University Applications ........

[mummyofteens]

Can someone please explain to me how university place offers are already been given to some young people when the closing date for applications is not until the middle of January. Most of my son's friends haven't even submitted their application yet :/

No, he isn't, frakkinstein - he was happy to give it up in fact! AS level requires a much higher standard of grammar than GCSE & he wasn't up to that apparently (ie couldn't be bothered...)

Mmmmmm. Possibly not something to mention at interview if he gets one and he's asked!

If he'd been retaking I suspect school would have put a higher predicted grade is all I was thinking...

I don't know about York, but we do look at GCSE results and also music exams (eg Grade 8 means another high grade AL equivalent in UCAS point and we like this sort of thing for our course). The subjects chosen are important too, for example we prize Maths more highly than Business Studies.

My DD did a btech in business studies and it's fine saying its equivalent to 4 x A but uni will only class it as one A at GCSE therefore 2 points, even though a lot of work went into it.

All the more reason to avoid these courses if you want to get into a pre-92 university.

Sorry, it had to be said. The students who turn up with this sort of thing as preparation have real trouble tackling university work, we find.

This is a very helpful thread - thanks to all

Ponders - my DD has applied to York and, yes, I too understand she wouldnt be considered if she had less than a B for her dropped AS

Ideal student for arts/socsci course:

AL English, History, French

AS Level German, Geography

GCSE English lang, English lit, Maths, French, German, History, Geography, Double Science, Music or Art.

or

Distinction in Access Course

or

IB

Boffin, do you find this really, even with a string of A and A* in Chemistry, Physics, Bio, English and so on. DD did it as an interest as someone would do music, PE etc.

I hope it won't go against her when she applies for medicine.

My DS1 is re-applying as well. He turned down his place for this year because he did better in his A2s than he expected, so he wanted to apply to better universities.

It's bloomin' nerve-wracking going through the whole thing all over again!

We're in a good situation, obviously, in that he's applying knowing his grades - but we're still not guaranteed that he will be made an offer.

And I'm really worried that some might not make an offer until they've received all applications mid-Jan - I just want this to be sorted out.

I can't see why they can't all apply once they've got their grades. It would be much easier all round.

Oh, and I wish the universities would agree what is/isn't accepted as alternative subjects - some accept General Studies, some don't; some accept Critical Thinking, some don't; some accept the Extended Project, some don't, etc.

True Because, the uni we looked at accepted 'critical thinking' at AS, for medicine. Yet most people will say it's useless, just like Boffin says about Business Studies.

I can understand a candidate applying for an academic degree with only btech qualifications finding themselves unable to get onto a course, but surely doing a btech as well as getting high GCSE/GCS grades in related subjects cannot go against them.

I really meant when these exams were done as a main bread and butter subject. But you have to be aware many people see it is a marker for lack of intellect. This is not what the Gvt, teachers, FE colleges and schools careers advisors want universities to be thinking, but I am afraid all too often there is prejudice.

Subjects to be wary of, with associate stereotypical prejudice in brackets.

Design Technology (aka woodwork and metalwork)
Food and texile technology (aka sewing and cooking)
Business Studies (aka was not bright enough to do Maths or even Economics)
Travel and Tourism (aka patently working class and difficult to teach, and went to crap school)
General Studies (aka you can pass that exam without any work)

Some markers for approved university fodder:

Latin (aka independent school, clever)
Greek (aka genius)
Maths (top 10%)
Modern Foreign Languages (clever, cultured, especially Russian, Chinese, Arabic)
Playing musical intruments to high standard, or playing at county level in sport (middle class, has stickability)
Triple science (top 10%)
High scoring Access course mature student (would rather face four riders of the apocalypse head on than skimp on assignments)

This is what seems to go through people's minds when reading applications ...

What's the take on the Extended Project Qualification, BoffinMum? DS1 worked his socks off for his, for which he was awarded an A*, and it's galling to see it not being taken into account. (He wrote 7 music tracks - music and lyrics - and recorded them all via his computer, playing all instruments himself and did all the singing)

As well as that he has AAB for philosophy, history and english lit.

It might be a good time to post, yet again,the Trinity College Cambridge Acceptable A-level Subject Combinations as a guide to what admissions tutors at the more academic universities might be looking for.

Yes that's what I'd hoped Boffinmum, tbh she took it as the only option instead of a MFL, only French and German at the state school. I told her to do a language but she refused.

A level subject are Chem, Bio, Hist and AS Maths. Just need all A's.

Bugger I knew I should have pushed for ancient Greek to be offered as a GCSE. I needed to find 5 others who wanted to do it and I'd have been a genius!

Well she could probably explain her choice in the personal statement section of the UCAS form in a way that looked intellectual, perhaps.

Thanks for posting the list - I had forgotten about that. Psychology and Sociology fine if you are applying for PPSIS, have interviewed and given places to many who have done those.

Don't know about the Extended Project qualification. I imagine it would not replace one of the bread and butter subjects in the Cambridge list. My admissions people would rather see a language or instrument, I think.

Working hard on something and feeling you have benefited educationally in a broad holistic sense does not seem to be a useful startegy for winning places on competitive university courses. Holism has to be a sideline in your own time.

Another warning is that sometimes schools recommend things they feel they can teach easily rather than what is in the best interests of the pupils in terms of university entrance.

Oh no - don't mean as a replacement, Boffin. Just as an additional. Some say it's accepted as the equivalent of an AS level (it's worth the same number of UCAS points).

And I thought that the whole point of the EPQ was that it was about independent research/study? It is just supervised, not taught.

DS2 is currently planning to do the World Challenge next year (a trip to Iceland). One of the ways in which it was sold to us was on the basis that it could earn him up to 70 extra UCAS points. But how?! I can't see that the top universities are really going to buy that!

We could not take things like World Challenge into account, as it would be divisive. Not all applicants can afford trips.

it would only count for those universities/courses which ask for a certian number of UCAS points rather than grades in specific subjects. I'd expect those to be less well known places and less academic courses tbh. DD1 is doing the EPQ but as an extra, and on a topic relevant to her application. She's not expecting it to make any difference other than as a possible discussion topic in an interview.

To add to the confusion, SV, some universities (some of the better ones as well) make their offers in points and grades!

I think the whole system needs more consistency.

BoffinMum - I agree re the World Challenge thing. I was amazed to hear the organisers pushing it on that basis.

thankfully DD1 is applying for Maths, so I she only needs to worry about grades. And module grades and actual marks. And STEP. And does her personal statement make her sound geeky enough and gloss over all the extra curricular stuff as Maths don't especially want teh well-rounded application that schools tell you you need {wink]

I too am surprised about World Challenge doing this. I will speak to our admissions people about it and get back to you. It sounds a bit disingenuous to me, unless one of the exam boards is validating it as some sort of qualification, and if it is, where does this stop? Does every family ski holiday, language trip and PGL adventure earn 'points' and do 'points make prizes', as Brucie would say?