Applying for Uni 2020

[daydreamornot]

Thought it may be nice to have a 2020 support thread, everyone welcome! (maybe Oxbridge posts could be kept to the Oxbridge thread).

I don't quite understand how Uni's can control offers...

I know one of the courses DD was looking at just had 65 places, so if 300 DC apply before November and all exceed the given criteria ...how do they deal with this when there could be another 150 applications between December and January. I can't believe they go through the application process twice and put students on one side waiting for the November to January applications. If the course has a history of 95% of Dc taking up offered places...they cant even over offer.

Anyone else dc applying with results in hand? Dd hoping to revamp ps and reference quickly and make an application shortly in hope of early offers. The preferred one offered around Christmas last year.

Hi @MillicentMartha , good news re. Ds1 job, hope it goes well. Ours is still job hunting but his ideal sector is currently in turmoil so opportunities a bit limited. Has work experience lined up, hopefully, in the meantime.

Sorry, cross-posts @hugospritz.

Certainly, DD's school will look to have all the girls UCAS applications in by HT in October. Most of the references were done by the end of the term in July. Mainly so the girls can get on with their studies...and I also think that when DC start to receive offers it boosts morale. I also found them very honest in terms of when DD was looking to apply to Edinburgh she was told that their offers are very late and to bear this in mind (not for the faint hearted).

Aha, so somewhere like Bath for Maths = selecting - admissions man said A*/A maths and further maths or you'll be with everyone else in clearing (although after seeing clearing 2019 he may have changed his tune). DS1's uni choice where the course leader was going round speaking to individuals to find out where else they were applying then giving them the stats to show his course was better = recruiting.

And get DS2 to apply pretty sharply just in case. Plus then it's out of the way and he can focus on work.

Ironoaks I am going to love you forever for all the sweet talk

But I have also heard others say in that scenario they would have to whack in 20 extra seats as they over offered at the start.

Clearly there are benefits of getting it in early I just think on these threads by quoting the optimum scenario (get your form in on the 4th September with 11 A stars etc etc) we are in danger of making others feel they have less of a chance and can then be put off.

If you know what you want to do then great get it in now for greatest certainty but if you are not sure on course or institution or there are other reasons why you come to all this late then don’t be put off applying to top ranked courses - Admissions departments have been doing this for years and our chances will not be materially reduced

Sorry 10 - can’t add up !!

ExCwmbranDweller

I don't think anyone should be put off by applying at all, I think the nature of this thread is trying to encourage people to apply as soon as they can to have the best possible chance ...TBH I think most DC looking at competitive courses would do that anyhow.

I remember someone posting from Durham last year, stating that they work their way through a system similar to schools admissions process where they prioritize certain applications (like DC on Outreach schemes)... by prioritizing I mean look at these applicants first.

With a DC who hasn't yet started their PS as I type, I think the 4th Sept submission boat might have sailed in this house Oratory!

No-one has mentioned grades or submitting on Day 1, although arguably those with eleven top grades can be a bit more dilatory than others more on the cusp. oneteen is right - people are just saying be wary of the idea that all applications are treated absolutely equally, at least if you're applying to a selecting uni. For those unis, the 15th October deadline sees huge numbers of applications from high achievers also applying to Oxford and Cambridge (so applicant numbers are much greater than for either of those places individually, although it's the same quality of applicant).Later applicants are competing directly with all of those. My own view is that it's risky to apply three months after that tide has come across the admissions desk at the most popular unis. But then - just opinion.

Thanks for asking Hugo. DD took the stick to someone fairly local who did an amazing job on at least a partial retrieval (he said he got really into the problem, called an assistant and worked on it until the small hours because he found it an enjoyable challenge (I'm glad someone did!)). But quite a lot had to be re-done. Anyhow, English handed in on Monday and History today. Now to start the PS, although DD is doing sport tonight. A lesson learned though, for sure, in how to create extra work for oneself....

It's at times like that when you wish that subject heads would talk to each other a bit more and stagger deadlines, even by just a couple of weeks, especially in subjects which are likely to be taken together. She must be relieved.

Yes very relieved. Slightly tense fortnight though - she just started re-writing but a big relief when the kind man phoned through with news of meaningful success. No idea why the coursework needs to be in so early but that's another matter!

Glad your DD managed to recover some work @goodbyestranger.

DD's PS was surprisingly reviewed this morning, helps that her Form Tutor is also her Chemistry teacher (DD looking to do STEM degree) ...few tweaks nothing too bad ...not sure who is the most relieved probably me because I know how laid back DD is and how she always leaves things till last minute.

@Ironoaks love that explanation of UCAS!

DD has had her PS back with feedback from 2 different subject teachers with minimal editing to do - she's hoping to get the final, final, FINAL thing into year head by the end of the week.
No early deadline for her but she, like others have said, wants to get it done and dusted asap so she can move on and focus on the year ahead.

She's off to her final open day on Friday, it's a fairly local one so plenty of friends going too and they're planning to sample the nightlife afterwards

She's pretty sure she knows her 5 choices - unless this last one bumps number 5 off the list.

Her problem is going to be deciding between her top 2 if she gets offers from both. But that's a problem for another day!

DS still hasn't written his PS. I think he's safe at the moment because the spotlight will be on Oxbridge and medicine but I know the school likes the rest of them to be sent off not long after that deadline.

Opinions, please...DD will almost certainly firm Warwick if she receives an offer. There are 3 girls within her close friendship group that are also looking to go to Warwick. They are NOW all looking at the same course (DD has changed from BioChem to BioMed) on the advice from the company she did her WE, Do you think it matters? I'm fairly sure DD will branch out with new friendships too ... I don't think its a case of any of them copying each other. Warwick has been on DD's list all along (since she did a Lab day in 2018) and the other two girls loved the department and the Uni too.

I think, particularly at Academic schools, there will be a lot of cross over. I think even more so with more info being in the public domain and families being more aware of league tables etc

I guess it only becomes an issue if a dc wants to branch out and make new friends/ join different groups and the school friends who end up at the same place don’t.

oneteen I think I would certainly be encouraging different accommodation!

How many will do BioMed per year at Warwick? More of a prob if it's 24, less if it's 240!

DS1 bumped into 6 or 7 people he knew from sixth form at Warwick, but doing different courses so it wasn't an issue at all. He found he made his closest friends from people he was living with, so if they make an effort to go for different halls, or blocks within halls ( Rootes for example is quite big) it shouldn't be a problem. DS1 has just left Warwick, so if you want any info just ask.

There were 2 girls, close friends from his sixth form, who stuck together really closely. After 3 weeks, one wasn't happy with the course and left. The other girl then felt that she had 'missed the boat' with making new friends, didn't get on with the other 3 sharing her kitchen, and despite liking her course, dropped out at Christmas. So it's worth mixing things up a bit.

In DS1's kitchen, (16 rather than 4, so while busy lots of potential friends) 2 people had left within weeks. I don't remember such a turnover back in my day.

Thank you for responding... My initial reaction to all of them possibly being at the same Uni was positive ..just wasn't sure about all three of them on the same course...but its DD who has changed course but obviously for the right reasons.

DD is by far the most outgoing out of the three. I think the Biomed and BioChem courses interact together in the first year but I cannot remember how many places they have now...I think its quite a high number. Doesn't help the situation that the Life Sciences is a separate building away from main campus buildings and there are probably 3 blocks of accommodation that are better placed than others on the campus for the DC studying in the Life Sciences block.

Agree about accommodation...I think DD has already decided that this would be best thing to do. Potentially one girl could be quite clingey.

Thank you @millicent