Which are the 23 universities singled out for unconditionals?And...

[Miljah]

...are most in financial trouble?

DD has accepted an unconditional even though she is predicted As because she feels that the uni have made it clear that they really want her to go there and that they will value her and develop her. I hope she is right. Their correspondence certainly seems encouraging.

dd had unconditional but she had a levels in advance

At my institution, that is only circumstance under which an unconditional offer will be made.

The type of DC who are not making informed choices have never skied or would have the fair for Camp America! They are not that sort of DC from that sort of family, by and large. They are more likely to be first in family to university and not aiming high.

But that was my point. Many of the kids DD worked with were not middle class. Her best friend during her ski seas is aiming to be a fitness instructor and skipped University altogether. My impression was that the firm were not convinced that middle class kids were ready to do the graft. It was hard work. They gave DD a really tough time at interview, as if they had seen too many kids with a chalet girl sort of mentality.

Scrubbing kitchen and unblocking drains was a long way from Gap Yah glamour. Relatively few seemed to come from affluent SE England. I suspect you may be thinking of the sorts of chalet jobs that people get if they can afford expensive Leiths type cookery courses. Very different. The majority of DDs colleagues could not and did not ski. It seemed more about getting away from home without going to University. A good idea for some.

And Piggy to some extent you may be right about Camp America. Would be PE teacher or outdoor activities centre worker seemed to be the profile. My best guess is that if you lived somewhere outdoorsy you would know people who had done it and so apply. But it was brilliant if your idea of heaven is a summer spent hanging out with lots of other young sporty types (albeit mainly Scots and Aussies) with 50 or so activities to help out with/take part in.

The point is that, despite what Bubbles claims, productive gap years are not just for the posh. Another example is a friend's son who changed his mind complete about what he wanted to do following an enforced gap year working in a hospital, which he found he loved.

As a parent of a DS at Lincoln on an UiF offer, who just sat his final exam and completing his final 2 assignments, I think I maybe the only one on this thread who actually knows about it from the coal front.

It is snobbery from a government who really dont want 1st generation kids getting above themselves. Let face it cant have the great umwashed getting an education and thinking for themselves.

Lincoln gives out UiF to get students it wants. We where shocked just how helpful they where. Once DS confirmed, he got a hoodie, constant updates on accommodiation. Every Wednesday between 1600 and 1830 or 2000 there where admin staff, accom staff, lecturers available on fb/twitter to answer atudents and parents quiries and questions.

He got postcards and an email wishing him luck as he embarked on his exams. He also had a phone call a week early to say congrats for achieving your place. Once he got his predicted 3 C's he got a congrats email and postcard.

Dont worry he loving Lincoln, met great friends, plays with a great RL team. He learnt so many life lessons.

Finally Lincoln cant be doing to crap at choicing its students, as in the 14 years it been open, 2005, it managed to get to 43 in league tables and got gold in TEF.

I believe many in government are scared places like Lincoln are going places.

The government does actually seem quite fond of Lincoln, mind. They are one of the selected unis for a special parliamentary studies module , and were today announced as one of the unis in some sort of government skills initiative.

The idea state schools can do a 2 year uni application is a joke. I believe one pp DC went to an all girls boarding school another the likes of Westminister.
The fees charged for one year equal more than mine get spent on them in 5 to 7 years of secondary. It shows how out of touch people are.

Plus the idea WC kids dont research their futures are so patronising and offensive. Kids like mine can chose A levels, Btec or apprenticeships at end of year 11.
Ds spent a day at local uni UCAS day, talking to all 120 odd universities there about their criminology/policing degrees. He arrived home with nearly 100 brouchures. He then narrowed that down to 20 possibles. He used UCAS and email to get all 20 to sent course details.

He did 10 open days, chose 3 he loved and applied to them
Got 3 offers.
BB
BCC (UiF)
BCC.
He and we had never heard of UiF before.
Even then he attend all 3 offers day, only when he decided Lincoln was his favourite did he confirm.

Unbelievely even lower achiecing kids care where they study and the likes of Lincoln want the best for their students.
Shock horror.

Lincoln are opening a new medical school later this year.

I'm surprised that a high ranking university like Lancaster is offering so many unconditional offers. I wonder how many of them are post A level? DD applied with her A levels and was offered a place immediately. They even offered her a scholarship.

Lancaster is high ranking, top ten university in all three measurement tables. But, it's not RG and it's campus based. The former probably matters to some more than the latter I'd guess, it's demographic is 9% of students coming from the independent sector, according to the Guardian. Ironically, DS is studying there, but didn't receive an unconditional.

Are unconditional offers any different to reducing grade requirements if firmed? Just musing.

Dd has an unconditional from York, which apart from Oxford, was her highest grade requirement and not on the list. She's taken it, it hasn't reduced her stress levels in the slightest, foot is firmly still on the pedal.

Is Lincoln a campus uni by the way?

Not in the conventional sense of the word : although all the unis tend to use the word 'campus' these days which I find a bit confusing! It's in Lincoln Town Centre.

Why would being campus based affect whether a university gives out loads of unconditional offers?

The campus is about three miles from Lancaster, which may not appeal. The unconditional may be incentive.....

My son didn't get any unconditionals which is the best thing for him. He would just stop working until the autumn, struggle academically at uni then fail his first year.

Lincoln uni is in the city centre but the majority of the buildings inc most but not all of the halls of residence are on the one campus. So not strictly a campus uni like York, etc but fairly self contained.

I don't think it's straightforward : there is a mix of urban and campus unis on the list.

Yes, you are likely correct.

Justanothermile It's one of the reasons that DD declined Lancaster.

But then there are those that would actively choose a campus...

I know, but as we live rurally with poor public transport DD yearns for city life with everything on her doorstep.

Different strokes and all that!

If there are too many, some should alter what they teach

Exeter leading the way there.

www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/royal-society-furious-as-exeter-drops-chemistry-courses-534271.html

Perhaps it was its good business sense that got it let into the boys' club - sorry, Russell Group - 8 years later? (Obviously wasn't its recent research tecord in Chemistry).

.

One of the reasons DS chose it and we are rural too.

Although, he went clubbing on Monday night for the first time ever and declared that was never happening again, so that gives an indication of character!

DD isn't into clubbing, but she likes shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs, and basically not relying on an hourly train service with the last train home leaving at 10.30.

So we are now aware Lincoln offer CCC and give out hoodies too, along with more unconditionals than nearly anywhere else. In effect Lincoln is marketing to students with CCC (who surely they don’t really care that much about?) becayse they need bums on seats. Would a 6th former really choose that course with AAA? You might if no one told you that you should be aiming higher and you fancy a hoodie!

What school my DDs went to is absolutely irrelevant when talking about unconditional offers as indeed it is irrelevant where needmore’s went! What many posters want to see is DC making choices commensurate with ability and not being “bought” by universities to help with finance keep courses open. It is certainly not true that all students look at all suitable options. Far from it!

Exeter wanted to be RG but sciences are not the strongest there. RG doesn’t mean a university has to offer everything. Imperial doesn’t offer English or Law I believe. LSE doesn’t offer Engineering.