Ucas / Results 2014 (carrying on Ucas Forms Sent.... thread)

[Littleham]

Thought we might need a new thread for the results...

That's great! I didn't realise that BTEC's came out earlier. Hope he gets his firm choice, but so reassuring to know that he has an unconditional now.

Gosh time is moving quickly. We have just paid the deposit for halls. Didn't like to ask what happens about a refund if he doesn't make the grade.

My son's deposit is paid and he's getting excited about freshers' week, although he'll still be 17 when he goes, but then so will many other Scots students.

Still waiting to hear on halls. End of the month. I hope DS is offered something as otherwise his University experience will be very different.

Dick I've tried to be the same. Tonight DS is on an overnight boat party in Ayia Napa with 10 friends which I am trying very,very hard not to think about. He has two identical offers for his firm and insurance and is very borderline on a couple of subjects he thinks/ I think. He worked though, just had not great exams, so can't fault him on that. If he makes it home from 'Napa' on Monday I'm just going to forget exam stuff until results happen. No point doing anything else.

Firm is now unconditional

Congrats cricket! Must be a great feeling - you're all sorted - step back and party on down!

That's great news. It's such a relief once it's official.

Very much so! Thanks everyone! Just waiting for the accommodation details so deposit can be paid (Coventry only allocate rooms, request deposit once offer is unconditional), hopefully as his is unconditional before the majority of offer holders he should get his first choice halls (the only ones where he can afford the rent)

Anyone else's DCs started with waking up having dreamt they have not got the grades they need? My DD just getting bit stressed now results day can nearly be counted in days not weeks!

Daughter was given an unconditional in February, after interview, so it has been pretty much plain sailing so far. She got her predicted grades in her BTEC and University halls were allocated two weeks ago and she got her first choice, booked it, then joined an online facebook group started by their block's residential assistants. She tells me today she has now made contact with 4 of her 5 flat mates. Let's hope they aren't fed up with each other before they even meet!!

tracey no dreams - well they'd be better described as nightmares - as yet. Slight wobble yesterday, after listening to a public talk on a topic closely linked to one of the exam essays he wrote. Hopefully DS1 did grasp the perspective that a 45 minute essay written in an exam is not quite the same as a prepared lecture, especially when its being delivered by an Oxford professor for whom it is very much their specialist subject. I think we'll all be glad when Aug 14th finally arrives - whatever the news, good or not so good, that it may bring.

Kez100 my DD had unconditional offers from Nottingham and Birmingham and turned them down to risk getting AAA to get into her first choice Uni !! Just hoping it was the right decision as all this stress (for her and me!) will be worth it if she gets the grades and feels like it was worth the gamble to get where she wants to be !!

The whole thing seems like a giant gamble doesn't it? Hope it works out traceyinrosso70. I'm losing sleep and my dd1 is just saying 'what will be, will be'.

I've asked the school if she can have some help if she misses offers and they have now organised a special slot from 8am, especially for teenagers who miss their offer. Anyone who has achieved firm or insurance then comes in later This seems much kinder.

Does she not have 1 of the unconditionals as her back up tracey?

My DS is now unsure whether to go or not , hes got himself a new girlfriend and they have got very intense very quickly. Hes undecided whether to go uni or get a job....says its got nothing to do with gf

2rebecca the unconditional offers are given only if they make them their firm choice - its a way of Unis boosting their numbers with good students on courses that are harder to recruit top grade students. In this case modern languages where not many take A level languages so the pool of top students is much smaller than for other subjects . But , if you could keep one as your insurance offer it would be lovely - alas you can't !

littleham that seems like a kinder option so those that miss their offers are having to mix with those celebrating. In DD1 s school they can go in for 8am for results but been told UCAS goes live at 8am so they might not know if they have got in before they collect their results ! DD says she will wait to see what UCAS says before going up to school but I don't know what is worse knowing you've not got the grades you need and knowing its not good news or going into school "blind" .

Littleham - how many A levels is your DD sitting?

She did three A Levels, one AS level and an EPQ. Two A Levels went really well (she thinks), but one was not so good (although across the UK, lots of people are also saying the same). She got an A in her EPQ.

Littleham - Ah thanks. Best of luck to her.

Littleham - I was asking out of interest in reference to the CAO.

About getting results early if they're not good... DD's school will ring us on the morning if she hasn't made either her firm or insurance offer so she can go in early to start looking for options - and to avoid the cheering crowd who have made their grades. Of course we should know by then from track, but in DD1 s year track was down until noon, so a phone call would be appreciated.....

We are lucky as school does not require students to go in but makes results available electronically. Lots of instructions about what to do and who to contact if grades are missed. Experience to date on three remarks (2 x GCSE and 1 x AS) has been two improved grades, both down to significant marking errors. In one of the GCSEs DS had actually achieved 98%, not the 78% he was given credit for. The third was one of those weird English Language GCSE results of two years ago. We are therefore predisposed to request an emergency remark if surprised by any results.

In the meantime DS is away but armed with his passwords we are back to checking daily for updates on his accommodation allocation, as he will need to accept within 7 days. Nothing so far, other than lots of junk mail offering fiendishly expensive private student accommodation in Kensington. The Evening Standard had an article last night about how overseas students are outbidding international bankers for prime central London rentals, and since the recession have become the dominant group in new Mayfair lettings. A couple of taxi drivers have also commented to me recently about how much of their trade is now about ferrying students to LSE and Imperial. DS has applied to the cheapest, catered, halls in the hope that these will attract a more traditional student population. It is quite important to him that he gets a place.

(The Standard article suggested that 80% of middle class Chinese parents aspire to send their children overseas to study. Great for our tertiary education sector as viewed as an export industry, but not so great if overseas demand starts restricting the number of places available to good UK based students. To some extent top Universities will want to take the best students in order to maintain their international standings, and as the proportion of University funding provided by Government falls, Government influence will presumably become more limited. An interesting dilemma for policy makers.)

Her CAO application requires a minimum of 355 points and last year students were admitted to the course she has applied for with about 430 points and above. It is purely down to how popular the course is in a given year. A lot of the courses (such as medicine and law) need sky high points (in the 500 - 600 range) - for those you would need four A levels and my dd1 would have stood no chance. Luckily she wants to do languages.

So to put that in context, if dd1 were to get an A (135 points) A (135 points) C (100 points) AS Level (75 points) bonus for taking Maths A Level (25 points), she would score 470 points in total. If the C drops to a D, she would lop off 25 points & get a score of 445 (making her borderline).

Given her situation with 2 strong A levels and one weak A level we thought it was worth the 25 euro application fee! See links below -

www.tcd.ie/TSM/assets/pdf/TCD_Prospectus_2013.pdf

www.tcd.ie/TSM/assets/pdf/TCD_Prospectus_2013.pdf