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Higher education

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

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Original poster

Advice please for dd about University offers.

21 replies

Martorana · 14/04/2014 19:17

Dd is in the very lucky position of having 5 offers (the advantage of wanting to study a minority subject!) she now has to accept two- a first and an insurance. The problem she has is that the one she wants to be her first choice has made her a significantly lower offer than all the others- so she is in the ridiculous position of having an insurance type offer from her first choice university. What should she do? If she puts it first, she will be putting 3 Bs as her first choice and AAB as her insurance. Which is silly, isn't it?

OP posts:

HolidayCriminal · 14/04/2014 19:20

Presumably her 1st choice is weaker in research, but it can still be her first choice for other very good valid reasons. Don't the offers often change between now & August (showing my ignorance, maybe).

AndIFeedEmGunpowder · 14/04/2014 19:22

I did that years ago when I applied to Uni!

zebrastripe · 14/04/2014 19:26

That is irritating. She should still put the one she wants to go to as her firm. Do any of the others have the same requirements? Or require grades in specific subjects? Maybe look to see if any of them entered clearing last year in which case they may still accept her if she gets lesser grades?

AllMimsyWereTheBorogroves · 14/04/2014 19:32

Well done to her, Martorana! HolidayCriminal, I don't think the offers can change once they're made and accepted, although once the results are out the university has the option of relaxing the conditions a bit for candidates who don't get the grades they asked for.

I have a feeling that there are circumstances in which it would be advantageous to have that insurance offer even though it doesn't seem on the face of it that it will ever be needed, but I can't remember what they are. I suppose if your daughter got BBC and could make out a good case for why she'd dropped so far below her predicted grades (I'm assuming they're higher than AAB), it's just possible that her firm would say no* and her insurance would say yes, but I can't imagine that's a very likely situation to arise.

*say because making lots of BBB offers meant that they had lots and lots of offerholders who met or exceeded the offer conditions, possibly more than they felt they could comfortably manage, and they could therefore afford not to say yes to those who got below BBB. Meanwhile the AAB place might be struggling to fill all the places...

I think if it were me I would fret about having only one offer accepted when I could have had a safety net, unlikely though it is that the other offer will come into play.

Original poster

Martorana · 14/04/2014 19:37

Her first choice, the 3Bs one is Edinburgh, which is obviously a "first choice" sort of place. The one she wants to put second is Kings with AAB. The others are 3As, 3As and ABB.

OP posts:

Clobbered · 14/04/2014 19:41

Just accept the Edinburgh offer and don't bother with the rest.

SallyForthmadeerie · 14/04/2014 19:55

It's possible they have made her what is (for a good University today) a fairly low offer because they are very keen to have her as a student - we don't have this flexibility anymore - my University is keen to keep all offers high to demonstrate how picky we are but Edinburgh might? It's verging on an unconditional offer if you daughter is predicted higher grades. So I wouldn't be worried about having Edinburgh as her first choice. I know several people who went there as a student and had a fabulous time.

That said, the only reason I can think of to for her to keep an insurance is if she is likely to change her mind before August about going to Edinburgh - say if she does fabulously well and wants to go to a 3As sort of place!

Other wise as Clobbered says, it's barely worth bothering with the insurance offer - my daughter was in a very similar position and she didn't.

Original poster

Martorana · 14/04/2014 20:05

She's predicted A*AA- but the 3Bs has thrown her rather....

Sods Law says it demotivates her, she stops working and ends up with 3Ds!

OP posts:

Hassled · 14/04/2014 20:07

Agree she should stick to her initial first choice - and I've always thought Edinburgh would be great city to be a student in.

AllMimsyWereTheBorogroves · 14/04/2014 20:20

Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. (Yes, I am biased.)

Do you live in London, Martorana, and if so if she did end up at King's would she live at home? I wouldn't have lived at home as a student for anything. Of course, I had the luxury of being a student in the days of grants, so it was affordable to go to university a long way off.

Original poster

Martorana · 14/04/2014 20:23

No she wouldn't live at home wherever she goes. I yearn for the days of the full grant too- I spent 4 years in St Andrews at the tax payer's expense.....

OP posts:

Roseformeplease · 14/04/2014 20:23

Put her 2nd choice 2nd, regardless of grades. If she does drop down, they will be more likely to look at her if she had them as a choice.

Edinburgh is fantastic - I have lots of ex-pupils there. We also visit a lot and rent out a flat there so know it well. Well done her!

pebblyshit · 14/04/2014 20:26

If she puts Kings first and gets the grades then she has to go. If she wants to go to Edinburgh then she has to firm it otherwise she could end up in the position of getting AAB and not being able to go.

Savoytruffle · 14/04/2014 20:33

Gut instinct good. Your DD is really lucky to have it.. Its her choice, her life... Her debt, sorry to say. So the choice has to be down to many criteria, is she choosing for the reasons that matter to her eg good chance of getting in accommodation, good course, good campus life, good facilities for the sports/ activities she likes doing. Is she happy with the distance from your family home etc etc

If thats Edinburgh, fantastic!

MincingOnBy · 14/04/2014 20:49

She should go for Edinburgh if it is the one she wants. It's an excellent university and in no way inferior to the likes of Kings. Edinburgh give out fewer offers but tend to make them a bit lower. However, they only tend to make the offers to those who are on straight As. As someone said above I think it is a little bit like making unconditional offers to the people they want. I know a number of people who were rejected from Edinburgh but got into Oxford - just goes to show Edinburgh is pretty picky.

I was at Edinburgh with a BBB offer but had straight As. Same story for pretty much everyone else I knew there (remember people discussing in Freshers' week).

Good luck to your DD whatever she decides. She must be a bright girl and I'm sure she will do very well! What is her subject just out of interest?

senua · 14/04/2014 21:30

If she puts it first, she will be putting 3 Bs as her first choice and AAB as her insurance. Which is silly, isn't it?

Silly, maybe. Uncommon, no. There seems to be a trend these days of prestigious places making low offers to very desirable applicants.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!

Original poster

Martorana · 14/04/2014 22:46

MincingOnBy- philosophy.

Senua- far from looking a gift horse in the mouth, she's grasping it firmly by the forelock!

OP posts:

MillyMollyMama · 15/04/2014 09:38

DD got a lower offer from her first choice. It was the lowest of the lot. She only made the one firm choice and no insurance. She would have taken a gap year if it had gone pear shaped, but it was very low! You must always put your first choice as the firm one, as long as you are certain about it. I would choose Edinburgh over Kings by the way so go for it. Kings wont be short of students though as lots of overseas students love London.

Shootingatpigeons · 16/04/2014 12:06

My daughter was in a similar position and has firmed a first choice that has a lower offer than her insurance. It's a perfectly rational decision on all fronts except that it gives her an insurance that is a higher offer than her first choice. The course she has firmed is the one she preferred, higher in the league tables (but not so much that employers are likely to appreciate the distinction) and in the city she preferred. I don't think that is a silly choice in the least.

Her insurance however was one of those that gave you a unconditional/low offer if you firmed them that reverted to 3 As if you didn't. She had two of those offers. Ironically having gone to see the insurance uni and come to appreciate that it was a great course and she would be more than happy to study there she came to the conclusion that given she was sure she would be happy anywhere the decision wasn't as complicated as she thought. So she went with her heart, thus making it a lot easier for those struggling to advise her given all the rational factors were definitely on swings and roundabouts

There has been a change in the environment for those with predictions of ABB and better and so what might have seemed silly in the past isn't any longer.

starving · 17/04/2014 22:40

Edinburgh is a great university, and a great city (Am biased - it is home!)

2rebecca · 17/04/2014 23:43

It means she doesn't need an insurance. years ago my first choice uni made me the lowest offer so i accepted that one and rejected the others. My son has an unconditional from his first choice. I'm not sure why you're finding it so complicated. It should be a good thing!

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