University applications, predicted grades

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Wholly ignorant on this as left school at earliest oppertunity, but BB1 is nearly through with her first year of A levels and is doing benchmark tests, the results of which will form her predicted grades and she says that it is upon those that she will be allowed to apply to various unis. Her maths is really struggling, we spoke with her tutor a month ago and he said it is not the end of the world and that our suggestion of a private tutor was a good one, he recommended a woman who used to be the head of maths at the college, is now retired. She has had two sessions with her so far and gets on well with her, but this is not enough time to get the score up for the benchmarks that she took just before half term.

Uni applications must be in by October, I think, but if she wanted to go to say, Durham, but her predicted grades are C's can she not apply for a Durham standard one? How does it work, if the grades now are D's or C's but she pulls through in the next two half terms to a level where she is likely to get A's or B's is she doomed to Scumbag College based on what she has done so far?

 

[Pickman's model]

Wholly ignorant on this as left school at earliest oppertunity, but BB1 is nearly through with her first year of A levels and is doing benchmark tests, the results of which will form her predicted grades and she says that it is upon those that she will be allowed to apply to various unis. Her maths is really struggling, we spoke with her tutor a month ago and he said it is not the end of the world and that our suggestion of a private tutor was a good one, he recommended a woman who used to be the head of maths at the college, is now retired. She has had two sessions with her so far and gets on well with her, but this is not enough time to get the score up for the benchmarks that she took just before half term.

Uni applications must be in by October, I think, but if she wanted to go to say Durham, but her predicted grades are C's can she not apply for a Durham standard one? How does it work, if the grades now are D's or C's but she pulls through in the next two half terms to a level where she is likely to get A's or B's is she doomed to Scumbag College based on what she has done so far?

tbh if you/she can dig up an eu nationality you should try somewhere like leiden instead of durham. at leiden the fees are in the region of a grand a year (eu students) as opposed to nine grand a year financed by debt in the uk.

 

[maomao]

My understanding is that you can apply for whatever you like but predicted grades form part of the application and she's likely to be rejected if they're a long way off the standard. If she wants to do a maths degree then she'll be going to scumbag college but it might not be the end of the world in another subject, particularly if it's not oversubscribed. Unis can also make offers asking for grades higher than the ones she's been predicted but I have no idea how often this happens in practise.

You get several choices anyway (it was 8 in 1992 but I think it's five now) so it's normal to apply to posho uni and scumbag college, see what offers come in and then try and get the grades required for the one you want to go to.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

tbh if you/she can dig up an eu nationality you should try somewhere like leiden instead of durham. at leiden the fees are in the region of a grand a year (eu students) as opposed to nine grand a year financed by debt in the uk.

Sadly not, my family tree has been traced back to the 1700's, Hounslow/Feltham/Brentford/Ealing. Parochial.

She's not actually looking at Durham, but yeah, she has looked in to German unis as she speaks German, but none do the courses that she might go for (ethical hacking or environmental science).

 

[maomao]

Sadly not, my family tree has been traced back to the 1700's, Hounslow/Feltham/Brentford/Ealing. Parochial.

She's not actually looking at Durham, but yeah, she has looked in to German unis as she speaks German, but none do the courses that she might go for (ethical hacking or environmental science).

Particularly in modern subjects like these I don't reckon old unis have much of an advantage over the new ones. Basically the Tories have completely fucked the HE system for everyone and the pandemic has persuaded a lot of them that they can get away with providing cheap online content rather than genuine teaching.

 

[flypanam]

tbh if you/she can dig up an eu nationality you should try somewhere like leiden instead of durham. at leiden the fees are in the region of a grand a year (eu students) as opposed to nine grand a year financed by debt in the uk.

You could also check Ireland too. I'm pretty sure British subjects pay the same fees as Irish citizens, around 3000 euros. If she's looking for more technical courses she could try Dublin Technological University or the Institutes of Technology that are around the country. Waterford is a very good one. Obviously housing costs will be an issue but the further away from Dublin and it's hinterland, the cheaper housing is.

applications are via Central Applications Office

 

[purenarcotic]

When she comes to look at the actual courses, it will list what grades they are looking for. If she is not predicted those grades she can still apply, but should do so in the knowledge she may be rejected and popular courses in particular can afford to be fussy. There are only two unis who offer ethical hacking; I would suggest she broadens her horizons a bit by looking at Computer Science. More unis to pick from and a broader knowledge base might be better job wise. Make sure she goes to a couple of open days, it’s just not the same looking at a website or a virtual event on zoom. Even if the open days aren’t running cos of COVID, go to the town or city to get the vibe from it. I didn’t apply to one of my original choices as I went to the open day and just hated the whole place.

 

[equationgirl]

She might be better looking at a broader course then looking for a masters in ethical hacking or cyber security. To be honest, some of the hacking stuff changes quite quickly so anything she learns at uni on a longer degree like a BSc could be out of date by the time she graduates.

Things like python would be very useful.

 

[equationgirl]

I also decided not to go to one uni because nobody except staff spoke to me the whole day I was there, as I wasn't public school educated. No way was I going to be miserable at uni after being miserable for years at school. I ended up at a different uni in the same city because I loved the city so much.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

When she comes to look at the actual courses, it will list what grades they are looking for. If she is not predicted those grades she can still apply, but should do so in the knowledge she may be rejected and popular courses in particular can afford to be fussy. There are only two unis who offer ethical hacking; I would suggest she broadens her horizons a bit by looking at Computer Science. More unis to pick from and a broader knowledge base might be better job wise. Make sure she goes to a couple of open days, it’s just not the same looking at a website or a virtual event on zoom. Even if the open days aren’t running cos of COVID, go to the town or city to get the vibe from it. I didn’t apply to one of my original choices as I went to the open day and just hated the whole place.

She might be better looking at a broader course then looking for a masters in ethical hacking or cyber security. To be honest, some of the hacking stuff changes quite quickly so anything she learns at uni on a longer degree like a BSc could be out of date by the time she graduates.

Things like python would be very useful.

She has her predicted grades and they are quite far in excess of what she needs to do Ethical Hacking at Abertay in Dundee, they are not doing open days but we'll nip up for the weekend in September to get a feel for the uni and the city. She is also looking to put Sussex down, they don't do ethical hacking but some other cyber security thing which is similar. And Plymouth too. We know Brighton and Plymouth well enough. But Abertay seems like a nice enough uni with strong links to the various computer companies in Dundee. We shall see. Thanks for the advice, all very helpful,

 

[equationgirl]

She has her predicted grades and they are quite far in excess of what she needs to do Ethical Hacking at Abertay in Dundee, they are not doing open days but we'll nip up for the weekend in September to get a feel for the uni and the city. She is also looking to put Sussex down, they don't do ethical hacking but some other cyber security thing which is similar. And Plymouth too. We know Brighton and Plymouth well enough. But Abertay seems like a nice enough uni with strong links to the various computer companies in Dundee. We shall see. Thanks for the advice, all very helpful,

Abertay very well regarded in the industry. Dundee is ok, very small, not my cup of tea, but she could do worse.

 

[Edie]

She has her predicted grades and they are quite far in excess of what she needs to do Ethical Hacking at Abertay in Dundee, they are not doing open days but we'll nip up for the weekend in September to get a feel for the uni and the city. She is also looking to put Sussex down, they don't do ethical hacking but some other cyber security thing which is similar. And Plymouth too. We know Brighton and Plymouth well enough. But Abertay seems like a nice enough uni with strong links to the various computer companies in Dundee. We shall see. Thanks for the advice, all very helpful,

If she’s got maths and the grades get her to do a broad based CS degree at a Russell Group. All else can be learnt as a specialist interest.

Also this, funded degree and apprenticeships: Cyberfirst | GCHQ

Also this: Cyberfirst Advanced Courses | Smallpeice Trust

My lads doing that^. He mostly does python, but has learnt some c++ and most recently c#. I have literally no idea what the hell any of that means but I do know you can teach yourself as I’m sure your lass has. My boy isn’t that good at maths so not sure he’ll be able to do CS.

 

[Edie]

Also mate I think if your predicted grades are shite but you pull it out the bag and get As and a B, you just sack it off that year and apply again the year after to where you actually want to go.

 

[equationgirl]

Also mate I think if your predicted grades are shite but you pull it out the bag and get As and a B, you just sack it off that year and apply again the year after to where you actually want to go.

There's never just one chance to get the grades - yes, getting them first time round is brilliant but schools sometimes make out it's the end of the road if that doesn't happen. And it isn't. Loads of people do degrees etc later in life than straight from school.

 

[spanglechick]

Ok. This is my field (deputy head of sixth form).

First thing. Unless she’s applying to Oxbridge or to do medicine or veterinary science, the ucas deadline is in January.

Secondly, it would be highly unusual to base ucas predicted grades on summer exams in y12. Our students do exams at the end of September to give them a sense of where to apply, and we submit our predictions to ucas based on their late November mocks.

You can apply anywhere you like, but if the grades predicted by the school are a long way off the entrance requirements, you won’t get an offer. Joint honours degrees sometimes require lower grades, and some unis do a “degree plus foundation” option - which will always have lower requirements. Tbh, these are a bit of a swizz, because…

Almost all kids make no more than 1 grade’s improvement between summer of y12 and end of y13, and the evidence of these foundation years suggest that this also isn’t a magic wand. There are reasons why kids underachieve in a particular subject, and unless these are clear and easily solvable, they don’t change. Kids don’t really start doing more homework or embracing learning styles they previously found dry. your daughter’s barriers to achievement may be solvable, but they may not.

If it takes a tutor to make the grade, I’d be asking whether she’ll manage the course. Especially if all the other students are grade A maths students, who enjoy that type of learning and are successful at it without support.

Why Russell Group? The prestige of RG unis is limited in many if not most careers. Has she really researched the different courses at a range of unis? Does she know the difference in real terms between them? Beyond that, does she know what studying this subject will involve, day to day? Has she signed up for any related MOOCS / lectures / summer schools / work experience? Is she doing her own coding projectsAnd where does she want to live? What kind of student experience does she want?

 

[ash]

spanglechick. That’s really interesting. What is the situation of retaking A levels of things don’t go as predicated.

 

[planetgeli]

Dundee is a heck of a long way to go to have a change of heart or find out the course isn't what you thought it was...and you hate Dundee.

 

[equationgirl]

Dundee is a heck of a long way to go to have a change of heart or find out the course isn't what you thought it was...and you hate Dundee.

That's why they're checking it out in September before she applies...

 

[equationgirl]

I didn't go to a Russell Group uni. At 18 I couldn't have even told you there was a Russell Group.

A lot of the former polys offer much more practical and work-related courses that Oxbridge or the older unis. For something like ethical hacking or cyber security I would focus on unis with a track record in these subjects, at least a few years' worth and what the employment rate is for the course.

 

[spanglechick]

spanglechick. That’s really interesting. What is the situation of retaking A levels of things don’t go as predicated.

Some students do retake, but it’s less common than finding a course that will take them through clearing.
Retaking can happen in November. You’ll need to be entered somewhere (usually a college) as an external student. Results come in January.
You might find a college that will let you just repeat year 2. There are private “crammers” that coach you through the whole a level again in one year.

What’s a much better option, is that if y12 has gone badly, to start y12 again either somewhere new, or doing different subjects at the same sixth form. Kids can be funded to have a third sixth form year if need be, and it can work very successfully.

 

[kabbes]

Studies show (don’t you love sentences that begin “studies show”?) that success* is more dependent on being at the top of your class at university than which university you go to . I could bore on about theories as to why this is but suffice to say that success comes from self-application, not being taught things, and people are more likely to apply themselves if they see themselves as one of the best. As such, you really don’t want to go to a place where you had to stretch yourself just to get through the door.

*by which I mean subsequent success in the academic discipline that has been studied

 

[ash]

Some students do retake, but it’s less common than finding a course that will take them through clearing.
Retaking can happen in November. You’ll need to be entered somewhere (usually a college) as an external student. Results come in January.
You might find a college that will let you just repeat year 2. There are private “crammers” that coach you through the whole a level again in one year.

What’s a much better option, is that if y12 has gone badly, to start y12 again either somewhere new, or doing different subjects at the same sixth form. Kids can be funded to have a third sixth form year if need be, and it can work very successfully.

Thanks. Her exams this year went badly but she has now been diagnosed with ADHD but no treatment yet. Her predicted grades are still B except sociology which as she got a U in exam they are having a meeting about early next term. We are hoping some strategies can be put in place to support her next year.
I don’t think she would consider starting again as she absolutely hates it at the moment. I’m hoping some ADHD meds will level off her anxiety and the symptoms so she can engage more effectively. If not I’m at a loss as to what she will do.

 

[spanglechick]

Thanks. Her exams this year went badly but she has now been diagnosed with ADHD but no treatment yet. Her predicted grades are still B except sociology which as she got a U in exam they are having a meeting about early next term. We are hoping some strategies can be put in place to support her next year.
I don’t think she would consider starting again as she absolutely hates it at the moment. I’m hoping some ADHD meds will level off her anxiety and the symptoms so she can engage more effectively. If not I’m at a loss as to what she will do.

What does she want to do at university?

 

[ash]

What does she want to do at university?

Photography. She’s thinking of doing a foundation course first at Ravensbourne so that will be a good transition I hope. Also you only need one A level to get in.

 

[aqua]

Also mate I think if your predicted grades are shite but you pull it out the bag and get As and a B, you just sack it off that year and apply again the year after to where you actually want to go.

You don't need to sack it off. You can go through 'adjustment' the same year and trade up

 

[spanglechick]

You don't need to sack it off. You can go through 'adjustment' the same year and trade up

Only if there are places available, though.

 

[aqua]

Only if there are places available, though.

Indeed
I just more wanted to say that it's worth looking into and not assume pushing it back a year is the only option

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Studies show (don’t you love sentences that begin “studies show”?) that success* is more dependent on being at the top of your class at university than which university you go to . I could bore on about theories as to why this is but suffice to say that success comes from self-application, not being taught things, and people are more likely to apply themselves if they see themselves as one of the best. As such, you really don’t want to go to a place where you had to stretch yourself just to get through the door.

*by which I mean subsequent success in the academic discipline that has been studied

Better to be a big fish in a little pond kind of thing?


She has her predicted grades, ABC (c in maths) and for what she wants to do she needs CCC, so looks OK.

spanglechick her issue with maths is that for half of this year she was only in college for one week and then it was a week at home, those lessons just had a webcam showing the classroom but the lessons were directed at the cohort that were in the room. The rest of the kids in her class appear to be geniuses who get it she is quite shy and doesn't ask for clarification as often as she should, then spends time trying to figure out what's what and misses the next thing. Her private tutor has git her back to where she should be, so hopefully she'll get that C, she's an incredibly hard worker, doesn't find maths comes naturally to her, but managed a 7 in GCSE and to be predicted a C at A level is not too shabby.

 

[kabbes]

Better to be a big fish in a little pond kind of thing?

Yes, with the follow-up that eventually you will be put into the ocean, at which point your perception of your size is more important than the pond you came from.

 

[Brainaddict]

Why Russell Group? The prestige of RG unis is limited in many if not most careers. Has she really researched the different courses at a range of unis? Does she know the difference in real terms between them? Beyond that, does she know what studying this subject will involve, day to day? Has she signed up for any related MOOCS / lectures / summer schools / work experience? Is she doing her own coding projectsAnd where does she want to live? What kind of student experience does she want?

I would echo this, I have been to three Russell Group universities, with some regrets - wish I had gone for courses I might have found more interesting in 'lesser' unis. Only certain recruiters will be snobbish about which uni you go to and most of them are best avoided, and if she learns to code and wants a job in that she will be snapped up even if she went to the University of Bognor - there's a shortage of coders and lots of companies are trying to increase their proportion of women coders and will be for many years.