Unhappy with firm choice uni

[andthebandmarchedon]

Hi all,
Very unhappy DS here.
He did well with A levels - A star, A, B and was accepted by his firm - an excellent university. However he was planning to reapply in the coming year to Durham as he didn’t get an offer from them last year with predictions of A star, A star, A. He’s having a gap year anyway. However, now that he’s got his grades, it seems unlikely that they would offer him a place.
He ended up with very few options as he was not keen on most places, liked his firm but not sure about the course there. Now, he is having serious doubts about the course as there is so little choice with the options. He‘s really worried he’s not going to enjoy it, and doesn’t know what to do. We’ve suggested lots of other options but he only really wants to go to Durham. He didn’t really like Manchester, York, Leeds or any other excellent universities. He wants somewhere smallish.
I’m at a loss as to what to advise. If it was just a bit of feeling disappointed and wobbly, I’d say to get on with it, but he has genuine concerns about the course which I do understand.

I met people at university who had taken two or three years between school and study and it really didn’t matter at all in the scheme of things. Given the cost of studying, I would say doing something else until he is sure is a good move. Ideally with a job he likes. Visiting his friends who have started at university at the weekend may bring some clarity about what he is looking for in a university.
Could he retake anything to bring his B grade up, or do a different a-level at night school?

He’s got plenty of time to decide. His results are known so he has time to get used to what they mean- they are excellent results but aren’t going to get him Durham so he needs time to let that aspiration go. I expect he had his heart set on there and never really mentally accepted his Firm. It’s probably very hard to admit to himself.

He should revisit his Firm to have a proper look around, and if he still has doubts don’t go-I work in HE and the ones that don’t have their heart in it are wasting everyone’s time and their own money. It’s not good for mental health to do something that isn’t a good fit.

Some people need a bit of time out working to really work out what they want, and that’s ok. But in his case I suspect the Firm course isn’t the issue, it’s just that he hasn’t mentally committed to it.

I’d encourage him to go back on an open day, and then to just get on with his gap year plans and see where that takes him. He can always do Clearing next year.

Yes I agree, he needs to be sure about his firm or it is a waste of time and money. It seems unlikely that Durham will offer if they didn;t like his very high PGs tbh (sorry if that’s a bit harsh).

Can you tell us the subject @andthebandmarchedon and we may be able to suggest some unis?

But if not, here are a few that are smallish and may offer some similarity to Durham and which his grades could fit:
Lancaster (collegiate, small place)
Loughborough (small town, very focused on the uni)
Warwick (small place, very campus-focused)
UEA (city but not big, campus out of town)
Bath (beautiful city, smallish)

Or Scotland? I don’t know loads about Scottish unis but a YP I know has just finished at Stirling and loved it, great campus I gather.

What is his course? And where is his firm?

We’ve suggested lots of other options but he only really wants to go to Durham. He didn’t really like Manchester, York, Leeds or any other excellent universities. He wants somewhere smallish

He hasn't got the grades to go to Durham. They didn't offer him a place based on his predictions which were better than the grades he actually got so it's highly unlikely they will offer him a place now.

If he's taking a gap year he has plenty of time to think about options for next year and to look at his firm again in more detail. Options can change from year to year anyway. What options does he want to take that he feels his firm isn't offering?

What subject?

Birmingham? Green and leafy campus and perfectly possible to spend three years at the university without venturing into the city centre (except possibly to change trains), although imho you'd be missing out a bit in that case. And if the terraced housing of the natural student accommodation hinterland of Selly Oak is off-putting, there are other, more middle-class looking options in the vicinity. Admittedly, it doesn't have the 'almost Oxbridge-ness' factor of Durham, though, if that is part of the attraction.

Re the course options aspect - is this a subject where more or less any avenues can be investigated at the right level and you come out with a degree in it at the other end (e.g. DS2 graduated in History of Art from UEA last year, and MIL keeps banging on about how shocked she is that he didnt have to study x, y, z, because he would have had to where she did her MA in the subject, but what was covered in his degree was what it said from the outset was the focus), or something where the content is to a greater or lesser extent dictated by a regulating body?

Thanks for all your helpful replies.
His firm is Bath and course is Politics and IR. There is no choice whatsoever in Y1 and only 4 options to choose from in Y2. Y3 is more like other courses elsewhere with about 30 possible options.
He wasn’t keen on Warwick, UEA or Lancaster. I know,,,,difficult to please! He really likes Bath as a place so it’s just the course. We are contacting the department to ask if anything might change for next year in terms of the options.

He also loved Edinburgh but didn’t apply last year in the end as it seems so tough for students based in England to get offers for the Politics course which is very competitive.

Sorry all - realised I mistyped his predicted grades in the original post. They were A star, A star, B.

Are there any unis that are slightly less competitive than Durham and Edinburgh that he'd consider?

I would encourage him to defer and take a gap year, get a job and think about his options, possibly reapply elsewhere. If he goes off to Bath feeling disappointed and unsure before he even starts I suspect he'll quickly become one of the many students who drop out in their first year, when he's already wasted a year of fees and other costs. Uni is expensive, it's important to be sure (as sure as you can be) that you've made the right choice, or as close to the right choice as you can. Having so many doubts at this stage doesn't bode well for him sticking it out.

My ds at Bath loving Politics and IR. He took a gap year and still does retail job in holidays. He has got really involved in university life and Politics related clubs.
Can't ask him anything at Moment as he is away but I certainly don't think he has felt restricted in his first year.

So he dropped a grade on 1.

It's tough at that age but if he didn't get an offer at high predictions it's unlikely he'll be offered anything there having dropped a grade.

What's more important to him, the uni or the course? Would he want to consider a different course at Durham, with lower requirements with the idea of a post grad later on in something more akin to the original course?

Based on this reply @andthebandmarchedon is there any way Bath could put your DS in touch with someone who has just completed the first year and would be prepared to have a video call with him? It might help to encourage him or to make him feel more sure that it isn't the right choice for him.

The P&IR course at Nottingham looks great and is a lovely campus

If his overriding criteria is for somewhere small then he could look at Holloway. Otherwise Lancaster Exeter and Loughborough

My DS did politics at Birmingham and had masses of options. He loved the campus and had good relationships either his tutors but Selly oak is a bit grotty I admit. And it is not oxbridge or doxbridge. However he had a year abroad and had a fabulous time at a very elite private university in California. Such a fantastic opportunity and allowed him to study more widely things which either he wanted to investigate for future careers (did courses in political speechwriting, documentary filmmaking, journalism) or just for interest (Latin American literature). His grad employer said it was the year abroad which piqued their interest and made them bring him in for interview. Birmingham had a HUGE list of potential unis (at least 20 in the US alone and the place he went only takes students from 2 unis in the UK (Bristol was the other). So if he is interested in a year abroad my advice is to look very closely at the range and number of options as some very good unis here have shockingly poor reciprocal arrangements and some have excellent ones, and they aren’t always the ones you think.

My other off piste suggestion is that he goes to the incomparable War Studies department at kings London for the eponymous BA. Get him to have a look at that - it might inspire him. Mixture of politics/IR/security studies and absolutely world leading. The Kings campus has had zillions spent on it and is now fabulous. He has to be prepared to be in London which is the opposite of a small town obviously but I just wonder if it might interest him.

Finally if he wants Durham he should apply to Durham. With a very strong personal statements and those grades in hand he may just get an offer. Worth a 1/5 shot. Ditto Edinburgh. Everywhere else he is pretty much guaranteed an offer so it is pretty low risk to do so.

St Andrews? Warwick? York?

I recruit politics graduates and have had some excellent ones from Bath. PP’s are right that he shouldn’t go there if he’s not sure, but he needs to think really carefully about what Durham would give him that Bath wouldn’t before he gives up the opportunity in a slight huff (sorry if that’s a mischaracterisation!)

Why would you apply to Edinburgh, which is extremely competitive and requires A* AA for its politics undergraduate course, if you have A* AB?

Also sorry about the bold, presume it was all the stars...

I think most people could go to Bath and love it.

Durham would probably offer with his grades for Siciology, Abtgropology, Theology.
If the B was an A, he’d meet the standard offer for most courses, but wouldn’t necessarily get an offer as often the offers go to those with above the standard offer grades.
Has he checked the grade boundaries and where he sat within them and if any kind of remark might be a good idea on the B?

It’s early days and it’s still raw. Def spend some time looking at other courses over weekend. Much of the v top stuff is gone in Clearing but lots remains which he would qualify for.Are you able to jump in the car and go and look at a couple of places if he shows interest. I think the best thing at this point is to really try to move on from Durham if it doesn’t look like an upgrade is possible or likely.

Lots will feel like him 2 days on. In a week he could feel v different.

I would be wary at the moment about making decisions based on option choices at specific universities. These change every year, so are not guaranteed, and at the moment nearly all departments are reducing the number of options available due to finances, redundancies and "efficiencies".