Psychology requirements for 2015 entry ramped up?

Hi all,

I recieved a conditional offer from RHUL for Psychology but the requirements are somewhat higher than other Uni's with similar guardian/times rankings. I'm gutted as they may have priced themselves out of my academic market. I am disappointed that they changed their requirements so late too, had I have known they wanted so much I would have gone for a higher ranked uni with lower requirements such as Surrey, Reading, UEA etc!
Pretty bummed, will try and meet their expectations but part of me wants to speak to them to discuss, or to ask UCAS to let me change for something more realistic if possible.
Any other Psycho's got offers that can comment? Thanks!

What offer have they given you? Whilst I don't ever agree with them changing the requirements late in the game, I'm also not surprised: the Psychology dept at Holloway is arguably one of their best, if not their best (for example they recently came 6th in the country for research quality in the REF) and does not reflect Holloway's overall standing as a university. Whilst Holloway overall may not fare well in the rankings, their psych department consistently beats Surrey, Reading, UEA and many other 'higher ranked' universities (http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=Psychology) and that's probably why they feel they can justify higher offers.

However, mine and other people's experiences are also that if you choose them as a firm and miss the offer by one (or two) grades, there's still a decent chance you'll get a place. No guarantee of course, but they can be flexible. I guess ultimately it's up to you as to whether it's worth the risk of firming it and how likely you are to achieve the grades, though as far as I am aware UCAS won't be able to let you swap and it's unlikely the department will lower the offer, unfortunately.

Thank you for your detailed response with supporting evidence. I am inclined to agree with you and will just hope for the best with my results. As an access student, the requirements are for all level 3 credits (45) to be at distinction level (highest available) where as previously they asked for 30 distinctions and 15 merits. The lower requirement is what the aforementioned unis are still after.

It's hard to make a direct equivalent to A level, but 30D15M would likely reflect AAA and 45D seems more like A*AA.. Going to be a tough ride, but as an old boy I've got no time to waste!

Thanks again for your time in replying.

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