pass at A level

Seanymph

But the comments are in response to the OP rather than aimed at any member who has decided to declare their results.

The OP asked if it's a pass. The answer is resoundingly yes, but not one that carries much value to most people.

wendyl1967

heretolearn wrote: »

The 'D and E's are still passes' is the line schools feed to low ability pupils to build their confidence and stop them giving up and feeling like total failures. For some people, that is all they can achieve and that achievement should be recognised. But it very dangerous if more able students start thinking it can apply to them as well and not matter...

I think he heard that in a talk in assembly! He got A's and B's at GCSE so he should be able to get good grades but he needs to push himself. It should help when I show him all this.

thegirlintheattic

WhiteHorse wrote: »

Which says eveything you need to know about John Major's 'instant universities'.


I have a vague feeling that this may not be the sort of job that most working people would consider to be 'real'.

Oh, the snobbery has begun.

I also have one E at A Level (and two As - at a time when As where the highest you could get). I got an E because of a combination of shoddy teaching and a, at the time, undiagnosed learning difficulty. It has never held me back, I got offers at several Top 10 universities, got a 1st at university with an award for academic excellence and went onto a MSc at a top 10 university, in a completely different discipline, which I passed with distinction. I now work as a professional with absolutely no problems, and no one has even questioned the E. Whilst I'm not particularly proud of my E - it was better than some in my class got - many got Us.

So lets not say to a poster that they went to a shoddy university and didn't get a 'real' job just because they got some Es. There are people without A Levels that get fantastic jobs! Whilst I agree that young people should be encouraged to do as well as possible, this 'an E is worthless' is rubbish. For some it will give them just enough UCAS points to get into their university of choice, for others it is all they can do.

As for the applications process - it depends on the university how they handle offers. Some process them as they come in and others wait till they get x number and others still wait till the deadline passes. In my experience the more competitive the university or course the faster they process applications. This means it is worth getting the UCAS form in as early as possible, as if the university processes applications as they go, they will have more places and be less 'fussy' earlier on in the process. Nothing bad is going to happen if you get the form in early, but you may lose out getting it in later in the process.

wendyl1967

thegirlintheattic wrote: »

I suggest you drop the word pass from your vocabulary with your son - you both need to research what the standard offer is for his chosen course/universities and aim for that or above. For some places it could be as low as CCC others as high as A*AA. This might help up your DS aspirations. I would also do research on the application process - most of my students are already researching unis and sorting out open days.

I have started doing some research for him yesterday because he was at work. I have now seen the different entry requirements for the universities on the league tables.

wendyl1967

peachyprice wrote: »

Does he know what sort of degree he wants to do yet?

He wants to be a computer programmer so I assume that is computer science. He is taking physics, maths, ict and computing at A level

SmallL

wendyl1967 wrote: »

He wants to be a computer programmer so I assume that is computer science. He is taking physics, maths, ict and computing at A level

My OH is doing a computing course, he got BCE at a-level in psychology,ICT,chemistry respectively.
He is now in uni and is easily on track for a first.
A-level doesn't cover the range of skills needed for many courses (programming being one of them).
Uni's take that into consideration when looking at applicants, if your son can teach homself very basic programming in the holidays it will shine on his CV and in interviews if he can demonstrate that he is really enthusiastic about programming and has made a *calculator/jukebox/basic game* in his spare time.
Practical applications for courses like computing are just as important as the academic ones.

patchwork_cat

Seanymph wrote: »

Two subjects are my daughters college made it clear to her at the parents evening I attended that if she didn't get a C or above they would not allow her to continue into the second year.

I spoke to another local college who would accept her (the lecturers are friends) but she didn't need to change.


Of her five universtiy applications two responded immediately. Two before the closing date for applications, and one still hasn't. Some universities process applications as they are received. Some wait for all to arrive. Not only does every single university guide I've read state that the earlier you apply the better your chances of an offer so does her experience.

Places aren't unlimited. If they are offering as applications arrive it stands to reason that the books are correct and it is important to apply early in the applications window.

His college will gear up from September to support his application, he will be told to get his application in as early as possible, and to do that he needs to have viewed his universities. So even if that bit IS factually incorrect, and it may be, it will do no harm to start thinking of applying now and viewing universities and encouraging her child to start to narrow down what they want to do. And medicine and veterinary are earlier too.

This is not true from my experience. Yes applications for medicine and dentistry have an earlier end date. However as far as applying earlier will give you a better chance is certainly not correct. My DS is half way through his first year at Uni. I suggest that the OP visit the Student Room for the real low down.

wendyl1967

patchwork_cat wrote: »

My DS is half way through his first year at Uni. I suggest that the OP visit the Student Room for the real low down.

ok. I assume you mean this website? http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/ Thanks for this.

juno

Seanymph wrote: »

Two subjects are my daughters college made it clear to her at the parents evening I attended that if she didn't get a C or above they would not allow her to continue into the second year.

I spoke to another local college who would accept her (the lecturers are friends) but she didn't need to change.


Of her five universtiy applications two responded immediately. Two before the closing date for applications, and one still hasn't. Some universities process applications as they are received. Some wait for all to arrive. Not only does every single university guide I've read state that the earlier you apply the better your chances of an offer so does her experience.

Places aren't unlimited. If they are offering as applications arrive it stands to reason that the books are correct and it is important to apply early in the applications window.

His college will gear up from September to support his application, he will be told to get his application in as early as possible, and to do that he needs to have viewed his universities. So even if that bit IS factually incorrect, and it may be, it will do no harm to start thinking of applying now and viewing universities and encouraging her child to start to narrow down what they want to do. And medicine and veterinary are earlier too.

The January deadline is for equal consideration. Which means all applications received before then are considered equally (except Oxbridge and medicine, as they have earlier deadline).

No unis state that applying earlier is better.

Applying earlier can be bad as it means some people rush their application - or change their mind later, when UCAS restricts their options. I have seen so many people affected by this even in January when they could still have made an application, but because they rushed it due to bad advice they're stuck with Extra or Clearing.

Yes, some unis do give out offers before the deadline, but not to everyone - they only give out offers to people who are good enough. They know what they are looking for as they've had many years of statistics to go on. If they like an application enough it can get an offer (or a rejection).

There is a reason that it seems like applying earlier is better. This is because it tends to be the better applicants who are more organised or work on their application over the summer holidays. So better applicants applying may get earlier offers.

I've been advising people on UCAS for about 8 years. I've been quoted in the Independent Clearing guide. I have much more experience than people who have just sent one child to university.

thatlemming

juno wrote: »

The January deadline is for equal consideration. Which means all applications received before then are considered equally (except Oxbridge and medicine, as they have earlier deadline).

No unis state that applying earlier is better.

Applying earlier can be bad as it means some people rush their application - or change their mind later, when UCAS restricts their options. I have seen so many people affected by this even in January when they could still have made an application, but because they rushed it due to bad advice they're stuck with Extra or Clearing.

Yes, some unis do give out offers before the deadline, but not to everyone - they only give out offers to people who are good enough. They know what they are looking for as they've had many years of statistics to go on. If they like an application enough it can get an offer (or a rejection).

There is a reason that it seems like applying earlier is better. This is because it tends to be the better applicants who are more organised or work on their application over the summer holidays. So better applicants applying may get earlier offers.

I've been advising people on UCAS for about 8 years. I've been quoted in the Independent Clearing guide. I have much more experience than people who have just sent one child to university.

If this is the same Juno that is on TSR then I'd very much listen to them, some of their advice helped me get my (very good) uni place.