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Higher education

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

Original poster

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

185 replies

headfried · 06/04/2018 15:36

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! Grin

Real ones. Shock

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

Anyone else's dcs feeling the lurve? Grin

OP posts:
LemonysSnicket · 09/04/2018 15:33

My uni told me that I I made them my firm then I could drop one of my grades and still get in .... no presents though

FozzieMK · 09/04/2018 15:41

My eldest DD is at Northampton Uni and the offer of free laptops for the new students has caused quite a stir amongst the existing ones. I asked them what they are going to do for existing students instead and was told that the laptops have been purchased using the bursary budget for the new intake. Previous students have been given a bursary for high academic attainment (on joining I think my DD was given £2000) and on more on following years. They told me that they thought it was fairer to spread the money across the board than giving it to certain students that meet a certain criteria. Existing students will be kept under the old system.

In my youngest DD's sixth form lots of students have been given unconditionals this year and she knows of some that have basically 'given up' working towards their exams.

Chrys2017 · 09/04/2018 15:44

Universities, colleges and private schools should really be obligated to publish employment statistics for their graduates (particularly their salaries, and whether they are they in a career that is related to their degrees).

titchy · 09/04/2018 15:45

Chrys - they do.

BubblesBuddy · 09/04/2018 16:15

The salaries are difficult to find.

BubblesBuddy · 09/04/2018 16:40

My apologies - it is of course Queen Mary’s!

I am amazed Lincolnshire has a police force all to itself. It must be tiny as the population is tiny. As for those awful pensions??? Words fail me! As you are obviously connected to the police, user, a police career is a bit of a shoe in for your DS one suspects. I love the way you have a go at others for trying their best for their children! Are you not sufficiently well connected to your police mates to do exactly the same?

Chrys: Why does a career related to your degree matter one jot? Clearly doctors will have gone to med school, vets to vet school, but many other degrees are not specific to any job. How can every History grad work in a history environment? Not every MFL grad will Work usung languages. This applies to nearly every arts degree. Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classics etc. Many grads go on and train in differing professions and it could be marketing, HR, law, Civil service: the list is pretty long.

Why shouldn’t state schools say what their ex pupils are doing? Is the public not entitled to know as it’s public money being spent on schools.

It worries me hugely that students segregate into religious accommodation. Heaven help us. I really hate the idea that students cannot live together, learn together and respect each other. Segregation at university is appalling. When did this start to happen? Who actually condones this?

Chrys2017 · 09/04/2018 17:19

Thanks for the link titchy. It's all very vague though, isnt' it? For example, "90% of graduates go on to work and/or study" (if you are trying to find out if this course leads to employment that isn't very useful); or "74% were in a professional or managerial job" (that doesn't tell you if the graduates were working in jobs related to their degrees).

Chrys2017 · 09/04/2018 17:20

… They might have done a fine arts degree and are now managing a McDonalds!

Chrys2017 · 09/04/2018 17:23

Chrys: Why does a career related to your degree matter one jot?

It matters if the course is falsely promoted as one that will gain you entry into a desired profession.

Chrys2017 · 09/04/2018 17:27

This kind of marketing is all too common:

"Give yourself a head start up the career ladder with this unique combination of hands-on practice and academic theory. This course will give you the concepts, theory and practical skills you need to support your future in this highly-competitive industry."

quartermooninatencenttown · 09/04/2018 17:36

Segregation at unis started when halls of residence put their prices on the doors.

MaisyPops · 09/04/2018 17:49

The social divide starts at birth
Umm... i know. I already made reference to that and how social mobility plans need to be in place long before students select universities.

And then it goes into user's idea that their one experience somehow is representative of an entire sector and anyone who says otherwise is doing kids like hers down.
This thread will be on page 10 and user will still be going on about how any points by other posters are wrong because their DC is off to Lincoln. Grin

BasiliskStare · 09/04/2018 17:55

I'd be interested to know which courses UCL are offering unconditional for ( other than those who are applying post A level of course - which is not quite the same) . DS got a higher offer from UCL than his first choice, as did others - and a friend of mine's son got a relatively high offer for a very esoteric subject. I can't say it doesn't happen but not heard of it recently amongst DS's friends.

Also at the rate DS seems to go through earphones he'd be having to change universities / courses pretty much every year , so on balance , probably not worth it Grin

titchy · 09/04/2018 18:08

(that doesn't tell you if the graduates were working in jobs related to their degrees).

Because the questions asked are the same of every graduate from every course, for obvious reasons, and not all courses have an obvious related job.

Does the History graduate have a better outcome working as a museum assistant on minimum wage, doing a degree related job, than the History graduate who's a Management Consultant on £40k, not related to their degree at all?

SluttyButty · 09/04/2018 18:54

How have we gone from freebies still pissed off my dd hasn't had any from a single uni but she got shitloads from a graduate law fair she attended despite not being a graduate yet so I'll shut up to the social divide begins at birth Confused

DairyisClosed · 09/04/2018 18:59

@sluttybutty the freebies are an attempt to lure high achieving pupils from ignorant working class families (who won't be able to advise their children well about university choices, you can see the very prejudiced assumptions s a lot if people are making) into lesser ranked universities.

SluttyButty · 09/04/2018 19:07

Dairy yes I get that but this started as a lighthearted kind of thread 😂 DD got an unconditional from a non RG but she's put that as insurance. She got a reduced offer of AAB from one RG with cash incentive, she's not wanting to go there now. The RG one she's put as firm haven't sent a sodding thing to lure her in pre her firming up Hmm

So she's not feeling the lurve Grin

MaisyPops · 09/04/2018 19:07

SluttyButty
Because people were discussing social mobility and freebies/unconditional offers

Idiot over here said that I had an issue with (generally in my experience) lower ranking unis doing things like that because whilst they claim it's to widen participation, the reality is they want bums on seat so they can cash in the tuition fees. I outlined what I thought would be a better qay of achieving social mobility other than accepting less from students.

A few 6th form teachers had commented on the impact of unconditionals on students who then coast their a levels because they're guaranteed a place at uni. I'd said I'd seen students who could have got into higher unis waste their potential once they'd got their unconditional.

user decided that any discussion about lower ranking unis was clearly people hating on children like her DC, we all love pissing on their dreams and then at almost any mention of rankings is mean and nasty because Lincoln is awesome. At which point a few of us decided you can't possibly manage to debate the issues when their go to is 'but my DC can go to Lincoln with not high grades and you lot jist want to stop kids like my DC ever achieving in life'.

toffeepumpkins · 09/04/2018 19:19

When you look on Unistats, the distribution of classes of degree is not the same at every institution

That's common sense though, I mean (to use your examples) if people are getting into Oxford with 360 UCAS points and Worcester with 104 UCAS points then you are going to get far more with a first from Oxford.

I don't buy into the whole concept of 'working class parents' being clueless about university. I knew nothing about applying to university but I have the common sense to realise that there is a heck of a difference between say, Durham or St Andrews, and a former teacher training college. Working class parents can access the information if they need to and have the inclination to make the effort, it is daunting but if they want to support their child then they will do it.

user1471450935 · 09/04/2018 20:09

Bubbles,
My DW works in PNC, highest ranked officer we know is her boss, who is chief inspector. But the joys of working in police we know HR staff, shared with South Yorkshire, who advised Ds what was coming. Plus he is a cadet. No strings pulled. Lincolnshire is a big county and has it's own force. I suppose it's similar to son/daughter of a solider joining the military, yes he knows what he needs to do, but there is no easy way in.

MaisyPops · 09/04/2018 20:19

Abandon ship bubbles! You're about to get a lesson on the intricacies of police recruitment as more proof that anything you can possibly add to any discussion is obviously wrong. (And that's before wondering who would post such easily identifying information on MN anyway).

user1471450935 · 09/04/2018 20:48

Maisy
I am going. I clearly answer your and bubbles statements. You will never meet me. I could be lying, but I am not, I just write what happens to my lad.
I am off, you obviously don't like kids attending low ranked university's and I see they have a place for kids like mine, so I have realised we will never agree. I have derailed this thread to much.
Any please read HEPI, widening participation report, I think boys3 put a link up thread.
I hope all Dc going to university, from Oxford/Cambridge to Leeds Trinity, I think that's 1/2 to 122, in rankings terms, sorry Leeds if your not bottom, all the best and hope they get a great degree and go on to live the lives they wish. Not everyone can go to Number one in life and some of our minor universities do a great job.
To Bruffin and others hope your DD and DC have a great 3/4 years, believe Cardiff can be lovely.
So sorry Headfried to derail, seeing with have just lost another pair of headphones, BIL dog chewed them, wish Ds had applied to UEA now.

Nettleskeins · 09/04/2018 20:50

I think Bubbles is Xenia.

I also take offence at her comment about 3Bs being in some way lacklustre. The new linear courses are mostly exam based at the end of 2 years. There WILL be people who perform badly in exams and achieve less well on the day, whatever their predicted grades. It is easy enough to slip from an A* to a B.

And NOT everyone can be a top graduate. Who is going to do all the jobs that top graduates don't do? You can be intelligent and employable at 22 with 3 Cs at A level and even with god forbid 3 E's. What you end up as later on is not determined by your A level grades. But a proportion of people predicted the grades that mean they get the unconditionals, are capable of those grades even if they don't achieve them. And why shouldn't those people (after all they are 17/18 year olds at this stage) have the chance to expand their horizons, meet people, learn things? They take the risk, that's three years gone, it cannot be completely pointless. Surely that is the point of expanding higher education, to have a better "educated" better "trained" (in the case of some courses) population, better fitted to do the jobs that the state needs? Wasn't that what Justine Greening was on about - I don't entirely agree with her, but Bubbles Hmm

MaisyPops · 10/04/2018 08:41

you obviously don't like kids attending low ranked university's and I see they have a place for kids like mine, so I have realised we will never agree.
FFS.
I have an issue with students who could get higher do better for themselves having carrots dangled which might lead them to go for an unconditional at a worse course than they could otherwise get on. I have an issue with it because it will affect a certain group of students who don't have schools and parents saying actually aim higher. It means that for some students they end up on Course A thinking it's going to give them the same opportunities and be vuewed the same as Course B when the reality of the world is that 'course A and CCD at A level is not viewed the same as Course B and ABB at A level'.

Now to make it very clear before another but my DC is off to Lincoln essay, My issue isn't an issue with a C grade students going yo a C grade uni. My issue is with students who could achieve more being directed to aim lower and then not having the same opportunities available because the adults in their lives have allowed them to believe that all routes and all grades are viewed the same and it doesn't matter.

You've decided that me being irritated that students who could get AAB taking an unconditional and then coasting and getting Cs is some sort of daft conspiracy where i hate children like yours.

Give me a break.