Countdown to A level results day - 2023

[HereWeGo2023]

Following on from the A level support thread I thought I would create one for results day.
Hopefully you will all join me for the long nail biting wait and the big day at the end of it!

I'm in too! 17 August seems such a long way off at the moment. DD is only half-way through her exams and finishes on 23 June. Keeping up stamina and momentum of revision is hard, especially in the gorgeous weather.

@AfingeroffudgeisNOTenough sending you sympathy on the additional wait for CAO. We were in the same position a couple of years ago as DD2 applied via CAO as well as UCAS, and she found the extra waiting time excruciating

I am checking in although DD1 still has 4 exams and finishes on the 23rd... its going to be a long week.. see you all on the other side !!

Thanks for thread...Count me in as well and so good to 'see' you all on here...

DD currently asleep after two exams yesterday, last one Biology third paper on Wednesday.

I figured things would become less busy in the run up to results day, but here I am again on a Saturday morning with my notebook and lists...

Thanks for simply being people, A level exams thread really helped me...onwards and upwards navigating run up to results eh...

DD had her last exam yesterday. Couldn’t celebrate much last night as she had work early this morning. She’s got a party tonight.
I think I was more emotional and relieved than she was last night. We made a bit of a fuss with cake and stuff so that she knows we are proud of her for getting through and doing her best. Results day will be a biggie, but I’m trying hard to play down the importance of the grades and focus on how hard she’s worked.

Not got anyone doing exams here (apart from uni ones haha) but thought I would flag a bit of how it works...

(This assumes an application to uni)

UCAS portal updates at 8am so they can look then and see where they have got in. This doesn't tell grades but tells them if firm choice or insurance has accepted them.

They can then go in to school (or log on) to find their actual grades, which might be higher than hoped or lower (mate of DD's got in to top choice even tho he had much lower grades than offer).

The thing with the UCAS portal is that they know which way it is going to go, so it's not so shocking (as they have found out the main detail at home).

DD missed both her choices and was v upset - but we were at home. She then went in and found her actual grades - I joined her and we did the clearing process together. My main advice with clearing is to be realistic about it - you may need to lower your sights. DD was targeting RG unis but in the end her grades got her into Uni of Leicester, which actually suited her better in the end. It was a stressful day tho (understatement).

DS2 knew at home that he had got in to his first choice - went to school and found his actual grades. All good. Tho after DD I had taken the whole day off work - I would advise this if there is any likelihood of your DC needing to do clearing. At numerous points we and her head of 6th form were all on the phone to various unis! Good luck all.

I think we will just carry on doing what we have been doing for the past four years odd and trust that DD will get the grades you wants/needs and be confident in that. Thanks though.

Hopefully a bit less stressful for a while @Forestfriendlygarden!
Thank you @clary. Dd is doing an Art Foundation year so has not done UCAS applications yet, but good to know how it works. Fortunately she doesn't need particularly high grades for uni - her portfolio is what counts, and she'll have grades in hand so that takes a huge amount of stress out of the equation! But she's a worker bee and wants to get as high grades as possible.
Well done to those who are now looking towards August and good luck to those kids still in the thick of it! We have an open day, her A level Art show next week, plus she has History lunch and an 18th party to go to.
I've been planning our Christmas trip - first time in a plane since 2019!!

@clary thanks for the tips. I went to Leicester and loved it and thrived, suited me. It was my first choice having turned down Exeter, not knowing about university rankings or similar, it had the right combination of course content and also not too close to home but close enough I could afford the coach or train fare. I do think it is an under rated uni, but then I am biased! DD nearly put it as her insurance but I think it was the 'weird factor' of her mother having attended that swayed her to York as her insurance. I am making a long weekend of results day and have the Thursday and Friday off work, if she makes it to her first choice uni we are picking up the gown she needs to wear to register on the college roll / matriculate.

@PettsWoodParadise I agree Leicester is underrated. For some reason it was never on DD's initial list (tbf it is not a campus on one site, which was a first-off priority for her) but in fact it ticked lots of her boxes - close to home, easily accessible (appreciate that is not on everyone's list and obv not close if you live in Scotland!) but also more to the point offered a good course for her (Eng lit) with some interesting options that she ended up really enjoying; her PT was lovely and also the uni population is very diverse which made a big change from some of the places we saw on open days.

Btw if anyone is doing clearing - a lot of unis offer a clearing open day - often in the day or so after results day (DD went on one to Leics and a friend went to Canterbury on one) which can be super useful.

Mmmm.

One A star and two Ass needed here.
Not every day someone gets an offer from Oxford. But DD did and so we are aiming for that.

But I guess Que Sera, sera isn't it?

@Forestfriendlygarden snap except Cambridge for DD. She has been so invested ever since attending an essay award day last summer and falling in love with the college she now hopes to attend.

Well done yous.

It is a really, really challengin process to get through.

Good luck and break a leg for the next steps...

I can spell honestly, just keep mistyping!

I'm actually freaking out a little bit about this whole results thing. My DD's firm choice has already invited her to a 'Welcome Day' at the beginning of July (to meet staff, fellow students on her course and get to know everyone and everything), got her to pay for a (refundable) DBS check, got her to sign a student/uni agreement, told her she will have summer work to complete for the beginning of September which she will be given at the Welcome day. But she still has a conditional offer which she has to get the grades for - I can't get past the fact that if she doesn't make the grades she'll be so invested in going to her firm choice at that point she'll be double devastated. It's a really proactive way for the Uni to be, I've been so impressed with their communication but the pressure seems so much more because of it. Do you think they've already decided all firm offers will be accepted whatever the results?

@HappySonHappyMum lets hope so as that will be crushing otherwise!

It really is a difficult thing to get your head around isn't it? DD likewise invested in her first choice. As we know from the pandemic and so on, nothing in life is a certainty. All we can do is do our bit and hope for the best.

Don't know about accepting regardless of the grades. I thought that that was only the case for an unconditional offer...

I'm tackling this by trying to step sideways, attending to the general life skills learning of DD - whilst trying (and failing) to attend to myself and my own health issues (need to lose weight etc.)...

Stuff for me is difficult to do whilst A level exam stress hanging about but last one this wed, and it is new moon today, so perhaps I can try harnassing that energy...

There seems an awfully long list of things to do before August 17th is it?

So I seem to be just staying in denial about it and doing one task at a time...hoping this works...

I am a bit of an interloper but DD has AS results on 17 August which count for 40% of the full A level so will be experiencing a less stressful version. We went through Y13 with DS last year and I remember the anxiety of results day well. May all your DC sail into the unis they are hoping for!

Ooh what’s there to do? DD done forms for student finance and DSA and accom choices submitted for both firm & insure. Am I missing something!

I think I’m lucky in that DD is pretty chilled. I think we are forgetting about results day for now and enjoying the summer. She definitely wants her firm choice but not overly invested. She’ll be a tadge disappointed of course but happy with insurance. If grades are disastrous then we’ll see what UCAS suggest on the day. I’ve heard clearing us pretty dynamic so I’m not sure it’s worth looking at alternative options now.

I'm sending her to Spain for language course for two weeks next month, so prep for that...don't panic, sounds like you are ahead of the game...

What a great opportunity @Forestfriendlygarden

Hi. I'm in. Ds has his final two exams Monday and Tuesday. He needs high grades for Comp Sci at Birmingham and he really really wants to go there.

Yes, I can't afford it really at all - but am making the effort as they missed out so much on G.C.S.E Spanish during the pandemic.

She has got herself a job to start soon. Just hope employer is understanding...still we live in a seaside place and so there should be other jobs going...

DS has his last exam on Tuesday. Then lots of working until end of next week when it’s prom then DS and his girlfriend are off to Tenerife. Working again when he gets back then we are all going away for 10 days.

DS’s school are literally putting their results on the school app which feels a complete and utter anti climax and it’s really annoyed me.
DS needs ABB (predicted AAA) for Birmingham but still has his heart set on Loughborough who rejected him as they wanted A stars. It’s going to be a tough decision whether to go to Birmingham or take a gap year if he gets higher grades which he is hopeful of so I feel we need some kind of plan!