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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Does a surprisingly low offer.....

26 replies

curlew · 20/12/2013 18:34

.....mean that the University really wants you, or that nobody else wants to do the course and they are desperate for numbers? Dd has an offer of 3Bs to read philosophy at Edinburgh. She's obviously delighted, but I am looking gift horses in the mouth.......

OP posts:
chemenger · 20/12/2013 19:17

It's unlikely that Edinburgh is desperate for numbers. Sometimes they select on high predictions but offer lower. So maybe only AAA predictions have offers but the offer is BBB. Just guessing, not based on inside knowledge. Remember that Scottish university courses are designed to go from Highers, which are roughly similar to AS levels.

rightsaidfrederick · 20/12/2013 21:58

Edinburgh is one of the country's best unis, and she is lucky to have got an offer. The reason for the lower grades could be one or more of the folllowing

  • they really like her
  • she has contextual flags eg deprived postcode, poor school
  • a bit of an Edinburgh specific one, but up until a few years ago they always used to state BBB, expect higher predicted grades but give out BBB offers on the principle that ability wise BBB was all you needed to do the course
  • they're struggling for numbers. But don't let this put you off - most unis are now, and I've heard of some mid-ranking unis losing a quarter of their applicants in a year, with the likes of Edinburgh far from immune to these pressures. Clearing last year was a bloodbath as far as unis were concerned - courses you'd never expect to find in clearing were, and they were taking people who had missed offers by a very wide margin.

Don't try to read too much into it - Edinburgh is a fab uni

rightsaidfrederick · 20/12/2013 22:02

Might like to have a trawl of this to gauge what others are being offered www.thestudentroom.co.uk/search.php?filter%5Bforumid%5D=%2843%29&sortby=date+desc&s=&securitytoken=1387576818-eb658066f8ea8f3196d4f282c65b1c3f7dc6900a&f=43&query=philosophy

secretsantasquirrels · 21/12/2013 10:30

When we went to a Higher education talk at DSs college one quote stuck in my head.
There are two kinds of universities, those who select and those who recruit.
Having said that I thought Edinburgh might have been one of the former?

breatheslowly · 21/12/2013 11:02

When I applied to university they could see which other universities you had applied to. I had a rather surreal interview at Southampton where the interviewer said "we think you'll get into Cambridge and would like you to put us as your insurance offer". I was a bit pissed off to have to drive to Southampton for this conversation as it wasn't an interview. Similarly I got a CC offer from Bristol. Does this happen now? I am not sure if they can see where else you have applied.

chemenger · 21/12/2013 11:22

Universities no longer see where else applicants have applied to.

chemenger · 21/12/2013 11:30

As to recruiting vs selection this applies at programme level rather than university level. Only a few universities, I would think, are selecting for every programme because they are over-subscribed. Even in oversubscribed universities there may well be departments which have to work hard to drum up interest to sustain numbers. This is a good aspect to probe in open days. In my subject we used to be very much recruiting now we are selecting, which is nice, but we can't be complacent that this will continue for ever.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 21/12/2013 11:52

I mean this nicely - but have you ever read those threads where someone comes on to ask if it's normal for their child to be getting Level 6 and they have no idea if that's good or bad? This sounds like that. I'm sure it's not, but:

YES that is a good offer. Yes she should be proud. Now gerrof the net and give her a big hug! ;-)

(I do get that it is different and university stuff is nerve-wracking, just you need to try to relax a bit as she is obviously a clever girl and needs to know she's done well.)

MrsBright · 21/12/2013 12:53

Many Unis are realising that top grades alone do not always mean good students. Many BBB students are far more realistic about the amount of work they need to do once at Uni and 'fight harder' to get good grades rather than expecting this to just land in their lap.

Philosophy is not a popular subject at the moment - many students are over-focused on graduate employment prospects and therefore shying away from purely academic courses like Philosophy. BBB will reflect the Uni's analysis of application numbers vs offers vs firms vs student through the door in October.

So ... don't be suspicious. If its the subject she enjoys and a Uni where she'll be happy, go for it.

lljkk · 21/12/2013 12:56

I work one of those Uni depts that are supposed to be very difficult to get into, always rather over-subb'd, & I was surprised that their offer was "only" AAA. I guess interviews and other factors can count for a lot.

Original poster
curlew · 21/12/2013 15:25

Oh, LRD-it really isn't and I was really worried it would look like that! Serves me right, though, I've teased people on threads like that before. Of course I am bursting with pride and I know it's fantastic. I just thought it was odd- she hasn't got any of the "markers" for a lower offer, (postcode, challenging school) and she's got much higher offers from less prestigious universities. I just wondered why.

OP posts:
LRDtheFeministDragon · 21/12/2013 15:46

Oh, don't let me being daft get to you! It's just I am on your thread about Christmas books for her too, and it's obvious she is doing really well.

Congratulations to her and to you!

Original poster
curlew · 21/12/2013 16:15

She is. It's her birthday today, too. I am liable to burst into tears at the least provocation.

OP posts:
Original poster
curlew · 21/12/2013 16:17

But I have to say it feels very weird that she's now got Edinburgh as her "safety"!

OP posts:
BitOfFunWithSanta · 21/12/2013 16:20

Aw, happy birthday to her! You must be really proud- it's an exciting time, isn't it? My dd1 has also had an offer from Edinburgh too- it's a great university and a beautiful city. Cold though Xmas Grin

secretsantasquirrels · 21/12/2013 16:29

Happy birthday curlew's DD Smile
My DS is 18 soon, how did that happen?
LRD it is stressful all this university stuff because it's a bittersweet thing. Your pfb pride and joy is starting an exciting new stage in life and you want it all to be right.
Then we'll be sobbing consoling each other on the empty nest thread next autumn.

noddyholder · 21/12/2013 16:31

My ds got an unconditional offer and his tutors said it was because his portfolio was amazing and he can talk for England because he is a lazy student ( their words) so I am hoping they really want her!

LRDtheFeministDragon · 21/12/2013 16:36

Happy Birthday to her!

secret, I can see that. Sorry. Blush I was only meaning, for goodness' sake, boast about this stuff and feel proud.

secretsantasquirrels · 21/12/2013 16:55

I know that LRD Wink.

creamteas · 21/12/2013 17:18

Lots of unis (my own included) have lowered offers a bit this year. We think that the loss of January exams will lead to a drop in grades and want to avoid having lots of places in clearing.

This concern is also reflected in the predictions from schools which also seem to be lower in comparison to AS results than in previous years.

secretsantasquirrels · 21/12/2013 17:35

creamteas, I am sure you are right, no retakes for these students. At least this year's crop of applicants had the January exams in their AS year and so any that under estimated the work required had that shock warning experience.
When they make A levels a 2 year terminal exam again ....

sashh · 22/12/2013 07:38

It means they want you.

Someone in the year above me at VI form (in the days of the dinosaurs) was given an offer of EE to read maths at Oxford.

Oxford are not desperate to fill any courses.

Slipshodsibyl · 22/12/2013 07:49

How fantastic to have an offer like that from a lovely university in a beautiful city. Congratulations.

MagratGarlik · 24/12/2013 08:34

In my previous position, I once made an offer to a student of BBC for a VERY competitive course at a RG university.

The student did exceptionally well at interview, had a ton of relevant work-related experience and particularly in the technical interview demonstrated that she had a better grasp of fundamentals in the subject than many of the AAA candidates (some of whom gave the impression of having rote learned the relevant material, but their knowledge fell apart when pushed).

If your DD has a low offer, it means she has impressed them and they want her to study there.

Lottiedoubtie · 24/12/2013 08:42

One of my pupils has got an unconditional offer from a RG uni this year.

Remarkable as he's bright, but not exceptional ifyswim.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth Grin