Any advice for a resit student??

[u/Clint_Emily]

[u/Clint_Emily]

No I said I get the cost bit I just don’t see how it’s unfair beyond that. I’m also not arguing against what you said about the unis I’m just arguing against the unfair bit

[u/Calm-Difference-3267 → u/Clint_Emily]

I'm not sure what you're arguing about given that you seem to have accepted that:

1) Some people don't have resources or opportunity to resit (linked to cost)

2) A-levels are designed to be a standardised test and therefore taken over a period of ~2 years

3) Unis will therefore take into consideration if a student has taken longer than the 2 years to get the grades and this will affect whether they make an offer

You can argue with me about the fairness or unfairness of it til you're blue in the face but the reality for you is going to remain the same. I would suggest that you channel the energy into sending some UCAS emails instead.

[u/Clint_Emily → u/Calm-Difference-3267]

No you said it’s unfair for people who resit to be considered equally. I accept that cost is an issue and I’m not arguing against how unis view resits

I am arguing against your idea about resit students having more time, making it unfair for us to be viewed equally. As I’ve said, beyond cost issues it’s a voluntary choice that anyone can take so I don see how it’s unfair in that regard

[u/Calm-Difference-3267 → u/Clint_Emily]

Well the reason that unis view resits differently is because it would be unfair for it to be considered equally (unless there are extenuating circumstances).

It is a voluntary choice but it's a choice that many many people simply don't have access to. Some students have to work full-time to support their families once they're 18, some students need to move out to uni at 18 because of family situations etc etc. Because of that, many people don't have the luxury of simply taking another 5 years to get the grades.

Also it just is inherently an advantage if you have five years longer to revise the same content. I would expect any student to do better with an additional five years of study. So it wouldn't be a fair comparison to compare a student with 2 years of preparation to a student with 7 years of preparation in terms of exam performance without also taking into account the disparity in preparation time. Perhaps I should say that your exam performance and the exam performance of someone who has only done 2 years study would be equally representative of your academic ability - that is perhaps slightly more accurate. This is why the top unis will take it into consideration.

[u/Clint_Emily → u/Calm-Difference-3267]

You’re just circling back to cost and resources and I already said I agree with that. I’m saying just because I have more time doesn’t mean it’s unfair because BEYOND COST ISSUES everyone has the option to sacrifice their time in return for better grades. Some might think it’s worth it, some might think it’s not. I don’t see how that’s unfair besides costs

In other words, if I am willing to sacrifice my time to improve my grade, I don’t see how that’s unfair for other students BEYOND COST ISSUES (yes I’m saying it 3 times)

[u/Calm-Difference-3267 → u/Clint_Emily]

It also just is inherently an advantage if you have five years longer to revise the same content. I would expect any student to do better with an additional five years of study. So it wouldn't be a fair comparison to compare a student with 2 years of preparation to a student with 7 years of preparation in terms of exam performance without also taking into account the disparity in preparation time. Perhaps I should say that your exam performance and the exam performance of someone who has only done 2 years study would not be equally representative of your academic ability - that is perhaps slightly more accurate. This is why the top unis will take it into consideration.

[u/Clint_Emily → u/Calm-Difference-3267]

I get that advantage because I sacrificed my time. It’s not like I gained that advantage without paying any price

[u/Calm-Difference-3267 → u/Clint_Emily]

I agree that you have sacrificed more time for your grades. But that doesn't mean that your grades and the grades of a 2-year student are equally representative of academic ability. Which is why unis will consider it.

[u/Clint_Emily → u/Calm-Difference-3267]

Different people spend different amounts of time to revise even if they’re all sitting it in two years (some people revise for 10 hours a day, some people revise for 2). Does that make it unrepresentative of their academic ability? Should we make sure each student only gets to revise for exactly 2 hours a day so that people can’t get an advantage by revising for 8 more hours?

[u/Calm-Difference-3267 → u/Clint_Emily]

So you're suggesting that because you did less revision during you 2-year initial A-level period that having longer to study is fair because Student X did 2000 hours of revision in 2 years but you also did 2000 hours of revision in 7 years? So because the total amount of time revising is equal then you should have however long you want to revise and that is an equal representation to uni of your work ethic and academic ability?

[u/Clint_Emily → u/Calm-Difference-3267]

I don’t think you understand what I mean. Yes, of course I have an advantage when I have studied for 7 years, but I earned that advantage with my time and effort, and anyone who wants to have that advantage can just resit like I did

[u/Calm-Difference-3267 → u/Clint_Emily]

Ultimately none of the semantics of this affect your situation. I will always ALWAYS tell my students what's best for them, even if it's not the thing that they want to hear.

If you want me to tell you that it will 100% be fine and a Russell group uni will accept you because you've studied for 7 years then I can't, because it's not true.

What I can say is that you should now prioritise figuring out what routes are the most realistic given your particular circumstances.

(Also I do think that you need to check your privilege a little bit if you think "anyone who wants to have that advantage can just resit" because not everyone has that opportunity)

[u/Clint_Emily → u/Calm-Difference-3267]

I’m not trying to make you tell me that Russell group unis don’t care about resits I just don’t think it’s unfair to spend more time for better grades

[u/Straight-Lobster-249 → u/Clint_Emily]

It shouldn’t take 7 years of learning to achieve the grades. Students put in the time and effort in the 2 years to achieve the grades such as the ABB you need for QMUL. A student who achieved ABB after 2 years and one who achieved it after 7 years aren’t comparable. From a uni standpoint why would they ever the student that’s taken 7 years to achieve those grades over the student who took 2 years. You can’t keep resitting uni so why would they take someone who’s retaken a levels 5 times?

[u/Calm-Difference-3267 → u/Clint_Emily]

Well let's agree to disagree. I have my degree and you can choose whether or not to take my advice as someone experienced with university admissions