Applying for Uni 2019 entry, parents support thread

[Decorhate]

Now that they are back at school, working on Personal Statements, doing the final Open Day visits, I thought we could do with a new thread...

Well done to your DD JanetheObscure! What are her Exeter and UEA offers? Manageable?

ElizabethBennett thank you - he hasn’t looked at Liverpool but is definitely veering towards a big city university as time goes on and he travels more.

Bennet

JanetheObscure those would be my DS's ideal choices too. Well done to your DD.

Thanks, Pancake and New Model. Must say that this was a smoother process than it was with my older dc a few years back, but she did get her application in much earlier than either of them did.

She wants to do history and got an offer of ABB from UEA (I think that's the standard offer) and AAB from Exeter. The latter was a surprise because it's the lower end of the department's offer range and she assumed that this would be reserved for contextual offers or exceptional A star students (she wouldn't qualify on either count...). Her predictions are AAB, so both offers are achievable for her. I hope!

Feckless DS has now set himself a deadline of tonight to make decisions... woo hoo...
He has suddenly announced he wants to do philosophy , which has come out of nowhere. Hey ho. I am trying to nudge him to Linguistics.

Re contextual offers ; his school is on some lists for low university entyr / A Level results but I really cnanot easily find a list of unis which offer contextual offers. Anyone's info gratefully received. I know of Aberystwyth and Bristol (and obviously Oxbridge) but not sure about anywhere else?

If it helps, I am wondering about Essex, Kent, UEA.

Kent has a new policy for the current round of admissions
www.kent.ac.uk/applicants/policies/contextual-admissions-policy.html
Can't see anything on the UEA site and Essex only refers to Flexible Offers, which seems to mean they may lower the offer if you firm the them.

Didn't think Oxbridge gave contextual offers? Thought it was only contextual for interview?

Thanks marching : he just misses out on Kent which is a bit galling.

I don't know really river but obviously they have a range of widening access programmes/ strategies. Out of DS's reach, anyway!

Piggy I'm not 100% on this but last year think my DD got a contextual offer from Edinburgh and Keele

Thanks : Edinburgh is out of his league but haven't even looked at Keele. Interesting.

Edinburgh is out of his league but haven't even looked at Keele

Haven't been to Keele for decades (i went to school in Staffs and we were taken there for some educational activity which now escapes me), but its an attractive campus. And they seem to have an allotment now, just like Warwick.

(I would love to say that the presence of a student allotment was the reason that the latter has made it onto DD's final list, but sadly, she seemed to be trying to pretend she was somewhere else when I made a beeline for the nice young man from the Alloment Soc).

Liverpool & Bangor use POLAR 3 data (& their own outreach stuff), Southampton have a list of schools & also look at POLAR 3.

I'm not sure that Oxbridge give contextual offers tbh. Dd did their summer school (UNIQ) in July and POLAR and ACORN scores were used then, but even so, the students had to have very high GCSE grades too (A's, A stars, 8's etc), produce a personal statement etc.

I would think contextual data might be used for selection though, as they are trying to broaden access.

Liverpool have dropped their offer grades to DD to BBB, not really sure why.

I've heard on the radio today that the number of unconditional offers are being reduced this year, I didn't catch which university were specifically not giving any out, but their data showed a massive drop in actual grades from those predicted and on which the offers were made.

All very useful : thanks all.

Philosophy - as predicted - has now been dropped like a stone and we are back to IR and politics....I really want him to keep a language going but I think he isn't so bothered. But he does at least know he wants a course with a focus on historical perspectives and with soem terrorism and Middle Eastern modules. Which does actually narrow things down a bit.

He just seems to have stuck a pin in Nottingham Trent and gone for that, gone out to golf and left me to find a shortlist!

Kent has offered my DD their usual for her course but if firmed will drop by 2 grades - she’s VERY not at a school where contextual offers apply 😉

Trying not to interfere too much, I casually ask ds (who has been on his computer most of the day) if he has checked his emails today. Oh no, he says, proceeds to do so, to find he has his first offer & it's from his favourite!

yay!

DC1 is doing the final edit of their PS and decided on the unis & courses. I'd be interested to hear folks' views on their application preferences...
Uni A - subject 1
Uni B - subject 1
Uni C - subject 1 & 2
Uni B - subject 1 & 3

Uni B likely to offer 33-34 IB points based on their published entry requirements. Unis A and C likely to both offer 34-36 points. All are RG.

@cantkeepawayforever we’re on the bumpy road running parallel to yours, DD is only applying to drama conservatoires and as a fresh faced sixth former she’s realistic that her chances this year are pretty much zero.

Good luck to your DC in their auditions

Hi Piggy good that your DS is focusing more on what he does want to do now. A pity for him not to keep up the Spanish but if he does super well in his A Levels maybe he could rethink?

Nottingham Trent University seems to be doing really well in the league tables at the mo' - certainly the most successful of the post 92 ones. Biased as I have DSis and BIL who both studied there in its poly days .

Newcastle University uses contextual offers too.

I think they're a bit of a farce really. In theory DS would qualify but on my side of the family he will be the fifth successive generation to go to university.Go figure..

I agree they can be a farce and my DS is hardly socially disadvantaged (both his parents went to uni , we both have jobs in education,and my DF is a lecturer...). However, objectively, it is certainly true that his school years post year 9 have been dogged by chaotic staffing, poor expectations of students, low aspiration in pockets of his school and his own GAD. Add to this the setting up of a free school for the sixth form and all the difficulties setting up a new school brings to students, staffing and implementation and there is a cocktail. (including two previous RIs from Ofsted) I have no doubts at all that things have got better and DS2 is getting a better deal. I actually think unis should look at a school's OFSTED rating (too, not instead) : there are outstanding schools in tough areas who are working far harder with and for their communities to iron out disadavantage than some complacent or struggling schools in semi affluent semi rural areas... if DS1 (too late now!) had been at a different school, his outcomes in some subjects at GCSE especially , would have been significantly improved. I do genuinely believe that, disheartening as it is.

There are so many variables to consider regarding whether contextual offers should be used or not. It's a total minefield really.