Ucas is down

.snowflake.

Original post by carnationlilyrose

I don't actually think it could be done without them now. In the age of steam radio only 3% (give or take, but roughly that) of the school leaving population went to university, so tiny numbers compared with now. Grades were all that mattered and very few people, comparatively, did A levels, so the selection procedure was simple. Now, with SO many applications, there has to be an additional layer of discrimination brought in just to deal with the numbers, because if you consider how many people actually have identical qualifications, what else can you do? Other than what my old landlord, who was an admissions tutor, used to claim he did - stand at the top of the stairs, throw all the forms down them and admit those which reached the bottom.

Well, that's one way of deciding!

Reply 41

Carnationlilyrose

18

Original post by .snowflake.

Well, that's one way of deciding!

He also said he was going to give a place to a boy who claimed to be on the UK Tiddlywinks team, just because. (There did use to be two lines for you to list your hobbies.)

Reply 42

MLogan

Please don't don't do this tomorrow !!

Reply 43

PQ

Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

Do students still use Tippex?

We were banned from using more than a 5mm blob on our UCAS forms...I think that might have just been a school rule though.

I...errr....might have got away with tippexing out 3 lines :ninjagirl:

Reply 44

Carnationlilyrose

18

Original post by MLogan

Please don't don't do this tomorrow !!

I sincerely hope it doesn't but the track record (pun intended) hasn't been great lately. However, it's always righted itself in the end, and there's no one still hanging around from 2012 waiting for a decision.

Reply 45

Bunnyjo

5

Original post by carnationlilyrose

He also said he was going to give a place to a boy who claimed to be on the UK Tiddlywinks team, just because. (There did use to be two lines for you to list your hobbies.)

My tutor this year (from Sheffield, I'm sure I read that you are also from there?) used to be an admissions tutor. He also said the same about throwing the applications down the stairs!

He has a PhD in Biochemistry and has worked at Sheffield, UCL, KCL and in research for many years - he was the one who convinced me to go for Biomed and, ultimately, medicine!

Now that would be less than seven degrees of separation if we were talking about one and the same person!

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 46

Carnationlilyrose

18

Original post by Bunnyjo

My tutor this year (from Sheffield, I'm sure I read that you also from there?) used to be an admissions tutor. He also said the same about throwing the applications down the stairs!

He has a PhD in Biochemistry and has worked at Sheffield, UCL, KCL and in research for many years - he was the one who convinced me to go for Biomed and, ultimately, medicine!

Now that would be less than seven degree of separation if we were talking about one and the same person!

It certainly would be, but no. Sheffield is my home town, but not where I went to university, and the subject was philosophy. It must just be something they teach them on the training course! (He is also quite likely to be dead by now, but let's not go there. It makes me feel old...)

Reply 47

indyb16

5

this is embarrassing but I've forgotten my track password, WHAT DO I DO

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 48

.snowflake.

14

Original post by PQ

Do students still use Tippex?

We were banned from using more than a 5mm blob on our UCAS forms...I think that might have just been a school rule though.

I...errr....might have got away with tippexing out 3 lines :ninjagirl:

We were never allowed to use it in exams. I never used it myself, I'm left handed and too clumsy for that stuff!

Edit: Sheffield. Woo.

Reply 49

PQ

Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

Original post by indyb16

this is embarrassing but I've forgotten my track password, WHAT DO I DO

Posted from TSR Mobile

Collect your results, check your email in the morning. Phone UCAS when their phone lines open and sort out your password.

Reply 50

Silvermead

4

Original post by indyb16

this is embarrassing but I've forgotten my track password, WHAT DO I DO

Posted from TSR Mobile

You could ring up and request a new one tomorrow morning or reset it by email now! Don't panic!

UCAS going down from a DDOS is severely embarrassing considering it's going to suffer what is tantamount to a DDOS tomorrow morning anyway thanks to massive traffic, so much for the cloud or whatever other meteorological phenomenon they are at this point claiming will shepherd us all into the universities of our dreams

Reply 51

F1 fanatic

16

Original post by Ferrari Lexus

I'm a bit thick. What does this mean?

In simple terms, its basically when someone tries to take down a website by hitting the server hosting it with millions of page requests. Every time you request a webpage in your browser you make a request to the server hosting it. If you do it enough times by means of a lot of computing power you can overload the server so it can't deal with all of the requests. In this way you prevent legitimate users from being able to access the website.

Reply 52

Solemn Rain

18

UCAS, like any other online sites, is not immune to attacks. But they can fight it.

Reply 53

Carnationlilyrose

18

Original post by Silvermead

You could ring up and request a new one tomorrow morning or reset it by email now! Don't panic!

UCAS going down from a DDOS is severely embarrassing considering it's going to suffer what is tantamount to a DDOS tomorrow morning anyway thanks to massive traffic, so much for the cloud or whatever other meteorological phenomenon they are at this point claiming will shepherd us all into the universities of our dreams

Hoping for rainbows for everybody.

Reply 54

.snowflake.

14

Original post by carnationlilyrose

Hoping for rainbows for everybody.

Me too. I'm stressing on behalf of a few friends. WHY do you all have to have offers for Cambridge???

Reply 55

indyb16

5

Original post by Silvermead

You could ring up and request a new one tomorrow morning or reset it by email now! Don't panic!

UCAS going down from a DDOS is severely embarrassing considering it's going to suffer what is tantamount to a DDOS tomorrow morning anyway thanks to massive traffic, so much for the cloud or whatever other meteorological phenomenon they are at this point claiming will shepherd us all into the universities of our dreams

can I actually reset it by email, it's down :frown:

like I can't log in
I know right, need to sort out their **** really.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 56

Solemn Rain

18

Original post by Silvermead

You could ring up and request a new one tomorrow morning or reset it by email now! Don't panic!

UCAS going down from a DDOS is severely embarrassing considering it's going to suffer what is tantamount to a DDOS tomorrow morning anyway thanks to massive traffic, so much for the cloud or whatever other meteorological phenomenon they are at this point claiming will shepherd us all into the universities of our dreams

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you're hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! "

- ROCKY

Reply 57

Carnationlilyrose

18

Original post by .snowflake.

Me too. I'm stressing on behalf of a few friends. WHY do you all have to have offers for Cambridge???

You move in exalted circles.

Reply 58

F1 fanatic

16

Original post by .snowflake.

Me too. I'm stressing on behalf of a few friends. WHY do you all have to have offers for Cambridge???

My somewhat anecdotal experience of this site in previous years actually suggests that as a rule, the Oxbridge offer holders tend to have a quieter day of it than many others and don't generally miss offers as often. There's always a few of course, but it's not as big an issue as you might think.