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Higher education

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

Original poster

Uni offers for 2017 start

980 replies

Carriemac · 19/10/2016 07:25

Could we have a handholding thread? I have two DCs going through UCSS at the moment, would love to obsess here so I can appear calm on the outside.
LNAT results go to the UNIs tomorrow I think, so offers could be rolling in soon for DD who has applied for law.

OP posts:
titchy · 14/11/2016 19:26

Former polytechnics were accredited by the CNAA, but universities have always been able to award their own degrees and effectively set their own standards, despite the external examiner system, so no one has ever been able to truly claim that all firsts etc were equal.

The reality is that you can't really compare institutions, despite the government being desperate to. A high tariff institution won't have a large range of a level grades - and in truth an Astar, A, A student isn't significantly more able than an AAB student. And even at lower tariff places which might have a broader range of a level grades, students are so much more than the sum of their tariff points in any case. And universities don't like getting rid of students who are struggling - so they put interventions in place, study support, extra tutorials, access funds etc so those that are struggling for whatever reason get some help.

user7214743615 · 14/11/2016 19:42

So, say there is a computer science degree at XXX University with 200 students who have a wide variety of A'level grades ranging from a few who achieved all A stars down to a few that have just scraped in with ABC. What I was curious to know is how much more likely for the students with the top A'level to do well in their degree compared with the students with much lower A'level grades. Presumably someone has done research on this. 🤔

Individual courses do analyse this, yes, but as other posters have said the variation is usually not as much as A stars down to ABC. In subjects like mine (maths related), students having two or more grades below the average for the course don't tend to do well. There is little correlation between average, one grade above average and one grade below average with final results. Several grades above average students tend to do better, but this indicates that they could perhaps have gone to higher ranked institutions.

Cambridge sees a direct correlation between results on the math STEP papers with maths degree results - this is why they are so keen on using STEP to select maths students.

Lollollollol · 14/11/2016 21:34

Thanks for the replies. I've no particular reason for asking other than curiosity. Thankfully A'levels are all done and dusted in my house.

CharliePurple · 15/11/2016 16:28

Hey, I just found this thread.
Ds has applied for sociology, he got three offers through so far but one is contextual so is AAB not AstarAA. His favourite is AAA and the one that was going to be his insurance is BBC, he's predicted AAA so he's now got to decide whether to go for AAA for his firm and AAB for his insurance as that's his second favourite and forget the BBC offer.

user1479227205 · 15/11/2016 16:32

DD has applied to Durham, Bristol, Exeter, Manchester, and LSE... After an awful year having lost her dad she got AAAB and is predicted AAA, I couldn't be more proud of her. Needless to say, I'm struggling to understand the whole UCAS system :S

simbobs · 15/11/2016 18:21

Anyone had any MFL offers from Lancaster? hat's the only one we are waiting for.

Original poster
Carriemac · 16/11/2016 06:59

User1479 what's your DDs subject?

OP posts:
Needmoresleep · 16/11/2016 07:55

Well done to your daughter 1479. Be aware though that, depending on subject, offers from Durham and LSE can come through very late. Three years ago DS was kept waiting until late March before hearing from Warwick, UCL and LSE for economics. Then two rejections and an acceptance from LSE. He has thrived there, and feels it was the right decision, even though clearly he was not the one doing the deciding!

teta · 16/11/2016 08:40

My daughter has applied for Vet. Medicine.She has had one interview at Nottingham and has been invited for two more at Liverpool and Surrey..Still waiting to hear from the last one Bristol which was her favourite.I think I'm finding it all more nerve-wracking than her!

CQ · 17/11/2016 15:40

DS just texted - he's got an interview at Cambridge Shock

I texted huge congrats back and then immediately asked where, when, what time, how long etc - all the essential info that mothers need to process. Nothing. He has no sense of how excited I am by all this - living vicariously through him!

OddBoots · 17/11/2016 15:56

How exciting yet frustrating CQ, I hope he gets back to you quickly.

jeanne16 · 17/11/2016 16:44

CQ- may I ask which course he applied for?

ErrolTheDragon · 17/11/2016 17:48

DD heard today she's got a Cambridge interview tooSmile

HamletsSister · 17/11/2016 17:58

Can I ask what subjects at Cambridge? I have a pupil waiting to hear about Modern Languages.

LittleHoHum · 17/11/2016 17:59

Fantastic Errol. Smile

Still waiting here for the last two universities to reply. Southampton interview on Saturday.

ErrolTheDragon · 17/11/2016 18:11

Hamlet - engineering. But she reckons that when you hear depends on the college, and most people haven't heard yet.

CharliePurple · 17/11/2016 20:44

Excellent news CQ and Errol :)

Hollybollybingbong · 17/11/2016 21:08

Congrats to Errol and CQ, I trust DS is still keeping an eye on his junk folder CQ!

Original poster
Carriemac · 18/11/2016 14:14

DD has been invited for interview at Oxford!

OP posts:
ono40 · 18/11/2016 16:21

DS just got his first offer for History at Newcastle, AAA or AAB with A in EPQ. He's very pleased.

OddBoots · 18/11/2016 16:53

DS has had an offer for what he hopes will be his insurance place at City, they have given him the standard offer as we would have expected.

CQ · 18/11/2016 17:23

jeanne16, Hamlet - he's applied for engineering, like Errol's DD.

And yes, thank you Holly I believe he is now checking the spam folder daily too!

Congrats Carrie - is that the interview that can go on for several days? A friend's DD went through that last year for Geography - sounds like quite an ordeal but she made some good friends through it, a couple of whom are now Bristol with her.

DS's school have been helping them with some interview practice for Cambridge, though it seems a shot in the dark as past questions have been things like 'How much do you think a tiger eats every day?' or solve 'some random equation that they have possibly never seen before'. There appears to be no right answer to these, they just want to see how they might approach it and offer a plausible solution.

Apparently my answer of 'tigers don't eat every day' would not have got me into Cambridge Hmm

ErrolTheDragon · 18/11/2016 17:40

CQ - it may well vary by college how they do the interviews, DDs says they give them a problem half an hour before so they can make a start without someone breathing down their neck.
Are your DSs other choices gen eng or a specific discipline?

jeanne16 · 18/11/2016 17:55

CQ. My DS has just heard he has an Engineering interview at Cambridge. Really thrilled although I know the odds are still poor.

CQ · 18/11/2016 22:29

Errol, he's mostly going for gen eng as he really doesn't know what he wants to do ultimately, he just loves maths and physics but doesn't want to do pure maths or physics.

Jeanne, great news for your DS. It's a great achievement just to get invited for interview at Cambridge, isn't it? My mum is pleased as punch - boring all her friends rigid, no doubt!