DC with an A* offer for university?

[MummyMastodon]

Who has a son or daughter taking A2 that includes one or more A* ?

Join me in nail-biting and envy of the 'easy' AAA offer holders.

DD needs A*AA for her first choice, (Oxford) insurance is a nice AAB (Bristol) but she reeeally wants Oxford (Bristol looks wonderful too, but apart from anything else, if she goes there as her insurance she might not even get a place in halls, which wouldn't be a great start)

A just seems so relentless - 90% overall in A2 year. One bad exam can blow it all out of the water. She is on track for AAA at the moment, and resitting a rogue January module to hopefully bring the A back within reach for her third subject. But it all seems so dependent on a couple of hours in the exam room!

I suppose I should just be grateful that it's only one A* required, I know Cambridge and some of the London Unis can make offers for two or three

Gosh, med at Cambridge, well done to your DC alreadytaken.

If it does turn out that we need our insurance choice, but DD is too late for Halls, I might suggest that she asks if she can defer for a year (if she wants to) and travel. I just think that starting first year in a scrabbled for student house instead of halls would be a bit crap.

Now I'm worried that I should be taking a break from mumsnet until after the exams, too - eep - is there something I should be doing?

DS accepted an AAA offer from Durham three years ago for Physics. He got A* (in Physics), A, B and after a week messing around, Durham finally rejected him. I understand the stress!!! We were all gutted.

He took his last exam yesterday for his Physics degree at Sheffield and will be starting a Masters at Imperial in September. Life works out. Try not to stress - I know it's easier said than done.

ajandjj - that's harsh, and rotten of them to string it out for so long

That seems incredibly harsh ajandjjmum. Was the B in a relevant subject? As I said earlier, Durham has had its fingers burned a bit with its initial foray into A* offers, it sounds as though your DS fell foul. I hope he enjoyed Sheffield though and Imperial Masters should be fab - does he need a First?

alreadytaken the better the university the more likely it is that offerees will exceed their offers. The cosy thing about the AAA offers for high achievers was the fact that they could relax at A level time, pretty confident that they'd make their first choice offer. DS1 got the last of the Oxford AAA offers for Medicine and was very chilled last June. As it was he got 6A* (and didn't take Maths). He did work, he always does, but he didn't have this horrible stress of having to get a particular very high score. I'm sure the lack of stress helped him. I'm not sure what your evidence is for thinking Cambridge offerees

What happened there? .

I'm not sure what your evidence is for thinking Cambridge offerees exceed their offers in greater measure than at any other top table UK university? Please share!

No Mummy there's not much you can do :). Stay calm in the background, provide decent food, kick them off to bed not too late, appear completely unstressed.

Good luck to him, Millais. He's right, kind of - but, at least they have three chances (assuming his A* can be in any subject)

And if it's any comfort I've always known what time all of mine go into these wretched exams, I clock watch, I fret and I don't ever dare phone them until they phone me. I've no idea really how I'm still alive. Vicarious Finals are the worst by far, so you can look forward to that :) I suppose the DDs having babies will compare but I'll probably be allowed to be near the hospital for that....

Triplets Millais?

We will most likely have our first A* offer next year - the elder two had traditional AAA offers (RG, not Oxbridge). At least with a 3 A offer you can do the Math - 'if you already have 95 UMS you only need 60 UMS this time around' etc which was not too stressful......

Triplets?!?

Fucking hell. I have twins and am dreading public exams!

Yellowtip - it was harsh, but he survived, and has enjoyed Sheffield. The offer from Imperial has given him an added boost though - I think the Durham messing around did leave him thinking he wasn't quite good enough. He's done well - a high 2:1 seems most likely, and he's done other stuff whilst at uni.

All I wanted to say to everyone was that although it's so stressful at exam time, even if things don't work out as you'd hope, it's not the end of the world (although it might seem it at the time!)

AAA for Southampton Mech Eng
There is always an element of luck I think in getting an A. Just as long as he isn't unlucky on all 3 subjects!

I think as parents it is really important to distance yourself emotionally from it a bit.Your son or daughter has enough on with their own nerves without having you nervous for them too!

I would so like it if we could move to post A Level applications.

Yes MummyMastodon ... lying in the garden with the cats for most of the day. Seems you can either do maths or can't at this level. Mystery to me though.

Millais and at the thought of three "how did it go " conversations.

Triplets.

Wow.

Just..Wow.

I am.. speechless with admiration for Millais.

If I had to look after triplets and one sib, they wouldn't be taking exams, they'd be roaming naked and feral in the woods feeding on acorns.

Are the three triplets all at the same school Millais? And the eldest? And are the triplets all one gender or not? Can't even begin to imagine it but it must have lots of plusses I'm guessing?

Physics A level today? Now I'm worried, as DS is doing Physics, but didn't have an exam today.