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.

DS2 has only put 3 on his UCAS form, rather than choose 2 from the additional 3 he was considering. They include his first choice fi
rm and insurance. Whether he gets the first choice offer (Oxford) would have a bearing on the other choices so he has left it for now.

There was a poster below commenting on how academic all the DC appeared. This is my third time through, what generally happens at this time of year is the thread tends to be full of the Oxbridge hopefuls and the vetmeds, as their applications have an early deadline. But I'm sure like previous years it will spread out more as we move on!

@kitnkaboodle, there is only an extra cost, if the applicant only paid to submit one choice initially. Anything more than one, it's the same higher fee, whether you apply for no more than two altogether, or use all 5 options.

Dd1 has been predicted AAB/ABB - teacher wants to see her work up to Christmas in history to make the final call on A or B. History is degree choice.

How do you find our which grades uni’s accepted in clearing for previous years, is this worth looking at?

Choices so far:
Nottingham AAA
Birmingham AAB
Southampton AAB
UEA BBB

Then a 5th, really looking for somewhere with BBC in England, campus... any suggestions?

Ideally she’d go for Birmingham and back up UEA.

Kent is another BBB? If she is on the cusp of A/B fir the second subject, does she really feel the need for a lower tariff option?
www.kent.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/85/history
Leicester is ABB, but appears still to be in Clearing at CCD. Not campus, though; academic buildings all together, but accommodation off site (iirc, sort of like Southampton, but with the nearer accommodation a bit further away than Glen Eyre is to Highfield and not an 'accommodation village' and the not so near Student Village accommodation further away from the academic bits than the So'ton Wessex Lane accommodation is iyswim).

Remember that from second year, she is unlikely to be in student halls, unless she has a medical need for the accommodation there. From that point of view, Birmingham is great, because there is loads of rental accommodation on the doorstep and some of it closer than some of the halls of residence.

FlowFlow7722 It's worth exploring those uni's who give lower offers for putting them firm. For example, DD has an offer for History at Exeter at AAA. If she puts them firm, the offer is dropped to AAB.

@MarchingFrogs thanks for your reply, we live in Kent so keen not to go so local, counting out London to. How do we look at what’s available on clearing at which grades?

@Baaaahhhhh that’s really interesting how do you find out which uni’s lower the offer for firm?

that’s really interesting how do you find out which uni’s lower the offer for firm?

Well, I'm not sure, I don't think they promote it. You just have to find out by word of mouth, or social media. Birmingham was historically always the uni that gave out unconditionals, but I think they have now stopped doing that due to government pressure. In the year DD1 had her uni offers, every singly girl who applied to Birmingham, got an unconditional! Irony being, not one of them chose it!! Southampton for example also gave out a lower offer, and also a monetary incentive, if you reached a certain grade. She didn't go for that either. I suppose you could call them, and see if they will tell you?

What happens after ucas form is submitted? Do universities acknowledge receipt? On track or by email?

Yes, I think generally most unis will email to say thanks we have your application.

Dd submitted on Monday and so far she's had a receipt email from 4 out of 5, plus the UCAS confirmation email.

For a lower offer for history you could consider Keele (campus) or Hull (don't know) or Reading (campus) (all BBB though Keele might be BBC). And if you will consider Scotland, Stirling is BBB.

I noticed that Leicester have increased their offer for applicants this year, from ABB to AAB even though they had the course ds wants to do for CCC in clearing this year.

As for finding out what unis accepted in previous years I've not found that, but I did find a website that surveyed average grades of students on various courses. So for example for history at York which ostensibly asks for AAA for history, students had BBB.

Oh and Swansea, Bangor and Aberystwyth are all worth a look too, all BBB I think (but ds doesn't want to go to Wales as he says it rains too much...but he is keen on Glasgow...)

Birmingham seem to have switched from Unconditional offers to Attainment offers. DS2 has just received a Conditional offer of A*AA, or an Attainment offer of nothing lower than a C if he names them as his Firm!

That's really interesting raspberry- sounds very like the conditional unconditional offers that have supposedly been banned although I suppose the 'nothing lower than a c' is the get out of jail (500k fine) free card!

I wonder if any others will do the same as Birmingham?

@raspberryrippleicecream does that mean CCC? That’s a rather huge difference from A*AA. What subject please, engineering? I’m wondering if he’s also an oxbridge candidate and they know that he’s unlikely to get lower grades.

There is a section on the Attainment offers on Birmingham's website, explaining when they are offered. (Previous academic achievement, strength of application, predicted academic trajectory). The offer says he must get at least a C in all his A levels, which we assume is all four, although the Conditional offer is based on any three.

DS is an Oxbridge candidate, but Birmingham won't know this, although they would make a good guess based on early submission and high predictions. Subject is not engineering.

www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5850462

Thread on TSR from last year about Durham reducing offers.

There were also some interesting subject substitutions - possibly the girl who applied for English Literature and was made an offer for Sociology had made the mistake of referring to her passion for the novels of Mrs Gaskell in her PS?

Is anyone trying to get on the Kingston Open Day. Despite registering, I keep getting event is full message. I am really disappointed as DD was very keen. This has not happened with any other universities. I am not impressed?

Dc has has received another mail from Leeds saying they will lower their offer by up to 2 grades if they are named as firm. Interesting.

ripples nice one! Is your DC fancying Leeds?

notdonna it was one that dc chose with lower entrance requirements . It was put in as possible insurance so dc ( hopefully) won’t need to firm them up. I just thought it was interesting that some unis appear to doing this instead of the unconditional offers that they used to do.

Dc has has received another mail from Leeds saying they will lower their offer by up to 2 grades if they are named asfirm.

That would have been brilliant for DD, had she had the same from Leeds two years ago. Unfortunately, although their offer was lower than some she had, at ABB, French specifically had to be an A and she just wasn't confident enough in it to make the course her firm choice, even though it probably was her favourite.

It’s typical isn’t it? My DD would love any of hers to be reduced but that’s highly unlikely. I think the kids who get the reduced offers often don’t really need them.

That info from Leeds is interesting. DS hasn't applied there as the grades for his course were just on the high side for him which would t have been the case for 2 grade lower.

UCAS application went in last week and one offer so far from 5th choice so we are on our way