Finishing Year 13 / Exam Results support thread (number 6!)

[Littleham]

Thread continued for results day! Fingers crossed everyone.

Hi all, I've been away for a bit so just trying to catch up with the thread. Lots of helpful links, thank you everyone who posted them

Nerves are setting in here too. This time next week we will at least know one way or the other. Dd desperately does not want to have to go through clearing as it sounds very stressful but she will do it if it comes to it.

The plan is to go online as early as possible for track update then, if rejected or no update, into school at 9.00am to collect results and start looking for a course that will accept her. Unless results are absolutely dire.

Not much of a plan but it will have to do. This whole fiasco is ridiculous, I really can't understand why they make it such hard work for everyone involved. System needs an overhaul if you ask me.

Gypsy I'd almost forgotton about the gcse results the week after. Ds only needs 5 c's get to on his A level course and he will easily get them so it's not so much of a strain there, but still looking forward to making a fuss of him

It's been helpful for him seeing how important those A levels results are as his sister is finishing hers just as he starts his. He can see that this will be him in two years time so the more work he puts in now, the less stressful it will be waiting for results when it's his turn to apply to uni. In theory

Also I think another thing we've learned through this whole process is to pick a good insurance with lower entry requirement and big it up, be happy about it so that it's not so much of a let down if you have to have second choice. Second choice is better than no choice after all.

DS's insurance is the same as his firm! He got 4 offers and his firm and insurance were the lowest of those.

One week today it'll be all happening... !!

Thought DD had it covered by having a decent insurance as well as a music college place that's virtually unconditional. Just never expected her to decide against everything but her firm.

We are back from holiday and DD1 has been an absolute pain whilst we have been away. It has been like having a moody 13 year old again. I assume it's a combination of results anxiety, missing 2 very good friends' 18th birthday parties and missing her boyfriend. I am dreading the next 7 days!
DD1 can collect her results at 7am and (unless she has heard via track or email that she has a place) will collect them as soon as possible as she may need to go through clearing. I don't know whether she wants me to take her or not as she is not discussing it! I have booked the day off work. I then need to pick DD2 up from her work experience (starts at 8am) and take her to collect AS results at 10am.

By chance of success' do you mean of acceptance, or actually surviving the course?

I meant both really, but the former is the most pressing reality. If they miss a grade then possibly an academic hothouse might be the worst place to end up (so getting into the insurance place would turn out to be a blessing in disguise). I firmly believe that to be true about my dd and her Oxford misadventure and she does too.

Your dd sounds as though she has lots of back up options circular and she might see them more positively on results day.

There is a third factor which is worth thinking about too. Are they mature enough to go? How organised is your dc? Can they look after themselves, meet deadlines and cook?

Littleham The maturity question made me smile. Guessing lots of them not mature enough - but unconvinced that a further year at home will help.

At least DD can cook, but little else on the looking after herself score.

Littleham
DS can cook (although if, fingers crossed, all goes well he will have catered accommodation). He is pretty mature and organised. What he will need is a thorough washing machine tutorial. And also training in what can go in the dryer or not. He just about manages here but I usually get a "can this go in with that" or "can this go in the dryer" during the process . A whole term of flying laundry solo might yield interesting results. .

Very expensive to mess up at university now. You used to be able to re-sit a fudged year without too much financial penalty, but now..... Not sure what the answer is to maturity.

One of mine was mature from as early as I can remember & is scarily organised / colour coded / everything filed, two are absolutely fine / reasonably well organised and one has all the organisational ability of Basil Fawlty. I think it is genetic, not parenting.

We have just been through a washing label tutorial session Hocus. Only one disaster - whole wash turned bright purple. Introduced them to the magic of colour run.

What a lovely thing to say Happy36

DD has made the decision to try to check Track before going to school. She is now sure that she wants the moment to be private if she doesn't get into her firm, it also gives us a little head start if she has to go the clearing route.

We spent an evening going through all the potential positive aspects of her insurance and there where more than she realised. She could have time to perhaps learn Russian which she has wanted to do for ages. If she wanted she could come home occasionally at the weekend to see me her friends or even get a part time job. DD had not even considered these things as she is so in love with her firm.

All in all DD is getting calmer the more plans we make while I am in full mum mode and desperately praying for her to get what she wants while smiling and making encouraging sounds.

We're just back from holiday too, and starting to feel anxious about results day. DD has the same offer from both her firm and insurance, so if she misses her grades will be hoping that one of them will take her, or Clearing it is..

One thing she's not clear on, is whether the A level she took 2 years ago (alongside GCSEs), and for which she gained an A - is counted? Her offer just states the grades/subjects needed..

Does anyone know if all A levels have to have been taken in the same sitting please?

Depends on the Uni I think. Some specify what grades and in which subjects, others don't.

I think the A Levels have to be taken together BlueString. It would be worth starting a thread to ask that question as there are academics who would be able to help confirm it.

Thanks Littleham I have always assumed that is the case, but as results day gets closer have started to wonder whether it would count, as the offer doesn't specify anything about it being taken together, and I also can't find anything on the Universities' websites. I will ask the question on a new thread..

Emmail the Uni admissions and ask them.

The universities will be receiving our DCs' results later today

Eeeek! I thought it was Sunday they received them?

Many years ago, when my SIL was waiting for her results, FIL was working in university administration, and knew people in similar posts around the country. On the Tuesday he asked someone at her firm (did we have firm and insurance back then? I don't remember) whether she'd got in or not - and they told him!

Near miss question ... Littleham did you go through this with your Dd and Durham last year?

If DD ends up being considered by her firm as a near miss does she have to notify her insurance that she may not being taking their place if she gets in to her firm? Does that make sense?

DD1 had a near miss at Bristol last year. When she went onto Track she was showing as On Hold or similar, so she rang them up (took several hours to get through), and was told that they had confirmed her place straight away, and they didn't know why it wasn't showing on Track. I think her Insurance offer showed as Unconditional or similar, but then when Bristol went to Unconditional it updated her Insurance place as being rejected. I can't remember exactly, but we didn't talk to the Insurance at all, as there was no need as they would have had to take her if Bristol had rejected her.

It is really difficult to get through to universities on results day - we had 2 of us on different lines on constant redial for 4 hours to get through to Bristol - so I really wouldn't waste your or their time if you don't need to.

DD1 had a remark and ended up with equivalent grades to her offer in the end, but it was still technically a miss.

It's all becoming very real now! We are off for a few days but returning on Wed, just in time for the nerves to kick in big time.

Thanks Bluestringpudding that's helpful. I wondered whether the insurance would be expecting her to accept their offer but I hadn't thought that an on hold type message would also put the insurance on hold.

Hi GypsyFloss. When dd1 logged onto track last year her Firm (Durham) showed as a Rejection and her Insurance (Bristol) had not updated. She already knew that she had missed her grade in one A Level as she had one terrible exam so she wasn't surprised.

We had six people on different lines ringing Bristol and my youngest was victorious when his line got through. It was really lovely to see dd1's siblings spring into support action. When she spoke to Bristol they were able to confirm that she had been accepted.

One word of caution GypsyFloss. Durham has a bit of a reputation (see student room threads from last year) of keeping near misses hanging around and then rejecting them two weeks later once all the clearing places have been snapped up. This wouldn't be a worry if your dd's insurance shows as unconditional but might still mess you up on the accommodation front.

GypsyFloss - Your dd probably wouldn't have to notify her insurance if Durham eventually accepted her as it would all go via Ucas.