The Student Room Group

Official AS & A2 Results Day 2016

Scroll to see replies

Original post by Aph
Wednesday afternoon lectures?! I mean 8AM or 6PM lectures fair enough but you can't take Wednesday afternoon away :tongue:

And I know these things can happen (unis can't get their numbers right all the time) but it'd be a nightmare I can imagine. I remember looking round keele uni a few years ago and they said that its common that they over subscribe so because they garuntee accommodation they force students to share single rooms almost every year, it put me off a lot.

I just don't see how a uni can get its estimates of how many students will get in so wrong that it has to split the year in 2 though... I could understand going 10% over in one department but surely their statistical models about who will firm/insure/reject and then fail to meet their grades can't go that off kilter can they? I mean that's a lot of variables which all have to line up which are all unlikely to happen on their own.


Things do change a lot though - acceptance rates can jump up and down by a lot (and if a course is operating close to the top of the largest lecture theatre (or lab) then just a few extra students makes a big difference). Then you get funny situations like other university behaviour influencing things - if you have 500+ applicants with you as insurance to one other university then you're very much at the mercy of that university....if they accept everyone then you lose ~50 students, if they reject everyone who is marginal then you could end up with 150 more than expected.

And then you get some modules which teach students from a range of courses - so it isn't until a week or so after results that anyone notices that a first year maths module has more students on that the largest lecture theatre and so you have to split the group and teach every lecture twice.

There are so many variables involved that it's impossible to predict well - the best you can do is build in some tolerance and plan for last minute fluctuations....and universities aren't particularly great at crisis management :wink:
Hey :smile:

Good luck everybody - All of your hard work will definitely pay off!

If you need any help finding your perfect accommodation do not hesitate to get in touch!

Sophie :smile:
www.vitastudent.com
Just looked at both of my university's. Both offering clearing for my course. ****. Is this a bad thing or a good thing ? Thoughts ? :frown:
Reply 4963
Original post by PQ
Things do change a lot though - acceptance rates can jump up and down by a lot (and if a course is operating close to the top of the largest lecture theatre (or lab) then just a few extra students makes a big difference). Then you get funny situations like other university behaviour influencing things - if you have 500+ applicants with you as insurance to one other university then you're very much at the mercy of that university....if they accept everyone then you lose ~50 students, if they reject everyone who is marginal then you could end up with 150 more than expected.

And then you get some modules which teach students from a range of courses - so it isn't until a week or so after results that anyone notices that a first year maths module has more students on that the largest lecture theatre and so you have to split the group and teach every lecture twice.

There are so many variables involved that it's impossible to predict well - the best you can do is build in some tolerance and plan for last minute fluctuations....and universities aren't particularly great at crisis management :wink:


Ahhh okay, I personally don't think many educational institution is good in a crisis/quick decision making. It's just from all my talks with admission tutors I assumes that the tolerance was quite a bit and they made sure that unless some exceedingly weird stuff happens they can never be over subscribed. Maybe they gave me too much false confidence in them :lol: I remember Aberdeen hitting the news a few years ago for them having really messed up with student accommodation so I know it's possible I just assumed very uncommon.
Original post by Vita Student
All of your hard work will definitely pay off!



How do you know that?
Original post by OGFakiie
Ah that's great!! What were your gcse grades like? and also what did you talk about in your personal statement?


i got 3A* 10a's

for your personal statement talk mostly about educational stuff.
so what you learned in alevels/gcse and how that will help you in chemical engineering. I also had one paragraph on a topic you learn in chemical engineering. for mw it was design project (i included this to show that i have done research into chemical engineering)
for extra curricular its all about quantity rather than quality(thats what i think )
just talk about what you did and the skills you gained.

Also if you want to do interview preps
go on www.iwanttostudyengineering.com
Original post by JamieBritt272
Just looked at both of my university's. Both offering clearing for my course. ****. Is this a bad thing or a good thing ? Thoughts ? :frown:

It is just a *thing* :smile:


Original post by Aph
Ahhh okay, I personally don't think many educational institution is good in a crisis/quick decision making. It's just from all my talks with admission tutors I assumes that the tolerance was quite a bit and they made sure that unless some exceedingly weird stuff happens they can never be over subscribed. Maybe they gave me too much false confidence in them :lol: I remember Aberdeen hitting the news a few years ago for them having really messed up with student accommodation so I know it's possible I just assumed very uncommon.

Someone somewhere messes up with accommodation every year :biggrin: with over 100 universities it's bound to happen (and doesn't always make the press).

I think tolerances have been eroded since the student numbers caps came in (and then came off) - basically with £9k fees (which was actually a small decrease in funding for universities in 2012 and has been eroded ever since due to inflation and staff pay rises) it makes financial sense to make sure you're full and don't have facilities or staff under utilised.
If my course has an intake of 60 people and if doesn't go on clearing, does that mean all 60 people who got condition/unconditional offers got in/got the grades?

Of does if simply mean that it hasn't gone onto clearing yet and may well do?


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by justthatboy
i got 3A* 10a's

for your personal statement talk mostly about educational stuff.
so what you learned in alevels/gcse and how that will help you in chemical engineering. I also had one paragraph on a topic you learn in chemical engineering. for mw it was design project (i included this to show that i have done research into chemical engineering)
for extra curricular its all about quantity rather than quality(thats what i think )
just talk about what you did and the skills you gained.

Also if you want to do interview preps
go on www.iwanttostudyengineering.com


Which college is your offer from?
Reply 4969
Original post by PQ
It is just a *thing* :smile:



Someone somewhere messes up with accommodation every year :biggrin: with over 100 universities it's bound to happen (and doesn't always make the press).

I think tolerances have been eroded since the student numbers caps came in (and then came off) - basically with £9k fees (which was actually a small decrease in funding for universities in 2012 and has been eroded ever since due to inflation and staff pay rises) it makes financial sense to make sure you're full and don't have facilities or staff under utilised.

I guess only the major messes get reported?

Yeah, I was told that the increased feeds was a real terms cut, so do you think that the government bill to up fees will help to stabilise even strengthen tolerances?
Reply 4970
Original post by yoli1998
If my course has an intake of 60 people and if doesn't go on clearing, does that mean all 60 people who got condition/unconditional offers got in/got the grades?

Of does if simply mean that it hasn't gone onto clearing yet and may well do?


Posted from TSR Mobile
nit 60 people will have offers, you'll find that maybe up to 100 or even 200 have offers, some will be insurance options and others will have rejected the uni.
Reply 4971
Original post by JamieBritt272
Just looked at both of my university's. Both offering clearing for my course. ****. Is this a bad thing or a good thing ? Thoughts ? :frown:


Don't worry about it, most universities are offering clearing courses for nearly every subject, it's really nothing to worry about!
Original post by Aph
5% is 4 marks!!! Not ground breaking but could bump you up a grade.

It does seem insignificant though...


Ah, great (well, considering the circumstances not exactly), so I get a guaranteed 4 extra marks. In a subject where last year the difference between A and A* was 5 marks that could very well help me quite a lot.

EDIT: Just had a second look. Last year the differences between C, B, A and A* were all 5 marks so a 4 mark increase would definitely bump me up a grade if I wasn't right on one of the grade boundaries. I'm gonna assume that the boundaries will be very similar this year.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Aph
nit 60 people will have offers, you'll find that maybe up to 100 or even 200 have offers, some will be insurance options and others will have rejected the uni.



So if max 200 have offers, and let's say majority got the grades (AAB) and the max Intake for the course is 60 (or so it says on their website) will they reject people even if they got the grades?


Posted from TSR Mobile
If you miss your firm choice offer, can they offer you an alternative course? Or is that only when you're first receiving offers from universities?
Reply 4975
Original post by yoli1998
So if max 200 have offers, and let's say majority got the grades (AAB) and the max Intake for the course is 60 (or so it says on their website) will they reject people even if they got the grades?


Posted from TSR Mobile

No they can't. They have to take everyone who is firmed and gets the grades. The course becomes oversubscribed.
Original post by Aph
No they can't. They have to take everyone who is firmed and gets the grades. The course becomes oversubscribed.


Ah I see now. Thanks for explaining!


Posted from TSR Mobile
Reply 4977
Hi, does anyone know when edexcel and aqa grade boundaries will be released?

Posted from TSR Mobile
Just got an email from my firm, nearly had a heart attack! :tongue:


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by DarkEnergy
If you miss your firm choice offer, can they offer you an alternative course? Or is that only when you're first receiving offers from universities?


Was wondering this too.

Quick Reply