DD disappointed with uni course - what are the options? Would appreciate your thoughts!

[AnonAnora]

DD has had a most difficult time with choosing a uni. She is very bright and had all As predicted, got offers from all the RG unis she put down. Took a really long time to firm up and then before the results day decided to switch unis via clearing. All those courses were in Clearing this summer. She was absolutely set on Bristol. We had visited and she loved it.

On the results day, her first choice was confirmed but she was adamant she wants to switch. Unfortunately, she just missed out on the course at Bristol that she wanted but was offered a course in a similar subject. She still wanted to go and thought she would try to transfer later.

Well, she is now at Bristol and her tutor said that she cannot switch as there are no places. She cannot change to a combined degree either, for the same reason.

She doesn't know what to do. She regrets not taking up the other offer - although she was absolutely sure when she made the choice and that she was happy with the risk. What can she do now? Start the other course and see how it goes? Transfer in the end of Year 1, back to Year 1 in her chosen subject (and pay 20k plus for the loss of the year)? Withdraw now and take a gap year?

And to think, she had her pick of the great unis!

There were vacancies on Politics at Bristol still but only for International students

@AnonAnora Sadly, she’s gambled and lost. She seems unable to make decisions and stick with them. It’s never a given dc can swap into a popular course and Bristol is a popular university.

Getting relevant work won’t be easy but what about volunteering? I’d advise her joining a political party and start helping out. They usually need something done and there’s local elections next year. She could combine this with basic work for money. Obviously she could read books and listen to talks given by political figures.

If sociology isn’t for her, and she wants politics, she should leave now. Maybe a learning curve for decision making? Then reapply.

She will only need to give 28 days notice. So it will cost us but not as much as sticking with it would.

The inability to make decisions is exactly the problem here. It has let her down on other occasions too.

She hasn’t given it a chance yet.

So why did they offer her Sociology? Did she query that at the time?

Maybe a good life lesson that she can’t just chop and change. I’d tell her to do the first year and then see if she can change her mind about it first.

That is truly shocking!

That's the course which was still available at that point within the same School of Social Sciences. She was free not to take it.

It does sound like your DD may be a little bit immature in this instance. Maybe a gap year of working and real world will help her realise that making decisions that effect her future are important. Its not the end of the world but muddling through to press a reset button in 3/6/12 months time isnt going to benefit anyone.

Its a big decision for anyone and she has to ensure she doesnt make an even bigger one.

I wish schools would put more effort into advising potential university students that switching courses once they are at university isn’t guaranteed. I have had first year tutees come to me in the first week and request to change courses as if it is a mere formality. It isn’t that simple. As the OP’s daughter found, there needs to be space on the course, and the full entry requirements still need to be met. That may include interviews and an entrance exam.

So she had a place for Politics at Bristol but missed the deadline to accept it? She definitely wants to go to Bristol and not anywhere else? I think the gap year probably makes sense if there's no chance of switching course.

She should study the course she is most interested in over the location.

I think withdrawing might be the best option as 3 years studying is an important decision. Political parties are interested in help so definitely try that route for work experience.

@Mumofoneandone Why is it shocking! This is a very popular course at Bristol! Of course it fills up. Every uni has quotas of home and international students. Look at some courses at some unis and the international student numbers are very high!

The process is dc firm an offer. DD got 5. They they get the right A level grades and the university accepts them. Then they start. Chopping and changing and not going to your choice and going via clearing to another course, hoping to swap later, isn’t the best course of action. Dc cannot get into courses that are full. The university offers an alternative. It did.

@AnonAnoraI would advise she leaves and starts again. Bristol read the PS if they need to decide between similar students so do get her PS the best it can be. She appears sufficiently qualified to read Politics at Bristol so go for it. But cut losses now.

No, it isn't, it's very standard.

International student fees are 3x as much and universities are, in general, in financial difficulties. All universities need a decent proportion of international students to keep going.

No, she had a place for Politics at Bristol but she didn't firm it up. So to get back onto it, she had to apply via Clearing. It was available on the results day but was gone while she was on the phone to Admissions.

With those grades I’d suggest she withdraws and you start again with looking at unis and courses. Consider them all including Oxbridge. Bristol’s politics course isn’t all that & I’m not sure it’s a good idea for someone who can’t make decisions going into a field that often requires complex decision making.

With those grades it's a no brainer - she should take a year out and apply for next year. No shame in having been indecisive at 18 - in fact making the wrong decision has helped clarify what she actually wants to do. She's had a little test run now and knows she likes Bristol, if she applies again for next year grades in hand I'm sure she'll be a shoe in. No point dithering about - I speak from experience as my DD did similar at Cardiff a few years (for different reasons) and we foolishly encouraged her to 'give it a proper go' and she ended up paying fees for the first term when the inevitable happened and she dropped out after seven weeks. Noone cares or even notices when you apply again - DD breezed into a place in Bristol for the following year (though ended up staying here in France in the end which was all part of her original indecision!) It doesn't really matter what she does in her year off - just earning some money to have in the bank when she starts next year would be time well spent. With grades like that she has choices - I'm not sure what the demographic is like among her her cohort this year, but both my DC found they were among the youngest with most students having had one if not two or more years out.

So what happened to the places she had as firm and insurance?

It sounds as though she wanted to go to Bristol at any cost and now having thought about it the subject matter is more important to her.
Sociology and Politics are often both in the social sciences faculty but they are not really similar. They might both study some of the same people but from a different viewpoint.
If she is sure now having thought about it more than she wants to specialise in Politics and notsociology she should take a year out.
I disagree with PP that employers would view politics more favourably than sociology. A Sociology degree from Bristol is just as valued as a Politics degree. But if it's not what she is interested in it's not for her

@pottylolly Unfirtunately students don’t agree with you! Hence it’s full. They think it’s good and Bristol is a popular university. It’s also about where you fit in. DD thinks Bristol and that’s fine. Go for it for 2026!

Graduate prospects for Sociology are noticeably lower than Politics on CUG top 10. Even LSE is below 80%. Of the top 10, only Cambridge tops 80%.

She had the firm choice confirmed on the results day but she didn't want to go to that uni.

After reading all your updates I think she should leave and reapply for next year to do politics. She has excellent A level results and she will have the pick of wherever she wants to go, even consider Oxbridge if she thinks she might like that.
She could speak to Bristol now also seeing as she is there, as they may even be able to offer her a place for next September now.
Any work experience is valuable, she could even think about doing some travelling next year if she earns enough money!

Perhaps a naive question but is the degree subject so crucial? I.e. she might actually grow to love sociology? And her wanting politics now may change?

My older DC is at uni now and a lot - a lot - of the students in his first year have since switched to a different course. Meaning that they started the course which they wanted and had chosen but then decided that it wasn't for them.