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?

I think location, course content and support are more important than how prestigious the university is. Its like choosing a school - you can go for a private highly selective school but if your child doesn't cope well in that environment you may as well have sent them to the free comp down the road. These cohorts hit by covid are struggling with life skills as they have missed some of that transition to freedom that comes at sixth form - perhaps next year's intake less than the current year's but it is noticeable how much more they are struggling. DC should apply where they think they will be happy and have an enjoyable 3 or 4 years.

My DD is in her first term of A levels and school have given her a predicted/target grade of ABB, which is not enough to do what she wants to do, she's feeling so dejected by that I think she was ready to throw the towel in completely.

I needed AAB for a Russell group uni 25 yrs ago.
There appears to be massive grade inflation and I would expect AAA or higher for many courses now.

Yes this. My DC applied in 2018 and 2020 and had offers of AAA or AAB for RG unis. I went to Bristol 40 years ago (my goodness) and my offer was BBB, which when you think about it, is roughly equivalent to AAA now (as there was no A-star). So high offers from desirable and popular universities are nothing new and deffo not due to Covid.

Please don't disparage former polys and yy RG is not the b-all and end-all. Neither of mine ended up at RG unis, for various reasons, and both are doing/did v well.

Can you tell us what course your DD is looking to do and people may be able to help you with some suggestions? There is a lot of knowldge on MN on this subject.

And yy please don't use the term "insane" to describe something that you are not happy with. It's not a word that should be used in that way.

No different to last years applications , it’s also due to the deferrals and some universities paid students to defer 2 years ago . It’s tightened competition for places and is also causing a housing crisis in some university towns . The student accommodation prices have literally doubled in some areas and there’s still not enough ( Durham ) It’s really hard and feels unfair but it’s another consequence of Covid .

My ds got an A star epq and predicted A star, A, B for ucas form. He has fallen for a non RG University course with a BBB entry.
Still doing application. Planning to earn money next year so will tick defer box on ucas form.

It was only 2008 when me and DH went to uni ABB would have got you into York or Nottingham for medicine, most medicine and dentistry offers were AAB with only a few AAA. To me what has changed is that the personal statement is relied on less and less so grades have increased to split the cohort for admission. When we applied ABB with loads of extra curricular and a gold Duke of Edinburgh would have got you offers from most of the Russel group where as AAA with nothing on the statement would have sent you packing.

I've taught those who have failed Alevels and those who got AAA to do my job, the AAA candidate was no better. Graduate medicine and access courses have shown it isn't all about the grades at A-levels. I wonder if it's time for students to put pressure on unis to set a grade floor they will accept say CCC for Russel group and let student show their interests and dedication in other ways.

I think you're wrong about "covid deferrals". My son just started at uni this year. Some of his friends didn't get places at the unis they wanted and the feedback they got was that that year there were bumper applications and that any other years he would have got in, but they simply didn't have enough places. He was predicted 4A stars, and that's what he achieved. He couldn't have possibly been predicted or achieved higher grades - it was purely down to numbers.

RG universities haven’t just started wanting high grades, all 3 of mine went to RG universities in the 90’s and early 2000’s and needed at least 2 A’s. As someone said earlier, one son needed higher grades to get into Bristol University in the 1990’s than his offer from Oxford. I’m out of touch now but does it depend on the subject course?
Re the old “ poly’s” I did my teaching training at one in the 70’s and had to have 3 A levels above C.

1. A’ s plus 1 or 2 other grades that should read.

I remember being surprised at the difference in grade requirements for my subject (Biology) when eldest of friends children (in about 2016) started applying for uni - As and As across the board compared to the BBC or CCC offers we got in the early 90s but it is not a new thing/COVID related. And the A has made some of the difference (ABB = BCC in old money). I used to teach undergraduates and they are so much more hardworking than we were in my day!

In terms of the posts saying not to bother with university consider where your daughter wants to work. There’s lots of opportunities within the uk without a degree but if she wants to work abroad they might place a greater emphasis on having a degree

Nah. There's often money involved in showing "interest and dedication". eg computing competitions or science projects which require certain equipment. My son was lucky enough to use money for some of his projects from the development fund at school and travel costs to the finals of competitions in London. That is money donated from parents and alumni. We also are in a fortunate position financially and was able to give him some money for some things. What about unpaid placements? Many young people have to get paid summer jobs which most likely is nothing to do with their course, but they just need the money to be able to afford univeristy. If a child is in a deprived area and school just didn't have the money for lots of extracurriculuar stuff, and families can't buy equipment for their children, or afford to contribute towards uni costs then often it's hard to show interest and dedication. A young person in that position may ONLY have their high grades to make them stand out ability wise, so just making all entries C grades is no good to them.

As so many others have said I really don’t think things have changed that much. My younger one went to Warwick in 2008, and had to have 3As then. I’m pretty sure my eldest had to have ABB at a former poly as you call it (rudely) 2 years earlier.

I wouldn’t advise waiting a year. I teach at a “poly university” and while we’re currently BBB we’re going up to ABB or possibly AAB after this ucas cycle.

If you get an offer after ticking defer box will that offer stand even if grade requirements go up? Sorry if silly question...

I remember "2 Es" offers from former polys even for teaching etc.

Oxford offered my brother 2E's , back when you did an entrance exam and getting 2 E offers was normal for the very best students. 2 E's was normal when I was Uni for very bright students applying to the best Uni's.

@CurlyhairedAssassin but AAA can also be bought by those with money to fund extracurricular activities. It would arguably benefit those from worse schools to have lower requirements.

Arguably it's harder to helicopter a child into doing extracurricular if they aren't interacted/passionate than it's is to afford private school or move to the catchment of an outstanding school. It shouldn't be up to Unis to level the playfield but to grow the best possible future scientists, doctors, nurse, politicians, engineers etc.

40 years ago I got into a RG uni with AAC after an interview with the Head of Department. I am now an academic at the same uni and can't say our grade requirements have changed over the years. As other have said, Oxbridge is a different process so less reliant on grades.
My advice is to make sure your DD is looking at the right course and then pick the uni that is the right fit for her. I teach postgraduate students - a mix from Oxbridge, RG and non-RG unis, and they all go on to do amazing things.
These days a degree is another step on an education/career journey that can take many years, the key is to make sure each step on the journey is taking you in the right direction.

One of above posts made me think of my Bristol offer. I was a slightly mature student applying for law in 1998. I had sat one a level after one year and got A. Bristol then offered me B,B even though others still asked for at least AAB from my remaining 3 A levels. Another I was sitting in one year.

My friends husband went to university around 25 years ago and got a degree in English. He now has a job that he loves and earns good money doing it but he would not have needed a degree to do the job and he is paying the student debt for a degree he didn’t need.

University isn’t everything. Depending on what career you want there may be another way. My DH has two university degrees but after surgery on his back he can no longer do the job he trained for. He earns more money driving an HGV than the job his degree lead to offered.

@Grumpybutfunny it's not the A Levels that are the so significant now for medicine - it's clinical entrance exam score that is the key differentiator. Medicine is actually relatively low tariff at AAA generally (lower for contextual) . For comparison computer science at Manchester is A STAR A STAR A STAR. The UCAT bar is rising every year. It is positive that the personal statement is relied on less and that GMC ruling was because more advantaged students had unfair advantage there and you can even engage PS consultants to (help) write them. There is ample opportunity for med applicant DC to get over what they have done in volunteering etc. in their interviews, which count for a lot in the process, so it is not as if this element is being ignored.

I work in a Russell group uni, high grades are nothing new. We actually took more students last year and have a bulge. When I did mine AAB got you into Oxbridge so no idea how easy is it to get the A*AA that we now expect but there are plenty of students to choose from. Have to say the quality of our students hasn't gone up so I can only think that its easier to get those A'level results same as its certainly easier to get a 1st than 20 years ago, thats grade inflation for you

My DD has applied for 2023 and received an offer yesterday at a Russell Group with ABB requirements - she’s predicted AAA

My DBro missed out on going to a Russel group uni back in 2002 because he got ABB in his exams. His offer was AAB. So I don’t think it’s a new thing at all.
he went to a non Russel group uni through clearing and was very happy there. Russel group isn’t the best all and end all.