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Higher education

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Original poster

Applying for Uni 2019 entry Part 4, UCAS & offers (and thinking about exams)

999 replies

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 31/01/2019 09:58

Following on from the previous thread.

OP posts:
Original poster
NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 31/01/2019 10:12

Those make for interesting ready ErrolTheDragon. Thanks for posting the links.

OP posts:
LIZS · 31/01/2019 10:22

Yes interesting reading. Would the number of unconditional offers include those applying after results, which may be more common in certain subjects. Ie. Drama ?

Original poster
NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 31/01/2019 10:42

Would the number of unconditional offers include those applying after results, which may be more common in certain subjects. Ie. Drama ? I would have thought those figures wouldn't be included, LIZS.

OP posts:
VanCleefArpels · 31/01/2019 11:01

Hello, marking my place in the new shiny thread. Anyone else looking nervously at the weather forecast for the weekend with an offer holder day booked in?

Laniakea · 31/01/2019 11:11

Yes! Southampton interview on Saturday - day long thing (11-5), very nervous about the weather.

Xenia · 31/01/2019 11:48

My on last year had one from Nottingham his fifth choice so not tempted as his and my view is if they need to offer these they are the worst places you can go to!

minesawine · 31/01/2019 11:49

I am taking DS to the NTU offer holding day on Saturday and a bit worried about the snow. He is really looking forward to it, I am just worried about my knees following a 2 and a half hour drive.

Also - their accommodation booking opens next week and I am concerned that he wont be firming until we have been to Essex 2 weeks later. How quickly does the best accommodation get taken. If I wait another month, will all the good ones be gone?

LIZS · 31/01/2019 11:51

I have to confess there are several among the 10 making most unconditional offers of which I was not previously aware. Would certainly want reassurance that they offer value for money in the field.

Fazackerley · 31/01/2019 11:53

Dd has been put off Nottingham Trent because of all the uif. Maybe she'd think differently if she'd been given one Grin but she says she won't feel that proud of her place if she knows 40% of her course are there on uifs.

Fazackerley · 31/01/2019 12:05

The Times list certainly seems to confirm the idea that only the low ranked institutions give a large percentage of them. Surprised to see NTU among them though.

VanCleefArpels · 31/01/2019 12:18

But fazackerly those that gut uif offers would have been predicted the same grades as your daughter to even have got the offer!! So what difference does it make to your daughter if there is an incentive given to them to make it their first choice? I just really don’t get this notion that a course is inherently “worth” less because some students were given u/c or uif offers. I do accept that some institutions are of differing standards (polite term) but that’s an entirely different conversation

VanCleefArpels · 31/01/2019 12:20

minesawine do NTU allocate accommodation according to date of application, or is it random within stated preferences as long as you apply by a certain date?

Fazackerley · 31/01/2019 12:27

It's probably not logical but its how she feels. She's almost certainly just miffed that she didn't get one! As anyone would be really. Also she's predicted grades over the course entry requirements, so she feels by not getting a uif, they just don't really want her that much. Not only did they not give her a uif, they gave her two completely incorrect offers before finally giving her a standard offer.

She'd feel compltely differently if there were 5% uifs, but 40% is too much imo.

justasking111 · 31/01/2019 12:28

DS got an unconditional but only after interview, his predicted grades were right. He had spent the last year in the school holidays in the industry so knew how it worked in the real world. I like to think those things combined enabled him to get the offer.

Fazackerley · 31/01/2019 12:31

Well done to your ds justasking and I do think having an interview probably makes a difference BUT you are also assuming he was a better candidate and they really wanted him because he was given an UIF, so it should be quite easy to see how NOT getting one (and knowing a lot had) makes you feel a bit crap. Mind you and I did say this morning at least she wasn't actually rejected Grin

Piggywaspushed · 31/01/2019 12:45

Interestingly, DS doesn't really feel drawn to the UiFs (and I think we all thought he would!). He assumes the uni is desperate and that it makes him just one of the 'great unwashed' really.

Piggywaspushed · 31/01/2019 12:46

All the NTU mail shots suggest that you need to get a wriggle on with their accommodation. This implies first come first served. I don't like that. Think the press should focus on that kind of application of pressure, too.

Fazackerley · 31/01/2019 12:51

yes, when we went to the open day they were insistent that you needed to choose accommodation in February.

Fazackerley · 31/01/2019 12:56

and I remember them saying if you register on the Friday it wont go through until the Tuesday which might be too late for your first choice, so that certainly seemed to imply it was first come first served

ErrolTheDragon · 31/01/2019 12:58

yes, when we went to the open day they were insistent that you needed to choose accommodation in February.

That's ridiculous. Getting preferences in early doubtless helps with the admin, but they really shouldn't be pressuring anyone to apply for accommodation before they have all their offers (on the normal timeframe) in.

Piggywaspushed · 31/01/2019 13:01

I have changed DS's Lincoln day to later in the month because of DH's and DS2's football which will most likely be cancelled and we could go... the irony.

Not much snow here but it is is vvvvvvv cold .

ErrolTheDragon · 31/01/2019 13:04

Exception... When DD was applying a couple of years back, Manchester allowed applicants to put in their accommodation preferences before any firming/insurance choice had been made - our assumption this was intended as a psychological 'hook', to get applicants invested in them and imagining themselves actually being there.

Itscoldouthere · 31/01/2019 13:09

When we went to Birmingham offers day last week, we went to the accommodation talk and they said that even though the accommodation was now open for applications they didn’t allocate on first come first serve (didn’t say how they do it thought) 🤔

LittleSpace · 31/01/2019 13:14

Offer holder day this weekend and snow predicted. Typical!

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