Shocked at university entry requirements

It’s common knowledge some universities cannot fill places. Some universities have better reputations for some subjects above others. Of course they lower grades to fill courses. Courses that don’t fill up are cut. Stem in some universities don’t fill up and MFL doesn’t either. That’s why MFL courses are reduced. I’m amazed anyone takes this personally. I would just be pleased DC got a place on the course they wanted where they wanted. Whether it’s bums on seats or not, who cares?

There are plenty of Engineering courses that are not AAA. If they were all AAA they wouldn’t have many students on them! With Engineering, consider which engineering discipline is most likely to suit and then look at the guides and league tables. Kent won’t be high up and don’t just follow the herd. Be choosy within reason and match likely attainment to somewhere that’s aspirational for the discipline. Don’t just go somewhere because it’s easy and your mates are going.

There has been loads of comment on here about universities giving places where students have well below the asking grades and Exeter is one as they start with very high grade requirements in the first place.

I’m sure some courses interview some students but the vast majority do not interview and state this quite clearly. Oxbridge and some courses are always going to interview but these days few do routinely because of time, logistics and cost.

I want my DD to have the whole university experience

Is it what she wants too?

So no not all unis offer AAA even for engineering
Some Bbc
Some ccc
Etc

Heriot watt offers BBB

www.hw.ac.uk/study/uk/undergraduate/engineering-physics.htm

So there will be unis offering lower.
Research is all important

www.northampton.ac.uk/courses/engineering-bsc/

See requirements
DdE

There will be unis offering abb or bbb
She needs to research to find them
Then she can include in her 5 choices at least one that offers lower than the highest. Typical offers are listed.

Also some might offer uncondional . So it will be fine if she gets bbb for example if she goes down that route.

Well thanks for insinuating my ds only got into Exeter as they needed to 'fill places'. Funnily enough he's actually reasonably bright

I personally wouldn't worry too much about the teachers.

I did no biology, chemistry and maths a-levels. Yes, teachers can make a difference but you basically just need to learn the text books. Teachers can't cover everything anyway so she needs to be memorising the text books on her own time. It's more about learning in your own time than what you learn in lessons.

Degrees are not externally validated. The universities award degree classifications as they see fit.

For example, there are no national exams for physics.

So, physics degrees are not all equal.

Maybe some exceed the standard?

BeardedMum I think the point you make about experiencing university is a valid one. DD's BF has done very well out of his apprenticeship but low wage at the start meant he was forced to stay at home so he has never had the experience of living on his own. He has never left the small town we live in.

Apprenticeships are by their nature vocational but for them to have worth you need to stay in that vocation.

Apprenticeship are paid but on the whole at a very low level which means that potential apprentices are limited to what is on offer in their local area.

We've looked at apprenticeships for my son, but we're not close enough to a city nor any big industrial plants, so there are none that are practical considering very long commutes or having to pay for accommodation closer - the wage simply doesn't come close.

There are local/small firms offering apprenticeships but they're not really high quality ones and generally aren't towards professional qualifications.

Unis need to lower their boundaries if they want to get people through the door.

I didn't think Unis were short of quality applicants. Are there many Uni courses that aren't fully subscribed?

Virtually no universities interview

Depends on the course - everywhere DD applied for elec eng interviewed.

Does anyone know how University of Kent rate for Engineering and Physics?

I don't think it has any sort of reputation in engineering tbh. The solid 'second tier' engineering courses are more likely to be found in the Midlands, north and Scotland, typically.

Some courses will make an offer on an MEng but include a lower offer for the BEng - but then you can switch up if you do well enough in the first year. That might be useful for someone whose grades have been affected by poor teaching.

Oxbridge often request higher than this, such as AAA*AA

Nope. Cambridge may ask for two a stars and two as if the candidate has done 4 a levels but two a stars and an a for an applicant who's done 3. Maybe that was a typo and an extra A got on there. I think that's probably only on courses like eng. or NatSci where fm is in the mix.

DS had interviews for physics at Exeter and York so some unis do interview (for entry this year) We were surprised at the grade requirements for Physics but as other have said it needs a certain level of Maths to enjoy the course! EPQ and interviews led to lower offers from 3 out of 5. As other have said it's worth looking at a range and having an inspirational and back up safety.

@PiggyPokkyFool have you looked at Nottingham Trent? The labs are really good.

My DD did biochemistry there and loved it, graduated last year and is now working as a biochemist. She did a sandwich course which gave her very relevant work experience.

DD's BF did an apprenticeship in robotics, super competitive to get onto, far more so than a degree course would have been. He has since graduated with no student debt.

If you can find the right apprenticeship and fight off the compensation to get onto it then they can be amazing. But there is risk, ask apprentices at Carillion who had the rug pulled out from under them when the company went belly up.

Apprenticeship can work for people but choose wisely! A level 3 apprenticeship will not lead to a professional job in physics - you need a degree and PhD - it's possible in theory to get a job at a university as a technician and study part time but very unlikely because I think all the support staff here have degrees, but PhDs in sciences are available funded at least so that is more like an apprenticeship

I keep checking back to the thread. @fishonabicycle - I have sent you a pm as well as the tag as we really want to know where and when did your DSD get into Bio Med with CCC? We are looking at Unis now and think wherever it is might be worth a visit - Thanks

Apprenticeship are paid but on the whole at a very low level which means that potential apprentices are limited to what is on offer in their local area.

I don't think A levels are easier than when I took mine (around the time of the last ice age). What I do think has happened is that teaching for the result has improved enormously. Both my DDs (science A Levels and degrees) were focussing on exam questions from very early on. Something which only happened on my A level courses very late on.

A grade in chemistry is very hard to achieve. It isn't just a science, it has its own vocabulary. So few A grades may be representative though I would expect a grammar school to achieve significantly better than my DD's low achieving comp.

Obviously being a physics technician is a valid STEM career choice in itself. But I would not want young people to believe that they can currently do an apprenticeship to become a physicist. It's a different role.

DS2 went to a talk at school about apprenticeships, and was sold on the idea. He liked the idea of earning and getting a qualification at the end. The external advisors even helped him find a suitable physics-related apprenticeship. DS2 was keen and excited about it. When he and I went through the small print, he found out that it was not a pathway to the career he wants at all.

They do sometimes have higher physics-related apprenticeships come up, but these are for qualifications as a technician.

According to the Institute of Physics website (who do the accreditation) the only apprenticeships available are for physics-affiliated careers (e.g. technician and similar).