AIBU to think that DD should resit her A-Levels?

[SpoonFed16]

My DD has just turned 20. She finished school with relatively good GCSEs. She did her AS year (at a Sixth Form) but failed... They wouldn't let her stay on. During her time at Sixth Form, she was physically assaulted (twice) the police were involved and the Sixth Form ended up kicking the girl out. DD never properly healed, so her grandma offered to pay for her to do them via a distance learning college (instead of starting at a new college, due to anxiety) and she took the AS exams, then the A2. She came out of it with 3 Cs... She seems very happy with this. She is currently taking a gap year, while she works part-time and volunteers. She doesn't have enough UCAS points for any 'good' universities. However, our local one doesn't require many (she has enough) and is going to the Open Day in January - she is hoping to go there. However, I think she should go back to a college and retake a couple of the A-Levels, or maybe do a foundation degree at one of the better universities. I'm not wrong to think that's the best thing, am I?

Depends what she wants to do at uni.

She's 20, she can do what she wants to do regardless of whether you think its a mistake or not. You arnt wrong to have an opinion but you need to support her decision

Some of the a levels have recently changed syllabus so depending on the subject it might be harder if she goes back now.

It sounds like she's done incredibly well despite the awful things that have happened to her. Without more details it's impossible to say whether she's better off carrying on or going back and resitting. She's not a child any more and she's entitled to make her own decision.

At this age, it depends what she wants to do, tbh.
there are lots of things she can do with 3 A-levels, including but not exclusively university. If she doesn't want to redo A-levels then there is no point in you pushing it as she isn't motivated to do them. she's sensibly taking time out and looking at different options. I'd include job openings and higher apprenticeships as well as different courses and look at as many options as she can while she has time - including the difference between where she can go with her secured grades, and where she might be able to go if she can improve the grades. She might think it's worth redoing or she might not, but she will make the choice with fully open eyes.

She's twenty years old, yanbu to have any opinion you like on her life, but yabvu to think it should influence her choices. She's an adult. Not 'nearly' an adult, or 'just become' an adult - she is TWENTY.

Of course you're not wrong to think that. Whether you're right, or whether she has any obligation to listen to your view is another question altogether.

I'd make some suggestions on her options but she's 20 years old and should make up her own mind. 3 C's Sounds perfectly reasdonable, but you've not mentioned the course she wants to do. I did my course with the equivalent points for 3 Cs (physiology and biochemistry, but a long time ago).
With what she's gone through, I don't think I would push her into doing what you want to do in case it makes her anxiety worse/come back. Without knowing what she wants to study/career she's thinking of, it's hard to say.

If she wants to get on a decent grad scheme she should retake or just do another A Level. Need 300 points minimum nowdays..

Sorry, she wants to do Criminology - she needs 3 Cs for the course, which she has. I know she's 20, but she is still my child!

Three Cs is ok. Doing them via distance learning must have been hard. I think that shows some maturity and determination.

I know it doesn't seem like it from reading MN threads where every kid seems to get A stars and is agonizing over whether to apply to Oxford or Cambridge but the majority of DC go to much lower tariff universities.

If she goes to your local Uni and does well she could always do a masters elsewhere. Although I would look at foundation courses too if she thinks she might be interested.

Encourage to do plenty of research and then leave her to make her own choices.

She wanted to do Marine Biology, but doesn't have enough, even for the local uni. However, she is happy with Criminology! They're just so different! She could do a Marine Biology foundation year... I think she is still undecided... I wish she'd take my advice

Which a levels did she do?

Biology, Maths and Psychology.

Retaking A levels would be a misery.

Either do the foundation or do the Criminology degree.

There are new syllabuses for both maths and biology. If wouldn't be a straight retake.

Have you tried negotiating with the local uni.

Half of the supposed entry requirements are pie in the sky.

Go on an applicant day and they lower the requirements, already have your grades and they lower the requirements,

DS has nowhere near the grades his department claims are the minimum required.

That's definitely not always the case almond.

Purple, isn't there until 2018? You can take the current exams until then?

3 Cs as a mature student could get her onto a course with much higher grade requirements for someone straight out of sixth form. My DB got into a top uni course aged 21 with 3 Cs and a good interview.

She's worked hard and overcome adversity to get to this point. She's getting valuable volunteering experience. It sounds as though she wants to move on to the next stage and not delay her studies further, which is understandable, particularly if she would have to get to grips with syllabus changes.

I did appalling badly in my A levels (I just about scraped a pass) but got enough points to go to a uni near me and I come out with a first in biomedical science. Honestly sometimes college isn't for everyone but then they flourish in uni.

Ah, she's keen on Bioscience, but gave up on science when she got a C, hence the change to Criminology!

The best advice you can give a person allows them to ignore it if they choose to. To be honest, if she waits a couple of years the rules change as she would be considered a "mature" student. If she managed a distance learning course to get her A levels I would think she is more than capable of taking a degree course and getting a good grade if she uses the tutors to support her through it. They will tell her where she needs to make improvements to get a good grade and, in many ways, a degree course is much easier than A levels. I wish her the best of luck.

All three of those subjects have a new syllabus. The Psychology and Biology the last exam on old syllabus was the summer just gone and all the Year 12s sat the new AS, which was pretty horrendous. She would be on new syllabus for those, and they're nowhere near as nice as the old ones.

Maths, this year is the last year you can start the new syllabus so if she retook in one year she could do it but if she started again entirely next year, she'd be on the new one. Decision maths is going from maths A level so if she did that last time instead of mechanics or statistics 1 and 2, she'll have to learn new stuff. Even if she did it on current syllabus, the papers this year just gone were much harder than previous years.

Personally, given what the papers and results were like last year and look to be like this year coming, and the fact that everyone is still getting to grips with these new Linear A levels, I'd work with what she's got, or add something extra.