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Higher education

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

Original poster

Exeter offers : incompetent or arrogant?

620 replies

TalkinPeace · 25/03/2016 22:42

DD submitted her form last October
Exeter have still not had the courtesy to send an offer (the other four Unis all have)
when phoned they said

  • no offers have been issued (bollocks as DDs friends have theirs)
  • offers will be made by end of December (bollocks as its now late march)
  • offers will be made right after the UCAS cut off date (bollocks as it was in January)
  • offers will be made by the end of March ........

Exeter are arrogant liars
the word needs to go round

OP posts:
butteredmuffin · 03/04/2016 12:41

Exeter have always adopted a policy of making very high offers. I think it's because they don't want to be the insurance choice. I applied to read English at Exeter in 2004 when the standard offer was AAB/ABB. They made me an offer of AAAB (which is what I was predicted). When I queried it they changed it to AAA. In the end I decided to take a gap year and re-apply, so I withdrew my UCAS application. The following year I put Exeter down as one of my choices again and they made me an unconditional offer (I still didn't go there though). I think their strategy is to try and discourage people who don't want to make a firm commitment.

Still mystified as to why the OP appears to be expecting "an offer" rather than "a response". Perhaps it was just badly worded, but even the very best candidate cannot guarantee that they will get an offer from any university. Nobody knows quite what the admissions tutors are looking for, and it could be that an otherwise stellar candidate has something in their personal statement which is off-putting.

quit2dis · 03/04/2016 12:45

Exeter don't have a policy of high offers in sciences. They aren't competing with the top universities in sciences and they are under-recruiting students.

butteredmuffin · 03/04/2016 12:54

Oh well, it's probably that they are the fifth choice for lots of would-be medics then, and they want to see how many people accept before making further offers. There's nothing the OP or her DD can do except wait and see.

For what it's worth, the OP should probably just cool it a bit - this is her DD's business after all.

BertrandRussell · 03/04/2016 13:02

Completely off topic- but hello to the mothers of other NYT hopefuls!

Sunshowercap · 03/04/2016 13:11

I discussed this with colleagues at Exeter when I was an External Examiner there. Back then (about 5 years ago), they tended to make offers at the level of the school prediction. Which is why there are variable offers. But it may all have changed with the cap off and ABB entrants being the point at which a university attracts maximum funding.

butteredmuffin · 03/04/2016 13:35

I always thought that was a bit of an odd approach. In my first application cycle I ended up making Exeter my firm choice but I was in two minds about it because I knew that if I got less than AAA I would miss my offer. They were oversubscribed that year as well, so if I had got AAB I would have missed my offer and had to go to my insurance choice instead (and been bottom of the pile for accommodation etc) whereas someone with an ABB offer who actually got ABB would have had their place confirmed. It was quite stressful and didn't seem very logical given that Nottingham (who had a better reputation) had made me an ABB offer.

EricNorthmanSucks · 03/04/2016 16:01

bert my DD is in NYT and helped out at one of the audition days in London during this cycleGrin.

StopBoasting · 03/04/2016 16:20

It must be getting increasing precarious for Universities to place so much emphasis on an applicants predicted grades seeing as the accuracy of predicted grades is rapidly getting worse and worse.

THIS recent BBC article states
52% of A-level accepts have missed their grades by two or more grades over the portfolio of three A-levels.

Molio · 03/04/2016 21:14

StopBoasting some schools may need to be a bit more careful about their references too, given that some (Oxbridge) admissions tutors are finding that certain well known schools' references don't match up to what comes through the interview door. They need to be careful they don't devalue all their references by trying to big up the weaker candidates. I wonder if independent parents are able to influence the schools reference? (that comment was made this weekend, about this year's interviews and a particular school).

BertrandRussell · 03/04/2016 21:22

Oh, Eric, it would be weird if she had been at Ds's. He had a lovely time and said the people were all really nice. So let's say she was. Grin

Molio · 03/04/2016 21:26

It wouldn't be that weird Bert. DC mentioned on these boards often collide because the education boards are quite narrow.

BertrandRussell · 03/04/2016 21:29

It would wouldn't really, Moliio- I think the auditions went on for a couple of months!

Molio · 03/04/2016 21:35

How many kids try out for how many places then? That sounds like thousands!

BertrandRussell · 03/04/2016 21:51

I think- don't quote me- it's about 5000 auditioning for 300 places.,

BertrandRussell · 03/04/2016 21:52

That's not just London, though.

bruffin · 03/04/2016 22:12

Dd auditioned last year. Didnt get in but had a brilliant day.

Devilishpyjamas · 03/04/2016 23:23

Ds2 loved the NYT audition. Really enjoyed the workshop (although said he was by far the youngest there) and came back bruised from getting hit in the face with a bin (God knows how - he was being picked up by someone or something?) He's very used to auditions so the monologue didn't faze him but he's never had an interview before and thinks he was a bit gormless in that. He's not expecting to get in at 14 but enjoyed the day. He said the helpers were great (not in London though).

BertrandRussell · 04/04/2016 07:29

Yes, ds was 14 too. He was a bit over confident with his monologue, so I don't think it went as well as it could have done, but he really enjoyed the workshop. Not expecting to get in- we don't know anyone who got in first time. Actually, I think he's assuming he hasn't because he hasn't heard yet!

gooru · 04/04/2016 07:42

I can't believe OP actually telephoned the university.

Shock

Back away!! It's nothing to do with you!

Devilishpyjamas · 04/04/2016 07:42

The results all go out on the same day - no-one has heard yet. They only finished auditioning last week!

BertrandRussell · 04/04/2016 07:47

Yes, I know- but ds doesn't. And I'm not telling him!

Devilishpyjamas · 04/04/2016 08:07

Oh I see. DS2 has had previous long audition waits so is very good at immediately forgetting everything he's just done. I quite like the long wait ones - easier on (my) nerves than doing hours of rounds & chucking people out after each round.

Choosing a monlogue was tricky as very inbetween ages and his voice was sort of mid break.

BertrandRussell · 04/04/2016 08:20

Yep- ds had that monologue problem too. Difficult when they don't want to do children's stuff but they are a bit too young for the young men's roles. Ds changed his mind at the last minute, which was ......unwise....shall we say!

Devilishpyjamas · 04/04/2016 08:29

Thank god they don't have to sing for NYT - his singing voice is all over the place & has been for months now. He visited a show he used to be in a few months ago and the MD told him it can take until TWENTY for the voice to break properly. I was thinking I hope it makes its bloody mind up before his GCSE music exam. Longest voice break ever. Ds1 is non-verbal but I'm sure his just changed overnight.

bruffin · 04/04/2016 08:29

It was 23rd april last year nyt sent emails out.

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