The Student Room Group
Reply 1
lol chances are most people will have a retake or two especially the people with really high marks, for instance the cleverest boy i know(in the year above me) retook all his january exams last year in june even tho he got As in all of them the first time round, he did this simply to increase his marks to even more outrageously high levels.so i wouldn't worry about it too much, most of smartest people i know have retaken exams at some point
i dont think cambridge likes retakes. they prioritise people who havnt taken then - cos it shows your more clever if you can do it in one go i spose. Retakes can be seen by the universities now, but i dont know if they others mind it or not.
just try and do well the first time round :biggrin:
Reply 3
Thats the thign if I have lets say BBB but LOADS of retakes is the chances of getting into manchester uni etc good? are you 100% top 10-20 universities look at retakes?
Hey!

Right here is my life story so far... in 2005 my predicted grades were AAA and I had a conditional offer from Oxford for AAA to study History (St Catz - a pretty crap looking college, v 1960s but hey I was happy just to get in after being pooled) and my insurance of AAB at Manchester.

My actual grades were ABB ( got A in History, B's in gov&pol and biology) I cried for a week, but decided from the very first moment not to do clearing (fewer spaces than normal because of tuition fees coming and I did not want to do Theology at London Met!) SOOO.... I got on with my life...I went to a crammer called MPW in London. Far better teaching than in my old school, better exam board availability, made some fab friends, got to live in London (family home actually in Brussels).

I reapplied to universities, making sure I went for a couple who's requirements were ABB so I was sure I was going to univerisity next year, rejuggled my personal statement saying how retaking showed how determined I was to achieve my best and rang up about a million unis asking what their policy was on retakers and what effect would it have on the grade requirements (they may want to you to achieve higher grades, another AS, an AEA) .

These are my uni offers for History

OXFORD - AAA at Lincoln (no mention of it in interview, no pooling, much older and prettier and lovelier)
LEEDS - AAB
SHEFFIELD -AAB
UEA - UNCONDITIONAL
SOUTHAMPTON - UNCONDITIONAL
NEWCASTLE - AAB

so it just goes to show that what seemed like the end of the world was in fact a huge opportunity for me...if you know you are good enough and the grades do not represent your capabilities then prove it to universities - they are much more impressed by your love for a subject and utter desire to study it than exams which they know can and do go wrong for a number of reasons.

NB If you do not intend to right your wrongs when retaking - ie don't stay out late every night, do revision etc then do not bother.
Many of my friends wanted to medicine and had got Bs instead of As in either Biology/Chemistry - it is much harder for them and other retakers on completely overapplied subjects to even get an interview nevermind an offer so for all you vets/medics/dentists YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! However, Idon't think the same principle applies for those who are just retaking a couple of AS units during your overall course...so its not all bad!

Any queries just PM me!

My that was a long message ... oh well ...I'm done now!
Reply 5
It tends to say in prospectuses about retakes, I noticed ediburgh said or higher if retaken, I will probs be ratking a few modules for a 3rd time lol! But umm the top ones might but I cant see them stopping you if youve already received an offer and then meet the offers grades! They cant go back on what theyve offered!
sophisti_kate


I reapplied to universities, making sure I went for a couple who's requirements were ABB so I was sure I was going to univerisity next year, rejuggled my personal statement saying how retaking showed how determined I was to achieve my best and rang up about a million unis asking what their policy was on retakers and what effect would it have on the grade requirements (they may want to you to achieve higher grades, another AS, an AEA) .

These are my uni offers for History

OXFORD - AAA at Lincoln (no mention of it in interview, no pooling, much older and prettier and lovelier)


So you've got ABB already, and you're re-doing your A-levels as we speak?
SORRY for the delay - completely forgot I posted in here so yes I was redoing ALevels
Reply 8
Urm in not 100% sure but apparently UCAS will provide universities with all the modules and resits you've done when you apply for university. Competitive fields such as medicine will look at this to differentiate students. So i think retakes will be taken into account.
Hach
Urm in not 100% sure but apparently UCAS will provide universities with all the modules and resits you've done when you apply for university. Competitive fields such as medicine will look at this to differentiate students. So i think retakes will be taken into account.


Yeh I heard that too.
Hach
Urm in not 100% sure but apparently UCAS will provide universities with all the modules and resits you've done when you apply for university. Competitive fields such as medicine will look at this to differentiate students. So i think retakes will be taken into account.


Well apparently they're trying it out on this year's applicants
I think from 2007 entry (ie those applying from this September onwards) universities will be able to see module grades and resits. For the most competitive courses at the most competitive universities, retakes might be taken into account to decide who to give offers to, ie a student who got 4 As at AS the first time around over a student who got them after 4 resits.
bassamband
Hi,
I was just curious whether Universities check if you have retakes and if you do, will they give priority to people without retakes. I know that Cambridge does it but what about Universities like LSE, UCL, Imperial, Warwick?
Thanks.

I conducted some research into this issue (am doing retakes) and UCL, King's Warwick say that they don't disadvantage you. Equal consideration etc.
Reply 13
woahh im scared now, i mean i just read above that from 2007 unis will know how many times uv resat a module??? is this correct? coz im in my resit year right now, so overall i may have resat afew moduls quite a few times!! after i get my results in summer, ill be applying in autumn for 2007 entry! would ny1 b able 2 confirm if that information is correct and unis will know how mny times a modules been retaken!??? coz im reallllyy worried now as ive never heard such a thing b4!!!! please help!!!
OppressedMass
I conducted some research into this issue (am doing retakes) and UCL, King's Warwick say that they don't disadvantage you. Equal consideration etc.


that's what they say.....
Anisha11
woahh im scared now, i mean i just read above that from 2007 unis will know how many times uv resat a module??? is this correct? coz im in my resit year right now, so overall i may have resat afew moduls quite a few times!! after i get my results in summer, ill be applying in autumn for 2007 entry! would ny1 b able 2 confirm if that information is correct and unis will know how mny times a modules been retaken!??? coz im reallllyy worried now as ive never heard such a thing b4!!!! please help!!!


bit dramatic....

I think they are only 'testing' it out for applicants this year, i.e. only a sample of schools/universities.... I don't really know the exact details, in fact they may not be doing it, it's not official yet. There's a detailed thread about this.
Reply 16
hehe sorry i know i was being a bit dramatic but i got really scared when i read this thread!! there is a detailed thread? would u please be able 2 point it out 2 me ? thanks a million!
Anisha11
hehe sorry i know i was being a bit dramatic but i got really scared when i read this thread!! there is a detailed thread? would u please be able 2 point it out 2 me ? thanks a million!


it's somewhere in the UCAS section - sorry I'm too lazy
Reply 18
thanks no problem ill find it. but would some1 have any links to any website which would provide this info? or does anyone have any info about this? sorry for the trouble its just i read this thread a few minutes ago and since then ive been panicking!! i really hope theres no such rule for 2007 entry...otherwise i would not have spent all this yr resitting if that was going 2 disadvantage me....any info ny1? thanks a tonne!
Mustard-man
that's what they say.....

yeah, I didnt even get an interview at UCL