Applying for Uni 2019 entry Part 2, UCAS & offers

[Decorhate]

Here we go!

I really wouldn't stress about offer holder days just now. DD has had unconditional offers for over a month but will be sitting on them till Feb because her favourite option doesn't send out offers till then. Lots will be in a similar position. Her friend is going through the Cambridge interview process atm but is also sitting on offers from other places.

It would seem massively inefficient for Unis to start the offer holder process now when they know the vast majority end up with multiple offers and will prioritise. There is also the mad dash of entries before the January deadline to sift through.

That said DD has had follow up weblinks and further information emails even from all her options, including the one which doesn't offer till late - so worth checking SPAM folders etc.

I think DD got her offer holder day because she already has her A levels. Also, do the universities know how many universities the student has applied for? DD only applied to 3, and has narrowed it down to 2, but has decided on the one she wants already.

I would be surprised if having grades in hand makes much difference. Most Scottish students do but the Scottish Unis don't rush - just as well if most of the applicants are as tardy and indecisive as most of DD's classmates.

Has she already firmed Lonicera? Perhaps that makes a difference.

No she can't because her third choice haven't made a decision yet. Maybe it is because this university has a reputation for making offers quickly?

I have a question about Scottish universities. Is the first year of a 4 year degree easier for English students? DD's boyfriend is at a Scottish university, parties all the time and barely does any work. He has an exam today and still got drunk last night. DD would have been panic revising in his place.

I think the other thing that makes a difference is that Newcastle is a RG university and will have had a lot of applicants in the 15th October batch with loads of medics for the biomed course (including my son). Non RG unis will have generally later applicants on average, so may not have enough to start sending packs out.

I am presuming an offer holder day is the same as a post application offer day? My daughter has two but only put the two universities down of which she liked the course. She has the same offer for both so these days will be the decider. Like a pp I wonder if the universities can see if she has only put down two.

Yes it is Nagaram

I didn't think universities did know which others you'd applied to or how many? Isn't it a bit like the secondary school applications - they're sent details of everyone who has applied to them and then make decisions based on their entry criteria?

Now four days since DS submitted his application and the school doesn't even appear to have started writing his reference yet. And it's heading towards the end of term HTR, so his tutor will be tied up with those (again...)

I don't think they know which universities. I just wondered if they knew how many.

NewModelArmy can you ask the tutor when it will be done so they have a fixed date agreed whilst there is still a couple of weeks available?

This thread has really brought out the variation in the level of support provided by different schools. Should be required reading for Admissions Tutors to raise empathy, or maybe they already know how it is.

Re 1st year at Scottish Unis I think the answer is - it depends on the course. Scottish courses are designed so that students can access them with Highers (roughly AS) rather than requiring Advanced Highers (roughly A Level).

If it is something students will have studied at school eg Maths then 1st year ought to be easy for someone with an A level or a Scottish student with Advanced Higher (although not necessarily as according to a Cambridge study I looked at Scottish Advanced Higher and even Higher has more Pure Maths than Further maths A Level (and no choice of study options) - there are doubtless other examples the obvious one being that Scotland doesn't split English Language and Literature and an English student may struggle with Scottish texts).

For subjects like law and medicine I doubt any student would find first year easy going as where there are professional course requirements they tend to get them over with in 1st and 2nd year in order to concentrate on more academic stuff in later years.

For non-school subjects like eg economics I think it would depend if the student "takes to it" as again they are looking to introduce the subject in year 1 enough for a student to decide whether to keep it and develop it to honours in years 3 and 4. Year 2 classes often have options depending on whether you intend to keep or drop a subject later.

My word of caution would be that most Scottish students now do complete Advanced Highers. My other thought is that they work hard play hard but they don't like to let on they're doing the work. This can catch their classmates out come exam time if they have been using Scottish students to judge the required work ethic.

At the uni I work I decide who does and who doesn't get interviews for the course I teach on and I have no idea how many other unis or courses the student has or hasn't applied for.

I think Scottish Advanced Highers carry more UCAS points than English A Levels: they are generally regarded as being a little more demanding.

On the subject, I heard of a student being rejected from Edinburgh Napier to study film studies because film studies A Level wasn't on their 'approved list' of 'literary' subjects (bonkers! Media was! as were numeorus not really very literary at all subjects)). After being challenged by a teacher (see? Some teachers do go the extra mile!) the uni admitted they weren't aware there was an A Level in Film Studies and gave the student an offer!

Some Scottish uni courses let you apply for second year entry, with either a higher offer for A level grades, or Advanced Highers.

For my Scottish CSYS (forerunner of AHs) I studied whole authors in English ( I really actually can't recall there being a Language component at A Level : I do always think when I apply for jobs some people may think I don't have a Lit A Level). So we did , the tragedies of Hardy and the works of Robert Burns, for example , not just one novel and an anthology of poems. Much much more satisfying and demanding. However, this could ahve been my teacher's choice. he was a bit of a renegade!

howabout, are you trying to say that Scottish people don't appear to work hard btu do? Trying to deconstruct this claim! Not offended , but what I always have noted is the comibiantion of Protestant Work Ethic and Catholic Guilt! No one really did Gap Years from Scotland back in my day and we were all ferociously dutiful and hard working. I stil have that 'plough on through to the bitter end' mindset!

lonicera, I do rather wonder whether that's just a gender difference...?

piggy I did Hardy for Higher many moons ago. Got DDs on Gatsby, MacBeth, Death of a Salesman etc etc. Been a real trip down memory lane.

English Unis can be just as bad as Scottish ones in not recognising courses. The lower tariff institutions tend to be more poorly resourced / lazier on this. DH's old English Uni wants AAB at Advanced Higher (equivalent to AAA) for a course DD looked at. Its A Level standard offer is AAB and it is known to accept dropped grades come results day.

I don't think you've offended?

Tbh it sounds like it might just be him, from everything you've said about him Lonicera! I guess it depends how he actually does in the exam

We're Scottish and my DSs are Scottish state educated.

In Scotland you have one less year of schooling hence the fact that some people think first year is easier than a first year in an English Uni. First year replaces the last year of schooling in many cases if you go to Unis after Highers.

My son is applying also to English Unis and he will be the very youngest in his year, not turning 18 until the September although he is studying for Advanced Highers.

I think Advanced Highers are not very well understood in England. The course only lasts a year and is marginally harder than A levels in standard so they are considered more difficult generally than A levels.

Many English Unis admission departments don't understand this. Advanced Highers are also branded into A1 and A2 bands. A1 means over about 85% and A2 70% roughly. An A2 Band is equivalent to an A star at A level in UCAS points therefore a A1 must equal an A star star t*hat doesn't even exist in A levels grades.

Some Unis (UCL) insist on A1 A1 and A2 in Advanced Higher for entry into subjects such as law. This is crazy as it's equivalent to A star star x 3. Even Oxford only require AAB at Advanced Higher. My son has not even bothered applying to UCL for this reason and I doubt any Scots will.

Sorry about the bold. Whether I keyed in* a star it changed and I can't be bothered to retype.

Just checking UCAS fees - is it £24 for more than one uni?

Yes it is, twosoups1972 (I reckon it was about £15 when I applied so hasn't really gone up that much)

Not offended at all. Just trying to warn the unwary about the Glasgow Gallus piggy.

Aurea glad it wasn't just us thinking this. DD considered Oxford (not Cambridge due to the disgusting bug on the homepage) but not the others who would have been lesser options relative to her Scottish choices partly because of this. Still got my fingers crossed for your boy, DD has a friend doing Cambridge interviews (also Scottish state school)