BF2S Forums Official GCSE Results Thread

Uzique wrote:

Before I came to University I had no interest at all in rowing, I thought it was the most boring 'sport' in the world... and I still do.

You wouldn't believe how many people there get up at silly hours in the morning to go rowing though! I guess it's so ingrained in the history of the place because of the popular rivalry and the fact that the University and the colleges are literally surrounded by tons of places to row and get on the water. As I said though I have absolutely no interest whatsoever . I chose it because it was academically ranked higher than Cambridge for English. Durham at the time was actually ranked above both but I didn't want to move so far oop Norf!

But yeah as I was saying, don't do it Kyle! Unless you want to work in Maths or some related-area in which you need a specific maths skill... £22.50 just for a matter of pride is insanely expensive. A-Level resits were about a tenner when I did them! Not that I had to resit any exams of course :> Haha!

You went Oxford. My hero.

Also Rowing is a good workout. I wish my gym had a Rowing machine. Plus up North is where all the good shit happens. Real men live up North.

Zimmer wrote:

Yes, Oxbridge make it the soul purpose to find out every result you ever had and nail it to your forehead. I know a guy who got straight A1s in Higher and Ad. Higher but he got a 2/B in his Standard Grade/GCSE History. They denied him for that.

The courses are highly-competitive and highly-selective; they want fewer students with quality rather than many students in quantity. Also because of the 'unique' way in which courses are taught in small tutorial/seminar sessions... can't really afford to have 150+ undergraduates all studying the same degree program. There are fewer than 30 students reading English here at my college-- these are numbers you would not find in any other University .

So, for that reason they do ask to see your grades from GCSE's and onwards (including all modular/unit-based AS/A2 grades). If the placement is especially competitive they will ask to see the actual UMS marks- although I believe Cambridge more frequently resort to this method of rigorous selection than Oxford do. Generally speaking for either the minimum-standard is 6 A*'s at GCSE and 3 A's at A-Level. But anyway we've discussed this a billion times! Every blasted subject to do with academia breaks down into the same Oxbridge-discussion... the education system and national employment doesn't revolve around the old boy's club!

If I was Kyle I would just look forward at continuing my studies at A-Level, and perhaps turn any disappointments or let-downs from the GCSE results into a new-found motivation and work ethic for better successes in my further studies . That's the best advice I can give!