clearing 2021 thoughts

[stardustliz]

Bit of a thought dump so bear with...

DS needed ABB but got ABC. Decided to have a gap year but after a few days felt he really wanted to go to Uni as he didn't want another year at home. By the time we looked, clearing was limited but he found a course he liked, in a city he really likes. He struggles socially but has a lot of sporting interests in this city which I hope will help him with friendships and give him a focus outside his studies.

The grades asked for on this course however are lower than what he achieved BCC/BBC (probably CCC during clearing). We know he would have a strong change of offers in 2022 from some more highly ranked universities. However the downside of these are they are in cities he isn't so keen on in terms of location and they lack his sporting interest/activities. He'd also need to have the gap year he is not keen on having. He's spent a lot of time in his room since A Levels stopped in May and although he would look for work/volunteering I worry he may get even more socially isolated after 12 months more at home.

He seems happy to go to the clearing offer but I worry he is not at the best uni for his grades. But given all the pros and cons of both options am not sure this is the main concern anyway.

Just wanted thoughts whilst I mull this over in my head and try to stop over worrying and over thinking (the whole clearing process has been stressful, alongside a few other issues, and so I am feeling quite anxious over it all and another perspective would be helpful).

Thanks.

I'll start with some positives:

Course he likes ? Tick

Location he likes (the look of at least)? Tick

Opportunities to pursue his sporting interests? Tick

Something he's happy to commit to (sounds as if this is the case)? Tick

Take the offer. This year has been incredibly difficult due to the number of high grades. Lots of kids have deferred. Next year will therefore be even more difficult.

I agree with both the previous posters. It sounds as though he will be doing a degree he enjoys in a place he enjoys it in. The rest is up to him. University is part of the journey and not the destination as I have learnt over the months

Sounds like he may be one of the ‘best/brightest’ on the course so if he works reasonably hard then good chance of a 1st!

Agree with the others. There are some great courses with BBB/BBC offers, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t kids with higher grades on it. If you look up his course on discoveruni you can see a graph showing the spread of grades of those who are doing the course and that might put your mind at ease. But if he likes the course snd the place then he should go for it I think

I think he should go for it. So many positives and ultimately a degree is a degree.

Thanks for your thoughts. It's helped me alot to write it all down and to read your thoughts xx

If you tell us the course and uni you might hear from someone with specific knowledge about it?

Politics at MMU. The other options he would of had (possibly) next year were Southampton, Loughborough and Lancaster. And Leicester.

Obviously no guarantees re those places for next year though. MMU was one of his initial 5 UCAS choices this year.

I’m struggling to see a negative here amongst lots of positives - great city which provides access to sporting interests, course he wants to do (!), original top 5 uni choice, possibility of being a strong student on the course, can start now , opportunity for social interaction and new friends. Etc etc.
“He seems happy to go to the clearing offer”
This !
It all sounds great.. maybe time to get excited !

I think the chances of him getting Loughborough would have been extremely slim. It’s one of the most oversubscribed universities and its elite athletes get reduced offers. Take the offer. This is about you not him. Loughborough is a small market town. There’s nothing there! Likewise Lancaster is very small, the campus is out in the sticks and it’s the choice of Lake District walkers. Your son wants a vibrant city. Take MMU

One more thing to throw in there is how Politics may relate to career aspirations, and then whether the other Unis have a significantly greater reputation for job prospects. Or more importantly whether MMU has a poor reputation re that.

Leicester seems to be in clearing as well.
Ranked very similar, for Politics, to MMU.

Thanks for the thoughts. He opted for MMU over Leicester but would have considered both. Leicester uni is overall better ranked but MMU did better for politcs (guardian). Leicester is also good for jobs. On paper I would have probably picked Leicester as a uni but Manchester was the overall better location for him and his interests (which swung it towards MMU). MMU also had a space in halls and Leicester didn't.

Ideally I would have liked to visit both to help him make a more informed choice but there just wasn't time this year. It's this that has made me feel unsettled about his plans.

However the biggest plus for MMU is that he likes the city. We have friends and family close by and he has been there a lot of times. Socially I feel (I hope) this will benefit him alongside his sport interests. I am wondering if the social side may be almost the most important factor for him (given how he stuggles socially) and feeling at home in a location with his sport interests may help him. I guess my main hope for his time at uni is that he enjoys his time and makes some solid friendships.

Gosh yes @stardustliz. That’s the main thing really isn’t it
Good luck to him

Yes, thanks- I do also want him to be interested and engaged by his course too. However its difficult to know how Leicester or MMU would differ regarding this based on the online data!

I think your reasoning for choosing MMU over Leicester is solid. You’ve listed a lot of pros. Being happy is the most important aspect. As others have said he’ll be a strong candidate for a first too, providing he puts in the effort obviously. Regarding the Guardian saying Leicester being better for job prospects - he can make up that difference with work experience during holidays. Exciting times!

However its difficult to know how Leicester or MMU would differ regarding this based on the online data!
Are the courses identical - the university website will list and describe each module including possible options. It’ll also how the course is delivered and examined; percentage of exams, coursework, lectures, seminars, private study. Are these the same? He could also look on StudentRoom to gain an idea of how the course has been delivered at each university over the past year, which may highlight similarities or differences.

I would say Manchester is more vibrant & has more going on than the other options. Leicester may be higher ranked as a uni but I found the city itself quite depressing when we visited a few years ago.

It sounds like MMU is a good fit for your son. He can always do a masters somewhere else if the prestige of the uni is a concern.

Thanks for all comments. I do think with all the pros and cons considered it's the best choice for him if he wants to go this year. It's really helped to put in down in writing and read your comments so thanks so much for taking the time and doing some research too. I appreciate it. If he remains keen to go then I will just focus on the positives and keep my fingers crossed he settles in well 😊 x

Just to add that for some careers eg Civil Service (if he is interested in politics), the university becomes irrelevant as they blank out university attended for applications.

That's good to know as that is likely to be the type of work he's interested in. He's not interested in working for a large multi-national- so perhaps university prestige is not going to be so much of an impact for him. Thanks.