Why are engineering degree courses suddenly all wanting AAA

[CatM1nt]

Looking at next years entry and I’m sure some were AAB previously when we looked.

I find this all really depressing aswell. Only AAA seems to count. For anything.

@CatM1nt

But private schools are giving so many more As and As. Teens have enough pressure as it is.. Saying AAB isn’t good enough is shit and wrong. We know it is because he has a father with an Mech engineering degree and MSC Masters who got in to a red brick uni with BTechs and who has a successful STEM career now. One of his grandfathers was a very successful aeroplane engineer and the other an electrical engineer. His physics is good and always has been, ditto maths. He isn’t an A student though and the stress of getting 3 As or no decent uni is making him feel crap. Sheffield, Southampton, all the way down the list- all want 3 As.

If that’s the case then he could do one or two years with the OU and if he gets top grades he could transfer in his credits to the uni of his choice. This is what my colleague’s son did with another STEM course.

www.open.ac.uk/courses/engineering/degrees/integrated-master-of-engineering-m04

@CatM1nt

Shit. This is really putting my ds off. He says he can’t face looking at UCAS now and feels really demotivated. His predicted grades so far are AA/ B maybe even ABB with an EPQ. He did it on Quantum Physics but log book late at times so sure he won’t get an A for that.He is an AAB type student. He thinks he won’t get in anywhere. He is a born engineer from a family of engineers but a bit scatty.

A few comments

1. He doesn’t need to go to university to work in Engineering - he could look at apprenticeships

2. If he does want to go to university, he doesn’t need to go immediately - he could go in as a mature student (meaning starting the course over the age of 21, so not that old) where the grades will be less important

3. If he does want to go to university as soon as he leaves school, he could find a less-prestigious university accepting lower grades for an engineering degree, or for degrees related to engineering (e.g. engineering science, like geology), maths or a science which might need lower grades - he can check the entry requirements for 1-year masters degrees in engineering to see which undergraduate courses would give him the necessary foundation for this. Or degrees that could lead to roles in engineering projects, such as project management or construction management.

Ozanji where do you find out about good foundations/ sponsorships?

Other son already got through to and did the gov Cyber Security Elite summer school when bloody ill and picks up coding language effortlessly. Just because he doesn’t go to a private school and is thus less likely to get A*AA shouldn’t mean he doesn’t get onto a good Computer Science degree. It’s ludicrous and massively unfair.

Are exams likely to happen this upcoming academic year?

@AvocadoPlant

Three As is what both my DS needed to study engineering 10 years ago. Yes it’s the same bar as medicine, and rightly so. Just take the example of an emergency hospital visit. The roads, ambulance, hospital buildings and medical equipment have all been designed by engineers. The Doctor rightly gets the credit for fixing you when you need medical help, but engineers make that help possible.

Lol. If that’s the case then the OU MEng (with no entry requirements) wouldn’t get you a job. But it does.

Nearly all the courses want AAA now for Engineering. Look all the way down the list. It’s nuts and not necessary.

He wants to, is capable of and deserves to go to the unis he could have done a couple of years ago.

@CatM1nt

Ozanji where do you find out about good foundations/ sponsorships?

Other son already got through to and did the gov Cyber Security Elite summer school when bloody ill and picks up coding language effortlessly. Just because he doesn’t go to a private school and is thus less likely to get A*AA shouldn’t mean he doesn’t get onto a good Computer Science degree. It’s ludicrous and massively unfair.

Are exams likely to happen this upcoming academic year?

I would go to the big tech companies directly. Facebook, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Apple, or even gaming companies, all seem to want talented coders more than they want talented graduates in the UK market (according to my friends who code for a living). All of them offer traineeships or even entry level coding jobs with further training opportunities. IBM is probably considered the best by my friends

www.ibm.com/uk-en/employment/entrylevel/

If he’s a gifted coder it might be a good thing to avoid uni and just join IBM / Microsoft / MOD directly via a traineeship when he finishes his A Levels. He will receive a salary and a degree by the end of it.

Look up “degree apprenticeships” online. As PP says there are large employers paying good computer science students to study and they have a job when they graduate.

My dd needed a*aa 2 years ago not oxbridge or London. Engineering at a good university is always hard to get into. There's lower tariffs at some universities that are less prestigious, don't discount them as some have good courses and strong industry links

@CatM1nt

He wants to, is capable of and deserves to go to the unis he could have done a couple of years ago.

Engineering is all about problem solving. Get him to treat this as a problem to be solved.

Fwiw OP, I get where you are coming from. I'm not surprised teens are so stressed now, there doesn't seem to be any margin for error. Add on the fiasco of the last couple of years and it seems a complete mess.

Southampton you mentioned @CatM1nt - that was aaa years ago. Portsmouth however let DD's friend in on bcd

Like which gogohm?

We got a fair way down the list.

Don’t be despondent

My dyslexic son got offer from Lboro and Bristol for AAB (mech en) and Swansea wanted him too (maths, further maths and physics), look out for small work experiences such as Airbus etc to make a stronger application.

Make sure you apply for BA courses and not straight away to BA+MA as the entry requirements for the latter are higher

Ozanj Thank you That is really helpful for the coding son what about other options for mechanical engineering son?

He still should be able to do it at uni though, it’s so wrong.

Lol. If that’s the case then the OU MEng (with no entry requirements) wouldn’t get you a job. But it does.

well presumably you already have a job as the OU website says it takes between 9 snd 16 years to complete the degree.

Also: check your son’s college is on Bristol’s list of low attaining areas. Bristol offered my son AAC (normally AAA for Mech En) as it’s on their list. They automatically reduce offers from a whole list of institutions they hold, to widen participation.

It’s worth checking out which uni’s offer contextual offers, and on what grounds. I never thought we’d qualify for contextual, never! The college is good, but yes, in a rough area.

@topcat2014

Compared to 90s when I took a levels. The only people needing As were doing medicine

I did a social science in the 90s and my lowest offer was ABC. I had two offers at AAA. Many friends were the same if trying for the top end / really popular courses. It certainly wasn't only medicine requiring As! There weren't A*'s or I'm sure at least one of my offers would have required a scattering of those two. Interestingly the offer I took (which 90% of people would have taken) was AAB.

I'm not disputing that there has been grade inflation - the numbers speak for themselves - but it's simply not true that in the 90s no one needed As unless you wanted to do medicine! The AAB offer I accepted in the 90s would be A A A now. But same principle really - you have room to slip in one subject only.

*too not two!!

One more thing: certain types of engineering are undersubscribed, this year there was loads of space (at good Unis) in Clearing for Materials Engineering. At lots of Unis, this is a degree that starts of with 2years of “general engineering “ before you specialise in materials.

It’s a lesser know engineering degree with a lot less competition

Could he look at foundation degrees that lead onto a full degreee? Its just an extra year to start with.

Swansea offers foundation year

Normaigai
Not got a problem with AAB it’s the change now to AAA and A*AA a very long way down the list.

A foundation year is more money and he shouldn’t have to but yes I guess he could.