Applying for uni in 2021...

[Parsley65]

Thought I'd start the ball rolling on this one...

Dd wants to study psychology and we've been checking out dates of open days.

Her school still does AS levels. She's doing psychology, physics & business.

Please come and join us on the long and bumpy ride past revision and exams and on towards the much anticipated start of uni life in Autumn 2021.

@HensInTheSkirtingBoard, unfortunately, your DS has just demonstrated why the general advice is, (obviously don't miss the decision deadline, but) don't rush to make your decision. He did have another four months to consider his options, 'attend' offer holder days etc.

At least he has realised now and not months down the line, so fingers crossed shouldn't have a problem with making the change. (From posts on TSR, it's amazing how many applicants manage to go through the whole process and still believe that on results day, they get to choose between their firm and insurance).

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-how-gcse-as-and-a-level-grades-should-be-awarded-in-summer-2021

Consultation out now if you want to have input

Ha! I agree @MarchingFrogs but hey ho, hopefully it will be ok. We'll see.

I spent most of the day today interviewing candidates for my programme, on line of course. I don't think any of them belonged to the posters on this thread though

Thank you for this seasonfinale I share it and ask my 2 exam years DDs to take a look. What are you thoughts?

Well first rejection and daughter gutted. Applied to Glasgow after contacting their admissions as we wanted clarity regarding requirements. Emailed for but got no response so phoned.
We explained she was doing IB AI maths at HL and they wanted AA HL Maths but would accept SL. Asked if she would be considered as doing HL AI and was told yes so applied on this basis. Delayed email response a week later to say no and a straight rejection through Ucas track. She’s gutted and I feel bad as I spoke to the uni to ask......
I gave emailed to complain re the poor advice .... it’s hard enough for students this year as it is

TheStirrer the advice may have been correct in that they would accept applicants with those qualifications though. Maybe ask for feedback although expect an answer of high number of candidates applying.

To the PP I plan to go through the consultation papers over the weekend.

Consultation proposes results issued early July. Hope I read that correctly. Seems really sensible to get them out if they are ready, and gives much more time if they are not quite as expected - be that worse or better.

Yes it says early July. I’m wondering how teachers will be placed to do all that marking/assessing by then? It also says assessments done by May/June do no extra time to catch up as that’s when the exams usually are.
stirrer sorry to hear about Glasgow & your DD. Where else has she applied?

I'm really curious when the term is expected to end for A level students. If results are to come earlier than usual, then the last plan to give kids an extra couple of weeks and delay the exams slightly must have been scrapped.
Also my children's school and college were offering catch up lessons after school each day in all their exam subjects.
This has been stopped completely now, but in the absence of exactly how and when they will be assessed I'm surprised.

I also hope that early results does t mean that university acceptances and clearing etc starts early too, given that PreU and International A levels currently plan standard results timings. I know that the relative numbers are small but most year 13s I know will be waiting for at least one of those results.

I suppose if we have concerns, we should be responding to the consultation. At least we'll have had a say.

True @DahliaMacNamara

I've responded and among other things said that if the results come out in July, uni places should be confirmed at the same time, and people shouldn't have to wait until the usual time in August to get their confirmations. If you have the grades you'll know of course, but if you were say offered BBB and get BBC it will be weeks of worrying.

Good point @redsquirrelfan not would be torture to wait for weeks to see where you may or may not end up if you haven't got the grades you expected.

Although from the universities perspective the goalposts have been moved again. Everyone was told exams would definitely go ahead and universities seem to have responded by making lower offers to reflect that students might not do as well as they would usually on a normal exam cycle.

I think it would be better to get some initial results. Appeal if appropriate, and then allow the universities to confirm offers at the usual time, once they are confident the results will stand.

It would hopefully reduce the dreadful situation seen last autumn when unis were having to ask students to defer, or run courses with more students than they were set up for.

I’ve also completed the consultation now. It wasn’t nuanced enough for me so write a lot of comments. Rather disappointed that A levels & GCSEs were clumped together. Even the ‘parent of’? question I had to choose between yr13 or yr11, wasn’t an option to put both.

@NotDonna

I’ve also completed the consultation now. It wasn’t nuanced enough for me so write a lot of comments. Rather disappointed that A levels & GCSEs were clumped together. Even the ‘parent of’? question I had to choose between yr13 or yr11, wasn’t an option to put both.

I answered it twice - once for each child. My children have also answered it.

@redsquirrelfan

I've responded and among other things said that if the results come out in July, uni places should be confirmed at the same time, and people shouldn't have to wait until the usual time in August to get their confirmations. If you have the grades you'll know of course, but if you were say offered BBB and get BBC it will be weeks of worrying.

@redsquirrelfan but it would be bib fair to open clearing etc before taker sofnother qualifications like PreU and IB got their results. And therefore unfair to confirm places for people who have missed their offer before that other group has come to the party. Not everyone takes A levels.

Yikes. So many typos. Sorry all.

Although the IB Results and Scottish Highers results usually come out before the A levels giving those students an advantage every other year in securing places as clearing opens in July.

Perhaps this is an opportunity to reset the system so that clearing is only available to uk students once all the results are out,

NotDonna - other choices are Ucl, Belfast, Sheffield and Leeds. Fingers crossed she gets an offer from a few of them.
Still feel cheesed off on rejection from Glasgow. Had an email from admissions on Friday to say maths AI HL would not be considered so complete u turn from what we were told verbally and relied on before applying. I think being rejected on basis of just application would have been fine but annoyed at the poor advice from them so have emailed to complain. I suspect it won’t make any difference as I can’t imagine they would reconsider anyway 😡

No that’s pretty bad form stirrer and they need to be very exact with advice. I think you (or maybe your DD) should bring it to their attention. Maybe not be too feisty just incase. No point burning any bridges. Good luck with her other options.

@errorofjudgement

Although the IB Results and Scottish Highers results usually come out before the A levels giving those students an advantage every other year in securing places as clearing opens in July.

Presumably they will also have different arrangements this year as there are no exams for Scottish Highers, either. I don't know about IB, I had the impression they were carrying on, but I've not looked into it.

I guess this conflict will mean they'll end up giving out the results at the same time as always. It's a shame as it means an unnecessary rush which could be avoided if they started the process earlier.

As for universities giving lower offers - I know some universities have publicly said they were giving a grade lower, but some universities actually made their entry requirements higher this year (although what they actually accept is another matter of course) and all of DS' offers have been the entry requirement, not lower. It would be interesting to know if offers coming out now seem to be higher or at the higher end of the ranges the universities have been giving.

It's an unholy mess at this point isn't it regarding lower offers/higher offers and the possibility of less offers overall if Uni's are concerned about the outcome of the 2021 CAG process and are dealing with applicants who deferred from 2020.

If only they could act in unity and to a set timescale it would at least level the playing field for our dc given that they only make 5 choices and those who've already submitted their UCAS applications did it on the basis of information available at that time. Applicants making later submissions have the benefit of later info published by Uni's in informing their choices an maximising their chances of a successful application given their anticipated grades.

DD is applying for medicine and we've said that if she feels she's having to settle with whatever she can get in the 2021 entry round, she's welcome to take a year out, gain additional relevant work experience, take a part time job, take another (or possibly 2 more) A Level (if school will permit her to) and reapply for 2022 entry. It'll be up to her though.