Anyone else got DC applying for uni this year - beyond annoyed

[Lionlover11]

DD is 18 and applying for uni this year and the grades are literally insane. Good Russel groups
are asking for grades previously only oxbridge would ask for and former poly universities that previously would have been easier to get into have now shot up to 3 B’s. All because of covid deferrals. I’m absolutely livid on DD’s behalf that predicted of ABB (very good results imo) will not be enough to get her into a Russel group for the course she wants to do. It feels like this year group have suffered so much already because of the pandemic and now because of covid deferrals it’s bitten them on the backside again. I’m half considering telling DD to forget applying for this year, get the best a levels she can and just apply next year when hopefully the grades have eased off. Anyone else in the same boat?

Dd is predicted much much higher but got an offer from Newcastle of BBB.They then said they would go even lower if she firmed them

For biology

That's interesting to know @fUNNYfACE36 My daughter wants to do Biology.

I don’t think needing straight As for Russel groups, you needed 3 A/ AAB when I was applying about 15 years ago!

My DD needed AAA last year for Manchester, she got AAB and didn't get her place, she got into Manchester Met and was upset at first but loving it now, having a great experience.

Apply and see what happens.

if she doesn’t get the course she wants then maybe take a year out to volunteer/work/travel and apply again the following year.

sadly I think cost of living issues will mean some families won’t be able to afford to fund Uni so I think applications may be down for September 2023 starters.

sadly I think cost of living issues will mean some families won’t be able to afford to fund Uni so I think applications may be down for September 2023 starters.

It's such a shame. I also think that more young people will go to their local university so that they can commute.

What year was this? I’ve never heard of such low offers (no offence, I work in the sector, and am genuinely interested.)
I went to Edinburgh in the late 90s for my first degree. Needed AAABB (Scottish higher.) Got AAABC, and still got in - but I suspect through Contextualised Admissions policy as state comprehensive, first in my family to go to Uni, and being from a lower achieving postcode.
I now work in a good post-92, and our top UG programmes ask for AABB at higher. We have 99% employment from almost al of the programmes in my School. Sorry - I am not up to speed with what that is in A levels, as don’t work directly in Admissions ….

Anyway, what I really mean to get at is that some post-92s are excellent at their programmes, are WAY more student centred, and have better graduate statistics. Are your DCs wanting to do PhDs, or become research scientists - or do they want to go into decent careers?

I went to unit 20 years ago and my none Russell Group uni wanted an ABB for my course so I'd be expecting higher grades than that now so those grades don't seem ridiculously high to me

It's because British Universities have so many international students. Some Oxford and Cambridge colleges have up to 25%! Of that 25%, pretty much every student comes from Independent schools in Singapore, HK, Korea, etc. so it's strange that Oxford and Cambridge favour international pupils from Independent schools over our home-grown pupils from independent schools. It's all about £££ and not really about equality of opportunity. As a result, more and more UK students are considering going to U.S. universities, which is sad.

I got ABB in 2006 and it wasn’t enough to get into a Russell group university. I would have needed minimum AAB which teenage me couldn’t be bothered with. I’m therefore not sure required grades have changed that much.
For what it’s worth I went to a “former poly”, which seems to be so terrible, and now earn a 6 figure salary in my early 30s. Many of those universities (which they have been for many, many years) run very good courses.

These finances apply to English universities. In Scotland we have a different funding system (it’s also not great!) - and some Russell Group unis too! 😜

My daughter got 3 As for her mocks and can only get into a couple of Russell Group universities for the course she wants (assuming she gets those grades). You are being unreasonable.

Not sure about this year but last year was the absolute worst. DD predicted AAA and achieved AA*A
She wanted Exeter but that was one of the unis paying £10k or something to students in the year below to defer into her year.
Anyway her course requirement there was AAA and she didn’t even get an offer.
She’s fine and happy at another uni.
I wonder about the quality of cohorts from these deferred years. My OH is a lecturer and said it’s massively noticeable but maybe just where he is.

Sorry no idea how that went into bold

Oh it’s the stars! She was predicted A * AA
achieved
A*
A*
A

Cardiff is a Russell Group university!

ABB is good but not very good. She would be getting 158 out of 300 and 115 out of 260 for example to secure a B. Around 44 - 52%. That means she has got nearly 50 % on average of the course wrong! This is why the uni’a are selective .

Nah, I think they have it right tbh. It's not criticising the individuals, it's the decision to do it based on predicts grades that we're overinflated and undeserved. I take it you don't have much stake in this? You didn't take your A-levels a year or two before and get disappointing results.

I’ve done a bit of interviewing for placement students. I’ve been very impressed with students from Bath Uni. Anyone interested in maths, it’s worth considering.

Wow! I’m not familiar with the English system, and hadn’t realised you could get a B at 44%. From memory, a B at SCQF higher (old money….🤣) was 60-69%, and an A was above 70%.

It was the same last year.

Let her apply and find her own way - it's the way of the world now and their university experience will never get back to what it used to be.

I'd be more worried about where she'll live, accommodation is the latest nightmare.

Good luck with it all.

@HollaHolla the percentage for a specific grade will vary tbf. Just checked the A levels DD took in 2019 and for French a B was 68% and Eng Lit a B was 61%. If you got 44% in AQA French you would have got an E. Just to clarify and make sure our young people are not being underestimated. DD got a C in her French and worked very hard indeed for it. I don't want anyone thinking she gained less than 40%.

FWIW, in the early 1980s, I had two offers of EE for MFL (at UCL and Nottingham, so not too bad). I had stellar O levels and I imagine a great ref from my school. I think it was if a uni wanted you to go there they would give you EE - I went somewhere else tho so it didn't work haha.

Thanks so much for explaining!

My son needed three As as a minimum for Russell Group six years ago