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Exam results- 5 weeks to go

arghhh, i just realised it's 5 weeks today until A level and AS level results...and i'm already having nightmares.

I know it's stupid + there's ages to go, but i really am already starting to worry about my AS results (+ we've not even broken up from college yet). I know i did the most work i could possibly do and that i can resit any modules and that it's far too late to worry now...but i'm still stressing out even though i know it's completely illogical.

Is anyone else the same?

lou xxx

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Reply 1

mr.black

yup same here, just wanna get it over with so i can get nicely depressed, about my no doubt well crappy grades.

Reply 2

PHIL

I know what you mean, it takes absolutely ages to get our results back, a lot longer than most other countries, and though I'm on holiday, I can't actually relax until I've got them, cause I really want to go to Oxford, but until I get back my AS's, I won't know if I even have a shot in hell! The worst thing is going to be next year though, when you have to wait and find out if you actually got into the Uni you want!!!
The Worst thing is that not only do you have to wait ages, but you also have to worry about whether or not they screwed you when they were marking your paper complements of our good friend President Blair.

Good luck to every1 for their results, and try to just chill during the hols if possible,

Phil

Reply 3

Unregistered

Originally posted by PHIL
....of our good friend President Blair.

you mean PRIME MINISTER?!

Reply 4

Unregistered

results out on the 14th of august right? (in England) so dus that meen that it 9s so for evry country?

Reply 5

PHIL

I mean president, due to the way in which he acts like a president, and his wife acts like fist lady, whereas the US president acted more like a prime minister, in that he actually consulted the country, congress, etc, before going into the war with Iraq.

Phil

Reply 6

cayley-hamilton

Originally posted by PHIL
I know what you mean, it takes absolutely ages to get our results back, a lot longer than most other countries, and though I'm on holiday, I can't actually relax until I've got them, cause I really want to go to Oxford, but until I get back my AS's, I won't know if I even have a shot in hell!

Don't worry about having to get all As. I got 1A (phys) and a B (chem) at AS and an A in A2 maths in my first year (and was predicted AAAC at A level) and got in to do physics at oxford. By the time they are done with you in the interviews they certainly know who the best people are (5 interviews and and a test certainly disgtinguishes you from the reest!) I didn't tell them but after getting my Jan mod results I decided to go for another a level in maths so maybe I'll get AAAAC.

What I'd say Phil, don't put too much emphasis on AS/A2 work and do plenty of oxbrigde prep work.

Lastly, AS/A2 are EASY in the sense that you don't need to be good at the subject... you've got to be good at answering questions (not true in maths)... fr instance our physics course required very little maths knowledge more essay/comprehension skills. And the admin tutors know this. That is why interviews/tests for oxford exist in the first place.

Reply 7

cayley-hamilton

PS: what do you want to do at oxford phil??

Reply 8

PHIL

can i ask what your offer was, and at what college.

Reply 9

PHIL

sorry, realised I didn't answer your question. I want to do economics and management, possibly at Pembroke, cause I went there on an openday, and it seemed kind of relaxed. see thread 'oxford uni open day'

Cheers,
Phil

Reply 10

cayley-hamilton

Originally posted by PHIL
sorry, realised I didn't answer your question. I want to do economics and management, possibly at Pembroke, cause I went there on an openday, and it seemed kind of relaxed. see thread 'oxford uni open day'

Cheers,
Phil

St Edmund Hall. AAA (AA in maths and physics)

Reply 11

PHIL

what oxbridge preparations would you reconnend, and how did you find the interviews?

When did you start at Oxford?

Cheers
Phil

Reply 12

cayley-hamilton

Originally posted by PHIL
what oxbridge preparations would you reconnend, and how did you find the interviews?

When did you start at Oxford?

Cheers
Phil

for some weird reason i had an impression that you were doing maths. Economics... I don't have a clue. All I know is that Economics is VERY competitive and acutally A Levels grades (and GCSEs) DO matter because i think they look for a well balanced person (I know someone who got into cambridge and he needs AAAA or AAAB and 1 is step 2).

Go to oxford website and there might be a specimen paper and interview tips for your course (My school offered after school oxbrdge lessons 1 hour for physics and 2 hours for maths which really helped).

Interviews. Again, I don't know how it works for econ, but for physics the interview process is quite chaotic coz you've got to go to many other colleges for interviews! In the interviews there are going to be many instances where you don't know how to answer a question resuklting in very awkward silences. For me, one tutor tended to be absoluty silent and and the other ones spotted that i was struggling and gave me clues. So decide how best to handle this situation! For me, one interview was dreadful (with the silent tutor) and in retrospect I wish I asked him "I really don't know the answer... could you help me out". The others went very well.

I will start from October 2003 (if I get my grades!)

Reply 13

PHIL

what type of questions did they ask you though, and what importance, did they seem to assosciate with cultural and other knowledge, which wasn't relevant to your subject?
Also, did you declare your AS results?
Thanks for your help by the way, and good luck with your grades!!
Phil

Reply 14

cayley-hamilton

Originally posted by PHIL
what type of questions did they ask you though, and what importance, did they seem to assosciate with cultural and other knowledge, which wasn't relevant to your subject?
Also, did you declare your AS results?
Thanks for your help by the way, and good luck with your grades!!
Phil

They were purely academic interviews. The only off-track questions were "Why did you decide to do physics"; "what sort of career do you have in mind". There was a really nice Czech tutor who just picked out parts of my personal statement and asked me to elaborate. For example, I wrote that I went down to an observatry and she asked me to talk about why that experience was positive. Also, she asked me whether I'm "the gambling type" coz I put down that I like playing bridge. I didn't think it had any bearing on whether I'd get a place or not, but it was simply to calm me down.

The academic questions tested the way you think about a problem: it didn't help if you had a lot of knowledge without the ability to apply it.

I had to certificate because the school strongly advised that we do so (this way you've got nothing to hide, and when universities see that you've activly decided to hide your results they get a little suspicious). I regret declaring it that coz I couldn't retake one of my chem modules (which would have really eased my A2 burden)

Reply 15

Unregistered

Im dreading results day. Especially when you get students opening their results live on tv and they all do so well. There is no way I would do that.
Would any of you consider doing so, or have you been asked to open them on tv?

Reply 16

PHIL

I did AS general studies in June, but I don't think I did that well in it, as I did no revision whatsoever, so do you think it would be a good idea to not declare this result if I got below a certain grade, say a C???

Thanks again,
PHIL

Reply 17

PHIL

I just looked at my last reply, and realised that I had submitted it as an answer to cayley-hamilton, but that since I started to type someone else had posted a message, so it looks completely random. I just wanted to clarify that I wasn't just saying random stuff.

CHeers

Phil

Reply 18

cayley-hamilton

Originally posted by PHIL
I did AS general studies in June, but I don't think I did that well in it, as I did no revision whatsoever, so do you think it would be a good idea to not declare this result if I got below a certain grade, say a C???

Thanks again,
PHIL

Personally I think GS is totally useless! People should only take it to redeem themselves from a horrible set of GSCEs. Having said that, it is a qualification, not a respected one, but a qualifcation none the less.

Oxford don't really consider general studies when making an offer, but getting a C in GS of all subjects (at AS if that), doesn't look too good. I would say its very important to certificate in your other subjects but it would look inconsistent if you didn't certificate one of them.

I think if you do get a C or below then don't declare GS, but write down (in your personal statement) words to this extent: "I took some GS modules last summer and am working towards an A2 in it"... sort of subtly suggest that you didn't take enough modules to get an AS, so you couldn't certificate.

Reply 19

lou p lou

isn't it amazing how you can start a thread on 1 topic (eg. results day) + it drifts in to a totally unrealted topic that is actually useful to you (eg. Oxford applications).

I got my forms today for oxford- i want to do Experimental Pychology, but i'm not sure what college. What have people written in the box on the application form where you write why you chose the course- how does this differ from your personal statement?

i don't reckon i'll get in, but i'll give it a go (i haven't got my heart set on it anyway- i reckon i'd like it pretty much anywhere- i really like newcastle)

only 34 days to go...