Any Ideas - daughter had 4 rejections

Janeyjaz

Great Advice - thank you very much

auburnette

Janeyjaz wrote: »

after a couple of really bad days, we checked UCAS for extras and they were still showing places at Newcastle UNi for English Lit - she has decided to apply through extra, anyway I rang them this afternoon and they don't have any spaces at all, so it looks like a gap year to me.
Thank you for everybodies advice, sorry to have stirred up the debate about what is a good university.

oh gosh, don't give up yet! assuming she gets her grades she stands an excellent chance at clearing. She should be there as early as possible on results day so she can start calling up unis - the careers advisors should help, but given their dubious track record thus far it's probably best to read up on clearing procedure in advance. There are lots of places out there from people who had offers but didn't get the grades. Nil desperandum!

In the event she does take a gap year I'm sure it can prove worthwhile (and indeed advantageous) - I deferred my place at uni to go and do a gap year and that year certainly makes my CV different now I'm at the applying for jobs stage - which is what it's all about, given that employers don't care about GCSE/A level results and there's a substantial number of applicants with comparable degrees and degree classifications. Encourage her to add as much value as she can in that year if she does take a gap year. But to have fun too...and this isn't the end of the world, though I can appreciate she must be feeling low about it. Results will be key though, so I hope she can cast off any despondency and knuckle down for exams. Hope you all have a good Easter.

Janeyjaz

I am concentrating on getting her motivated for her exams, she says she doesn't want to do clearing, but we will see. I don't think she has had any good advice from school and I am very disappointed about that, I know I didn't when I was in sixth form but thought it might have changed now. My daughter is even too frightened to tell school that her personal statement had a mistake in it, so I think I will visit them after her exams, but at the moment I am just trying to keep her focused and maybe after her exams I will try and persuade her that she should at least give clearing a go.

Karnam

my friend got into Royal Holloway during clearing. a trad red brick linked to university of london.

try clearing but be extremely picky, theres no point going somewhere she doesnt want to go to just to save a year.

please dont lower expectations just because of bad advice and financial pressure. a year out is significantly better than an english degree from a bad university. esp. if she can do better.

findingmyownway

digsby202 wrote: »

Littlemissmoney

A 'double' first (I think it may only apply to Oxbridge- but correct me if I'm wrong ) is a first awarded after your second year exams, followed by a first at the end of the third year. If you are on a four year course, then it will be third and fourth year. Not only exams are considered, as my daughter has to produce a dissertation at the end of her second year, plus one at the end of her third ( for English).

Love D

This isn't a recognised qualification though is it? Is it just something Oxford use to name the students who have excelled over the whole course (rather than slacking off and then pulling grades up for the final year).

HC_2

freebie_junkie wrote: »

I'm not sure if you are aware of it, but we all read your posts out loud in a very sarcastic tone, you do come across as taking the mickey, you really do.

My twins will be applying to universities later this year, so I've read this thread with interest.

I'm surprised you found Oldernotwiser's posts patronising. I think he/she has been making reasoned and useful comments. I didn't detect any mickey-taking in her attitude towards you.

Also some very useful posts from others, regarding the university-application process.

digsby202

Re - 'Double first'

As far as I am aware it is a recognised qualification ( its Cambridge by the way, not sure about Oxford ) otherwise what's the point.

Also , after 4 years, you can convert your BA into an MA.

Love D

melancholly

i know at cambridge you can also get a 'starred first' - which is for people who get stupidly good grades. kind of like an A* at GCSE, only that they don't give them out that often (i.e. the top mark in my subject didn't even get one - they don't even hand them out every year!).

i'm honestly not sure that a double first or starred first makes you much more employable than a 'standard first', but it does often give you money from your college. i guess it's something that some people will just get - there are some people who really are that much brighter than everyone else there and they deserve recognition for that! in some subjects, it can get you headhunted, but it's not common or necessarily worth aiming for - those who are going to get it are just brilliant, and all the work in the world wouldn't have put me in their league (and i got a 'normal' first there!).

digsby202

Melancholly

You got a first! I know how hard my daughter has to work at Cambridge to get a decent 2.1 -well done you ! You should feel very proud of yourself!

I have noticed though, she has been headhunted, and not one of them have asked what she expects to get.


Love D

findingmyownway

melancholly wrote: »

i know at cambridge you can also get a 'starred first' - which is for people who get stupidly good grades. kind of like an A* at GCSE, only that they don't give them out that often (i.e. the top mark in my subject didn't even get one - they don't even hand them out every year!).

i'm honestly not sure that a double first or starred first makes you much more employable than a 'standard first', but it does often give you money from your college. i guess it's something that some people will just get - there are some people who really are that much brighter than everyone else there and they deserve recognition for that! in some subjects, it can get you headhunted, but it's not common or necessarily worth aiming for - those who are going to get it are just brilliant, and all the work in the world wouldn't have put me in their league (and i got a 'normal' first there!).

i got a standard 1st from a very standard uni, a PhD from a good uni and was headhunted into my current job.

i'd never heard of this super-dooper-first before