University Offers Coming In 23/4 - part 2!

[WombatChocolate]

Following on from the old thread which was getting full….come and share the highs and lows of the journey that is A Levels and UCAS!

@Hapagirl48 we are going to the offer day next week at Glasgow (from London)! Haven't even looked at what the accommodation is all about yet. I think it's a long shot as four years and I understand they are getting rid of the free last year for RUK students. It's too bad rain is forecast 😣.

Hate to say it @mondaytosunday , but as a native Glaswegian it's good you'll see the city in normal weather conditions. No illusions

Edinburgh and others must miss out on a few good students due to their tardiness?
It would be ok if no-one allocated accommodation until after 6th June but sadly some universities are open first come, first served already.

Maybe see you there! Don't let the weather put you off, it's a great city. I think I'm more excited about next week than DD.😂

Us too. Pouring down one minute and sunny the next in Edinburgh.

Hi Guys

Can I ask, has anyone on this thread had a DC/Know of a DC who has been accepted for law at York or Leeds?

Everyone form my school who has applied has been rejected. Every single one . I am trying to figure out just exactly how amazing the students were who got offers! No sour grapes - just wanted to get abetter picture of what exactly about my students meant they were wasting their applications. For some of them, this has been two of their 5 , so they are obviously disappointed. (and have had to wait aaaaages)

It does seem there has been a massive spurt in law applications his year.

Maybe not that helpful and maybe you have looked already @Piggywaspushed but I am avoiding difficult and boring work so I looked this up on the big spreadsheet of all offers.

There aren't many - couple of early York unconditional ones with ÅAAA and ÅÅA achieved.

Conditional York ones with predicted ÅÅA and ÅÅÅ. And an IB one predicted 36 which matches the offer and seems relatively low, maybe co textual but doesn't say so.

3 x Leeds conditional IB offers, predicted 43, 43 and 41.

1 x Leeds conditional contextual predicted AAA.

1 x Leeds conditional non contextual predicted 4 x Å.

Thanks - useful.

I suspect they may be filtering on GCSE results and possibly (without hinting at this anywhere in their info) on what subjects are being done in sixth form.

One of the boys has two A star predicted and a distinction star , and relevant work experience- so I do feel sorry for him.

That seems ridiculously competitive, especially when the standard offer is not that high.

They include A level subjects and GCSE grades on the spreadsheet and I am still avoiding work so 😅

The two with A level offers from Leeds are doing

bio / history / geog
(8887777766) - contextual

bio / chem / history / French (999999999887)

York offer holders are doing

History / maths / FM / RS
(10 x 9)

Psych / sociology / Eng lit (98888876AA)

History / politics / econ - contextual (9988887776)

Law / history / econ
(888887776)

Woah, those are high grades!

Yeah, they look like Oxbridge GCSEs, it's crazy

I think when courses are very competitive, you need predicted grades in excess of the standard offer, and impressive GCSEs too.

You might be right that they are filtering on A Level subjects and preferring candidates with traditional subjects and possibly prioritising those with A Levels over other qualifications such as Btec.

I also think people forget just how many candidates have all A star predictions and all or almost all GCSEs at 9/8. In some schools or colleges, having an A star prediction puts you in the top few of your school, as does a couple of 9s at GCSE, but there are lots of selective schools which have the majority of students with predictions of at least one A star and lots with all 3 or 4, plus huge swathes with all 8/9 at GCSE. For some courses at some places, it is insanely competitive and unless you qualify for a contextual offer, you have to be absolutely stellar.

It’s really tough, especially if you’re in a school or college which is very conservative with its predictions. In the end, those with those very high predictions are getting the standard offer which they might well achieve even if they don’t get their predicteds. Those who are simply predicted the standard offer and actually achieve the same grades as the person with the higher predicteds is less likely to be going, as they simply don’t get the offer.

That said, they say 80% of predicted grades are wrong, with most being too generous anyway….and that’s a widespread thing. Usually schools and colleges do know from past experience the kind of grades their students of different ability types get, but with Covid and return to so-called normal grades has made that more tricky.

It is disappointing for a school or college if the students they think are really strong all don’t get iffers for a particular course. I suppose the question is whether they are super strong and their predicted grades are too conservative and holding them back, or if they are just strong, but not super strong and not quite competitive enough with the many who are top-notch academically.

Off to the Exeter offer holder day today, I think there's also a few others heading there too?
we weren't going to, as dd has visited the uni and city a few times already but she's having last minute wobbles about the course so hoping this will help settle whether it's the right one for her.

We are in Liverpool (dd is driving) for LJMU offer holders day v

We are at the Exeter offer holder day too. Chucking down with rain interspersed with sunshine. Forgotten how pretty the campus is; even in the rain. DD currently in her subject talk and will then do an accommodation tour.

🙋‍♀️ offer holder today for us too, in Birmingham

My son is in Exeter too. Got soaked walking there and although having been dismissive of the Durham hills (he only walked down though) found cardiac hill quite tiring. He”s got back to back academic sessions - both in same building thankfully - and will hopefully do an accommodation tour this afternoon.

Really hope he will be able to make a choice although if he does prefer Exeter will need to visit Leeds as well as his insurance.

@Jaxx my DS is in Birks so does Cardiac Hill at least once a day. Hated it to start with but, like everything, once he'd done it for a couple of weeks, it just became the norm.

One advantage of living at the bottom of it, is that it's a flat walk to and from town - no climbing hills post midnight after nights out

If he chooses Exeter he will have to get used to it! East Park looks lovely (lots of steps though) but is oversubscribed and expensive and he isn’t really a party boy so Lafrowda might not suit him.

@Jaxx - I may have done so already, but can highly recommend Birks Grange, based on visiting and my son's feedback.

Accommodation relatively moder, huge kitchens (with 2 of everything) and seated areas, a 20 min walk into town centre; and quiet in the evenings/overnight so sleep is easy to get.

Cardiac Hill is the only downside but even with it, it's still only a 10-15 minute walk to the campus centre

@lastdayatschool thank you for the personal recommendation - it has been top of my shortlist for a while. Is your DS in an en-suite or townhouse room?

@Jaxx - he's in an 8 bed flat with en-suite rooms. The only complaint he has had was that it was too hot in September - they all bought fans to overcome this.

Rooms have plenty of storage - including under the bed - and a big desk.

There's a little shop and a laundry on the complex, and a small Morrisons shop about 5 minutes away on the main road. For bigger shops, he goes to the Sainsburys in the town centre

😂 Got very confused about this! We have a Cardiac Hill on the Mountjoy campus at Durham too - was just going to say you can go another route and then realised you were talking about Exeter!

Yes @Mytholmroyd - having experience of the Durham one from my undergrad. days (we called heart attack hill), I can attest that it, and the one in Exeter are equally as cruel as each other

I can only get up it in one go if it isn't windy - the wind blows straight in your face when you are going up and it is impossible to breathe!