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?

Sorry, meant to say as well, it's definitely worth her applying this year, firstly because she will be doing her application & personal statement with the support & experience of her school, and secondly because they may make her a lower off than those advertised based on her application. DS1 had two unconditional offers when he applied, including one from his favourite RG uni.

My course (classics) at uni of Leeds has the same requirements from when I went in 2009…I’ve just looked out of interest - AAB.

i don’t mean to sound cruel but as a PP says, there’s a reason grade boundaries are where they are - to ensure those who take up the course are capable of the academics required by the course. If you dont meet the grade there’s a chance you won’t complete the course/drop out or get a lower grade degree which “waters down” the achievement / status of the course/uni which the uni won’t want!

that being said, I know someone who got into my course through clearing with lower grades Than required as there was space. Think he got ABC. He struggled for sure but got a 2.1!

I think it's a bit of a myth that uni is easy to get into

@ghostyslovesheets Any of them can effectively pay for a degree through their loans etc, but the ones that are easy to get into are mainly the ones that just got the title of 'university' when they were a college up until recently (there are many of these.)

@Lionlover11 Look at the grades achieved for A levels and you'll see why grades have to be higher. Maths A level is one of the most popular A levels yet A and A star grades are awarded to over 50% of entries. That's why competitive Unis, such as Oxbridge, Warwick, LSE, Bath etc request further admission exam. This is to determine who are in the top percentile as they can't use predicted grades to offer places.

It's best if your daughter knows the reality so she applies broadly.. choosing an aspirational, realistic and fall back. With that strategy she should get a couple of offers and she only needs one!

There is often some fluctuation depending on the size of the home cohort, demand from international students, grades etc. As others have mentioned, if she doesn’t even bother applying then she won’t know her offer and will be left to compete in clearing, defer or perhaps choose another route ( not necessarily inferior ). Sure it can be annoying if your DC is in a large cohort but they can always study at a more prestigious university at post graduate level if they peak later and they may benefit from funding from their employer.

It also is grade inflation of course and can only be that really. As Fireflygal said, an 'A' is not what would've been called an A in the past.

@OldFan yes but I was answering the OP who was arguing that it was ridiculous her child couldn't gain entry to a RG university with average grades.

Waves at another Warwick graduate - I graduated in ‘95 (English and Euro Lit) but we only had to get BBC for that!

You've got to cut your cloth according to your grades and their places, help her apply for a realistic spread. I do understand because my dd is applying and not keen on looking outside Russell Group...until she realised her preferred uni and course was well below Nottingham Trent and Oxford Brookes in the rankings for the subject. It will probably all work out.

I was responding to FireFly's post and didn't see yours @ghostyslovesheets , but of course I would agree with you as I did with her.

Russell Group is a self selecting club which you don't get relegated from like a football team. Look at other sources of information like detailed NSS scores for things like academic support and assessment feedback, employment outcomes, Guardian subject level league tables. None of them are perfect on their own but at least they are based on things which might be important and not just the RS elite brand.

I think the higher grades are the result of better teaching, better exam technique, effective revision and grade boundary knowledge (pupils’ knowledge.) My DD is unbelievably savvy about what she needs and has to do to get A* - far more so than I was at 18.

I also don’t feel that this year group are affected by Covid deferrals and disagree that this year group have been the worst affected. I have a dc in the current year 13 and one two years older. My oldest child lost the vast majority of his f2f 6th form experience plus the world closed down so all the coming of age stuff teens do in years 12 & 13 just didn’t happen. In contrast my younger child (current year 13) has had a normal 6th form experience and also been to Reading Festival the last 2 summers, to cyprus on holiday with friends and so on and so forth - a normal teen experience.

Sadly wanting to go somewhere doesn’t always mean it’s achievable. Grade requirements haven’t changed and yes it is competitive. Maybe you should re-examine your attitude to “poly universities” your tone is very negative and these represent some excellent options and are certainly not to be looked down on. There’s no harm in putting an aspirational choice in UCAS and seeing what happens but it is also important to be realistic.

My RG uni asked for ABB on my relatively obscure joint honours course ten years ago. This was before A* was introduced. It’s unsurprising that a decade later the grade requirements would have increased, with or without covid.

The real problem is that the vast majority of 18 year olds think university is the natural next step, regardless of whether it is truly right for them and their potential career paths.

My sons were both at Russell group unis in 2012. They both needed AAA to do the courses they were doing.

Bristol used to offer CCC for chemistry and now require very high grades.
A friend of mine was offered CCC at a London medical school back in the early 90’s. There’s no way you get into medical school with those grades now.
what is the reasoning behind the higher offers? Is it because more youngsters get the higher grades?
BBB was considered brilliant when I was at sixth form as A levels were hard and only the crème de la crème got straight A’s.

Its because there is a larger pool of 18 year olds this year so universities can afford to be pickier unfortunately.

Ummmm 6 years ago when my youngest was applying her choices (Oxford, Durham, imperial, Bath, and one I don't remember) were all making the same offers. Don't forget Oxbridge make applicants jump through extra hoops too. So they're never the same

Bristol used to offer CCC for chemistry and now require very high grades.

DD1 looking at chemistry - and thanks to not as great as expected As level results we've had to look again at her choices - there are still good universities with BCC grade requirements.

They do all seem to have access courses now though - another year at university with 9K fee and accommodation costs. Some of the access course at some red brick have higher grade requirements than actual chemistry degree at other universities

RG university requirements have been high for a while. My little cousin turns 18 next month and got straight As for 5th and 6th year highers but she didn’t get onto her chosen medical course.

It depends on what your DD wants to do though as the best universities for construction and engineering degrees are Sheffield Hallam followed by Edinburgh Napier neither of which are RG universities.

My son went a few years ago and AAA or higher were typical for russell group unis the lowest offer he received was AAB but a lot wanted at least 1A* so I don't think they have shot up this year at all. His cousin has just finished her masters and when she applied it was the same so its not that recent either. There are plenty of unis that will take you though with ABB depending on the course.

Came here to say this

"literally insane"? Do you know what either of those words mean?

I needed AAB for my competitive Russell group course 25 years ago...

It was mostly shit, I didn't get onto the modules I wanted and I wish in many ways I'd done the much more interesting sounding ex poly course.

Now that there's an A* an ABB is like a BCC when I did A levels, and that wouldn't have been good enough for many courses in any university. Nothing to do with COVID.