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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

A Level Anxiety

895 replies

Toffee22 · 14/08/2011 22:42

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?

OP posts:
Ponders · 16/08/2011 19:59

currysecret, track is where students access their own UCAS applications & offers - they have a unique number & a password.

on results day it's supposed to update to show if either offer has become unconditional or not

FellatioNelson · 16/08/2011 20:02

curry on the UCAS website there is a section called Track my Status, or Track My Application, or something. You need to put in your DC's reference number, user name and password and it will bring up all the offers they had, and the current status of each offer, ie. conditional offer first choice, insurance offer, offer made but rejected etc.

The minute your DC has been offered a place his/her status will change to 'unconditional offer', or 'accepted' or something, not quite sure of the wording. Not sure what happens if you have missed your grades though - I don't know whether it shows as 'offer retracted' or whether it just remains the same in anticipation of you phoning them and begging!

Currysecret · 16/08/2011 20:11

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Ponders · 16/08/2011 20:13

well he wouldn't automatically be rejected, it depends how many places they have to offer & how desirable he is Smile

(also the updating process on track is a bit erratic, according to the Student Room - they don't all get updated all at once)

Currysecret · 16/08/2011 20:16

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

follyfoot · 16/08/2011 20:16

Anyone in the know able to help with today's panic from DD? Her school arent opening for results until 09.30. She's desperate to go to Newcastle whose clearing starts at 08.00 she has been told. If she messes up and wants to try for another course through clearing at Newcastle, will she effectively be an hour and a half behind many other students - and is it first come, first served?

Fififi · 16/08/2011 20:17

Hello all and special wave to Ponders. Worry free year for me this year since DS took his A2s last year, decided to apply for Oxford so turned down his firm offer (Warwick), did not make Oxford, was rejected from Warwick this time round Hmm but is now looking forward to PPE at Durham...

But I so feel for you all and hope everyone gets what they want and need...

Re tracking, DS's best friend last year didn't think to look at UCAS tracking/check his emails but went into school for his results, got ABC against an AAA offer for architecture at Liverpool. Was undertsandably gutted. But was then on the receiving end of a big clap on the back from the Head. He was in. Liverpool had sent him an email at 6 a.m. confirming that he had a place notwithstanding missing the grades.

And final word of advice - do ring the university if you miss your offer grades. Another friend of DS's missed both firm and insurance offer but, possibly with support from school, did succeed in getting his original uni to hold the offer for him and have a module remarked...and made it.

Good luck all!

xx

Fififi · 16/08/2011 20:21

Follyfoot - she should look on UCAS tracking - if she's made the grades or been accepted it should be on there even before she knows her grades herself...

DS was lucky last year - his school put the boys results on their intranet at 6 a.m . And thank God for that - he was away on holiday, probably with FellatioNelson's DS's friends older brother!!!

webwiz · 16/08/2011 20:22

Ponders in the last letter DD2 has from UCAS it says that track will be updated by 9am with all the decisions that they have received from universities so I think midday is scaremongering. For DD1 two years ago track changed to unconditional for her first choice by about 7am. She got her results from school at 10am and found out she had missed her offer but the university had obviously decided to accept her anyway.

Susiefen I would have thought they will make a decision on a 2012 course because they have an idea whether they normally take people who miss grades or if that course is normally filled with enough people who make the required grades. DD1 is at UEA and she absolutely loves it so good luck to your DS.

follyfoot · 16/08/2011 20:23

Thanks Fififi (is that enough fis Grin ) thats one less drama to face, will make sure she looks on UCAS.

funnyperson · 16/08/2011 20:25

Fellatio your post (way back- rant in capitals) was too funny it made me laugh and laugh (though I know you were serious) its because it epitomised the whole angst of being a parent of a person that age in this year. Your post made me think for certain that your DC will get in. I don't know why it just did. Wine for you. I think if he didn't fundamentally know that he had done well enough to get the grades he wouldn't have booked that flight.
I have taken 2 days off work just to hold hands 'in case' at DD's specific request. DD of course has in the meantime gone to a pool party and is unobtainable. If she has had a phone call from an Oxford admissions tutor perchance , as mentioned by Sieglinde above, she wont know about it because yet again her phone has run out of charge.....

Ponders · 16/08/2011 20:38

Fififi!!! Smile

hope you & yours have had a lovely summer.

Good luck to DS at Durham, I bet he'll love it

webwiz, I have no idea where DS2's friend got noon from. I think now they might have made it up to stop me mithering Hmm

Theas18 · 16/08/2011 20:40

Bloody terrified here! Shouldn't be, all " should" be fine but still a level results day is a big big deal.... The girlie us her usual air headed "la la is something happening. Hello birds, hello flowers" ( think Luna from Harry potter!).

Don't suppose she has a clearing plan at all...

funnyperson · 16/08/2011 20:46

DD gave her dad's address to UCAS but wants me to go into school with her so she is going to hang around at her dads in case an Oxford letter comes in the post on Wed then come home here to check track etc.Then we shall go into school aiming for 9 ish. Last year track crashed early on and DS didn't find out he had got in till he went into school.

funnyperson · 16/08/2011 20:53

It is really nice to see everyone on here-no I mean it -really really nice! Stops me going totally loopy.
A friends son just graduated from Durham -he loved it.

popsicle1984 · 16/08/2011 21:07

I work in admissions at at Uni so I've has access to lots of A Level results since Sunday, had to send lots of reject letters today, it's horrible! Won't be the uni's that any of your kids have applied to, more BBB than AAA!

mumofsussex · 16/08/2011 21:15

fellatio your post also made me laugh but I do really feel for you. These little gits don't realise how stressful this is for US.

Hope it is just scaremongering about UCAS track. I think I'm going to check online at DS's school first thing thursday as there is a parents portal so hopefully that will be updated early before we go down at 9am. I'm dropping off friends at airport at 6.30am (thought it was tomorrow when I agreed but turns out it is thursday but hey ho, will be up early anyway!) so hopefully that will distract me somewhat and should be back by 7.15 to 7.30am. DS needs AAA and is convinced that THAT bloody maths exam scuppered his chances of the predicted A but luckily he took 4 A levels so hopefully a safety net although he thought one other felt like a B. Am hoping maybe AABB might still get him in even though his offer is AAA

mumofsussex · 16/08/2011 21:18

x-post with popsicle how awful Sad so potentially some DC may get the rejection letter before they know their grades? Shock In your experience, how often do they accept DC that have only just missed their offer?

mrswoodentop · 16/08/2011 21:27

At ds school the head of sixth form starts contacting pupils at 6am in reverse order of results so those who have just missed their grades so have the best clearing chance get contacted first,those who have got their grades and met offers are asked not to come in until 10.30am
Not looking forward to this next year seems bad enough now and we are only year 12

carpwidow · 16/08/2011 21:31

I see lots of you are going in to school with your DCs. DS won't let me within a 10 mile radius of his! Just hope he is considerate enough to phone me when he gets them. :(

Currysecret · 16/08/2011 21:31

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popsicle1984 · 16/08/2011 21:38

if they've missed their offer by one grade in one A Level I think they'd generally still be OK, but I don't work at Oxbridge/Russell Group so it's probably quite different!

dementedma · 16/08/2011 21:46

I came on this thread with the intention of pointing out that Higher results in Scotland are already out and have been for a while, but am now genuinely shocked at the levels of stress people are claiming to feel. Your poor DCs, under so much expectation to take up this place or that place. Are they failures if they don't get the much desired grades?
Jeez folks. I have two DDs in their late teens so have been there, waiting for exam results but never in the state some of you profess to be in. If they don't get what they want, or the place they want it's not the end of the world. Nobody dies, unless pressured by parents and made to feel they have "failed" in which case, they well might. Sad
There are other options to university you know - temporary jobs to gain work skills, au pairing, camp America, VSO,apprenticeships, volunteering etc etc. Take a bloody chill pill and take the pressure of your children!!

mumofsussex · 16/08/2011 21:49

oh sod off

webwiz · 16/08/2011 21:52

thanks dementedma that makes all the worry go awayHmm

Of course they aren't failures if they don't get the desired grades but if they want them badly it is stressful to witness hence the offloading here rather than in real life.