To ask who has a plan B for A level results tomorrow?

[doctoratsea]

Feeling slightly anxious, not as much as DD though, who does not want to talk about it.

Plan B ideas for a back up, or AIBU to be thinking this way?

My A level results weren't great, let hey were awful I got a DE, due to a lot of factors, including teachers, many family bereavements, and personal issues, I still managed to go to my university of choice and get an excellent grade on my undergraduate degree in the same timeframe. OK if your children are going to and applying to places like Oxford and Cambridge etc there may not be too much for a plan B but they should still get good places in clearing etc, if not and they do badly, it's worth noting even if you get a setback as big as mine there are still options if they want to go to university. For me it was a foundation degree for 2 years and then a final year of undergrad at a mid level university. There are always options

We're waiting on AS maths, and first year sixth form results in two linear sciences (which will affect grade predictions etc etc). DS not expecting great things, which is so sad as he was A*/A prior to these exams.

I've never seen him so nervous. And there is, frankly, fuck all I can do.

Cardiff looks great, btw.

My results day was 10 years ago but feels like it was yesterday. I didn't get the results I wanted but was somehow still accepted onto my first choice massively oversubscribed course (at the time it was the only one in the country, 23 places, over 1000 applicants). I worked out I was 120 ucas points short. I asked about it when I got there, I was chosen on the strength of my personal statement.

Just remember, whatever the outcome, all is not lost!

I looked at the grade boundaries today. That was a huge mistake. Do not do it.

DS does not care. He doesn't even know when we are supposed to go in to collect the results.

And if they do want/ have to do a foundation degree if doesn't have to be seen as doom and gloom. My rent was £50 a week, and included a casual cleaner, things like toilet paper, free access to washing machine tumble dryer and still had many people, there was 2 houses connected with biggish rooms and it meant that there were ~24 of us and we all got on. In fact I had a better time there than on my last year of undergrad. It's what you make of it. But good luck to everyone's children!

I did clearing with my DD 2 years ago (she got better results than expected). The hardest was getting her firm and second offer to reject her. The firm did but the 2nd were really arsey about it (she had got the grades for her 1st so they were not missing out as such ). The uni she was holding a clearing offer at were brilliant and held it as long as we kept updating them- course tutor phoned her as well which was nice. Took 3 days in total- finally got it all through on Sunday morning- after I almost drove to 2nd choice uni to make them reject her.

By that point I had already called exam board as an admin error had meant her AS hadn't been cashed in- so on results day she was in limbo. I was told by the school there was a process that might take 5 days and only the school could initiate it- I found that 20 minutes of pleading to the lovely exam board worked better!

Got it all again tomorrow. Plan B is to do a BTEC in subject he wants (hasn't actually done it at A level- was warned that he would risk getting no offers but got 5) and then reapply in 2 years.

Many Unis are showing clearing places already and you can call them.

Urgh- it's a ridiculous system isn't it!? Such a long wait, so many variables. and for all.

DD appears to have dismissed Plan A without knowing her results because she's gone off the idea of Exeter. I'm not even sure if she can go straight to clearing if she gets what Exeter asked for, but she has her list of universities, numbers etc to call tomorrow. The only part I'm not sure about is that they get an email today (midnight?) telling them if they've got into their first choice of university. I think the idea is that if they have got in, there's no need for them to go to the school at 8am tomorrow.

Good luck to all getting their results.

No - they can log onto UCAS tomorrow and see if they have been accepted to Uni. This guide is quite good www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/a-levels-2016-ucas-track-11756749

Sorry -at 8am tomorrow. I think it was about 7.30 with my DD. Facebook, twitter , snapchat go mad and then they know when UCAS is up and running. I think it updates in batches though.

If she gets the grade for her 1st offer you have to get them to reject her - however that doesn't put her into clearing (based on my experience). It sends her to her second choice and they also need to reject. It was a bit of a nightmare.

Thank you springwaters, that's really helpful. DD was aware of this but I wasn't ..... and yes, that does make sense.

Good luck to everyone waiting to hear! I'm on the other side of things (university admissions interviewer) and every year I love meeting all the prospective students, finding out what makes them tick, and then waiting with vicarious nervousness to see if they make their offers!

Plus they all say that they can only speak to the student. All that I can say is that I must have the voice of an 18 year old girl.

OK, can anyone please answer this: DD and her friends have an idea that there will be some kind of communication at midnight via email from the university of choice, if and only if they have met the grades of a conditional offer and been accepted. Is this something they've invented?!

Think that's a myth. UCAS def up from 8am but last few years up at 6.30am

Thank you Sidney. Up at 6.30am tomorrow then.

www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2016/08/08/ucas-clearing-a-level-results-day-myths-and-reality/

This explains the release process that I explains poorly- if you don't want your 1st or second but have the grades for either/both.

This is great springwaters - thank you, although you summarised it perfectly accurately.

I went through clearing because I completely arsed up my A-levels. I ended up having a fantastic time at a great university (that I'd barely even heard of previously) but fell in love with the moment I got there. And got a decent degree too!

And now I'm a lecturer - and admissions tutor - at an RG university, in a subject not even vaguely related to my original degree.

Best of luck everyone, it's such a stressful time, but it's funny how things tend to work out in the end

Thank you springwaters for your excellent advice. My son has now decided if he doesn't get his firm he doesn't want to go to the insurance so will ask them to release him, your info has really helped me. I'm on pins, he's calm 😊

As I said, my DD was complicated as she did AS and A at the same time and due to an admin error wasn't cashed in for 1 of them.

From what I recall (and it was frantic- holding on 4 phones at 1 point)

She found a clearing place at a uni she had applied for but rejected as she thought the offer was too high. She got their grades I think but they were very slightly lower in clearing. They couldn't formally offer her a place but held one and we had to keep calling in to keep holding it.

I then got the exam board to cash it in (that was done later Thursday and updated on the UCAS system on Friday I think). At that point she then had an unconditional offer showing from her 1st choice.

We had already spoken to her 1st choice- I got the direct line and name (top tip - do that) of a lovely lady in admin who then released her when I called as soon as it updated. When she got her 1st choice to release her I thought we had done it. Only for it to bounce to her 2nd choice. They were not as helpful.

The 2nd choice initially refused and said they didn't release- then said it could be 5 days. I almost went to the uni (2 hours away) as I was getting nowhere.

Finally at about 8pm on Saturday they agreed to do it. But it didn't update overnight. I called on Sunday and they said they were now only doing updates daily to UCAS (was hourly on Thursday). I was considering who I knew who might know the Vice- Chancellor! when it suddenly came through.

At that point she was straight onto the uni she was holding unofficially and it was done in less than an hour- accommodation booked, deposits paid.

The course tutor from the course that she was trying to get on did call on the Saturday and said that she was on the list and not to worry.

Take lots of notes- write it all down. Try and get the clearing grades before you call and course codes (or rather while holding). Have your GCSE and A level grades/subjects ready- they asked for them.

Start searching the accommodation at the same time- the quicker you accept the place then the quicker you can do the accommodation. For us they just rattled off a list of availability and you have to chose whilst on the phone- so be clear what the preference list is. Luckily we knew the town and roughly what each accommodation was.

Its still worth calling uni of choice even if they don't get what was asked for. I needed BBB I got CCCD and they still accepted me. I did have mitigating circumstances as my friend died the week before my exams but also they hadn't filled the course, the year started with 3 spaces still and some people transfered to our course a few weeks in!

Am in same situ; first time through this merry-go-round and not enjoying it! DD also nervous but trying not to show it. Roll on 8am!

Last year track didn't open until 8am. Believe me, we kept trying it. DD had an email from her uni at 7.30am congratulating her on her place do she knew she was in before getting her results which made life less stressful.

30 years ago I was called the day before by my 2nd choice who told me that I hadn't quite got the grades for my 1st choice but they would offer me a place (they were both JMB units and I did their board exams).

Then my 1st choice called at 9am the next morning to say that I was in but couldn't tell me my actual grades.

We didn't go into school until 3pm. We were all in the pub by 11. I don't remember actually getting my results. I do remember 3 of us in the red phone box trying to call a friends mum.