Thought we should all get together and calm each other down/mop fevered brows/hand around glasses of wine etc. We've seen other go through it over the past few months and it will be our turn soon.
DS has just got his AS results which were not too bad. AAAB. The B suprised him as it was for maths and we'd expected a B for french which he had not studied for a few years as sat his GCSE early. He says he will re-sit one of the maths modules and one of French ones to get a higher A 
He (we!) has been considering various Unis over recent months and has visited 4.
PS is all in hand as is extended project (whatever all that is about) but time is creeping by and not long now til his mid Oct deadline (one of his choices is Oxbridge)
There has been so much in the papers over recent days about the lack of places at University at the moment and stories of how so many good students did not get places as they didn't put 'insurance' choices.
How is everyone else coping and how do we get our children to make realistic choices?
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Education
support thread for those of us who have DC submitting UCAS applications in the next few months
mumoverseas · 21/08/2010 14:53
feel very 
for a friend who I've just heard from. Her DS did very badly (she didn't even say the grades) and he won't be going back to school next month. Feel so sorry for her as she has given him so many opportunities, excellent schools etc. She is distraught bless her.
Webwiz thanks for the support. We were on holiday last week and DS school did not make a note of any module results so until the letter they posted on Thursday turns up we know very little. 
JGB yes, he has thrown away numerous opportunties. He lived abroad for a number of years and basically arsed around there and was sent home and his parents sent him to a really good private school for a fresh start.
I know only too well it is being thousands of miles away from your DC as I have that with DC1 and 2. It is so frustrating at times feeling so helpless and to have them through all their chances away must be soul destroying.
Bloody daft you don't have the FM grade. Why?
Just having a nice glass of red wine 
MOS I appreciate it must be incredibly difficult to be so far from your DCs - mine drive me up the wall, but at least we are all together so I can nag encourage when needed.
What options does your friends DS have now? And does he appreciate the gravity of the situation?
RE FM, apparently the head of Maths looked at the all the module grades and then pronounced on a Maths Grade (by juggling modules if necessary we assume as webwiz says). However, he did not then make any pronouncements regarding the FM. Then went home! 
White wine in freezer for quick chill, so will join you shortly
Fab idea JGB
DS wants to read law and his choices (today!) are
Cambridge
Southampton
Durham(maybe)
Exter (maybe)
Anywhere with somewhat more realistic offers as insurance choice. Suggestions welcome
Friends DS is apparently going to live with a girl and get a job
MOS
DS wants to read law and his choices (today!) are
Cambridge
Southampton
Durham(maybe)
Exter (maybe)
Anywhere with somewhat more realistic offers as insurance choice. Suggestions welcome
JGB
DS - Engineering
Unis:-
Cambridge (depending on AS results)
Bristol
Southampton
Warwick (possibly)
AN other???
As an aside, we just looked up MSc and BSc at Bristol for Mech engineering and the entry grades are the same - buggers up the cunning plan of applying there twice in the hope of a lower offer for the BSc 
ooh JGB, wonder if our DSs will end up at the same Uni and we could have a MN meet up
DS spent a week at Southampton and loved it, I spent a few days at Cambridge and loved it there, remind me again, whose choice is it?
MOS - as it's just us here
If I'm honest I would love DS to go to Cambridge BUT he/we do not know whether his GCSEs and AS grades will be good enough.
I read in the news earlier this week about some genius of a boy who scored something like 5xA*, while still taking time out to sail single-handedly round the world (or some other such incredible feat)
Now that is a totally different level to DS!
His GCSE scores are good. but not all A*s, not by a long way.
And Cambridge told us that he needs to have scored 90% plus in each AS module to be in with a chance. And of course we don't know these yet.
So I just don't know. I wish they would publish a "minimum grades needed to date" list then we could see if DS is in with a chance
MOS - thank you! 
you always cheer me up by saying the right thing.
DS has similar results I think, 5A*, 3A , a B and a C (in PE as school made it a compulsory subject), plus an ICT qualification.
The money section of Saturday's Guardian was all about university this week:
\link{http://www.guardian.co.uk/money\just under the easyjet photo} - finance, bank accounts, accommodation etc
and the travel section was all about backpacking/gap years:
\link{http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel\to the R of Elvis}
Been out for the whole day with DC2, 3 and 4 and have just returned to find DS on his second draft of PS. Looking good so far.
Don't want him getting any ideas of exotic gap years
I'm not in your position but work at a Uni. My advice would be work on the PS [glad to see it MOS! ) I once rejected someone from Exeter who was predicted straight As (they all are ...) because all his PS said that he wanted to be a lawyer because his parents' friends were and it seemed really interesting. I actually gave him another chance to rewrite the PS [when the school pestered - a whole other story] and he wrote the same nonsense again. That time I stood firm.
2 choices - either all popular Unis and if they miss they have no insurance. In previous years lots of AAAs dropped (often to ABB) - haven't checked with our admissions team what happened this year. Or take an insurance offer. Personally (for law, my subject) I would look at the last RAE scores - this is the ONLY table academics truly care about (again another story ) so Nottingham/Kent/Cardiff/Belfast all rate highly there but are not necessarily in student league tables (which are complete tosh in my experience).
If I can help any more, let me know.
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You have me panicking now, DS's PS states why he would like to be a lawyer and one of reasons is because he finds law interesting (he did GCSE law in his own time a few years ago and that didn't put him off) and has done several weeks of work experience. Is this not a good thing to say?
yay for JGBMum and DS. Fabulous news so 3 x A and 2 x B then? wow at 100%
by name change.
I feel I know you too. I already know MABS and she is lovely.
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