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Higher education

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Original poster

A level results day and UCAS - please can you clarify......

44 replies

Poppledopple · 23/04/2016 19:19

Will DD be able to see that either her firm or conditional has accepted her from UCAS track before she actually knows results? If so at what time? Think I have heard that she may know she is in before she picks up results at school. If this is the case will she also know from UCAS track that both firm and conditional have rejected her (ie she has not made the grades) before she actually goes to school to collect results?

OP posts:
OurBlanche · 23/04/2016 19:23

Yes! If she can get onto Track that is! Some say midnight, some say 3 - 4 am is the best time.

MayhemandMadness · 23/04/2016 19:25

Yes, this us right. She can check on track to find out if she is in. Itvwont show hercresults though do she will still need to go in and collect them. Not sure about the time, think its either 6am or 8am.

If she is not successful, then get her to school as soon as possible. She needs her grades to go through clearing and the sooner she is on the phones the better. Schools usually allow students to ring from there and access to IT. Make sure her phone is charged and plenty of credit, to be on the safe side.

MayhemandMadness · 23/04/2016 19:26

Sorry for all the typos Blush

ChipInTheSugar · 23/04/2016 19:32

Think we knew about 7am that DD had got her offer confirmed.

Original poster
Poppledopple · 23/04/2016 19:42

Wow that is great to know .... what will track show if she has missed both firm and insurance?

Assume that you cant approach your firm or insurance through clearing as they have already rejected you?

OP posts:
OurBlanche · 23/04/2016 19:44

Assume nothing! I have worked the phones in Clearance. If you need to school/college will help and you just start where it feels right... sod the rules, speak to them all Smile

OurBlanche · 23/04/2016 19:46

Argh! Missed a bit... you can go back to both as they may have a similar course or alternative route... take nothing for granted! Ring and talk to them.. not you, her!

VegasIsBest · 23/04/2016 20:05

UCAS track updates about 7.30 to 8am.
Good luck to your daughter. Why is she assuming that she won't meet her offers?

bruffin · 23/04/2016 20:08

Ds got a text at 6am from the uni saying congrats , but dont think that is the norm. Track opened at 7 i think.

Haffdonga · 23/04/2016 20:11

Yes, ds got his UCAS message saying he was accepted onto his firm course at 7.45am. So he knew when he went to pick up his results that he'd got at least the grades they'd asked for.

Original poster
Poppledopple · 23/04/2016 20:28

Not assuming that she wont make her offers at all. She is quietly confident.

I just want to understand how the timelines and process works and I think prepare for the worst and hope for the best is a good approach.

If she ends up in clearing - do uni lines open at 8am? Do you call the uni dept - or is there a dedicated clearing number - should we expect lots of engaged lines - so should you then be ringing 3 unis simultaneously until you get through to one? Does she have to sell herself on the phone - or just register interest and give her UCAS number - have this vision of her having to do an "elevator pitch" ! Surely its not that crude?

OP posts:
Sunshowercap · 23/04/2016 22:09

Call the Clearing number NOT the Department until you're advised to. We're told not to talk directly to applicants in Clearing unless they're referred from our Central Admissions.

She should be prepared to think about an alternative offer from her university if she doesn't make her offer. For example, at my place we have a very popular Combined programme. If applicants don't make their offer for that, but we like them, we might offer them a place on the Single Honours programme.

rightsaidfrederickII · 23/04/2016 22:19

UCAS definitely doesn't update at midnight! Get a good night's sleep and then refresh it at 8am (but don't keep refreshing it - UCAS servers are notorious for crashing on results day, mainly because people keep refreshing!). Read this ucasonline.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/dispelling-myths-about-level-results.html

With regards to your questions

  • each university will have their own line opening times. Closing times will vary - some will be done and dusted by lunchtime.
  • there will be a dedicated Clearing number that is prominently posted on each university's website
  • yes, many lines will be engaged
  • the need for elevator pitches varies, but she shouldn't give one if she's not asked for one. Typically you'll initially get put through to someone who weeds out the no-hopers and those applying for courses that are unavailable in Clearing, and then will be put through to the decision makers, who may ask "tell me why you want to study [x] at [y]. In many cases, however, it will be done purely on grades.
MadisonAvenue · 23/04/2016 22:31

My son found out last year from accommodation services at his first choice - he received an email from them at 6.45am saying congratulations and that they were looking forward to helping him move in. His confirmation then appeared on track at around 7.30am.

As for clearing, he received postcards from his choices in the weeks leading up to results day with all information needed for clearing, should it be necessary.

PointlessFriend · 24/04/2016 00:08

Read up about what to do if you get an alternative course offer as its a bit confusing. One of my friends DC was offered a completely unsuitable course at her firm Uni having missed her grades for her preferred course. It took ages for her firm to release her so she could accept her insurance.

Also, read up on the adjustment process just in case she does a lot better than expected. Some admissions staff don't seem to understand the process.

PointlessFriend · 24/04/2016 00:19

Some Unis allow you to register for adjustment or clearing before results day on the off chance you might need them.

Coconutty · 24/04/2016 07:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Laura812 · 24/04/2016 07:26

Very helpful.
My son went through clearing (we were abroad in a different time zone on a remote island which didn't help but the hotel had a business centre, phone and email) and as far as I remember he telephoned. I imagine it was from around 9am in his case. We won't be going away this year on results day.

Orac · 24/04/2016 09:10

Most schools put out the results online and students can log in to get them, no need to go in.

hellsbells99 · 24/04/2016 09:22

Last year Ucas Track was up at about 7.30am. DD1 then went to school to get her results knowing she had been accepted. Her BF's track didn't show as accepted or rejected as their uni still hadn't made their mind up (missed offer by not getting a specified grade in a subject, although still got the basic grade requirement). Waited from Thursday until the Monday and uni place still 'on hold' so BF asked uni to release them and accepted insurance place.
DD1 has looked at places that said they were in clearing the day before and registered her interest in a couple in case she was rejected

Sunshowercap · 24/04/2016 11:11

My Department is rarely in Clearing or Adjustment, but when we need to pick up maybe 2 or 3 students (if another department has underrecruited), we have likely applicants referred to us.

As I said above, if applicants contact us we refer them back to our Central Admissions people.

Central Admissions refer likely candidates to us. We'll look at the UCAS forms, ad generally do a telephone interview. We want people who want to come to us, not people who are desperate to go anywhere. So it's best not to panic. Take it steadily, do your research. Don't get caught up in the hysteria. The process can take up to two weeks to settle.

Original poster
Poppledopple · 24/04/2016 13:08

Thanks - this is great advice - especially about registering interest ahead for possible clearing.

Also it looks like there is also the possibility of having to wait for a decision for a few days from firm and ins if the grades are just missed - does this mean that you cannot then start clearing until this has been sorted and possibly have missed clearing opportunities elsewhere?

Is there any chance of a change of decision if she sees on track that firm/ins have rejected her straight off - and there are clearing places there - that she could get on the phone in the hope that the clearing places are not filled?

OP posts:
Coconutty · 24/04/2016 15:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sunshowercap · 24/04/2016 15:21

It is unlikely that she'll have to wait too long for her Firm/Insurance choices to be confirm in August. We get results ahead of them being released to candidates. Central Admissions staff work over the entire weekend & all hours to confirm places. Decisions are then relayed to Departments, about a day ahead of release to applicants. There are usual daily meetings of each Faculty's Admissions Tutors, with the Dean, to look at the overall recruitment numbers, and each Department's numbers against targets. (Little by email because we cannot divulge results at all until after they go live on UCAS).

If there are applicants who almost meet their offers and Departments haven't met their target, then departments will be asked if they can relax offers - in my experience, it's on a case by case basis, but I don't work in a mega-huge department. And also, in my experience, if we have candidates whom we've interviewed & offered to, and they've accepted, and we've got space, then we're more likely to take near-misses than go into Adjustment. But note near miss. And we interview, so we have a more rounded picture of each applicant than many other departments may have.

So it's this situation which may take a couple of days. But when I've been Admissions Tutor (no summer holidays those years) I've made decisions about whether or not to accept someone at lower than their offer within the day. The aim is to do it at smoothly & speedily as possible, because we all want certainty. And in departments, we want a cohort of students who actively want to be there.

Sadusername · 24/04/2016 15:24

Coconutty
Did the university put the student in this limbo after they failed to get the grades ? Or had the DC asked for their case to be reconsidered after being rejected? Can you asked to be released before you are rejected?