Page 8 | Another Path - part IV

321zyx · 2021-05-01T19:24:44+00:00

Apologies if I've done this wrong! I seemed to have filled up the last thread, hopefully the abbreviated title is ok!

SeasonFinale · 13/05/2021 22:34

I am the lucky one as DS has an unconditional and grades in hand after deferring but remember the feeling well. We were in fear of the algorithm but at least we didn't have the endless assessments (exams in disguise)

bendmeoverbackwards · 13/05/2021 22:45

Oh @BigWoollyJumpers that’s really rubbish about the trains. Can’t remember where you live, is it too far to drive? Could you stay overnight?

Thanks for the Bristol advice, I’ve provisionally booked the Ibis but forgot to check out parking, I’ll have to look into that. Not sure if we’re driving or getting the train but I doubt they would have fixed the train problems by next week.

PresentingPercy · 14/05/2021 00:41

They have run a lot more today and the news said they will be running more again next week.

MidLifeCrisis007 · 14/05/2021 07:56

@SeasonFinale

I am the lucky one as DS has an unconditional and grades in hand after deferring but remember the feeling well. We were in fear of the algorithm but at least we didn't have the endless assessments (exams in disguise)

DS firmed his unconditional offer from Durham last night after coming back from his shift at the pub.... and the dozy thing then momentarily wondered why it didn't ask him about his insurance - before the penny dropped!

Chilldonaldchill · 14/05/2021 09:06

Interesting thing happened here this week.
(By the way, teachers freely calling them exams here which is absolutely what they are. Study leave and only attending for exams in normal external exam conditions with invigilator and in sports hall as usual for GCSEs and A levels. Interestingly I think it's causing less stress because it's what they would have been expecting).
But anyway dd's friend asked one of their unis (not O/C) for feedback on interview as they had been rejected. Their feedback was that the student had not done the entrance test. When they pointed out that they had the uni apologised for their error and have them an offer (I think it's about 8 or 9 weeks after the rejection). I've never heard of that happening before.

MidLifeCrisis007 · 14/05/2021 09:18

That's poor @Chilldonaldchill. Shouldn't happen!

I've heard of a student with a Cambridge offer, who was rejected by St Andrews, Durham and Edinburgh. Just shows what a bonkers year it is - and it makes me very nervous about prospects for DD who will be applying for uni this year.

Chilldonaldchill · 14/05/2021 09:35

@MidLifeCrisis007

That's poor *@Chilldonaldchill*. Shouldn't happen!

I've heard of a student with a Cambridge offer, who was rejected by St Andrews, Durham and Edinburgh. Just shows what a bonkers year it is - and it makes me very nervous about prospects for DD who will be applying for uni this year.

That's happened to almost all the students in dd's school. She has a C offer but was rejected from Durham. All the people who were rejected from C for her subject have offers from Durham. Friend with C offer has rejection from St A but others without C offer have offer from St A. Other friend with C offer has rejection from LSE but others without C offer have offer from LSE. Person in school who is far and away the best mathematician in year didn't get offer from C but has offers from all other universities. Other maths students got offer from C but not LSE/UCL etc. It seems a peculiar year. It looks as though the other unis know who have O/C offers and are not offering to them but we know that can't be true as I think it's not possible (and this thread proves it as well) so maybe they are making some assumptions which will definitely be disadvantaging some students. I hope future years go back a bit more to normal!

PresentingPercy · 14/05/2021 09:47

@Chilldonaldchill
It would make very interesting reading to look at the selection criteria at all these universities and then how they have been applied to candidates. There must be instances where the criteria have not been applied or there are other criteria at play. Eg offers to dc to help with social mobility. I wonder if freedom of information enquiries could elicit how places were allocated. Certainly years ago some thought early receipt of an application gave information about Oxbridge and judgements were then made by potential insurance courses. This seems to have happened here plus the Scottish universities rejecting so many.

chopc · 14/05/2021 10:27

Don't different universities look for different things? So therefore one shouldn't assume that a successful application to one university should automatically follow with one in another?

But the post about the student getting a subsequent offer really does make a mockery of the whole system really

@MidLifeCrisis007 @SeasonFinale - as both of yours would have gone through this the year before - have you noticed vast difference in the two years?

MidLifeCrisis007 · 14/05/2021 11:17

@chopc

Don't different universities look for different things? So therefore one shouldn't assume that a successful application to one university should automatically follow with one in another?

But the post about the student getting a subsequent offer really does make a mockery of the whole system really

@MidLifeCrisis007 @SeasonFinale - as both of yours would have gone through this the year before - have you noticed vast difference in the two years?

Yes. This year is brutal. Last year was much fairer on the cohort....possibly too fair in that some students got grades and university places they didn't deserve. The corollary of this, of course, is that many students won't get the places they deserve this year!

My biggest gripe is that unis like St Andrews have taken so long to reject stellar students, many of whom really wanted to go there. Doing this in the middle of their A level/Higher assessments is a real kick in the teeth.

The uni that stands out for me as the "best in class" when it comes to timeliness and fairness of offers is Exeter. And everyone I know of who has been or is currently there loves it!

chopc · 14/05/2021 12:09

Thanks Midlife

And I suppose students had Uni offers/ rejections prior to life being cancelled

BigWoollyJumpers · 14/05/2021 12:13

The uni that stands out for me as the "best in class" when it comes to timeliness and fairness of offers is Exeter. And everyone I know of who has been or is currently there loves it!

This fills me with hope and a warm fuzzy feeling - thank you MidLifeCrisis007 .

PresentingPercy · 14/05/2021 14:47

The vast majority of students love where they go. It’s really not just Exeter that’s ahead in the happiness stakes.

I did make it clear that success or failure to gain a place should be seen against published criteria. That recognises there are differences. However, with maths for example, it would be difficult to see why Cambridge would accept a student but UCL reject. One would not think the criteria were so different. History might be more variable but measuring highly qualified applicants against the published criteria would be interesting to see why they didn’t get a place. Was it PS? GCSEs? School reference? The universities don’t interview or administer tests, so how did they decide?

MidLifeCrisis007 · 14/05/2021 14:49

For that very reason Exeter is likely to be DD's first choice uni come September @BigWoollyJumpers! (assuming good predicted grades and a top 3% performance in the UCAT).

Chilldonaldchill · 14/05/2021 15:36

@chopc

Don't different universities look for different things? So therefore one shouldn't assume that a successful application to one university should automatically follow with one in another?

But the post about the student getting a subsequent offer really does make a mockery of the whole system really

@MidLifeCrisis007 @SeasonFinale - as both of yours would have gone through this the year before - have you noticed vast difference in the two years?

I'm sure this is true and I'm not saying my dd (or the others) should have had offers. But in the last few years, the experience of the other students in their school suggests that they would have had offers. Therefore it seems something has changed this year and some very strong candidates seem to have missed out very unexpectedly.

opoponax · 14/05/2021 15:55

@MidLifeCrisis007 Exeter really did put the cat among the pigeons with their UCAT hike this year though. Everyone expected it would go up but no-one would have predicted a 3040 cut-off and many DC missed out in securing interviews and wished they had had a sense of how high the bar was being raised and would not have wasted a choice. It also sent shockwaves as they were the first medical school to announce their UCAT cut-off and everyone was then panicking about the others. My DS had the required UCAT but hadn't applied as when we visited Exeter he just wasn't feeling it. My DD loved it though.

MidLifeCrisis007 · 14/05/2021 16:23

I hear you @opoponax - but in their favour, as you say they were the FIRST to announce their cut-off. And it wasn't as if they artificially raised it, it was the quality of applicants they received that forced it that high.

Anyway DD hasn't even looked at a UCAT question yet, so I've no idea what level she's likely to come in at! But one thing's for certain, she won't be wasting a space on her UCAS form on St Andrews!

LaLaFlottes · 14/05/2021 16:24

@opoponax that's right about Exeter! A few of DD's friends were very shocked to find they didn't have an interview even with a high UCAT. It certainly did make everyone panic about their choices didn't it! I wonder if the knock on effect will be less applications there for 2022 entry as applicants might be put off.

@Chilldonaldchill that's a good job your DD's friend asked for feedback after her interview. It seems odd they offered her an interview if they thought she hadn't sat the entrance tests? Unless they were to be sat after interview? Thank goodness she asked!

Engley · 14/05/2021 17:04

I really hope the new variant doesn’t scupper any summer plans for our DC.

Longtimenewsee · 14/05/2021 17:28

Me too @Engley. Another thing to worry about!
There are similar stores at DD’s school about dc who were successful with Oxbridge (more Oxford at her school) but rejected from St Andrews or Durham or LSE or Edinburgh or even a few of those!

opoponax · 14/05/2021 17:47

@MidLifeCrisis007 my understanding is that the Exeter UCAT hike wasn't simply because of the "quality of applicants". Exeter favours achieved grades over predicted grades and the artificially inflated CAGS from last year meant that they had many applicants who had already top grades in hand and this pushed up the UCAT score required for those applying with predicted grades.

chopc · 14/05/2021 17:57

Given that the margins were so fine this year especially- could it also be the case that the DC's who got an Oxbridge offer but were rejected from all other top Unis were ..... well lucky with their Oxbridge offer?

opoponax · 14/05/2021 18:12

@LaLaFlottes same, quite a few at DS's school were really surprised not to even get interviews at Exeter with all A star predictions and stellar UCATs and then went on to get offers elsewhere including Oxbridge. I think the CAGS affected Exeter disproportionately. I wonder if it will affect applications next year too as it seems like a risky option with another year of supposedly inflated A level grades.

LaLaFlottes · 14/05/2021 18:15

@MidLifeCrisis007 I know St Andrews has kept a lot of people holding on and made unexpected rejections this year. But if your DD is applying for Medicine next year, don't rule out St Andrews if she does fancy it!

Traditionally they actually have a very good offer to interview ratio. So if you score high enough in UCAT to be as sure as you can be of an interview, you have a better chance of converting that to an offer than you do at many other places. Obviously it remains to be seen what the ratios are for 2021 entry, and they will no doubt come out in FOI ratios later this year.

DD got an offer for Medicine at St Andrews and they did seem to make the majority of their Medicine offers in a timely fashion from what I have heard.

Just thought I'd mention it in case it was useful!

Chilldonaldchill · 14/05/2021 19:01

@chopc

Given that the margins were so fine this year especially- could it also be the case that the DC's who got an Oxbridge offer but were rejected from all other top Unis were ..... well lucky with their Oxbridge offer?

I think those of us with DC with 0xbridge offers have said from the start that our children have been lucky this year. I certainly feel that. I think, in a normal year, she'd have been someone the school would "assume" would get an offer - but so would many other students and, by extension, so would many of the DC of posters on this thread. And unfortunately many of those who would normally, didn't - it will be really interesting when we see the stats to realise quite how many lost out. So those who did get their offers this year are, yes, I think lucky to have done so. Margins between those who did and didn't get offers must have been tiny I imagine. I suppose the point I was trying to make is that it's weird how many people with offers from O/C this year haven't had offers from the other typical ones (Durham, St A, Edinburgh) whilst the other O/C applicants have had those offers. I know that's sadly not the case for everyone on this thread but at DC's school it's weirdly correlated.