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Higher education

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

Original poster

It's August ..... the countdown begins

556 replies

doglover · 01/08/2017 15:53

How's everyone feeling? My dd was pretty much able to forget about results during July but said in a very quiet voice this morning, "I'll find out this month where I'm going."

Is anyone doing anything yet in preparation for 17th? Should we be doing anything yet in preparation for 17th?!

OP posts:
LittleHo · 11/08/2017 11:42

dd is really lucky with her insurance choice as Southampton has accommodation for insurance candidates. She really likes it too & it has great rail connections.

It would just be nice to know what is happening. This week is going to feel long.

user53592952153 · 11/08/2017 11:51

My DS got AAAB in the AS levels and dropped the B, he's been offered AAB but is predicted AAA. He had stuff going on around the run up to exams and did less revision now he tells me he did less and so thinks he has missed the offer. It's very worrying but what will be will be.

Blogwoman · 11/08/2017 12:34

My DS had a bit of a mountain to climb as she flunked one AS last year and it was the only one that counted as half of her A level, so she's retaken that alongside A2 this year. She's worked so very hard and we just really, really hope she's done well and, crucially, enough to take up her offer at her first choice uni - no plan B that she likes the look of...

Blogwoman · 11/08/2017 12:35

Um, I mean DD! Confused

TheMightyMing · 11/08/2017 13:19

Blogwoman my DS the same D in Geography at AS predicted far higher and it counts towards this year 😱 That's his chosen degree as well. Good luck to your DD

Blogwoman · 11/08/2017 13:42

Geography here too TheMightyMing! Not her degree choice, but needs a B. Did your DS resit it? Good luck!

TheMightyMing · 11/08/2017 14:16

No didn't resit as felt it would be detrimental to other subjects. I left it up to him

user53592952153 · 11/08/2017 14:59

bit of light relief...

DS has a letter from UCAS (I haven't opened it) which is from Always/Tampax. On the envelope it says that you need protection at times like this Grin

Just how bad do they think that Thursday is going to be?!

TheMightyMing · 11/08/2017 15:27

User 😂😂😂😂 brilliant thanks for that

titchy · 11/08/2017 15:38

DD had that package too! Bonkers! She's tempted to put one pad over each ear and sing la-la-la it's not happening...

dingit · 11/08/2017 16:05

An always parcel received here too. Dd was wtf? What did they send the boys??

user53592952153 · 11/08/2017 16:09

DS isn't here but it's a soft, thick envelope so I'm fairly sure that he's accidentally received the same as the women Grin

user53592952153 · 11/08/2017 16:27

DS is now the proud owner an an applicator tampon and an always pad! Grin He's now trying to think of amusing uses for them the cat is hiding somewhere

dingit · 11/08/2017 16:42

User Grin

titchy · 11/08/2017 16:43

Oops! He must have ticked the female box....

user53592952153 · 12/08/2017 09:20

Dunno, it was addressed to Mr.....

In yesterday's Times there was a small piece on the front page called "Universities ready to flight for students" which went on to say that unis will be competing for students with institutions likely to lower their entry grades to entice school leavers because of a dip in applications, according to the head of admissions at the uni of Sheffield it's a 'great year for students'

Presumably this will mainly affect ones in the middle/lower rather than the RG unis though.

TheMightyMing · 12/08/2017 09:35

Sheffield ! You've given me some hope user 🙏🏻

OddBoots · 12/08/2017 10:28

'middle/lower rather than the RG unis though.' - Maybe but Sheffield is a RG university themselves.

user7841794168 · 12/08/2017 10:39

Is it, I didn't know that - it's not one we've considered. DS has applied to a RG uni so fingers crossed then!

hellsbells99 · 12/08/2017 10:52

I have DCs that have started university over the last 2 years. From their friendship groups, quite a few missed their offers and were still accepted at various universities including Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Durham, Edinburgh, Sheffield, LSE and others.
Good luck for Thursday!

Lucysky2017 · 12/08/2017 11:19

I think it will affect all the universities so I was telling my potential Bristiol twins they were very lucky to be applying this year. One of my older ones missed a grade in one science A level and was still accepted a few years ago. My older son got his place in clearing. Most of them end up somewhere absolutely fine in the end.

I received my A level results from a call box having been driven to a town from our holiday in the remote parts of NW Scotland. My father drove me over. My deputy head very kindly said she'd take a call (otherwise it was a post card days later) and obviously most people weren't on holiday then - my parents must not have checked the dates. It was all fine and a relief.

user7841794168 · 12/08/2017 22:31

The telegraph suggested all universities - it was the headline article so I read it in the shop

Lucysky2017 · 13/08/2017 08:50

Sunday Times today - schools fear chaos over tough A levels...... My son who was almost guaranteed an A in music (which he dropped after AS - music old style a level) may be wishing he didn't do economics (new style - his high mark last year doesn't count) this year. On the other hand he's loved it and I've loved discussing it with him - it's a kind of part of my work and school is not all about results. it's about what you learn for life.

Actually Sunday Times sub heading is "Exams chief acts to stop grades plummeting".

The whole thing becomes a farce really - they changed the system to stop so many people getting very high grades so you could distinguish them. If they they pull everyone up to the previous higher marks then it all becomes a bit silly - and they quote someone who said that too, but if it's helping my boys that's fine by me.

It says a quarter will get A or A* in the new style A levels after the intervention - that's pretty high. In my day hardly anyone got As. Neighbours were stopipng me in the street it was so unusual although I suppose most people didn't even do A levels then.

Gannet123 · 13/08/2017 11:07

20-25% getting A-A^ is the norm nowadays - that's what those grades mean and that's the role of Ofqual. What I think a lot of the press don't really grasp is that A levels are norm referenced - they are about positioning students within a cohort (with some adjustment as to the relative strength of the cohort) rather than just measuring the individual performance. There are supposed to be the same number of As and A* every year, give or take a bit, so Ofqual are just doing their job here. There's no story, really - just the usual August rush to make something out of the A level results because they can't think of anything else to put on their front page (which, given events elsewhere in the world, is rather surprising on the part of the ST, frankly). All this will do is add fuel to the annual attempt to tell young people they don't deserve their high grades, everything's dumbed down, and it was all better in the olden days when only 4% of people went to university.....

The new A level syllabi were never supposed to produce fewer A grades - I think there may be some confusion with the GCSE reforms adding an extra grade. Fewer A grades wouldn't make it easier for Universities to select and we haven't been operating on that basis. For some subjects, the syllabi have been changed, and probably made harder, to better support the transition into HE, but most of the reforms are the product of Michael Gove's obsession with traditional exams, and, leaving aside particular syllabus changes, are not particularly popular with rank and file academics (and the ST are right that the change is playing havoc with our admissions planning, so next week will see some very surprising outcomes, I suspect).
In other words, not really news.....

tobee · 13/08/2017 13:03

I'm getting physical symptoms of fear just reading this. God knows what I'll be like Wednesday night! Not expecting much sleep. Got to try to exude calm and relax for ds.