Exhausted!

[Jeepers]

We have also been using the phrase "open eveninged out". Tried going to the most recent one early but ended up just staying longer. On the plus side DC's knowledge of chemistry experiments is becoming impressive since we have had to go en-masse to a couple. The youngest is particularly critical if there is no cake and nothing to burn in the chemistry lab. Everyone is tired and a bit cross from the late nights.

Wish I had a crystal ball so I could make the perfect decision .

[scary mum]

I think I've posted this before, but this is my experience of 3 DCs:
DC1 - 4 schools in year 5, same 4 in year 6 plus daytime tours at two of the. All exhausted. Didn't end up at any of them (or at least not until later)
DC2 - 3 schools in year 5, 1 in year 6 (I think - also went for a year 5 day at the school). Ended up at one of them - the one with the good food
DC3 - none in year 5 (mum wanted a year off). 1 in year 6, forgot to go to the other one. If he passes he will go to one, if he doesn't he will go to the other. We actually have no choice really as they are our only 2 catchment schools and we wouldn't get into any of the others. All much more relaxing!

[um]

Humph...try doing the open evenings while hauling around 4 younger children, including a mad and tired toddler who needs biscuits every 5 minutes and a two-month old with a wind problem who needs breastfeeding and a nappy change every 20 minutes... while the sypmtoms of swine flu are slowly creeping up on you.

I did that 2 years ago and still feel traumatised

In the end, thankfully, ds1 got into his first choice...so that month of evening after evening of visiting schools across 4 counties was possibly not even needed?

[scarlett]

I absolutely hate those open evenings and DS always looked terrified . I never really got a proper sense of the school, as there are so many people milling around often nearly knocking you out whilst they are waving and shouting at someone they know .DS2 was always taken to be the prospective year 7 as he is bigger then DS1 and would just look blankly at the teachers when they singled him out...the teacher would then look at me probably wondering what was wrong with my son. DD would spend the whole evening crabby because we always arrived too late for the refreshments.Aaaah just horrible. It's easier this time round because DS wants to go to DS1 grammar ( if he passes ) and we are going to look round when DS1 is helping out , and then a church school which we will look around next year . The only thing I like about them are the tours when you have some really sweet boys showing you around.They sell the school for me .

[mystery]

The more I read about your experiences the more I feel against open evenings, and if I ever go to any, I'll go by myself in year 4 and get a babysitter! Saturday ones sound a little more feasible .......... but I don't think many schools have them.

DDs can satisfy themselves with websites and prospectuses and school magazines, and the KCC computer will ultimately choose the school, hopefully from the options I put on the form.

We'll find out when the school rock concerts are and go to them instead.

[scary mum]

Mystery, even if you go on your own I think the daytime tours are much better - less frantic and not so many people. You don't get the headteacher's, which for a first child might be useful, but apart from that I can't see any advantage to going in the evening.

[bondgirl]

It occurred to me recently, whilst traipsing round another school with DS, that in 6 years' time, I will be looking at universities for DD1, sixth forms for DS and secondary schools for DD2. Talk about bad planning!!! Shoot me now

[mystery]

I'm sure that when I filled in my UCCA form I hadn't visited any of the universities I put down. I then visited some of them for interview etc. Do you think you really should visit them before you put them on your form? It seems a little pointless to me!!

[scary mum]

I was wondering about that the other day. I only visited universities when I was interviewed, but I wonder if not many are interviewed these days so visiting is the only way to get a feel for the place.

[Looking for help]

Now on 3rd child, trawling univerisities. I have seen so many, they are all fantastic, and sooooooooooo far away, and I AM absolutely exhausted. We have seen so many rooms (all the same, wherever - the ensuite rooms are all smaller than the non ensuites), had so many 'student life talks'- I could now give one, we've had so many 'taster lectures' I feel I could sit my finals.

Hey ho! there are those out there who say I mollycoddy my children by taking them to open days at Uni, but if you've ever been to one, you'd be hard pressed to see the kids un accompanied. In fact in a taster lecture yesterday, it was a parent who volunteered to answer the question - now that is taking it too far

Scary - not a lot of interviews are done nowadays for most of the universities, Oxbridge aside