Applying for Uni 2019 entry Part 3, UCAS & offers

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Wow that last thread filled up quickly. Well done to your DS, Piggy!

Yes that's what dd thinks (she's calming down!) although it does seem as though they make a lot of uif.

No idea why the girl has applied, she wants to do physio after that's probably why.

It would be very interesting to be a fly on the wall when Admissions teams are making decisions about UIF offers. Is there much method in their 'madness' one wonders?

DD still waiting to hear from Exeter and Edinburgh. Is there a date by which all offers need to have gone out? This thread is making me nervous because some people seem to have had offers from all their choices already, but I can't work out if this is because some are Oxbridge/medicine so got their applications in early. DD didn't finalise her choices until the beginning of January, the deadline was the 15th I think so in fact universities have had less than a month to process all those applications.

LillianGish just found this on the UCAS website:

The deadline we give them varies depending on when you applied. If you apply on or before 15 January, the universities have until early May to give their decisions. If you apply after 15 January, the deadline for decisions is extended to mid-July.

It must be very frustrating for your DD (and you?).

Early May??

There is aslight difference between those who are only going to be anle to get DDD in their A levels, however hard they try, and those whose referee is truthfully able to predict that they should be getting, say, upwards of AAB, but who slack off and don't actually get those grades when the time comes. The second group haven't suddenly stopped being capable of doing well, even though they may be a bit rusty and need to work harder initially to dredge up some A level stuff they were taught but didn't revise which turns out to be crucial for their first year courses at university.

So unless the course includes an awful lot of group work and they have decided that the foot off the pedal life isn't something they want to give up after all, why would they necessarily dramatically impinge upon other students' experience? Just look somewhere other than theecture theatre for your bosom buddies, perhaps?

Well by that token then why don't all unis give uifs as a matter of course?

I was a bit put out that DS didn't get an UC offer from Birmingham. He wasn't!
I've decided ( based on no evidence at all) that they aren't offering as many this year as they are aware of their reputation!

glitterbiscuits the stats in the guardian article don’t bear that out for Birmingham - they are one of the worst “offenders” (personally i don’t think they are “offenders” but that is how it is being portrayed)

Is there a date by which all offers need to have gone out?

The implication in this link is no, but I think the bulk of offers are made before May.

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/universities/applying-to-university-and-ucas-deadlines/replying-to-offers/

Even with early application, DD had 4 of her offers in by now but iirc not the 5th because of scheduling an interview. There's really no reason at all to be nervous yet!

It would be very interesting to be a fly on the wall when Admissions teams are making decisions about UIF offers. Is there much method in their 'madness' one wonders?

Some of them may simply be applying an algorithm based on achieved and predicted grades.

From what I recall it is course dependent at U of Birmingham. For the course DS was interested in they don't give out any UCs and state that in their literature, and they are in the top 6 for that discipline (if you look at various league tables). Presumably the competition is so high there is no need. I have no experience of other subject areas though.

Yes, I'm pretty sure you're right, losing. I'll bet their med school doesn't make UIF offers, to take an extreme example; I'd be very surprised if their physics dept did either.

Courses which expect students to start on the basis of a firm grasp of A level content in specific subjects are presumably less likely to want to go down the UIF route - a couple of years ago among the ones DD knew of among her peers it was all subjects like philosophy where no preexisting knowledge would be assumed as not everyone would have done the A level.

I was at a Birmingham offer holder day last week and the admissions tutor for the faculty said their dept (Sport) didn't give U/C offers as he didn't believe it was the right thing for students. So it looks like it is course or dept specific.

New thread started.

Vancleef I'm justifying it that they are last years offers.
In reality it's a good job he didn't get an unconditional as he'd probably not try as hard.

We haven't been to any offer holder days yet. DS is aiming to go on mid week ones as I'm working so he can go alone! Thanks DS.

Dd has just had an offer from Bath which is same as her Durham offer. Still waiting on Edinburgh (which she wants as her insurance) and will have to decide on first choice.

Come and join us on the new thread, Scabetty!