Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Higher education

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

Flip

Original poster

At last heard from Edinburgh but...

18 replies

fUNNYfACE36 · 13/04/2023 16:08

At long last heard from Edinburgh ( biology) A*AA which is a lot higher than their published AAB .I guess they are v oversubscribed.

Problem now is that Bath and Edinburgh (the 2 favourites) have the same offer.Durham is lower with AAA( but she doesn't like Durham or Newcastle now)

So is it possible to Reject all but one and have 2 with the same offer firm and insurance.

OP posts:

poetryandwine · 13/04/2023 16:21

It is possible but speaking as a former Russell Group Admissions Tutor it really isn’t a good idea.

As you say, high offer from Edinburgh suggests that it is a very competitive year. They will only be taking Firmed applicants who don’t make the offer if they can’t fill up with those who do. It is a very desirable uni.

Was DD’s degree programme in Clearing last year? If they were that would be small cause for optimism. But I would definitely not be happy if my DC listed an Insurance choice that wasn’t less demanding than their Firm.

Boosterquery · 13/04/2023 18:04

As poetryandwine says, perfectly possible to have a firm and insurance with the same offer. But inclusion of an A* in an offer is indicative of a university that knows its course is oversubscribed and is in a position to hold candidates to the exact terms of any offer it makes. So how confident is your DD of getting the required grades? Is it a case of should be fine barring a disaster on the day? If that's not the case, your DD needs to think carefully about what her Plan B is if come results day she has AAA and no university to go to. Having said that, there's no point putting any university as insurance if you wouldn't be willing to go there.

LIZS · 13/04/2023 18:07

fUNNYfACE36 · 13/04/2023 16:08

At long last heard from Edinburgh ( biology) A*AA which is a lot higher than their published AAB .I guess they are v oversubscribed.

Problem now is that Bath and Edinburgh (the 2 favourites) have the same offer.Durham is lower with AAA( but she doesn't like Durham or Newcastle now)

So is it possible to Reject all but one and have 2 with the same offer firm and insurance.

Yes you can. There is a chance one or other will be flexible on results day if she drops a grade. Which is her preference though? Is she happy to go with both potentially at the expense of a more secure option as insurance. If she does not want to take up any of her other offers she may as well.

poetryandwine · 13/04/2023 18:16

I agree with @Boosterquery and @LIZS that there is no point in listing an Insurance choice you would not actually be willing to attend. The problem is that if you blow your exams, you may find your bottom line changing when it is too late. With this mutual offer there no room for mistakes.

Would DD prefer a gap year to Durham and Newcastle? That might be a useful way of framing the dilemma.

Boosterquery · 13/04/2023 19:18

The problem is that if you blow your exams, you may find your bottom line changing when it is too late.

Exactly this. If the DD says she plans to get a place through clearing if she doesn't get into Edinburgh or Bath, I would ask her to name specific universities that she would hope to get a place at via clearing. Then do some research to find out the likelihood of those universities having places available in clearing. My impression is that many students and their parents fail to grasp the fact that the most popular degree courses won't have any places available in clearing.

FriendlyLaundryMonster · 13/04/2023 21:09

I sympathise. I was also disappointed in ds’s Edinburgh offer - which is 3 x A stars at A Level. His top choice is asking for 2 x A stars and 2 As. So I think in this case Edinburgh will be scored off the list. It’s such a shame as he would have liked it as his insurance.

TizerorFizz · 13/04/2023 21:28

@fUNNYfACE36
I would look again at Durham. Who doesn’t like Durham? Seems over picky to me.

fortyfifty · 13/04/2023 21:46

Yes, agreed. It seems like a great position to be in, to be able to put Durham as your insurance. Not wildly different if she likes Edinburgh and Bath.

TizerorFizz · 13/04/2023 21:57

Also, in the CUG, Durham is ranked highest for Biology (5th), Bath (7th) and Edinburgh (14th). Not quite sure why Edinburgh is so popular. Unless you are Scottish of course.

Putneypa · 14/04/2023 13:03

Same here - Edinburgh offer was intended to be insurance as published offer for DC’s course was AAB/ABB but offer issued at AAA. Apparently (for DC’s course at least) they were inundated with applications this year and only offered to those with predicted grades of AAA and above. Which suggests there won’t be much flex for those who dip even a little below on grades achieved…

TizerorFizz · 14/04/2023 16:06

Edinburgh might favour international students over home students. They pay more.

LIZS · 14/04/2023 16:26

TizerorFizz · 14/04/2023 16:06

Edinburgh might favour international students over home students. They pay more.

Favour is not the right word. There are quotas for the different funding streams to balance, so home students may find it more competitive.

TizerorFizz · 14/04/2023 17:02

@LIZS Probably wasn’t the right word!

However they do seem to be upping offers so competition must be fierce. Also my DDs course had a published quota. London university popular with overseas students . However the university didn’t stick to it! Are quotas like A levels required? Up to the university and changeable!

JocelynBurnell · 15/04/2023 00:08

Edinburgh has seen a huge increase in applicant numbers in recent years.
In 2019, it received 60,983 undergraduate applications.
By 2022, this number had risen to 75,438.

TizerorFizz · 15/04/2023 09:11

@JocelynBurnell That would suggest their published offers are too low then. Maybe they should evaluate what they publish. Years ago it was said to DD they getting to Edinburgh was a lottery not worth playing.

WarningToTheCurious · 15/04/2023 10:10

Bath is showing on UCAS as having vacancies for Biology for starting in 2023, so potentially might allow a slipped grade.

Leeds, Keele, Manchester, Sheffield, Southampton, Nottingham, Newcastle, York and Lancaster are also showing as having course vacancies.

bguthb90 · 15/04/2023 10:13

DS has applied to Edinburgh for A&F, where the typical offer is A*AA to AAA according to their website.

Hasn't heard anything from them since acknowledgement of application in December. From TSR thread and offer spreadsheet (which I know is not a realistic sample) no-one else has either for this course (or other Business school based ones)

However, on the Uniguide website, the typical grades achieved from those attending is AAB.

DS reckons this is because they wait so long to respond most applicants get fed up and withdraw to firm other offers - and therefore Edinburgh end up accepting lower grades than offers.

I'm not so sure but it does seem unusual

WarningToTheCurious · 15/04/2023 15:13

DS heard last night from Edinburgh - no offer (competitive course, A star A star A predicted, he would have been a Plus Flag which should have slotted him into the A star A star A star - AAB typical offer range but only 1 in 4 offers to English students last year). Not that disappointed (and I’m happy that he’ll save a year of fees and living costs).

Flip