Anyone want to join a year 13 UCAS THREAD?

[JesusChristOtterStar]

We can join in stressing about ucas forms interviews etc?

I am finding it all a very steep learning curve - we could support one another - celebrate and commiserate?

Ds (Upper 6th) has Maths, Physics and Biology A2 modules in January, and Dd (Lower 6th) has Maths and Business Studies. They're working at the moment - not sure how long it will last!

Durham AES now shows Ds's application as being with a College - anyone got any idea of how long it takes to either be rejected or offered from this point? No doubt Christmas will delay things anyway.

Sunny day here with snow on the ground - they should be having fun, not revising!!!

Going back to the discussion some time ago about the new A grade, there is an article about the new A grade in today's Sunday Times. The most relevant parts are:

"Institutions that are ignoring the A in the current round of applications, partly because it may lead to more private school pupils winning places, include Leeds, St Andrews and Cardiff. Others, including University College London (UCL) and Warwick are placing tight restrictions on the use of As in offers.

Cambridge is the only university using the A* as a standard part of its offers for entry in 2010. This has resulted in a slight fall in applicant numbers as weaker candidates are put off, bucking the national trend of rising university applications.

Imperial College London and Sussex, in addition to UCL and Warwick, will use the grade for a limited number of courses. Others, including Oxford, Bristol, Durham and Surrey, take into account whether a candidate is predicted by their school to score an A*, but will not make offers that include the new grade. They will wait to see how it operates in practice, but do not cite fears over the balance of independent and state school grades."

The full article is here.

Interesting that lots of unis did use the a* in spite of their reassurances to the contrary.
Lots of Oxbridge rejections late last week at sons' school. Is it true some colleges discourage reapplicants?
Medicine do not allow resits. You have to get your a levels within a two year period. So the as ds took in the fifth form was entirely discounted. Sometimes schools aren't helping students by getting them to sit stuff early.
Son now quite fancying barts as first choice as 82% get their first choice job post med school, the highest of all the med schools. And they are currently building the uk's most expensive hospital. And they are v handy for the London olympics. And it is handy for coming home for Sunday lunch ahh.

My DS has a BB offer from UCL to study for a MEng. His teachers have predicted AA for him, although he is targeting A*A for himself.

I think taking into account A predictions i not going to be very practicle. The schools also have no experience of this grade and some schools are more readily (and probably unrealistically) predicting As than others. This should not hinder the offers thay get.

Ajandjj - When did your Durham AES entry move to 'sent to college'? This means that that the department has accepted him - well done. WE are still waiting for Durham and nothing will happen now until well into January I suspect.

practicle???? . Practical

Well done AMerryScot DS. That's a low offer; does he already have other results?

He already has an A (old spec, so A* not possible). In reality, his offer is ABB - still quite low for UCL.

lazymum
We noticed on AES that it had been moved to a College on Saturday - it had probably been two or three days since it was last checked, and can't seem to find out when exactly it was moved. So it's fingers crossed! It seems to have gone to the College he applied to.
He's had no letter nor change on UCAS - so we'll just have to be patient over Christmas!

DN got offer from Oxford .

(Re. the A grade. He was predicted 3 As but offer is for 3 As, no stars required)

Ajandjj- very unlikely you will be rejected once application has gone to college, only happens if the department has given out too many offers. DS1s has not moved from the department. The only good sign is no rjection yet! Also on student room there are very few offers for his subject coming through and those that are sent there applications in early october and his went out mid november.

The universities work so differently. DS1 got an offer from Bristol within 10 days of submitting application. I think it should be like exam results and all offers should come out at the same time, it would be a lot easier on us mums!

Congrats on the Oxford offer!

I know lazymum - but you somehow think that you'll be the exception!!! Ds sent his application mid October, so you've got plenty of time. Bristol offer's good though.

Like your idea of a standard offers day!!

Amerryscot well done to your DS.

Selectivememory Congrats to your nephew on his Oxford offer. Yes, Oxford aren't using the A* grade and they have at least stuck to that.

One of DS's best friends received a metriculation offer (EEE) for maths at Cambridge today. Woo hoo.

congratulations on all the offers and fingers crossed for all those still waiting to hear.

Am I right in thinking that very occasionally Universities ignore A levels that have been done early, and ask for (for example) three MORE A grades from exams taken all in one year (2010 now)?
Anyone come across this?
Friend's daughter appears to have such an offer from Oxford-it seems to suggest they aren't counting the A2 she did last year with her other AS exams. Friend is wondering whether this is a mistake ie standard letter.
Anyone any experience?

Amerryscot well done to your DS.

Selectivememory Congrats to your nephew on his Oxford offer

missed this thread recently as slipped off my active threads

the whole town ( total otter exaggeration!) seems to be strung out about oxford- my best friends son heard this morning which was lovely for him but lots still not heard

ds goes into a a mini depression every time someone gets an offer

nothing doing here - just waiting out til Jan!

swedelington - where else has ds1 applied?

well the Oxbridge offers (or not) are coming in amongst ds1 friends
One of the brightest boys in his year with ridiculous ukcat and bmat scores rejected - a boy with Bs in his AS modules accepted!

odd!

Oxbridge only really use S1 and S2 of BMAT (they are onlt very marginally interested in S3) and they don't use UKCAT at all - they don't even see UKCAT results. Surprising anyone with Bs at AS is getting an interview for medicine at Oxbridge but perhaps he had mitigating circumstances or is applying under their special access scheme?

For medicine Oxford look at your GCSEs for 50% of your score and S1 for 20% score and S2 20% and S3 10%.

It's different at Cambridge but I've forgotten exactly how they select for interview.

DS has applied to Barts (offer), Newcastle (interviewed), UCL (interview in Jan) and Sheffield (not yet called for interview)

NAO - Not long for your DS to wait now. Fingers tightly crossed for him.

3 of DN's friends have got offers from Oxford for medicine. All lovely boys, so glad for them.

swedes the boy repeated the modules i think...

selective memory well done to those boys

thanks swedes...ds not optmistic!

My daughter has similar offers from Warwick and Exeter for Physics, she is torn between them, views anyone?

Jopeg
My son has received offers from Warwick and Sheffield for Physics, and has interviews at UCL and York in January. Ds liked Warwick - he is going to a Physics open day in Feb - has your dd been there? A friend of ours started at Exeter in September (not Physics) - she absolutely loves it.
Ds is waiting to see exactly what offers he is made, and will then decide - nice to have the pressure of waiting off though isn't it?!!

Post offer open days are brilliant for the undecided.

Yes it is a nice position to be in. She has visited both Universities, Warwick last summer which she was very impressed with at the time and Exeter more recently. I visited Warwick and DH has been to both, he was very impressed with Exeter, but I have a feeling Warwick is 'rated better' whatever that means in the long run.