Offers are in, so how to decide?

[homebythesea]

As my DS embarks on a round of offer holder days, I think the decision making us getting more difficult not easier! So I wondered how your DC's are going about the job of choosing!

It seems to me there are various factors playing on DS's mind (in no particular order)

Achievability of offer (obvs) but more subtly, will striving to meet the offer create so much stress the results will suffer?

Course content/reputation

University reputation/prestige

Accommodation choice/standard

How far away from home

Are friends going there too

Anything else we should be confusing ourselves with taking into account?

I'd also think about study style preferences and contact hours.

Some students are great at being disciplined and independent but others could do with more pastoral support and time with subject tutors to stay on track.

How much support outside of lectures varies enormously from uni to uni, course to course

My son is just reviewing his options and as the courses are neck and neck he is keen on the one which offers opportunities to study abroad. Option to do a term in China, Australia or the US he sees as really appealing. I did Erasmus when I was at uni (only to EU) which was life changing. I dont think that you get many opportunities in life to embed into a culture often.

Hocus
The campus at Exeter is indeed absolutely stunning.
DD and I did a weekend last year - Birmingham, Bath, Exeter
Bath campus was utterly "meh" but the course is amazing so it stayed on the form!
Her current top choice has fab campus, fab course, fab teaching approach
but nothing happens till we hear back from them in't south west!

cruushed
remember that if the vote in June goes the wrong way, UK students will no longer get access to Erasmus

It will take them years to disentangle the EU thing though. My son may be doing Erasmus (although he screwed his Jan exams up so may not be) but I'm not worried about Erasmus students for the next couple of years. Enough European students want to come to the UK that i suspect something will be sorted out even if we leave although someone working in that field may give better advice. I see years of wrangling ahead if we vote out.

Good point - but he is more excited by the opportunities to live and study outside of Europe - ie China, Australia and US.

I'm not worried about Erasmus students for the next couple of years
Forgive me but
ROTFLMAOPMPL
European countries will punish the UK by bringing Visa controls in from day one - by the minute

You have to remember that I'm not British

I know how shitty it can be to move around Europe if one country has a hissy fit.
I could see France from my office but needed a 30 day purchased from London if ever I wanted to go there

Europe has every incentive to make life VERY hard for the UK if the vote goes stupidly : like kicking all of the UK customs out of France and then "letting" foot passengers onto the next boat.

When the 1988 customs rules changes came in, France brought them in 3 minutes late - on principle ......

Its slightly o/t but please, please, please do not bank on your kids having free access to Europe to work or study or play

Well.......decision's made, accomodation applied for

He went for the course his teacher told him was best
On a campus he loved on visiting
Somewhere 2 hrs drive from home (similar train journey)
Where several of his mates are going
Surprisingly going for trad catered accom when he always thought he'd go for self catered flat

So that's that

Oh and no insurance place- 4/5 of his offers were identical so no point after discounting the highest offer place. So it's plan A or clearing......

Home my son is selecting an insurance offer which is the same as his firm - like you most offers the same. We were advised on here to do that as if he misses his grades there is still a chance that his insurance would take him if his firm rejected - and this would avoid clearing....

all explained here...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/2571794-WWYD-re-Firm-Insurance-Manchester-and-Liverpool-hedging-bets-help-please

Ditto. School advice is to put down an insurance even if offers are for the same grades. Then if you drop a grade you can hope one might show flexibility.

DD had an interview today. She loved the course and University but was told she would only hear in 5-6 weeks. Her final interview is next week. Hoping someone can make decisions faster as it would be huge relief to have at least one offer.

The insurance issue was debated at length I assure you! The bottom line was that he didn't want to commit to any of the other options and the UCAS advice and other stuff we read hammers home the point that the insurance choice is a "commitment" and if you decide not to go with the insurance (if it comes to that) this will delay access to clearing on the day. His subject had lots in clearing last year so that is a realistic option for him, or (his preferred option) take a year out and reapply. He's confident enough he will get the grades, he's actually predicted higher in his most recent school report and did v well at AS so in all the circs he and we are comfortable without an insurance option!

That's great news - glad it is all sorted for you. Good luck.

Thanks crussshed I feel it's out of my hands now- up to him to do what he needs to get the grades. He's very motivated (he says) and I take a hands off approach to the schoolwork (always have) so let's see......

Not getting the logic there.
He made his UCAS choices i.e. he decided that these were the best five courses for him.
He has firmed one.
He has now decide that choices 2-5 aren't good enough.
If it comes to clearing, he will go with rejects choices 6 to 999 instead.

senua For a variety of reasons and having gone to offer days etc he decided in the end that 3 of them he didn't see himself at actually, and one would be a bit of a stretch grades wise (and didn't like the vibe anyway). He vastly limited himself by geography in the original trawl, which I felt was a mistake but there you go, and not all RG Uni's do his subject so there wasn't a wide choice.

How are the grey hairs going? I should stick to the Plan A of "hands off approach" if I were you! Sometimes there is no telling them, is there.

Indeed!

I actually admire his confidence mixed with a healthy dose of reality. I might be wrong, but he may well have grown up!

I'm surprised at so many students not really thinking through their 5 choices. My son spent ages deciding which 5 to take and had visited open days at them all beforehand. It seems odd not to take the time to choose your best 5 options and to ensure they are all places you'd want to go to.

I agree with coconutty. Don't assume there hasn't been an awful lot of thought and deliberation. The bottom line is that the student actually has to be comfortable committing themselves to living and studying in a place they think they have a realistic prospect of getting in. After further visits to offer days my DS had more information on which to make up his mind - and made choices accordingly.

I agree with other posters, Talkin. I think that you have to detach from the admissions process and how highly you rate its efficiency. Perceived quality of the admissions process is not a reflection of the things that matter when choosing a university course.

Both my DSSs have chosen courses that made offers late in the cycle (end of March). Both are exceptionally happy with their courses and DSS1, who is at the end of his third year and moving onto the next stage, received all the offers for employment and Masters courses he could only dream of when still at school. What matters is getting to that point, not admissions admin.

There is a little of the dark arts to some parts of the admissions process.

Miss your grade one year and you dont get in miss your grade the next and you do.

I agree with Mummy about RG Universities resting on their laurels, I worked in two. I intend visiting any campus my DC applies to on a non open day to see what it's really like.

I advised up-thread that my ds decision on which uni to firm/insure was getting down to opportunities to study abroad as everything else was the same. Just thought I would put a call in to the department to do a little digging on their international study option to find out that the long list of options on their website refers to the post grad part only and the undergrads only have the option of two really uninspiring international unis and applications are heavily over subscribed .... so all bit misleading ... which would have directed him to firm a uni on the assumption that he could study in the US or Australia ... only to discover when he got there that this was not an option!!