Universities bribing dcs with free gifts - has anyone else's dc had this??!

[headfried]

My ds got an unconditional offer from UEA but it was his least favourite; hasn't yet decided on his firm.

Had had various letters, calls etc from UEA - ds is predicted good grades so I can see why.

But today, ds got...a free pair of Apple headphones through the post from UEA!

Real ones.

And the best bit is...ds is now thinking of going there as a result.

Anyone else's dcs feeling the lurve?

No bribes, unless 5 free pens count, oh sorry Ds got free T shirt for mum tweeting we where at offers day, and a uni Hoodie on firming, which he proudly wears.
They are encouraged to selfie and add to University snapchat/instragram and he is on numerous FB pages.
One gave us free ice cream on open/offers day it is by the sea. His final choice 2 pens.
He is going on an unconditional offer to an ex Higher Education college, never was even a polytechnic and a university in 1992. To be fair, it was his joint 1st choice and he was offered unconditional offer 24 hours after applying on 18th December.

The snobbery of Oxbridge and RG users is so sad, his university is in the top 50 in uk, some tables top 30, Gold rated in TEF and much more important gets 99% of his course graduates into work/further study. Plus has major links to local industry, public services and local/national government.
It sounds like the parents of privileged kids wanting no one less privileged or slightly less intelligent of have away into their lives and possibly increasing social mobility.

Thought that it is interesting that HEPI report in widening participation and fair access, competes turns all league tables upside down, with Hull top, Cambridge bottom and Oxford in bottom 5. I believe no RG in top 20 or even 30. Seems to back up snobbery on here well. Plus not one mention on it on any mumsnet education thread, wonder why?

www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/HEPI-Policy-Note-6-Benchmarking-widening-participation-FINAL.pdf

The HEPI policy note to which *user^ refers. Interesting reading

I feel sorry for ops who start a nice light hearted thread then it suddenly turns all heavy.

All dd has had was an advent calendar telling her behind each door what a wonderful time she would have if she went to that uni. Hilariously most of it was of course opened at a time of year when she wouldn't be at the university anyway even if she had chosen there.

Not even a sniff of chocolate, headphones or socks

not convinced about the sniffing of socks kitten :)

Literally just commenting to give some love to UEA 💕💕 The Russell Group is a load of wank anyway, choosing your uni based on that is basically just admitting that you want to be seen as superior

My son was sent a sweet. A wrapped piece of seaside rock (not a whole stick) with the university's name running through it.

He's just finishing his third year at that university. Not sure if the sweet had any bearing on his decision as he didn't actually eat it. He left it on his bookcase and his little brother scoffed it.

Sorry, Kitten.
Didn't mean to sound heavy. Just not every one's DC are RG/Oxbridge candidate's, and many jobs like teaching, nursing, policing and civil service are no longer available, or soon won't be, without a degree. So someone has to educate these.
We loved the Ice Cream, but still the university failed to get him interested.
Just think some big names are resting on their laurels, where the so call "recruiting universities" are fast upping their games and giving the RG types a run for their money.

Some more love for UEA. My DS is there doing a competitive course. Without wanting to sound snobby, I have to say that he has never once had as low as a B grade in anything, GCSE, AS or A levels. He is a very intelligent lad and had plenty of choices but went for UEA.
Fortunately I was in a good position to tell him the truth about the Russell Group myth having been to Lancaster myself. Top 10 in every table, I'll have you know 😁

DS has very recently received a "limited edition" poster with his name printed on the bottom from Birmingham. Don't think that's going to work as an incentive. They've also offered monetary incentives if he firms and if he gets grades above his offer.

Ds1 was given an unconditional which he accepted and did take the stress of him for the exams

In his case and his case only it was great for his mental health and he really did put a lot of effort in to getting the best grades he could

He did really badly in his AS levels (got him tested in the end ) and had to retake every one of his year one exams at the same time as his year two

Oh sorry

He got chocolates and mini filofaxes etc from two of the unis

Dd got her free headphones today but she had already said no.
She got socks , teabag and notebook from Northampton
Oxford Brookes gave her a refuced offer

Shes gone with Cardiff where she will get a Welsh NHS bursery but low maintenance low, so not sure how we are going to afford it

Low maintenance loan

Waves at bruffin whose DD also got the socks. I'd forgotten about the teabag and notebook.

Waves back thesecondofhername I forgot the laptop

Like Rufus Ds had referral to CAHMS during Year 12 and this summer, lost Chemistry AS, so only got Geography and History A2 and Extra A2 at world development, plus AS Criminology, so his unconditional offer was a god send for him.
But we got no socks, chocolates, headphones, laptop offers or cheap tuition fees or accommodation or lower offers( even though he attends 2nd worse school in our county)
Just pens, ice cream cones x2, T shirt, Hoodie and a few postcards.

Plus no RG university in sight

We haven't had any free gifts. Dd has an unconditional offer at a non RG uni, which is in the top 10 for her course in any league table (including the one about widening participation). She also has a monetary incentive to get grades higher than the published offer, so she's working bloody hard in order to get the few thousand pounds available for top grades. Headphones wouldn't have been any sort of incentive for her but cold hard cash is definitely worth it.

Hope your ds is doing better user

Ds1 seems to have enjoyed his first year , definitely a good uni for him

DS1 has also had to manage long term health problems which include an anxiety disorder. He was under CAMHS from Y9 and was on a modified timetable from Y10 to Y12. He managed to take 8 GCSEs which was impressive after the work he had missed.

For him, having an unconditional offer as his insurance is positive and helpful. He is not slacking off, as he still hopes to achieve grades close to his firm (conditional) offer. Having an unconditional offer as a back-up has reduced his anxiety and enabled him to function well enough to complete his coursework and start revising.

His health and wellbeing are more important than what grades he gets or what rank of university he goes to.

I got an unconditional offer from UCL back in the 90s, which was fab and let me relax and not stress about my A-levels, which bizarrely got me better grades than if I'd been panicking about the outcome.

Headphones would have been useless back then - I didn't even have a Walkman

I was just curious about whether UCL still gives unconditionals.

user1471450935 I'm not sure you've read the thread properly. It seems to be a Hull graduate who was being ridiculous about UEA not any Oxbridge or RG parent. I think slag off where slagging off is due.

Lots of DC from our school seem to have really enjoyed UEA.

Rufus
Yes he like second's Ds has anxiety issues and low self worth( including self harm under high stress situations) so unconditional offer saves stress. He was a walk in clinic all morning, diagnosed with tonsillitis, so on penicillin. Though he loves rugby and being a police cadet. So hopefully his Criminology degree and university playing both codes will help.

Goodbye I know about Hull graduate comments, I was replying to the person going on about low offer courses, BBB, interesting Ds offers where all in points, so 112 (BBC) and 104 (BCC). Also mumsnet seems to be obsessed by Oxbridge/RG in an unhealthy way.

Just thought Hepi findings interesting, especially seeing with live in ERYC, and DS university of choice is also in top 20. Also thought I mention them so they are on mumsnet.

Finally none of Ds friends have applied to RG universities, and best gift/freebie was free entry into laptop draw/money of student union societies in 1st year.

It sounds like the parents of privileged kids wanting no one less privileged or slightly less intelligent of have away into their lives and possibly increasing social mobility
Far from it.
Some of us believe that superficial claims of widening participation are just tokenistic lowering of expectations in order to secure bums on seats.
I don't agree with (in my experience) mainly lower ranking universities lowering the bar to get the cash (and governments enabling it to keep unemployment stats down).
In my experience unconditional offers and gimicks don't widen participation. They just enable decidedly average middle class/upper working class students to get into university with less work. Most of the students I've seen get unconditionals and take them would have gone to university anyway. Then I think about their attitude and work ethic vs students who have worked their backsides off. Which are more likely to have habits for future success?

If people are actually interested in social mobility (to me at least) then more time needs to be spent looking at the literacy gap which exists from 3, look at the curriculum offers of schools in areas of deprivation, look at ensuring that the quality of education is comparable regardless of a child's postcode. Look at SEND provision and access to CAMHS so strategies and support can be put in place to enable children to succeed. Consider ways to break the cycle of low aspirations. Havr more support available for adult literacy because it's bloody heartbreaking hearing a parent be embarassed that they couldn't help their 12 year old with their homework. Look at workshops and extra curriculars provision for children in areas of deprivation, start raising aspirations of children when they are young and offer programmes to nurture bright children who don't have the same cultural capital and out of school enrichment that more affluent children have.

Maybe instead of lowering the bar to satsify the selfish financial interests of universities a discussion needs to be had about what gets put in place to achieve real social mobility and not just an easy ride for a group of teenagers who'd already go to uni but now don't have to try.

There can be a fair bit of snobbishness User, fortunately that's not all further/higher education threads. You are right though, there was some shown here.

Ds1 would have got in to uni anyway

He had the grades to get into 4 out of his 5 choices (not high level unis to be fair)

He worked his little socks off

But i take your point maisy there are always going to be exceptions to every rule