Year 12-13 AS levels and beyond

[HSMMaCM]

Following on from the preparing for AS levels thread.

Hopefully everyone is finishing off AS exams.

Ah, maybe I'm getting muddled with GCSES, sorry. I know GCSES were early last year as they were the week before Reading - usually/often it clashes, like this year.

A levels are always week before gcses and have been since I did mine in 198.......!!! That's enough information.

I'm still vaguely surprised that anyone old enough to have a late teen did GCSEs.

I did my science GCSE last year Errol. I may possibly be old enough not to have done any others

Hahaha error yeah they started teaching them the year I did my OLevels and 2 years later first exams and I actually did one then!! So very easy to have a late teen and done gcses

Hi all. I was surprised to see courses in clearing already so had to come and check if results were out early. I think the tide may have turned towards such competitive offers as universities can now offer as many places as they want to and there are therefore more places available to students.

Maybe not at the top universities still but plenty of options for the rest. The two courses that ds is considering for next year are both in clearing this year so I do hope that takes the pressure off them somewhat.

Last year, when my dd was applying, Exeter were asking for higher grades than Oxford

Ds is waiting for results before he decides which subject to drop. Also hasn't done any holiday homework yet as he wants to wait until he knows which 3 to do.

He's going to be busy over the last couple of weeks doing last minute homework

Some things never change

Meanwhile he is being kept busy by me doing some redecorating at home and also has managed to pick up a second part time job so he now has two to cover and then there's the live in girlfriend.

I wish I had half his energy

Try a Thomson cruise. Smaller friendly ship, we are hoping to do the Adriatic explorer itinerary again next year.

Sorry wrong thread

Sounds like the right thread to me Dingit .

Has anyone's DC done any college work over the holidays? Mine hasn't.

HSM, DD has read one of her Eng Lit books and some of a Sociology book for her PS No homework tasks have been done, but as we are now away till results day, they will have to wait.

Mine has been doing quite a bit - working on her EPQ which is designing and building a robot. Both the kitchen and dining room tables are covered in electronic components and bits of wood. And the sticky-back velcro I bought about 10 years ago thinking it looked like it would come in useful for some sort of craft project finally has!

She's also been given permission to self-teach the M3 maths module in addition to the modules the school is doing for the further maths, which she's delighted about - think she's done what the teacher wanted her to do over the hols already. AFAIK she wasn't set any other homework.

I think she's got on with it because she knew there was somewhat limited time - she's had one week on her DofE residential surfing and another at Camp Quest, and we've got a fortnights family holiday coming up. The robot had the potential for disaster, components getting burned out etc and needing to order more so really couldn't be left till the last minute. It think she's got it more or less functional now which is a relief!

Mine hasn't done any yet.Simply because the first week was the D of E practice expedition ,the second week doing work experience at a farm vets,third week at a mixed vets,now a weeks family holiday then a week at a stables,a week at another vets and finally a week in Cornwall!
I really hope she doesn't have too much homework as she has to prepare her personal statement.
Errol your dd's robot sounds so cool.

Wow, that's an impressive amount of vet experience to have organised, she'll have loads to put in her personal statement.

I just found this thread.
DS has done a lot of work on summer holiday homework and the EPQ but hasn't done anything on the personal statement - they did something at college before the holiday but that's it.
I think we're going to get an application in after Oxbridge has closed in October - at one of the open days they said to wait until afterwards because otherwise RG/top unis assume that they are second to Oxbridge if you apply before the Oxbridge deadline and have good AS grades.
I've got no idea what AS grades that DS might get, I know the predictions but who knows. I hope he gets a B in his hardest subject, though he is dropping it.

Results on Thursday. Hoping for the best.

dd is very independent and won't let anyone help with her personal statement. She seems to be spending a lot of time producing one line. Thankfully she isn't going to do an EPQ.

DS is like that, very independent and won't let me help or be involved at all.
I keep feeling remiss for not helping but help has been offered and firmly rejected other than going along on open days because he didn't want to go alone. We've only been to one though.

Dd is currently doing my head in. I think we are both starting to feel nervous.

She hasn't touched her homework / Epq/ personal statement. The first week she had off ( fair enough). We have been on holiday for two weeks. I came back and did 6-7 machine loads of washing, ironed it and she thought it acceptable to put her pile on her bedroom floor or several days. When I lost the plot she said she needed to rest as she'd been doing her a levels didn't I know?

This morning I have baked and decorated a cake for ds birthday and lost the 5 to his 15 candle. I tore the kitchen apart and even went down the bin. She strolled into the kitchen laughing, she had hidden it because it was funny, it would make him 1.

And breathe.

Oh and she ate some of the party food from the fridge ( she didn't know!) even though it's food we don't normally have

I think I'd just be glad she was eating, but yes, preferably not party food!
DS is out at work now, then he's out with his girlfriend who he hasn't seen for a while, then he's working the early shift tomorrow and has been asked to work the late shift tonight but he's said no, I can't say I blame him.

I was reading a thing on a student website and it said that you need to look at your AS results and then see if they suit the universities you've applied to - bit daft as the applications don't open yet!

Dingit I share your pain - could so totally be a scenario in our house.

Dingit do you have my DD at your house? She still needs to rest after the stress of exams .

My two did a draft personal statement each at school before end of term which needs to be finalised by first week of September. They are going to make final decisions on which subject to drop once the results are out although I think one has already decided. They will also sit down with me after the results and have a better think about the 5 university choices. The school did get them all registered on the UCAS site before end of term and I got them to send me copies of the passwords (I have a nightmare they will lose the log in details so want them on paper, on my PC and on their own records).

I don't think any work has been done. Some text books were taken abroad on our holiday and brought home unread including those I paid to be bought as electronic versions specifically for the holiday. Apparently they will still be useful for electronic searching once term starts. I tink they have both decided not to do the EPQ as don't need it for what they want to do as think they will get in even though they had to be chosen for it by the school. Not sure if they've notified the school of that yet.

Hi everyone, I haven't caught up yet as I'm just back from holiday and feeling jet lagged. DS was ill again for the first few days which curtailed activity a bit. Not thinking about Thursday.... la la la la la (fingers in ears - new emoji needed I think)

I was conveniently forgetting about Thursday until I saw this thread.Oh well,dd will have to work that day so will get her results later in the day.Only one As level to get anyway,so no need to panic......
Dingit I wouldn't be amused either.
I was most impressed by dd's holiday reading - some weighty academic tome next to her bed.
Asked her about it only to find out she hasn't read a word yet!
Errol she needs about 10 weeks work experience.Not sure she will have that amount before interviews.

I've got fingers in my ears a bit about Thursday as well. What will be will be, nothing is going to change now.

this was interesting reading, all of DS's subjects are the new ones that have split from A levels this year.