My clearing & gap year dilemma - I think I am too snobby!

I understand what you are saying. Personally I feel students are being ripped off left,right and centre over uni fees and I do not want to be duped into something that will not help me monetarily in life.

It is just that perhaps monetarily I might be better off taking maths say at birmingham this year than wait a year to go and apply to warwick again.

Plenty and I mean plenty of people take gap years, it's more acceptable now to take one than it ever was. No one questions your age at university and even if they find out you're a year older, no one bats an eye lid. Just think you can use this year to develop as a person, get more experience and money, and better a level grades so apply to a university you want rather than settling because you feel like you have to go to a university because that's the direction all your Friends are moving in their lives

According to Which? University:

Mathematics at University of Birmingham
93% employed or in further study after six months (medium)
Average graduate salary of £23k (medium)
75% of student achieved a 2:1 or above
92% overall student satisfaction

Mathematics at University of Warwick
93% employed or in further study after six months (medium)
Average graduate salary of £28k (high)
77% of student achieved a 2:1 or above
89% overall student satisfaction

It depends what your priorities are. If you ask princpieman and the IB mob then degree subject doesnt matter. Warwick is a target Uni.

Plenty of people cna take History or English and convert that into a successful financial career.

If you dont wnat to be duped then dont be and make your own decisions.

I tend to think you should do what you like and you will be good at it, the money takes care of itself. Perhaps in your year off you cna spend more time focusing on your career after the degree, then make sure you go to the appropriate uni.

So you think I should go into clearing? I have heard a lot about mid tier unis being similar in teaching standards etc but I have not found little on the employment opportunities that a degree say from Aston would give me.

Personally I considered Aston low tier. This is no doubt wrong but for me the perception of the uni amongst businesses is as critical as its teaching standards. I know several who feel the same; however unjust.

(..)

Hi

I'm currently facing a similar situation, I had applied to UCL for natural sciences and missed their offer A*AA and entered clearing. I now have an offer from cardiff for Neuroscience but I feel like i'd probably be settling.

Having spoken to a few people ( friends / family and some TSR members) I'm seriously considering a gap year to improve my results and hopefully re apply to UCL for a course that I really wish to do. Alternatively I may transfer into the second year of the natural science course next year but this requires alot of thinking and I do need to email UCL to see if they'd be willing to consider me. (course compatibility plus I'd need to resit some A level examinations to meet their entry requirements.)

Any advice would be appreciated and reading through this thread, alot of responses have already helped. Thanks

Hi I am currently in a big dilemma, I've always wanted to to go to UCL or LSE to read Economics, Management or Finance. When I received my first set of A-Level results I got CCC in Maths, Chem and Economics. I took a gap year but my predicted grades weren't good enough for the strong courses at UCL but I still applied to the ones I could. I also applied for QMUL and City. I've just received my results and I got A*BB (A* in Mathematics, B in Chemistry and Econ and I'm only 6 UMS off an A in chemistry). I've got my firm course which is UCL for Information Management for Business (AAB) but it just seemed like a rubbish course even though UCL is bloody amazing. I also went through adjustment and I've got an offer for QMUL Econ. It's a good course but the uni is just
alright for me...Now I really don't want to take a 2nd gap year but I really wanted UCL or LSE or KCL but no luck this year. My parents are saying don't just go for UCL because of the reputation but they said go for QMUL and do Econ. They said don't do another gap year either but I feel I could make it onto the better courses and into better unis. Please help

I'm also in a similar situation. Applied to Durham for NatSci, A*AA offer and biology at UCL at AAA for insurance. Ended up failing with AAB (B in chemistry) and A* in Epq which no university seems to give a damn about.
On clearing I have managed to get an offer for natural sciences at Nottingham, originally 'worth' A*AA - and this is the course I originally applied to with but I declined first time around, so I guess that's good since there's no shame of ending up by clearing as such. Also have an offer for, Bristol Environmental Geoscience at AAB, but this is a questionable choice since I don't know much about the course or the uni, but perhaps I'm being snobby but it 'seems' better though in the rankings there's hardly any difference.

I like the course and campus at Nottingham, but the huge difference in reputation between my first 2 choices makes me wonder whether I'd be happy 'ending up' there at all. Then again, it's Russell group and I'm not ending up at an ex poly etc.

However I would advise anyone, including my worst enemy, against applying to UCL to prevent more misery. It is purely a name with no substance and the highest form of snobbery and rapidly falling down the tables due to atrocious student satisfaction ratings - which I realised when I got in touch with them: UCL has 'vacancies' on their website in several subjects, including environmental science, which only needs ABB for example. However on the small print this is only open to 'adjustment' and not clearing, a fact I only found out through an extraordinarily rude woman over the phone.

Why they engage in this practice I do not know. Surely their priority should be to accept ANYONE who meets the grades, eg ABB, regardless of clearing or adjustment, but they are so up their own a**e that common sense is out of the window and they only want adjustment people, despite asking for low grades. When I asked why I was told 'because it's UCL'.

After all, it's their loss since they will not get those places filled and they lose money. Certainly Durham doesn't do so, their clearing/adjustment website is identical, with the only vacancy in Pharmacy. Most top unis advertise whatever space they have left in clearing. A select few honestly say they don't take part in neither clearing nor adjustment (St Andrews and Imperial), which is fair enough. Either do it properly or don't bother at all.
I have no grudges agains Durham for not accepting me since I missed their offer by two grades. However I have a huge grudge against UCL for not accepting me by missing just one grade (I heard they routinely accept people who miss a grade), not considering my A* in Epq and the way I was treated over the phone.