now working. All children now at work .. but wait - we now have the grand-children! The eldest will be starting at Senior School in September and the youngest two are still at pre- school. We so enjoy our time spent with them
I'm sure Eleanor will make a wise choice once she has seen all her options.
All the best Jan
I thought the school years passed by in a bit of a blur but it's nothing compared to when they're at uni, it doesn't seem two minutes ago since we were dropping Daniel off and coming home without him. Good luck to your youngest, I hope they get good results in the exams just sat and well done on finding a job, I hope it's what they wanted. You must feel the time passing quickly by all over again now with your grandchildren.
DeleteDaniel and Eleanor have worked hard with their studies, I know. The summer residential school sounds like a very good way of finding out what university life will be like, as you say, not just the study aspect, but also living away from home etc. Our girls left home without this sort of experience, one was a live-in children's nanny before doing further education courses and the other came all the way up to Yorkshire to do her paediatric nurse training. Our son did a gap year before doing a degree. By then my husband and I were living abroad. I know it was challenging to be away from home for them, but the experience on the whole was a good one. All the best to both Daniel and Eleanor in this important year of studies.
ReplyDeleteI think the summer residential is a great idea, Daniel wasn't offered anything like this so perhaps it's something new. I lived at home until I moved out to live with Mick at 20, but l can see how much Daniel has matured and how independent he's become in the two years he's lived away from home, I think it's good for them. As you say, university life isn't just about the studies, there's so much more on offer and so many other life skills to learn whilst there.
DeleteThe residential course for Eleanor sounds really good. I think they had those at Edge Hill when I applied.
ReplyDeleteK and A lived in Chester for a couple of years after they graduated as A had secured a job a few miles away. They found it quiet after being at university in Manchester, and moved back to the Manchester/ Cheshire borders where they have now bought a house.
KL's final year student finance is now all sorted; I will be glad not to have to do that again, though it was easier just doing it for her than it was sorting it for both K and me as we started uni within a week of each other and KL had started high school 3 weeks earlier; September 2006 was rather fraught!
Eleanor's been invited to attend a summer residential at Edge Hill too but she's unable to make the dates. She liked Chester University, though we visited another open day last Friday and she liked that too so I think she's got some big decisions ahead of her. I haven't even applied for Daniel's student finance for year three yet, it was quite straightforward last year though so I'm hoping for the same this year.
DeleteEdge Hill has a lovely campus, and some really good facilities, but I found that the organisation, and some of the staff employed in the Faculty of Education, left a lot to be desired. I think there are good and bad wherever you go, as I know that both K,A and KL have all had some excellent tutors and some very poor ones who seem to want to do the minimum possible for the salary they are paid. Friends of theirs have had the same experience at other universities so it must be widespread - there are lazy tutors everywhere! Neither of my girls ever seriously considered anywhere but Manchester, which made life much easier for all of us.
DeleteI think there's good and bad in all walks of life. Daniel thinks his supervisor is worse than useless, which isn't good when they're they one giving you feedback and who you turn to with any problems and he's got some rubbish tutors too, but then there's others who are really good. It does make it easier if they know where they want to study but then they have the pressure of making sure they get the grades to be able to do so. Daniel got his first choice of York, I'm really pleased he did as his second choice was Leeds and he was going to live at home if he was studying there. It's not that I wanted to push him away but I think you need to live with other students to have an all round university experience. It's a shame that Eleanor didn't take Chemistry at A level as her university choice is now limited because of this, but there are still quite a few universities which will take her on the course she wants without it.
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