A Level Anxiety

[Toffee22]

Only 4 more "sleeps" until the A level results come out - not that I will be doing much sleeping...

Eldest son wants to study medicine. 3 "A's" required no slip ups allowed. Have just checked and most medical schools don't accept re-sits. How can I face looking at the cold hard facts at some point on Thursday. I'm sure it will be difficult for my son too! When I tried to talk to him about it today instead of a response he said he would do an "impression of a tree". It wasn't even a very good impression. What does this mean?

Toffee - I feel your pain.

My neice has wanted to be a doctor for years. Although predicted 3 x A grades she didn't even get offered a place this year. We think as her CAT score (is that what it's called? the special test they take) was a bit low this was the cause of this.

She's planned on a year out and then reapply for next year - provided her grades were enough - and retake the test.

She got AAB - and the B was 1 point off an A! She is having it remarked. (It's Chemistry). If her grade stays the same she has no idea what to do - but probably try to stay in a medical field

Dizzy, there are still a few unis that don't look at UKCAT. DD has always wanted to study medicine but due to lower grades than expected at AS level she won't be able to apply. She is going to apply for a life science degree which predicted grades should allow her to, although some of these courses have very entry requirements. Then if she is still committed to becoming a doctor she will apply as a graduate. (Which will result in lots of lovely debt).

I know Liverpool uni doesn't bother to look at UKCAT but they are specific about GCSE's. 15 points from the best 8 where A*/A = 2, B = 1 (DD would have met the criteria on this one). I expect your niece knows all this already.

Just out of interest what type of school did she go to State or Private?

'very high entry requirements'.

She just went to a "normal" state secondary school. I shall mention Liverpool to her.

Shame they didn't give her a chance this year. The UKCAT looks tricky to say the least. There are other ways and plenty of time if she is determined enough.

That's brilliant news jgb we are still drumming our fingers this end.....

I am trying not to bank on it too much and encouraging DS not to either, but I know we are both secretly hoping rather too much.

Good luck to everyone still awaiting remark results.

And as an aside, because the UCAS site was down for so long on results day and it took forever to get confirmation that he had an acceptance from his insurance choice of Reading, DS got on the phone to Essex and he now has a place from them as well.

I'm not sure technically he should even have been eligible for a clearing place, but we didn't know that when we phoned. If that remark could just come up trumps for us now we'd have a hat-trick!

Fellatio best of luck for your DS. It's horrible waiting isn't it? Has your DS gone for both History & English re-marks? DS applied for the re-mark on Monday and got the results Weds but that was for Physics which I should think is probably quicker to re-mark.
Fingers crossed for you x

Yes, both. I thought in for a penny in for a pound! Or a hundred quid, to be precise. The is the first time I have ever felt some guilt about acting the pushy, sharp-elbowed, middle class mother using her cash to her child's advantage, though whether it will make any difference, well let's wait and see....

We were late asking for remarks as he wasn't here and I was a bit slow on the uptake by myself. Thank god for this thread, otherwise it would not have occurred to me at all. It was Tuesday that he went into college with the cheque - his feet had barely got back onto terra-firma.

Anyway, I'm not supposed to be thinking about it. 'He is going to Reading and Reading is fab etc, etc,....'

DS's best friend is going to Reading too (his insurance choice), it looks and sounds like a great uni.
I know what you mean about feeling a pushy parent, BUT they have done the work, and if it's been marked poorly then that's unfair.
DS is now waiting for Southampton, Surrey and UCAS to approve his transfer and can't apply for accommodation until it's sorted. So goodness only knows what will be left, possibly a pile of old blankets at the end of a dusty corridor somewhere.....

jgb pretty sure that Southampton had to hold his place pending outcome of re-mark so should just be a technicality (sp?) - a long day/week Do Southampton guarantee halls for everyone who chose as first choice?

Is Reading a good uni, we are from up North so not knowledgable about Southern uni's. DD is thinking of applying for insurance to Reading, to do a med science?

Reading is one of the \link{http://www.1994group.ac.uk/memberinstitutions\1994 group} - like Russell Group but smaller institutions. so yes, pretty good

Have a look at the university guides in the broadsheets to see how it compares for med science

Oh thanks, she really likes the sound of one of the courses, so it might be one of her five choices but it's quite a way from us so she might not get chance to look round until after she applies. Other choices will be Manchester/Liverpool etc and the like.

Reading is a very popular insurance choice university - i.e. a decent university but not one of the most popular/fashionable/difficult to get into places. Definitely not somewhere you'd be ashamed of going to!

I knew a phd student who was reading "reading" at Reading. (a psycholinguistic researcher)

Fellatio I usually enjoy reading your posts but the ....''The is the first time I have ever felt some guilt about acting the pushy, sharp-elbowed, middle class mother using her cash to her child's advantage, though whether it will make any difference, well let's wait and see.... '' makes me feel a bit meh.

My ds got his first choice place at Russell group uni without me being any of the above......(im not any of the above either).

Nickschick it bothers me too that money can buy an education. But life isn't a level playing field and money talks. Our children need to realise this and find ways of overcoming it. After all if we all laid down and died the Labour Party wouldn't exist .

Well we didnt need money to 'talk' for our son .

I didnt want to provoke a row least not with you .

nickschick, that's a bit harsh - she's only paying for a remark

Pinders theres only paying for a remark and theres ''acting the pushy, sharp-elbowed, middle class mother using her cash to her child's advantage''.....dont ya think?.

I know Nicks, Well done to your DS, hard work and focus is worth a million

thanks adamschic.

Perhaps your DS's paper was properly marked (or perhaps even leniently marked?) in the first place then? And perhaps Fellatio's DS's wasn't? Or perhaps it was and will come back unchanged. Either way, no need for any middle class guilt or reactive meh'ing really...