Medicine 2018 part 3

[SomersetS]

Hope you all find this - didn't realise I took 999! Whoops.

2B1Gmum That's amazing that you managed to clean a house that had 6 rugby playing students in it! Well done you, I hope they helped a bit at least!

I've always found with exams that they remember the worst bits and forget all the bits that went well... that's what I'm telling myself at least! Can't wait for Friday to be here and I'm not even the one taking them!

Thanks Booface, DH likes hoovering and another couple did a shower room... my DS really thought the bath was clean🤔. The house has damp in places and cracks and peeling paint, slightly better than the house in the Young Ones. All girls moving in next - I left a new reed diffuser!!

DD thought there were some tricky questions in OCR Biology, but finished it, I heard her telling DS1 that she felt some questions would be tough for those with little chemistry and/or confidence with certain maths? Back to Chemistry again.

DS also has mixed feelings about OCR biology today. I have been away for 9 days working so have missed most of the A levels - hope he has been revising - DH seems to think so! Just chem to go on Wednesday - then it’s off to Spain for a well earned holiday. This has been a very long slog!!!! Good luck to everyone’s DC for final exams

Can't believe we are coming to an end. I am assuming it's last week for DD too, I think Maths today and tomorrow? and then last Chemistry on Friday I think. Biology was good for her, but I think Edexcel was a different format (something to do with tutorials).

Lovely to see all those holidays destinations. I don't know if it had sank for most of them that they'll finally get to relax. DD is going to the Isle of Wight festival with 8 boys! Not sure how I feel about it, but it's time like this I remind myself that she is 18 and an adult. It's hard to take it in when I still call her to make sure she's up for her exams (she is but still feel the need to make sure!).

Hi, although DD was predicted 4 a stars she has found the last few weeks of exams difficult in places and I can see she is now genuinely worried about not getting the 3 A's she needs. AQA biology exams (1 and 3) have been really not what she was expecting (I don't think she's alone in that, especially paper 1). If the worst comes to the worst, does anyone out there know if the medical schools ever relax the grades required, relative to the offer eg accept two A's and a B or an A star, a and b? And do people ever get into a Medicine courses through clearing? She has firmed Edinburgh and Bristol, which I think would be unlikely to offer much 'give' on the grades. But I really have no idea.

Jon I am feeling the same. DD is a positive girl so hasn't actually said out loud that there is a possibility of not getting 3 A's. I am trying to seem fine too, especially as there are 3 more exams to go, but I am really worried. I know that some times med schools do let you in with a dropped grade, but not always - don't quite know how they decide. I know last year St George's let some in with AAB, but a friend of DDs got AAB and was only offered a place on the biological sciences course.

I have stared looking through the med schools again to see which ones allow you to apply if you are re-sitting an A level. Hoping it wont be needed, but at least its something I can do rather than just worrying!

Lets hope they all do better than (at least some of us) are fearing!

Hi Jon. I think many do accept dropped grades but don’t advertise the fact for very obvious reasons. This happened to DD.
I the new Linear A levels means that more DC will drop grades but I don’t know if unis will go down dropped grades route or waiting list route.

Thank you for the answers so far. It sounds like there is some light at the end of the tunnel (perhaps...) if the grades are missed. I guess it's fingers crossed time now, and swot up on the clearing / resit process just in case.

Jon and a drink, feeling exactly the same here about results. Have to say before exams started I was fairly confident DD would make AAA, but the Aqa bio papers really threw her and that seems to have affected how she felt about chem and maths. My only glimmer of hope is that if they all felt like that then grade boundaries may be lower. She said that even if she put what she thought was right on the suggest why...? questions, if it wasn't on the mark scheme she would get it right. An uncertain wait til August. She is refusing to resit or reapply next year

*wouldnt get it right

We haven't had the "what if you don't get 3As ..." conversation yet. But it will have to happen at some point , not sure when though. I don't want to make her worry more while there are still exams to be done - she is in maths C3 now.

I think some Unis allowed AAB last year for some applicants as it was the first year of the new A levels but I doubt this will continue as many have waiting lists for Medicine. They get results a few days before candidates so can see how students have done. We know someone who applied last year who got in with lower grades AAB but it was a high B. She is now struggling with the course. I hope DD gets her grades as she has already said that she will not retake A levels and UKCAT plus many Unis do not look favourably on retakes.

DD back from Edexcel Maths C3 which didn't go well. I only know this as there is a notice on her door! I'm hoping this is to do with expectation as she was more confident going in after all the practice papers whereas she feared the worst for biology and chemistry. She has already talked about retakes but that was chemistry. Good luck to everyone for remaining papers. DD isn't going away which I part of me wished she was just to let her hair down but part of me is very.glad!

@biscuit2000 - a lots of DDs friends take maths and said it was harder than expected. The grade boundaries will reflect this so your DD may be ok 😉

Hi Jon 1970. Our DCs have firmed the same schools - Edinbugh and Bristol. I am really hoping my DS's silence on the whole "how is it going?"question means Ok, rather than really not ok. He is a completely closed book.

Now the football is on every hour of the day that is a distraction, but keeping him a bit more cheerful at least! Oh roll on August and maybe our DCs will see each other at one or other of the above, fingers crossed.

Last one tomorrow for DD - 2.5 hrs of Chemistry. It's been a v long 7.5 weeks of exams between the 2 of them and I'm exhausted just watching them. Bubbly on ice ready as whatever they've got I am so proud of how hard they have worked. If the grades are not as expected I blame the hideous exam boards who have set stupid questions and 43 pages long papers. At least was it French as today they got questions on the wrong listening tape 😳

mumsneedwine, I think you've summed it up perfectly in your last message. I need to remember too that whatever the outcome on one piece of paper, I do know that my DD has worked incredibly hard for these exams and really couldn't have done anything more, so whatever she gets, I will be very proud of her working ethics, and in the end, that's what will take her where she wants to go.

Good luck with Chemistry today, and enjoy the wine tonight for those for whom it's over (I think all but those doing Maths?)

Weirdly my DD finished maths yesterday. Statistics was a better choice than Mechanics as their last one is next week. She's decided to go shopping straight after exam - she's very good at that !!! Good luck to everyone on the last leg. My husband has been playing the Final Countdown v loudly this morning.

Oh my goodness, last 2 today. What a feeling of relief. Prosecco & tonics in fridge for a celebration tonight.
A never seen before laid back attitude to G8 Flute tomorrow. Have to say I agree with DD there. It is what it is.
Best of luck Chemists & Linguists today.

Well that is it, officially over - DD seems happy with last Chemistry OCR - overall now is most anxious about Geography! Coursework issues in particular which makes me cross because that was all down to the school not giving proper advise from what I understand - but hey only August will tell.

I have failed the best mum test - DDs friend got champagne and jewellery🤔. DD is getting luxury hot chocolate from M&S ....

Back to worrying about planning, party wall agreements and DS1 bring mucked about by previously mentioned high street store - too many false promises, he should leAve. A masters in design and manufacture engineering wasted in retail but graduate jobs like gold dust and he is feeling frustrated and exhausted after so many applications, selection tests, group tasks etc last year.

Great to hear so many are finishing and are at last able to kick back and enjoy themselves. They certainly have earned it.

DS still has Maths papers on Friday and Monday but then it will be clubbing and holidays and a proper celebration of his 18th birthday.

Overall my DS has found the exams trickier than expected but what can we do now.....it's in the laps of the markers and the grade boundaries.

Good luck to all your DC's - the wait until Aug 16th is going to be tricky....more so for me I think ;) We have no plan B - (apparently that idea shows that I have no faith! ) so I'll have to start doing my own research there.

And thank you for all your combined wisdom and knowledge on this thread - it really has been a great help!

innertiger, all the best with the maths to you and all others who still have papers to do. Our plan B was not discussed because of planned gap year, but I will still have a difficult night on 15th August, knowing the universities will already have the results is weird - UEA spent some time explaining to anxious parents at the offer day the 'dark art' of sorting offers and at what point they consider near misses.

DS1 he got up in the early hours, checked UCAS, saw his place for engineering was confirmed and went back to sleep - he got to school so late they thought he had forgotten! DS2 got his insurance so went to school in a rush to find out he has done really well, but missed his A* in English - which by then he more or less knew... he had a great gap year (rugby not travelling), got unconditional offers for different course.

DD is my third and final DC - relief that this stage is over, but still holding my breath... and to think I thought babies waking through the night were a worry

Ha ha, I remember how anxious I was waiting to hear whether DD had a place at her choice of primary school. It turned out she was the furthest away that year and it felt like we'd won the lottery! I really had no idea what was to come!

DD found AQA chemistry harder today. Unfortunately, some of the questions were stuff they were supposed to have gone over with their Chemistry teacher who was off for the last few weeks as he had quite a bad cycling accident. Oh well, only one more to go on Friday and then a lot of praying.

Mine finished chemistry and then went shopping. For 5 hours. And has now returned home and nodded off on sofa. Am v glad that is all over for this year. 🍾to all our fab kiddies.

My DD finished today, French & Chemistry. Spent 2 hours on the sofa catching up with Netflix & is now practising flute scales until her muscles give up! Going for a slap-up tea at the pub because the boys are out!