Decision time: Gemmology, Geology or Resit Y13?

[N33danam3]

DD applied for geology. Her firm was Birmingham (BBC) and insurance was keele (CCC). She got BCC and has a place at Keele. She needs to decide very quickly what she is doing and has some questions (which I’ve put at the bottom).

Option 1 - Keele for Geology
She has a place at Keele for Geology but doesn’t want to go because she wants to stay in Birmingham. She hasn’t yet declined the place because it’s become the default fall back option.

Option 2 - BCU for Gemmology
Shes been looking to see whether there are any alternative geology-based courses in Birmingham and has found BSc Gemmology and Jewellery studies at BCU which is in clearing for 64 UCAS points. She does seem genuinely interested in the BCU course because it does have geology and scientific content and she is interested in rocks and minerals so it all links up.

Option 3 - Resit Y13 and reapply to UoB for geology
She can resit Chemistry and Physics and can pick up either an EPQ plus some Y12 chem and physics lessons or either AS maths or AS biology to make a full timetable. She can then reapply for UoB geology next year.

She has quite a few questions:
Is the gemmology course as good as geology?
What she can do afterwards? (other than working in the Jewellery Quarter)
Would the gemmology degree be enough for her to do a masters in geology if she wanted to later on?
Could she still go into geology if she did gemmology?
Will she be penalised by uni admissions for resitting? (She got a contextual offer this year. Would she still get one next year?)
If resitting Y13, what would be the best subject to pick up?
Or maybe there is another option we haven’t thought about?

I could really do with someone who is a more knowledgeable about all of this university stuff providing some sound advice.

Thank you.

DD has A levels in
Geology - B
Chemistry - C
Physics - C

Does she want a career in the jewellery industry?

What attracted her to geology in the first place?

Does she want to be out & about, studying minerals, volcanoes & rocks or in a lab environment grading rubies & emeralds?

Is the gemmology course as good as geology?
yes and no. It’s a well respected course that qualifies students well for a career in the jewellery industry but it’s totally different to geology.

What she can do afterwards? (other than working in the Jewellery Quarter)
working in the jewellery sector is probably going to be the main role here - unless she goes for something that just requires a degree, not a specific one. I’d imagine careers in fashion might also be open.

Would the gemmology degree be enough for her to do a masters in geology if she wanted to later on?
probably not for the most competitive courses

Could she still go into geology if she did gemmology?
probably not

Will she be penalised by uni admissions for resitting? (She got a contextual offer this year. Would she still get one next year?)
From their website, it looks like it would be fine and she’d still get the offer, although worth emailing them to make totally sure.

If resitting Y13, what would be the best subject to pick up? Core maths could be good here.

I definitely think a gap year and reapplication would be good.

Option 3

From what you’ve said, and the questions, it seems like your DD wants to do geology and wants to be in Birmingham.

Re-sit Y13 and get the grades up. She can always do the EPQ in something related to gemmology to see if it’s something she is actually interested in. I get the impression that at the minute she is just clutching at something that’s in a location she wants rather than thinking it through properly (although I could be wrong).

The way I see it, there is a chance now to try and get the geology course at the uni she wants. She may as well try it. This option might not be available in the future. Plus, if the gemmology course is in clearing this year, it is likely to also be in clearing next year so she can always fall back on it if resitting doesn’t work out.

I think the above poster has answered the questions in much the same way I would have. I would also advise AS Maths or Core Maths. It will help with the science A levels.

Option 1 - why is she so keen to not leave home? Last minute wobbles in an otherwise fairly calm and adaptable teen - take option 1, or some ND that lead her/you to suspect that leaving home is too much right now?

Option 2 - no. She’s grasping at it to remain in B, it wouldn’t be suitable at all for her.

Option 3 - if some ND at play that needs her to stay at home, then go for this one.

Has she looked at Earth Sciences?

IME resits do not necessarily result in improved grades, the motivation for resitting soon fades. Wanting to stay in Bham does not sound like a particularly sensible reason for not accepting Keele, which is not that far away. Gemmology is not geology, and would not open up as many career options as Geology. Her reasoning sounds a bit confused, has she actually visited Keele?

I really wouldn't advise her to do a different course just because it's local. What are her long term plans? It doesn't look as if UoB do a masters in geology, so if that's the direction she wants to go, she needs to do a geology degree now.

Has she visited Keele? Why is she against moving away? It's only about an hour from Birmingham so she could easily come home every weekend.

If she really wants to stay in Birmingham, I'd go with the re-sit option but she'll probably need some input or tutoring, to ensure she improves her grades.

I’m a Geologist, sister, sister in law, wife, friend and colleague of many other geologists!. Gemmology is not an alternative to Geology. Crystalography/gems etc is a tiny proportion of a Geology degree. Most professional geologists I know consider gemmology as being a fun/hobby side of geology, rather than a serious career-building side of geology. Fun at parties to identify the gems in someone’s ring etc. But, most geologists I know are Geotechnical or Petroleum folk.

Geology is a great degree, and has been a great career. I did it because it had fewer exams, was sciency, had field work, and i couldn’t see myself in a desk job for 40 years.

If she wants to do Geology, then do Geology. Get some maths if she has a year out.

Could she stay at home and commute to Keele though?

Thank you for all your responses. I have fed these to her throughout the day and have had a few chats with her then left her to have a think.

She has admitted she was clutching at Gemmology and now she’s sat and thought properly she wants to do geology. So we are now just looking at option 1 or 3.

We did visit Keele. She liked it because it was the closest to Birmingham and because of the course. Plus also it made sense to use it as insurance considering Brums generously low contextual offer. I’m not sure it’s commutable daily (at least not by car - will check out the trains).

As hard as this is to say, I suppose it is needed context. There are circumstances which caused her hesitance to leave Brum. She developed anxiety and a fear of leaving me after her dad died when she was 13. She refused to leave the house on her own (without me) with the fear I was going to die as well. We have spend several years building up to getting her to go further from home by herself, so I think it would actually be good for her to go to Keele but I’m not going to push it if it’s too soon.

There is a new degree apprenticeship for Geologists/Geotechnical Engineers with a day release in Keele (might be a week at a time) could be worth seeing if any of the firms in Birmingham are doing it, would be a good compromise.

I think it's really great she's prioritising the course she actually wants to do over the uni. When students ignore this, it is a really common reason for them to drop out & reapply.

Working as a UCAS & Higher Ed advisor, I can say with confidence that lots of students take a year out to resit and then don't improve their grades. I'm not saying that would be your daughter, but the stats show that most students don't actually get a higher grade. And this makes sense - they have to motivate themselves, don't have the support of teachers or the expert feedback needed to improve (unless you pay for a tutor - but make sure they are a teacher/ex teacher rather than uni student).

Keele sounds like a great option - close to home and a course she actually wants to do.

The additional context is tricky though, and only your daughter can decide if moving there is something she actually wants to do. Something hopefully a bit reassuring though is that lots of people (for varying reasons) will be worried about going to uni and being away from home. University is daunting for most students, but the nice thing is you're all in it together and figuring it out together.

Worst case scenario is your daughter tries a term there and sees if she likes it. If not, she could drop out and perhaps apply for some apprenticeships/degree apprenticeships or focus on reapplying to Birmingham. And that's not a bad back up option at all!

If she does decide to go to Keele, take a look into the pastoral help they offer as it may be good to see what's there and if there's any additional support your daughter can access.

Good luck! :)