support thread for those of us who have DC submitting UCAS applications in the next few months

[mumoverseas]

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?

DS finally mentioned he had got an email about clearing but only after I asked. Obviously a need to know basis!
Am sick of the sponging, really is grating on me particularly after all the opportunities he has had that I never had. My parents made me leave school at 16 and get a job and pay half my weekly wage to them as board and lodging. I then had to get my qualifications the hard way, evening classes and distance learning whilst working full time and juggling one then two toddlers. Makes me quite and

seimum no advice I'm afraid, does she actually know what she wants to do. Its so hard isn't it

Realised it's only a week to R-day & I'm getting nervous

Me too. Results can be so random, can't they? and mistakes in marking seem far too common, which hasn't mattered that much so far as re-marking and if necessary re-sits have always been possible, but on the 18th so much will depend on what the exam boards have done. They have shown themselves pretty untrustworthy this year with so many mistakes in exam papers.

Posted on this thread AGES ago good to see it's still going, well, our results are out already (Scotland, 4th Aug), and DS1 met his offer to read Medicine at Oxford, no problem there.

DS2 did well, but not quite as well as he/we expected AABBB at Higher when we was expecting AAAAC. DS2 is Dyslexic and was offered to sit his exams on computer but turned this down in favour of hand writing + a little extra time, except in his latin, which he knew he'd have to do a lot of writing in, he did us the computer in that, and went from a D in the prelim to a B in the real exam. His reason was that typing takes concentration and writing doesn't.

Our opinion is that he has dropped a few marks due to the examiners not being able to read some answers in the tight time frames they are working in for marking papers (he was on the cusp of a "A"), and we are trying to get re-marks on 2 exams but have been told no by the school (in Scotland it is really hard to get a remark as the schools have to pay for them, and only a tiny percentage of appeals result in a grade change). Still trying to persuade the school.....

How I wish we had the Alevel remarking/resit system you have NADIAWADIA, it seems so unfair that we can't just pay a fee and ask for a more senior marker to re-mark..... we only want to ensure he has be given fair marks for his answers, it's a bit crap TBH.

Thankfully DS2 marks are good enough to get him into the course he wants to apply for (probably), but not at his first choice (St Andrews).

Feeling a bit p'd off that our system up here is so unforgiving and inflexible by comparison to the A level system!!!

Good luck to all who's DC are waiting for results next week! :)

Yes it sounds more inflexible in Scotland with remarking. But the thing is that for all exams up to now resits, re-marks were an option, but with these final A level grades if the exam board has made a mistake its too bad, kids could lose their university places due to unexpectedly lower grades. If they don't meet their offers on the day, then that's it I think (unless the university decides to be kind) and this year is particulary competetive because of the increase in fees for those starting university in 2012.

That's also very unfair NADIAWADIA, I thought the University would hold a place if there was an A level appeal ongoing? Or agree to reinstate the "lost" place for next year is an appeal is successful? My info about this comes from reading "Thestudentroom" and a couple of friends doing GCSE's, A levels in Scotland (private school), and obviously you will know better than me!

It would be appalling for anyone to have to pay the massive fees next year, as a result of a marking error resulting in deferred offer for 2012.

It has been a very, very tough year for applicants - in Scotland too, as a fairly high % of our students come up from England.

I think next year it's going to be a little easier in England, and a little more difficult in Scotland...... due to the fee differential.

Tough times for our DC's.

Yes OLDMUM (you're not that old, BTW!) I agree we should feel very sorry for our kids' generation.

I think I need to look into the whole results day scenario and help DD make a contingency plan. I swear I am more worried than she is!

hello, found you all again
oldmum congratulations to DS1, you must be so proud. Ref DS2 (presumably your equivalent to AS this year? that does sound unfair if the school won't put in for re-mark)

Am slightly anxious about DS's results next week, mainly the (bloody awful) maths one. I did however read a few days ago that the Unis will be aware of it so if he misses out in the A he needs in that exam they might be kind to him.

NADIAWADIA, was heading for 43 when DS4 (9months) was born, hence the "old"!
It's our job as parents to worry more than they do IMO! Contingency plans are always good.

MOS, thanks, proud but it's been a long slog - med school applications are grueling anyway but Oxbridge more so...

DS2 - "Highers" (5th year/age16/17) are a bit more than halfway between AS and A2, and for Scottish Uni, they are the normal qualifications asked for. As far as Uni applications go, our "Advanced Highers" (6th year -and we only have 1 6th year!), are normally only used by people applying to English universities or some very competitive Scottish courses....

I think there have been so many balls-ups with the exam questions this year,and so widely reported in the news, that the Unis will have to take some notice of it - struggling over an impossible to answer question could really throw you of course for the entire exam - so I would hope there would be some flexibility there. Hope he gets what he needs!

oldmum I so hope you are right and I'm glad you understand about the whole exam being affected. So many people seem to think that awarding all students the 8 marks (or whatever it was) or deducting them/adjusting accordingly is fair but I can't see how it can be as it affected students in different ways.

MOS, I certainly think it should form the basis of an appeal for pupils who do worse than expected (unless the impossible Question was the last one in the exam).
OK, some kids might be able to say "can't do it, I haven't got a clue" and move one to the next Q unaffected, but many would have spent too long trying to work it out, then rush through the rest (or run out of time), thereby scoring fewer marks in the other Q than they would have otherwise. And some could truly panic, thinking that they have messed up, not studied the right things if they don't understand the question and lose confidence for the rest of the exam. The exam board MUST know that!

Contingency plans.... (all of you!), I made one before the Scottish results came through, we thought DS1 WOULD meet his offer, but nothing is certain! Had our plan of action which was - Email ready thought out for Oxford college admissions "narrow miss on offer, would still like to study at college if they would consider him with the dropped grade, would appeal the grade, will follow up this email with a phone call after 9am etc", had the email address and phone numbers ready, had talk with DS1, "we are confident in you, but you should plan for the worst, and hope for the best" Made sure he was around that day, just in case the action plan was needed. Thankfully it wasn't but it would have avoided wasting hours in panic about what to do next.

So the universities have the results today, I wonder when an administrator or tutor will be putting a (hopeful) tick, or a big fat X next to DS name.

worrying times Stress levels not too bad at the moment but give it a day or two..........
oldmum think we will have the same sort of action plan. DS is undecided 'how' to find out his grades. He thinks he might be able to find out on his school portal early Thursday, or check UCAS but part of him wants to go to school and collect at 9am. I'm thinking we need to be prepared just in case to be spending hours on the phone. DS has missed his holiday with his dad this week so he can be around on Thursday and go to school. Typically, I said to his dad (ex DH) last December that the only week that wasn't convenient was this week to have DS and DD and of course that is the week he said he HAD to have them. DD therefore went off on holiday on Friday and DS stayed home which I think was a bit unfair but he is being sensible by being here, just in case!

Ref 'that exam' I think it was midway through the paper and you are right old mum, a lot of the students did panic and it totally threw them

Hi MOS
Your DS is being really mature re missing his holiday, I suspect mine would have taken the hol and left me at home to fret!

The student room has a good guide on what to do on results day - top tips seem to be, make sure you have all your previous results with you, plus a well topped up mobile phone, and a copy of the Daily Telegraph.
I like your idea of a pre-written email oldmum, I think that's definitely worth copying

DS school doesn't open till 10am, grrrr. So am hoping DS will hear via ucas first.

I like the idea of extra prayers too

Morning all! Nice to see you MOS (remarkably easy name change, btw)

I, too, am thinking preparations for Thursday. DD has it all planned - she will have her 'firm' on speed dial and I have her insurance on same. She also wants to log into the clearing site at midnight (when it uploads) to get a list of laternative courses ready.

jgb - you should be able to log onto UCAS track at 7am and see if the status has changed which will show if they have been accepted, then only have to get to school for the actual grades...

When it was DS 2 years ago I got up and logged onto UCAS and he stayed in bed! I had to go wake him and say 'YES!' and he turned over and went back to sleep.....

THEKIDSMOM, good idea about clearing at midnight- I hadn't thought of that as DS1's course wouldn't be available on clearing so his option would have been a year out and re-apply.

Good luck all DC's for the 18th!

We are currently operating the head in the sand strategy and trying not to think about anything to do with results at all.

does anyone know someone who applied for maths at Bath, but didn't pick it as a firm or insurance? Can you see if their names appear on this list here please? DD is on there (along with email address [not impressed]) but her status is "applicant", and we don't know anyone who applied, but then didn't pick it to see exactly what categories the list is made up of.

We're not entirely sure what to make of it tbh, it seems like the maths department are/were doing something to their email database, and seem to have published it to the www.......

can't help I'm afraid IShallWearMidnight, but I hope it means your dd has got her place there. Was it her firm or insurance? You could try asking on the student room - there seem to be a fair few maths applicants on there.

Oh and I'd complain to Bath about them publishing e-mail addresses online - that's inexcusable.

IShallWear my nephew has applied and his name is on your list & is noted as status "applicant". It is his first choice. Hopefully a positive sign

DD2 is on the list as well as an applicant - she has Bath as her first choice. I won't be mentioning it to her though as she is way too stressed to talk to.

that list is very very strange

are we all chewing our nails waiting for Thursday btw (apart from the Scottish students! well done to yours, oldmum ) or being phlegmatic? I'm finding DS2 infuriatingly calm - not that he's over-confident, just there's no point worrying now.

(which is true)

(I seem to waste half my life fretting pointlessly)

He's not even going to look at UCAS tracking before he goes into college for his results

Good luck to everybody anyway!

DD is facebooking some friends on the list who she thinks applied, but settled on other places. If that is the case, then it's just a list of staff, current studnts, and people who applied; if not, then who knows?

She's going to email them and ask that they take it down, not liking having her name and email address out there publically, but is going to wait till after Thursday .

Might go and have a look on the Student Room, and see if anyone there has found it yet.

Plan here is to check UCAS early (it updated really early last year), then act accordingly - mellow/ not mellow.

Does anyone else here think it would be better/fairer if students got their results today (pretty much the same as universities)? It just seems odd to me that universities know the results so long before everyone else. Clearing could still open on Thursday to give the universities and everyone a chance to sort themselves out - it would be fairer as people everyone who needed to could enter clearing at the same time rather than having people whose schools open early getting a head start.