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University of Bristol

Bristol

Entry before 18th Birthday

I've just received a letter from Bristol telling me that because I'll be under 18 in October 2006, I have to either defer my application to 2007, or get parents' permission to enter in 2006 (assuming I get an offer). I have decided to try for this year (ie: NOT defer). They said that I should inform them if I wich to defer to 2007, but do you think I should still write to them and tell them that I wish to continue with the application for this year. Do they assume you don't want to defer if they don't hear from you, or do they want you to write to them and tell them what you wich to do.

Anyone else got this letter? Do you know any other universities that have this rule (that you have to be 18 on or before the 1st Oct 2006 for entry that year)?

Reply 1

Jonquil

Hi, I won't be 18 by october 2006 either, but i am deferring because I already knew about the rule. I think you'll find that quite a lot of unis do the same as bristol, but for some of them you only have to be 17 and a half. I think it also depends which course you are applying for, i am applying for medicine and that might be different.
You should probably write to the uni whatever you decide, but why don't you ring the admissions tutor first to clarify.
Hope that's a bit helpful, Jonquil x

University of Bristol

Bristol

Reply 2

flora

Bristol have become really strict about allowing in under 18's....something to do with having to take legal responsibility for you in halls, and there's the obvious problem of not being able to drink in the hall bars (which usually assume everyone's 18), they have keep a close eye on anyone under 18. I thought they now didn't allow anyone under 18 in, maybe they do if you are going to have your birthday very early in the year. It sounds as though you might not get an offer unless you agree to defer...
Honestly, being under 18 at uni can't be all that much fun- as lots of people take gap years, you'll be so much younger than everyone, and missing out on a lot of the social scene if you can't use the student bars.

Reply 3

Apricot Fairy

If you come in 2006, you won't be able to live in halls in your first year. I would seriously think about deferring. Gap years are wonderful things. :smile:

Reply 4

Arminius

good points, but i think it all depends on when his birthday falls.

Because if its october/november/december then it won't be too bad, i think it would be silly to waste a year just because of the legal issues. Of course a good gap year would solve the problem, but you shouldn't be forced into going on it.

As i said before, there is a girl on my floor (and i'm in hall) who was 17 untill mid-way through october. She had no problems at all really, so it can be done.

Reply 5

Apricot Fairy

Zakatu

That's the thing. I think they will overlook it if you turn 18 really soon, but not if it's more than a month or two. If they don't let you into halls, you have to find alternative arrangements. Not being in university accommodation makes it much harder to make friends. It's very easy to make friends on your course and through societies etc., but if you're not old enough to drink, that causes even more problems. Sometimes you'll get away without ID, but loads of bars, as well as places like Oceana, are very strict on ID.

I even got ID'ed in Sainsbury's the other day, and I'm nearly 20. I thought he was joking.

Being 18 when you start uni will make all the difference. I would seriously, seriously think about deferring. I had an unplanned gap year and managed to save thousands for uni. If I'd planned my gap year in advance, I would have gone travelling.

Reply 6

Gael

Pretty much every university has that rule, unless you're doing a foundation course in which case I think you can be 17, but I might be wrong. Yeh it basically fits in with the system here. Students dont finish school till 18 so it's only rare cases students join university under that age.

Reply 7

ArVi

Thanks for the replies everyone. :smile:

I will be 18 in mid December 2006 - two and a half months... Do you think it'll be a problem? I was told about the accomodation thing as well, and that sounds more of a problem. If I still decide to go for this year (ie: entry in 2006), will I have less chance of getting an offer than someone who will be 18 at the time of entry?

Na, go for it.

Hey, Arvi, I've been looking for u desperately. I'm in the same situation as urs. I got the same letter from Bristol a few weeks ago. Of all the Univs I'm applying to, Bristol was the only one to send me such a letter. It does sound to me that they're very likely to reject me unless I want to defer my entry, but I definitely don't want to. My B-day is in Dec, so it's almost 2 months and I don't think I'm gonna miss much. Apart from that, I don't really like going to Bristol, honestly. So long as the other Univs I'm applying to don't mind, I don't.

Reply 10

ArVi

same way I feel... I don't really want to defer either, but then again I'm hoping I get either Oxford or Imperial! My letter was also probably mailed about the same time as yours but it takes like a week to get to Sri Lanka (at least my welcome letter did!). My birthday's in December too, so yeah I guess 2 months isn'y gonna make a huge difference...

The only thing is that I was told that the university will give preference to ppl who will be 18 by October. Does anyone know if the same "18 by Oct" rule applies to Oxford, Imperial, Kings, UCL and Bath? (I hope not!)

Reply 11

Abagnale

It's not the "18 by Oct" rule, but the rule of "18 by the entry date". For the other 5 that u've mentioned, the entry dates are in Sept (is it?). I'm sure there are several exceptional cases that ppl actually started their course b4 turning 18. Things are getting tougher this year (because of parental supervision or stuff). Chances are that I will soon be rejected by Bristol (dunno what they mean by "exceptional cases" here). It's stated clearly on the letter:

"However, as this policy may have quite significant implications for you, we wanted you to be aware if Bristol's position at the earliest possible stage"

But so far, I haven't heard anything from them.

I know 1 of my friends got to Oxford when she was under 18, but that was many yrs ago. She's now doing her PhD at Harvard. This policy doesn't seem to apply to Warwick 'coz I know there are some students there who're under 18. I'm not sure about Imperial, but UCL and LSE stated that "students should normally be 17 and a half". Not sure if it applies to all Universities of London.

Well, if we are both not very keen on taking a gap year, then all we can do now is to wait for the other 5 choices. Can't understand why I chose Bristol though, I don't even want to go there. Hmm, perhaps, we should stay in touch from now on since it appears to me that there are not many ppl here trapped in the same situation. Btw, I'm also an international student, but I'm in the UK now. Nice to know u!

Let's cheer up and keep in touch! ^___^
Abagnale

Reply 12

Steveee

I'm almost certain that whether you defer on age grounds or not will have no effect on whether you get the offer or not. Things like that are normally independent or the entry criteria.

Personally, however, I'd take a gap year.

Reply 13

Apricot Fairy

Who cares? They don't want to come here anyway! :p:

Reply 14

Abagnale

Things like that are normally independent or the entry criteria.

But from what was stated on the letter that I got from Bristol, it does sound like they might reject me merely because I'm under 18, that I "can only be admitted in exceptional cases".

Who cares? They don't want to come here anyway!

Well I don't really want to come Bristol for personal reasons. But what Arvi and I worry about is that the other Univs may have just the same policy, then we'll end up having nowhere to go. We also have personal reasons not to take a gap-year. Hope u would not find my preferences offensive.

Reply 15

Apricot Fairy

Other university halls of residences might not have bars, which could affect their decision whether or not to allow under 18s to live there. I don't know why they do it. But from their point of view, Bristol is a highly respected university, and places here are extremely sought after. If your being under 18 will be a problem to them in any way, they're not going to have any qualms about rejecting you for refusing to take a gap year, seeing as there are countless other, older applicants they could offer a place to instead. They'd have to really want you to relax the rules. And when it comes to a choice between taking a gap year and being allowed into halls, or not taking a gap year and having to get private accommodation, most sensible people would take a gap year every time.

But if you don't want to come here (you're mad, incidentally), then I suggest you stop posting in the Bristol subforum about how annoying they are and how you don't want to come here anyway, and use your initiative. Why not email your other choices and ask them if your age will be a problem, instead of pondering the issue on a student forum, with people who have no more idea than you do.

Reply 16

Abagnale

But if you don't want to come here (you're mad, incidentally), then I suggest you stop posting in the Bristol subforum about how annoying they are and how you don't want to come here anyway, and use your initiative. Why not email your other choices and ask them if your age will be a problem, instead of pondering the issue on a student forum, with people who have no more idea than you do.

Well, I certainly don't wanna start another dispute as that is not what I'm here for. I'm here for ArVi, cause I guess ArVi is so anxious about that and desperately need to find sb in the same situation. I did state that I don't want to come to Bristol for some personal reasons and they have nothing 2 do with its reputation, facility, students or whatsoever. It's quite superficial of you just to hold on the assumption that sb must be mad because they're not thinking the same way as u're thinking about Bristol.

As can be seen from my recent post, I have tried to find out about the other Univs that I'm applying to so I guess there is no need 2 remind me about that. However, I guess Arvi and I may not be the only 2 exceptions. There may be more ppl out there having the same problem. Well, basically, that's what TSR is here for.

Reply 17

Apricot Fairy

Abagnale

I'm here for ArVi, cause I guess ArVi is so anxious about that and desperately need to find sb in the same situation.

PM facility then? :rolleyes:

Or even the subforum of a university you do actually want to go to?

It just irritates me when people apply to universities they have no intention of going to. It means that people who desperately want to come here have less chance of getting an offer.

Reply 18

Wineblood

It's not a big deal. I got in before I was 18 and the only difference was that the hall bar would refuse to serve alcohol to me. Otherwise no-one seems to really care. Maybe things have changed since last year...