Uni offers for 2017 start

[Carriemac]

Could we have a handholding thread? I have two DCs going through UCSS at the moment, would love to obsess here so I can appear calm on the outside.
LNAT results go to the UNIs tomorrow I think, so offers could be rolling in soon for DD who has applied for law.

Hi Heartstrings, Littlehohum, Roundandround and Enolagay, another physics DS here with similar choices (glad you DS has heard from Manchester, Round, DS also has interview and has heard they make high offers, on the plus side, apparently 90% of those interviewed do get offers)
Have had an offer for M.Sci theoretical physics and maths from Birmingham, conditions are high though, A in maths and then A and A in any order in physics and further maths.
PAT this morning so waiting to hear how he thinks it went.
Nothing heard from Imperial which was other choice.
Hope you all receive/ keep getting good news!

dd did the PAT today.

She only practiced from what she could find online and said it was difficult (especially the last question). She is very glad she has an offer from somewhere else she really likes.

Second Physics offer this evening.

dd has different universities on her list though Pipkin. Good luck to your ds.

That's worrying that we haven't heard from Bristol yet, nor for the msci in b'ham, well done to those with offers though of course.

These two are for Warwick and Cardiff.

I expect your ds's choices don't give offers out until later. Trust me they all have different systems and some don't get around to doing anything until after Christmas (third child to go through it).

Hi Little, DS also thought PAT was hard, managed to get through The questions but is ultimately not sure.
Fingers crossed for reply from Birmingham. For you, DS of to a presentation day next week as has it down as first choice as being realistic about possibility of Oxford.
Who knows though, his head may get turned by Manchester!
Hohum, hear Warwick very good for physics, well done to your DD!

DD took the ELAT in the end.

I feigned nonchalance then we spent last night watching The Walking Dead and Missing.

Today she has a flying workshop ( wires across a stage not light aircraft) so has already forgotten any pressure/ anxiety about academic matters. Priorities and all that .

DS seems more bothered about passing his driving test .

Pipkin just to let you know re Physics at Manchester offers - DD went for interview two weeks ago and received an offer two days later of 2AAA. So a high one but she already has one A so that may have driven it. Good luck!!

Well done working :)

Ds has had three or four driving lessons, he's done roundabouts, junctions and so on and is now driving to the next town, I was never that good at first! He wants me to take him out

I'm now banned from asking him if he has checked track

Sorry to hijack. Can I ask a question?

If DD applies to Cambridge and a standard offer is A AA (Social Sciences). If she already has an A from Year 12 in Maths, will she be offered AA or A*AA in the remaining 3 A levels?

Just trying to work out whether it is beneficial to do fast track A level maths in Y12 then further maths in Y13 or just stick to maths over 2 years to maximise her chances.

enola I've taken both my DC out for driving lessons. It's bloody terrifying!

Posting again as 'stars' went a bit funny

Sorry to hijack. Can I ask a question?

If DD applies to Cambridge and a standard offer is A star, A, A (Social Sciences). If she already has an A star from Year 12 in Maths, will she be offered AA or A*AA in the remaining 3 A levels?

Just trying to work out whether it is beneficial to do fast track A level maths in Y12 then further maths in Y13 or just stick to maths over 2 years to maximise her chances.

university.which.co.uk/advice/a-level-choices/should-i-try-to-take-an-a-level-exam-early

I'm think most good places offer on 3 A levels done at the same time - doing one early and then only two more sounds like it could be a bad idea.

Given this, I don't understand why some schools do A level maths in yr 12 and then FM in year 13 rather than doing them both over two years. Especially as currently the maths is still in two parts so its possible to get fm AS and drop it if its a fourth subject and the student wants to maximise chance of high grades in the 3.

There's a lot of us with Physics children on here. I don't remember applying to Uni being this much hard work when I did it - I just picked the place that looked to have the best nightlife!

Back when I applied, there wasn't so much information ... out of date opinions from a few teachers mostly. That did make it easier in some ways though.

If she already has an A star from Year 12 in Maths, will she be offered AA or AAA in the remaining 3 A levels?*

More likely she would get an offer based on the remaining 3 A levels. In general, if a student is taking four (whether four in total or four in one sitting), Cambridge will offer based on all four. So if she took 4 at the end of year 13 they would still offer based on the grades in all four.

(Bear in mind that rather few applicants for social sciences would be doing FM so the standard offer quoted is not really applicable to those with FM, in which four subjects is usual amongst top applicants.)

Outside the very top universities the offers will most likely be based on only 3 A levels.

Oh, and meant to say - my DD would love to do a physics degree too, just that she wants to be an engineer more!

I'm think most good places offer on 3 A levels done at the same time

No, this would discriminate against schools which for teaching/funding reasons need to do maths in y12 and further maths in y13. Outside the top half dozen places, you would get an offer for maths/physics/engineering based on 3 A levels including the one already taken in y12.

Slightly puzzled what would mean that a school had to do the maths/fm that way - whereas I can see that if there were lower numbers they might have to do the maths over two years to accommodate both single/double and the FM alongside.

But, if that's what they do then that's a good thing for kids who've had to do it that way or been advised to do so (whether that advice is good or not).

To shed further confusion on that question re maths/ further maths, the distinction is not at all clear as there are different ways to combine the papers to make up the two exams I understand. So although my DD sat maths in Y12, the papers are not all allocated to one A'level so in fact she is not formally counted as having an A yet as she hasn't cashed it in. But her offer covers all 4 though I have not seen the details of whether they ask for the A in certain papers. I don't think that has helped answer your question at all on reflection!

Oh, I guess that makes sense, if they sit a set of modules which could constitute Maths at the end of yr 12 but the A levels aren't awarded till yr13. Don't they always allocate the modules so as to maximise grades (eg you might get an A* and a low A rather than two high As) ? DD

My dd did the same as Working's dd. She has the equivalent of a whole Maths A Level already but hasn't cashed it in. Her offers only cover 3 A Levels even though she is doing four.

Errol I think thats right, though how they do it I have no idea.

Olympicfan the answer is there is no answer - Cambridge will do whatever suits them, taking into account your DDs educational background and knowing whatever is normal for her school, and depending on whether they feel she needs to be motivated to keep working hard. I dont think you can game it really. As I have written on another thread, I know DCs from highly academic schools who received offers of 4 As even when standard offer was AAA, and equally know DCs from state school who were offered AAA for the same course.

Just seen that track will be unavailable from 6pm tomorrow until an unspecified time on Sunday due to maintenance and also that the automated emails haven't been working

Thanks Working, two weeks until his interview so let's see!
Well done to your DD, particularly on having already achieved an A*, is Manchester her first choice? Or assuming the early application is she also a potential Oxbridge?