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Higher education

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

Original poster

Ds offered a Masters scholarship.

23 replies

AtAmber · 06/12/2016 20:38

Ds will be taking A Levels in the summer and has put in his uni applications. He's had some conditional offers. Today he has received a masters scholarship offer from one of his choices. However he needs to get higher grades than he's been predicted, A*AA instead of AAB. It says on the uni website that there are only 50 scholarships. Is this a usual thing to happen, does anyone else have experience of this? This uni was his fifth choice and he hasn't visited it so we don't really know what to do. Does anyone have any advice?

OP posts:
titchy · 06/12/2016 20:47

Well he hasn't been offered it really has he? He's been told that they offer some cash to those with very high grades. It's not unusual and is just a way of attracting very high tariff entrants. Don't let it influence him at all.

Original poster
AtAmber · 06/12/2016 21:00

He will get £10,000.00 to do a masters when he's finished his degree if he does it at this university.

OP posts:
Coolpineapple123 · 06/12/2016 21:02

Lots of unis offer fee waivers or stipends for PG students to their alumni. It won't be an offer, just a way of attracting students. Unis are a business after all

Coolpineapple123 · 06/12/2016 21:03

10k will be in place of taking out the MA loan that is now in place

Wex · 07/12/2016 13:05

It's probably not as great as it sounds.
When my DC applied to unis there were several that offered inducements to choose them, most noticeably these were not the first choice unis.
All the unis were keen for DC to apply for integrated masters rather than BSc.
One offered all expenses summer placement abroad, another offered £3000 lump sum.
Many unis offer reduced fees on masters courses to students who did their undergrad degree there.
He has plenty of time to decide and will probably be invited to an offer holder day so could visit then.

TheMortificadosDragon · 07/12/2016 13:20

There were a couple of scholarships mentioned during open days for DDs course - not for postgrad masters as its MEng anyway. IIRC it was if you put them as first choice and also best grades in the cohort. So basically a carrot to encourage some high achieving students to choose them - but they're not the top ranking places so DD would only be considering them as the reserve.

If its a case where its one of your DCs equally preferred first choices then great but otherwise maybe not.

jeanne16 · 07/12/2016 13:44

Atamber, would you mind telling us which uni?

Oblomov16 · 07/12/2016 14:17

This would majorly put me off. Are they cheapskates? desperate to attract high quality candidates?
I went to the Uni that was best for my MA.
That was my first and almost only criteria.

TheMortificadosDragon · 07/12/2016 14:38

I don't think it should necessarily put someone off IF it was a place they might have chosen anyway - the uni may well have had a legacy or sponsorship specifically for scholarships.

cheekyfunkymonkey · 07/12/2016 14:45

Congratulations. Is a master's something he is likely to want to do? Would he want to go to the uni? Is he likely to get the grades? Lots for him to consider but options are not bad things.

Original poster
AtAmber · 07/12/2016 22:24

I've been at work and not able to use my phone sorry. The offer is for Sheffield and he'll be studying History and Russian. It wasn't one of his first choices, he only put it on his application to make up the numbers and he didn't go to an open day there. I think he could possibly get the grades if he put the work in but they are higher than his predicted grades. I don't think he'd thought about a masters until he got this offer.

OP posts:
IHateDailyMailJournos · 08/12/2016 00:05

Maybe it's worth a visit. All the kids I know at Sheffield Uni love it.

Original poster
AtAmber · 08/12/2016 07:13

Yes I think we will arrange a visit.

OP posts:
titchy · 08/12/2016 07:59

Please dont this sway him. If he firms Sheffield on the basis of £10k towards a masters (is Sheffield the best place for an MA, does he even want to do an MA, is he happy borrowing more money to do an MA, what do other universities offer as an inducement to their graduates), but doesn't get the grades, he'll be gutted cos he'll have missed the chance to go where he actually wanted.

TheMortificadosDragon · 08/12/2016 09:23

TBH, schools tend to make the predictions realistic or even optimistic so two grades more sounds quite a stretch. I think titchy is right - although if he and you can spare the time a visit can't hurt to see if it is somewhere he would like regardless of this, it is a nice uni (my DD is there for an interview today, different subject and prob 2nd or 3rd on her list at the moment)

IHateDailyMailJournos · 08/12/2016 11:34

Two grades higher than predicted is very unlikely. In 2015 only 1.9 per cent of uK 18 year olds applicants holding A levels exceeded their predicted grades by two grades INFO HERE

It's also stated in the report than In 2015, applicants holding unconditional firm offers were 23 per cent more likely to miss their predicted attainment by two or more grades, compared to applicants holding conditional firm offers and considering that over half of all applicant already miss their predicted grades by TWO OR MORE grades then that's quite significant.

BTW if I was your son and I liked the look of the course I'd still try and visit Sheffield.

TheMortificadosDragon · 08/12/2016 11:48

That looks interesting, will have to read it properly later - thanks. BTW, I thought the link hadn't worked at first, it did an automatic download of a pdf, in case anyone else is wanting to look at it.

Original poster
AtAmber · 08/12/2016 19:35

Titchy - that is exactly what I was thinking. His first choice would be Leeds, second Manchester. He loved both of those and would be really happy to go to either. He needs AAB for Leeds and ABB for Manchester which hopefully he will get.

OP posts:
titchy · 08/12/2016 19:45

There's also no guarantee he'd be accepted onto a Sheffield MA in any case - if he only got a 3rd for instance.

BerylThePeril44 · 08/12/2016 19:55

Look at Sheffield anyway - my son's there and is having a ball!

Manumission · 14/12/2016 01:43

jeanne Sheffield makes this type of offer to all new undergraduates.

Manumission · 14/12/2016 01:44

Oops - flipped the thread BlushSmile

DollyPlastic · 14/12/2016 21:39

DS was offered 'scholarships' at two of the unis he applied for. It basically meant they would give him a cash reward for picking them.

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