[Failure By Design]

Hi!

I know it's a bit early, but I've got some questions about UCAS Extra. I'm really scared about not getting any offers...

Okay, so UCAS Extra is in February right? Is it possible to get into a competitive course then (I'm thinking a lot of unis would have given out a lot of their offers then as people tend to apply before the 15th of January deadline)? Can you apply to any course at any uni through UCAS Extra or is it only certain courses you can apply for - if so, where can I find out which courses were in UCAS Extra?

Btw, what's the difference between Extra and Clearing?
Thanks for helping a scared applicant

[MeanMachine]

Extra has some more decent courses

[Failure By Design]

Is it possible to know which courses are in Extra?

[Lucyyy]

Courses which are in Extra will show up on the ucas course search with an "x" next to it. I think.

[Tha_Black_Shinobi]

You wouldn't get as much choice as you do with the normal procedure but I hear they still give out some good places during extra and I know a coule people who did get some good ones. Its quite unlikley that you'll get 5 rejections unless you do something stupid like apply to courses that you didnt have the required grades/subjects for. Its clearing where the places are really shi.tty you end up fighting for scraps during clearing

[somethingbeautiful]

Originally Posted by Failure By Design

Is it possible to know which courses are in Extra?

I'm at Uni now and I got my place through Extra (it's very good uni + course too - they're not all bad!).

If you go onto the UCAS website, this page: http://search.ucas.com/cgi-bin/hsrun...rch.run?y=2010

an option will appear in February when extra opens which will let you search only the courses available in Extra - so you can search till' your hearts content

Extra is different from clearing because clearing happens once the A-level results have been released and it's available for people who didn't make it into their chosen uni. Extra is for if you don't have any offers and it arguably has better choices than clearing.

[RightSaidJames]

Originally Posted by Failure By Design

Is it possible to know which courses are in Extra?

Yes, in February! How on earth would it be possible for anyone (even the Unis) to know that now?

Seriously, stop panicking. Many many courses will be in Extra, either because not enough people have applied in the first place or because lots of people who applied have been rejected. Many of these courses will be very good courses, probably not Medicine mind you (although anything's possible). It's just like applying normally.

Clearing, on the other hand, is a very ad-hoc affair whereby the universities will try to fill as many places as possible in undersubscribed courses. Often the entry requirements will change or be less rigid.

[Minerva]

Originally Posted by RightSaidJames

Yes, in February! How on earth would it be possible for anyone (even the Unis) to know that now?

Seriously, stop panicking. Many many courses will be in Extra, either because not enough people have applied in the first place or because lots of people who applied have been rejected. Many of these courses will be very competitive courses, even things like Medicine occasionally. It's just like applying normally.

Clearing, on the other hand, is a very ad-hoc affair whereby the universities will try to fill as many places as possible in undersubscribed courses. Often the entry requirements will change or be less rigid.

There will be many good courses but the obvious suspects will not be there, and I've never seen Medicine appear in Extra yet!

[RightSaidJames]

Originally Posted by Minerva

There will be many good courses but the obvious suspects will not be there, and I've never seen Medicine appear in Extra yet!

Hmm, come to think of it neither have I.

[Failure By Design]

TBH I didn't expect Medicine in Extra. I was actually thinking of applying to Law through UCAS Extra.

Actually, I'd like to use my fifth UCAS choice to apply to Law (I really liked the Law course at one of the unis I've applied to) but I'm too scared it will affect my chances of getting into medicine so I thought Extra could be an option.

[Minerva]

Originally Posted by Failure By Design

TBH I didn't expect Medicine in Extra. I was actually thinking of applying to Law through UCAS Extra.

Actually, I'd like to use my fifth UCAS choice to apply to Law (I really liked the Law course at one of the unis I've applied to) but I'm too scared it will affect my chances of getting into medicine so I thought Extra could be an option.

It won't affect your chances of getting in to medicine, but you might have a job persuading the law admissions tutor of your commitment to the subject, even if you were allowed to submit a separate PS (they will still see your original one). Law is pretty competitive too, so there may not be that much choice by the time it gets to Extra. So, if it's really what you want to do as an alternative to Medicine, I would just go for broke, myself, and give it a go. If you end up with no offers for Medicine and a rejection for Law you can go through Extra then.

[Juno]

Someone will post soon to say that medicine has been in Extra.

This is because one uni once didn't update their Extra list and all their courses, including medicine, appeared for a while.