UCAS clearing - swap Economics with Engineering - any tips?

[blueshoes]

Ds' UCAS application is a bit of a hot mess.

He got an offer of AAA/A*AB from Nottingham Uni for Economics. He has changed his mind and wants to do Engineering

His subjects at A level are Economics, Physics and Maths with predicted grades of AAB in that order. He thinks he can get AAA or AAA for his results and is hoping to trade up to a higher tariff university to do Engineering😬

He has to go into clearing 😭

The universities he has in mind are Bristol, Bath, UCL, Warwick, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds.

He does not want Oxbridge (erm, not that he has a choice). Has he got a chance at Imperial at all, considering he does not have Further Maths? I guess Imperial won't come up in clearing so he will have to do a gap year and try with grades in hand. Is that even worth bothering or too pie in the sky?

Hoping for tips and experiences. TIA

Has your DS considered Durham OP ? Their BEng and MEng General Engineering courses are showing as in clearing on UCAS

BEng courses often have slightly lower entrance requirements than MEng, and if he’s thinking of engineering as a numerate and capable degree ultimately leading to a non engineering career, this might be a good option? Most places will allow you to bump up to MEng if you want and get the right grades after 2 years. Though I’m not sure how this impacts funding/ costs.

There are also engineering business management courses - would that be of interest?

Apologies for skimming the thread, but has anyone suggested applying for a Foundation year? Or he may be offered that if he goes through clearing and doesn’t have enough to get straight into year 1.

Also, some unis are flexible and allow you to switch between aero, auto and mechanical during the course, as many of the core modules in Y1 and Y2 are shared.

Apply for a MENG if he can, OP. It's usually easier to drop down to BEng as a fall-back than to switch up (always hoping he won't need to anyway).

Has he had a close look at course content and structure for the various courses under consideration (all years)? I feel another sheet on his spreadsheet coming on, LOL. It might help him identify any significant differences between courses in the same department, different departments in the same institution, and between institutions.

Switching between BEng and MEng is usually quite flexible in both directions. You need to maintain a certain academic standard to remain on MEng, some decide that three years is enough, and if you want to swap from BEng to MEng the university is happy to have your money.

The finances will work, but it is one more hassle. The reason it is easier to swap down is that you can skip this step

This is a good idea if DS doesn’t get the grades

UCAS Clearing has already opened, you can see on their website which unis have places left for Engineering. Worth researching these to see if any are suitable, so preferences are known and you have a plan before results day, when places will get filled quickly.

To be honest if there a couple that he likes, it wouldn’t hurt to phone them now to understand likelihood of getting in etc once results are known. Also helps to establish a relationship.

Don’t wait for results day to start this preparation/thinking.

Good luck!

Yes, of course - I was just thinking if he doesn’t quite get the grades for the MEng he might get them for BEng as they have slightly lower entry requirements (eg AAA for BEng at Warwick vs AstarAA for MEng) and if he’s not actually planning to become an accredited engineer, that might be ideal. And could switch to MEng if he did well enough later and wanted to go more down that route.

FWIW, my DS has a 3 x AAA offer for Engineering at Warwick as his insurance and currently doesn't want it, so that will probably end up in clearing.

I meant to support you - the DS could enter BEng and trade up. Your idea is good!

The MEng is a must if you want to become a chartered engineer. Otherwise, if a career in finance beckons then no point in another year of fees and one less year of earning a salary.

Haha oh good, well done us 😄
Good luck to him OP - my son is also going to be applying for mech eng, but he’s one year back from yours so we have all this to come. Still getting over the extremely high entry req across the board for mech eng - he’s going to have to be sensible getting a good balance across applications! The courses look brilliant though.

Fantastic - that is good to know @SabrinaThwaite !

@Motheroftweenagers ds will be lying in wait 😂

What engineering course was your ds offered at Warwick? Well done to your son for his offer.

@MillicentFaucet thanks for suggesting. Ds looked at Durham. Their admission requirements were quite low. Despite being an excellent uni for the humanities, Durham does not look like a STEM uni. I could be talking out of my bottom.

😂
Thanks. I think a BEng in Engineering (general). Good luck to your DS.

@TianasBayou this is good advice. Will get ds to research courses with a foundation year.

Why would someone do a foundation course in Engineering? I mean other than the fact that that is the only thing they were offered on clearing.

I think ds has the subjects (Maths, Physics, Econs). He could do with Further Maths to gain admission for the more competitive courses (such as Imperial) but would those unis offer Foundation?

Is Foundation the year where the tuition fees are quite cheap at uni?

Any thoughts on choosing between Foundation (with bird in hand) versus taking a gap year (hopefully doing a year long scheme/internships and doing FM) and applying with grades in hand? I kinda would prefer the latter if ds were taking a year longer.

OMG, ds is On It 💪

Hoping he gets the grades ...

Civil engineering has its maths elements. Can you imagine a huge structure being designed without understanding the mathematical principles involved? Often mechanical and civil have the same first and second year core subjects too.

Regarding General Engineering - I think fewer actually become engineers. Lots go into finance as it is better pay.

I would look at the top engineering universities for a greater variety of courses. So Sheffield, Bristol, Southampton, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester are all very old and well established faculties. There are more of course! Don’t get too hung up on specialist courses but look for, ideally, 4 year MEng courses.

There are engineering jobs in most sectors. Defence might well grow but would you want Min of Defence or defence contractors?

Lots of STEM at Durham - big engineering department (I did my masters there).

Don't be fooled by what looks like low admissions requirements - you’ll still need to stand out with great grades and a good PS.

That is a good prep strategy especially about the phoning which I did not realise you could. I think speaking to someone will also advance ds' thinking about the course. Great suggestion.

Thanks for the intelligence on Durham. Will get ds to put Durham back on the spreadsheet 😁

@TizerorFizz appreciate your input. You asked about whether Min of Defence or defence contractors. What is the difference?

Sorry, showing my ignorance here. I was thinking of the increase in government defence spending in UK and Europe and new developments in the battlefield in terms of drones, electronic warfare and satellite/navigation systems but that is probably a fraction of what the defence industry does.

The M eng in mechanical engineering at Durham has a typical offer of A star AA so not really low. I know an engineering student there and they really rate it. They are about to start a placement year which will pretty much guarantee them a job. Durham is very well thought of for sure (tho I accept it may not be for everyone – the place and the style of uni as well).

@Talipesmum @poetryandwine I prefer ds to do a 3 year BEng as it is less time and uni fees, if he is not going to practice Engineering but go into Finance instead. That said, he might change his mind yet again and love it. Good to know he can still have the option to switch into MEng. I was wondering why people choose MEng off the bat and the saw you need MEng to become a chartered engineer. So learnt something there.

@ICouldHaveCheckedFirst ds could do with taking a closer look at the course content and structure and compare different courses, so thanks for suggesting. It will add another column or two to his spreadsheet 😆