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Higher education

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

Original poster

Experience with " near miss grades " for uni, advice on what to do?

180 replies

Bagpuss555 · 07/08/2015 18:02

OK long story short, DD pretty sure she won't make AAA offer possibilities more likely be AAB or AAB, her condition didn't include equivalents. If on results day she gets rejected with those grades but the B is close to an A is it worth ringing up the uni to ask them to reconsider or maybe go for remark? Any success stories ? DD offer isn't from Oxbridge or top 5 uni. Any advice is appreciated, might be of help to others who may be of a similar dilemma.

OP posts:
Decorhate · 19/08/2015 16:49

She did send an email but got a very firm no!

cathyandclaire · 19/08/2015 17:02

I am so sorry to hear that Decorhate, it seems so very harsh for a few UMS.

I hope your DD will have a ball at Leeds, it's a great city with so much to do and the students seem to really love it. Our neighbour is a medical tutor and I regularly see groups of undergraduates wobbling out of his house after being plied with fine wine and lovely food and a smattering of medical knowledge maybe

Kez100 · 19/08/2015 17:07

I'm so sorry Decor.

Hopefully she will be happy at Leeds.

Decorhate · 19/08/2015 17:46

Thanks both. I know she will love Leeds.

Coconutty · 19/08/2015 17:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MyNewAccount · 19/08/2015 19:07

At least it's been sorted out quickly. I bet she will love it there.

Original poster
Bagpuss555 · 19/08/2015 21:09

Sorry dechohate Flowers at least you can all move on. Your dd has done fantastic to get into medicine Star.
So far for us, it's still up and downConfused. DD got one remark back it's gone up 15 ums! !! Gone from A to overall A still awaiting the history remarks Sad DD has now 2AB. She emailed firm if that would be enough as it's equivalent to A*AA, it's still a noSad they want the B to be a A, it's infuriating as she is only 3 ums or 2 raw marks and they still won't budge!! Urghhh. It's so near but to them it's too far?? Basically we still in limbo?? Dd is not impressed with her firm for being so mean. Means now if she does get an A in history remark she will have exceeded their grade requirements.

OP posts:
Kez100 · 19/08/2015 21:33

If it's still a B and she doesn't want to go to insurance can she resit this year, get a job too and save for Uni, bat out another A* hopefully and reapply next year?

Decorhate · 19/08/2015 21:38

Kez, she is happy with her insurance (and very lucky to have got it tbh)
Resitting/reapplying not an option for her course - thankfully as I wouldn't want to go through it all again!

Decorhate · 19/08/2015 21:40

Bagpuss, fingers crossed for the other remark. Will she be happy with her insurance if not?

Kez100 · 19/08/2015 21:48

Sorry decorhate that was aimed at bagpuss!

Medicine at Leeds sounds great!

Kez100 · 19/08/2015 21:49

Bagpuss had said earlier her DD didn't really want to go to her insurance

Decorhate · 19/08/2015 21:53

Kez I realised that after I posted & read it properly!

hellsbells99 · 19/08/2015 22:02

DD's friend who was put on hold for York told York to reject them so they could accept their insurance choice. Took York a whole day to process the reject even though they had said they would do it straight away. Needed AAB with A in specified subject - met the AAB but specified subject got a B (only a couple of UMS below A). Seems very mean and even worse to mess them around so they couldn't sort out accommodation at their insurance - but happy with insurance choice. I won't be encouraging DD2 to apply to York this coming year.

hellsbells99 · 19/08/2015 22:04

Decorhate - one of DD's close friends is off to Leeds to do medicine. She is so excited and a lovely girl.

Original poster
Bagpuss555 · 19/08/2015 22:14

I could seriously cry my heart out for dd. We so proud of her with what she has achieved , yet we now faced with DD needing near perfection in her A levels to get to her firm. I'm thinking dd firm uni must have had some very very good candidates this year!! Or its fate dd is to go to insurance, that's why things aren't really going her way she's not meant to go to firm.

kez100 dd wasn't too struck on wanting to go to insurance before results came out. Although now, I think now she realises maybe it's where shes meant to go. Still waiting on ultimatum history remark that will seal her fate. DD didn't have to have one of her other A grade subjects remarked but felt one of the exams was a bit low, yet she felt she nailed it, her gut instincts was a dodgy marker, I give her her dues, her instincts were rightConfused. I don't think it's worth dd to resit her B just to get into her firm, honestly don't think there's that much difference between her firm and insurance. I think if her history is still a B, she will go to insurance. I hope so, because Its just too much pressure, although if she does resit try and get a A instead so she will have 3A She could or might have a shot with oxbridge or higher uni's but would they want someone who's resat?

OP posts:
cathyandclaire · 19/08/2015 23:02

That seems outrageous Bagspuss, is it Durham, they're known to be intransigent with grades?
Is that the only uni she wants to go to? With A A B she'd have a good chance of lots if she takes a gap year even without resitting. With another A, she could probably go anywhere.
She has done brilliantly and it must be so frustrating for you, fingers crossed for remark.

hellsbells99 · 19/08/2015 23:16

Fingers crossed Bagpuss.

Original poster
Bagpuss555 · 19/08/2015 23:36

No not Durham, it's a campus uni cathy shall say no moreConfused don't want to put anyone off applying. DH is feeling rather mad and thinks dd should go to insurance no matter if history remark goes up to an A. Because in his eyes they don't deserve dd because they've been making dd feel she's not good enough, fighting talk, may I say. I've said to dd and DH before DH loses his rag completely, it's got to be they've had lots of good strong applicants, you see dd didn't do EPQ or extra AS or A levels, so I suppose she don't look that strong on paper when it comes to missed grades. DD goes to state school so didnt have those opportunities, her state school isn't a bad one either as it doesn't qualify for those contextual offers things.

OP posts:
Mindgone · 20/08/2015 01:04

Cathy, great news for your DD!
Decorhate, as I'm sure you know already, sometimes the very best things come from unexpected places! Bagpuss too! SmileFlowersWine

IceBeing · 20/08/2015 10:41

You can probably blame the stupid system of university rankings for the refusal to budge...

Universities now get ranked according to the average UCAS score of their entrants. So your DD could be absolutely who they want but they won't let her in because her B will drop their average..

Original poster
Bagpuss555 · 20/08/2015 12:28

School rung this morning and said dd history remark has come back unchanged Sad . Shes upset and knows there's probably no point trying to persuade firm to accept her since they emailed saying they are unable to accept 2A*B yesterday. She's going to insurance, made her mind up. It's so harsh to lose out the way she has because she was 3 ums off?? It's hard for me and DH to accept, must be even harder for poor dd Sad.

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Decorhate · 20/08/2015 13:05

Sorry to hear that Bagpuss. I know only too well how gutting it is when they miss out by a whisker. My mantra is that it wasn't meant to be. I know that dd will be fine & love her insurance once she starts. Hope your dd is the same.

RandomFriend · 20/08/2015 13:05

Sorry to hear that, Bagpuss, that is so hard. You (and your DD) have my sympathy.

The firm uni must have offered too many places for history, which is very unlucky for your DD.

What are the good points about the insurance uni?

Original poster
Bagpuss555 · 20/08/2015 14:26

Thanks dechohate it feels so Sad as now everything is now official and concrete, can't hope like we did before, on remarks. But yeah your right it was meant to be. Smile
randomfriend dd wasn't doing history as a degree, it wasn't a relevant subject for her degree either, but it does show in reality how luck and fate plays a big part on ones path. I think in time she will realise insurance was the right place to go.

I love her insurance, I could live there myself If the house prices weren't so expensive!. As I see it, with her firm choice, the uni sells itself as being brilliant in helping students towards getting jobs in whatever degree, they do as it has strong connections with large companies etc. Its inticing has high student satisfaction very inticing.

DD insurance is more geared towards academia, research intense great for those wanting to carry on after undergraduate, which dd is wanting to do. Rubbish student satisfaction. Probably because it's expensive area to live and grotty halls. It's got a great global reputation, one of lecturer/professor who teaches first year is very renowned in his field, is often on the radio and sometimes on TV minor celeb!!. Im easily star struck by the way. I can think of so many positives with her insurance .

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