Essex Uni - published offer requirements much higher than you’d expect! Why?

[Namingchangeagain]

DD (lower sixth) and I been looking into uni courses. She’s veering towards continuing French and starting a new language (German? Spanish?) and possibly with something a bit more vocational alongside (IR, business, translation?).

We are pretty keen on Bristol, Exeter, UCL, Nottingham - and then started looking into insurance choices. Essex is well regarded for languages so we thought that might be an option. However, stunned to see they want ABB - same as DD’s RG unis!

So my question is why you would apply to Essex when there are RG unis wanting the same grades that are above Essex in the SUBJECT league tables? We really wanted to apply to Essex as an insurance option but it is no insurance if they want the same grades.

We genuinely don’t get how Essex fill their language courses. Any insight welcome!

i should add - seeing as Essex is no insurance, what do you recommend for insurance options? DD now looking at Reading (BBB)

very keen to see responses to this. I too had been told Essex good for languages but didn’t apply as they wanted same grades (ABB) as Nottingham, Southampton etc. Do Essex publicise faux offers but offer or accept much lower? It’s so odd. Put almost all of my cohort off from applying to Essex

Went to Essex with ds for politics and IR - mini open day and offer day.
AAB offer but ABB with Epq. Impressed with the department and high for Politics research internationally.
Can't remember where I saw it but think saw stats suggesting they do offer under tariff for politics.
Seemed a very international university and nice atmosphere.
If came into play would be insurance but at present 2 others ds looking at as well.

Surrey University BBB for modern foreign languages.

The Russell group is partly a marketing strategy and is also related to research, which may be less of a focus in MFL. Knowing that you have the world expert in astrophysics in the next building will not help you to congugate verbs. People are also not all looking for the same thing in a university, so while being in a Russell group is important to you, for someone else it might be important to get home every weekend. Maybe Essex feel that someone with lower grades will struggle with the course. Essex obviously find that they fill places with those offers.

Many language depts at Uni level are desperate for numbers and often accept under offer grades in the summer to fill courses without needing to go through clearing.

Agree RG not most important thing. Ds looking at 3 non RG for making final choices for firm and insurance as preferred to RG on list after visits and checking course content, etc.

@DinkyDaisy yes, RG not the most important but am still surprised by Essex. Thanks for tip about Surrey. Will pass on to DD! Good luck to your DS

Surrey one of his 3

The Essex business model relies on foreign students and their £££££ fees. I imagine an offer like that is designed to discourage domestic students.

I think there are websites where you can have a look at the average grades achieved by students entering a course.

I suspect that Essex are asking for higher grades than they really require - and would accept dropped grades on results day. Unfortunately a lot of parents and students rate the quality of a course by the grades stated on the website. Universities have to consider this as part of their marketing.

Have a look on The Uni Guide website - they accept far lower grades than are advertised as the standard offer. I guess this means it could be a safe second choice- likely to accept you anyway if you just miss out?

Part of having a high tariff is to do with positioning your own University in the same bracket as those seen as more prestigious. So if you aren't RG, but you pitch for the same level you're persuading people to the perception that you are absolutely as good.

If your tariff is too low you're saying you're a bit shit and can't aim for the best students. Which then puts people off and decreases your applications.

Particularly because universities need students who can complete the course - a high drop-out rate is bad for reputation, would get looked at by the OFS and means finances go to shit if your actual income is far off your targets.

OMG - was not aware of this website. It shows that Essex actually accept BCD! Thank you for alerting me to The Uni Guide - so useful!

Also have a look at discoveruni.gov.uk (formerly "unistats"). It goes into even more detail about individual courses!

My DD is at Essex studying economics and had one result that was lower than what they wanted but she was accepted through clearing. Great uni by the way , my eldest went to Leeds which is a RG and he still complains about the poor teaching and the arrogance of the uni who thought you being at Leeds was enough. He slated the quality of teaching so it’s interesting to see the comparison

Thank you @PhotoDad - googling now!

@rogueone Great to hear your DD enjoying. I've heard only good things about Essex so DD wanted to put it down as insurance - but gobsmacked by their high tariff

“Knowing that you have the world expert in astrophysics in the next building will not help you to congugate verbs”

😂😂😂 thanks for making me smile @Unexpecteddrivinginstructor

Please don't be put off by the entry requirements, they aren't an accurate reflection of actual a level grades of students accepted.

Uniguide tells me Essex uni made most offers on 'BCB', so i'd be guided more by that.

DS applied to Essex uni (different course) some yrs ago and was made an offer of ABB despite him being predicted BBB. They then dropped their offer to BBB then 'CCC', if firmed. DS decided against it in the end. It was in Clearing for a very long time.

Essex is a good university so I don’t know why you’re surprised. It’s one of the “plate glass” institutions together with York, Lancaster, Sussex et al. (All also excellent universities). And the campus is ravishingly beautiful.

Likely grades are a combination of indication of level of difficulty of degree and the level of ability needed, and the level of demand.

@Namingchangeagain
Theres some odd views here. Essex is average. Research is important for MFL! It’s not all language acquisition. Staff should be experts in linguistics. Literature, film, art, culture, medieval language and all sorts of research areas. This is why they offer a wide variety of exciting modules! Translation these days is poorly paid and a waste of time. Academically you do it but for a job it’s a bit dead in the water and boring.

Bristol and other great RG MFL schools are academic. Not really vocational. Students don’t necessarily work using their MFLs. They are a route into a career. DD did law conversion. Essex is not a great MFL university and not on a par with Lancaster or York in any league table.

Many RG universities take lower grades by the way. Not enough MFL students to go round so insurance doesn’t need to be low. Most average RG would be forgiving.

"Many RG universities take lower grades by the way. Not enough MFL students to go round so insurance doesn’t need to be low. Most average RG would be forgiving."

That's interesting. Which ones are average - of her choices, Bristol and Exeter I assume not? But are Nottingham and UCL? @TizerorFizz