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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Uni offer higher than website

61 replies

Fossie · 05/03/2021 13:51

Disappointed DD here who has now been offered a place at Manchester for AAA though the website says a typical offer for her course is ABB. She has ABB from last year (plus a retake for one A level last Autumn) so she has to conclude they really don’t want her. Are others finding offers are higher than might normally be expected?

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 07/03/2021 08:29

Thanks season, yes it’s a little unclear, what she has exactly and what she was to retake. So hard to advise without the key info.

Piggywaspushed · 07/03/2021 08:59

Actually, I have looked Manchester up and for some courses it is confusing . They have typical offers (eg AAA-ABB) listed and then, separately, contextual offers. I can see why a student might hope their offer might be at the lower end. Manchester website doesn't explain their typical offer bit well but it seems to depend on the subjects, what the As are in etc. Look up Biomedical sciences and you will see...

Why would results form Autumn resits be listed as pending? They came in some time ago didn't they?

MarchingFrogs · 07/03/2021 10:41

Why would results form Autumn resits be listed as pending? They came in some time ago didn't they?

They were notified to students on ?December 17th, So if someone applied before the results came out, they would have them shown as Pending.

Looking at the UCAS website, it looks like the school / exam centre should have updated UCAS with the Autumn results (perhaps @SeasonFinale can clarify). But it was the student's responsibility to contact the universities from whom they had already had a conditional offer. And it is definitely their responsibility to update everyone if they decide not to register for a subject due to be 'taken' in the summer series, if it is currently Pending on their UCAS entry. The predicted grades can't be changed by the school or the candidate, though.

SeasonFinale · 07/03/2021 11:27

At our school we provided the results to the student and asked that if any unis were waiting for the retake grades then they contact them direct with the new grades, as UCAS itself will not update, and that if any uni needed confirmation from us (rather than just the results slip) then we would be happy to provide this. Boards will provide new certificates if requested to show the new grades too, but you do need to request these. CIE will send a new certificate for the retake but if you want one reflecting all the higher grades they need to be requested.

The schools cannot update UCAS with a new result.

Piggywaspushed · 07/03/2021 11:38

OK, Thanks. I was assuming that unless Oxbridge most who were resitting would have parked UCAS until after results came through.

MarchingFrogs · 07/03/2021 12:16

The schools cannot update UCAS with a new result.

Thanks- I looked again and I had misread the things which the advisers were able to updateSmile.

Original poster
Fossie · 07/03/2021 19:20

Thank you for your thoughts. She has been writing her letter to Manchester uni today and has changed on UCAS too.

For clarity, she applied for Biochemistry at Manchester. She had BBC last summer but retook the C grade (chemistry) and got an A. I’m not sure when the universities would have got her grade increase (officially) but she submitted her UCAS at the end of December after she knew her result. She had planned to retake the 2 B subjects (Biology and Physics) this summer but after the exams were cancelled her mental health broke down and she eventually contacted the school to pull out of the retakes as the stress about her exams wasn’t helping her.

She is getting help now but I think she does want to go somewhere to university. She has the grades needed for Newcastle so will go there if she gets no other offers. I’m concerned that there will be a lot of high A level grades given this summer so she may not get anywhere in clearing either.

OP posts:
Piggywaspushed · 07/03/2021 19:29

God, go to Newcastle! It's a great uni!! Do not look a gift horse in the mouth fossie. So much stress off your DD if she accepts that offer.

Original poster
Fossie · 07/03/2021 19:32

Just to add, she is taking an EPQ which is something she felt she could cope with doing now and is adding that into her uni letter as this is new.

OP posts:
Original poster
Fossie · 07/03/2021 19:34

Newcastle is a long way from us, especially if she needed extra support, that is the only hesitation. I’m happy to hear good things about Newcastle!

OP posts:
Piggywaspushed · 07/03/2021 19:37

I am not sure where you are fossie but Newcastle is well connected by transport links so it is quite accessible. So many MNers over years have raved about their DCs' experiences at Newcastle.

titchy · 07/03/2021 19:51

If she retook in the autumn the unis won't officially have that result at all (there was no Autumn confirmation), hence the odd offer. Hopefully once she's clarified they'll let her know one way or the other.

Looneytune253 · 07/03/2021 19:58

Isn't Newcastle better than Manchester?? It's defo a better experience, friendly people and lots to see and do

Piggywaspushed · 07/03/2021 20:14

Pretty sure Manchester has friendly people and lots to see and do!

They are both very good unis : Manchester edges it on science according to league tables.

Original poster
Fossie · 07/03/2021 20:49

Email sent. I’ll report back if any news.

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 07/03/2021 22:34

Ok Is something missing here? They want abb, and she now has abb, so what is the issue?

titchy · 07/03/2021 22:37

@Bluntness100

Ok Is something missing here? They want abb, and she now has abb, so what is the issue?
They offered AAA...
SeasonFinale · 07/03/2021 22:38

I think they want AAA and she has misunderstood that ABB would be for those who qualify for a contextual offer and I assume she does not.

Original poster
Fossie · 07/03/2021 23:02

There was a range of grades. It seemed to say the lower grades were for those that had taken the more traditional science A levels rather than so-called ‘softer sciences’. She thought her straight chemistry/biology/physics would suggest the lower grade end would be offered.

OP posts:
Original poster
Fossie · 07/03/2021 23:26

The contextual offer was for ABB to ABC and that wouldn’t apply for her.

OP posts:
Piggywaspushed · 08/03/2021 07:03

fossie is right : if you look at the website, contextual offers are listed separately. Manchester's entry requirements pages wouldn't win any awards from the Plain English campaign!

LondonMischief · 08/03/2021 10:56

It seems if she was predicted AAA the school was expecting her to to do the Autumn exam and the other two this summer, and I suspect that was what was entered on the UCAS form. Hence she would have been applying with predicted grades rather than the grades in hand.
Manchester do say those grade ranges are typical offers so can raise or lower them. It in not uncommon to require higher grades for those who resit, and maybe with expected grade inflation this year, they are giving out higher offers.

UpDownQuark · 08/03/2021 17:25

I can see why she pulled out of resitting the exams this summer, as there aren't going to be any! It's such an atypical year all round.

LondonMischief · 08/03/2021 18:33

Though if she should still take them, she may well be given her predicted grades by the school.

MarchingFrogs · 08/03/2021 18:41

Wasn't the deadline for entry sometime last month, though?

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