[YB101]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/...?newsfeed=true


Okay so it doesn't completely support my original prediction but it DOES suggest the 2012 clearing process will be drastically different to previous years (which is what I though might happen)


Have a read

[YB101]

(Original post by Muscovite)
I hope so - if I **** up my a levels I refuse to go to a former-poly

I do think however if the elite universities enter clearing, the offers will remain pretty high.

So they will be able to accept an uncapped number of AAB students ? cool

[pshewitt1]

(Original post by Muscovite)
I hope so - if I **** up my a levels I refuse to go to a former-poly

this made me chuckle....

[bishbash72]

Sounds good to me. Decent universities with rigorous standards will expand, while crappy ones with low standards will shrink.

[mahjongmagic]

This is interesting, I think this might only be the case this year because of all the changes made, the unlimited AAB students, the £9k tuition fees etc. Remember last year, most of the uni's entering this year didn't last year.

[YB101]

(Original post by Callum828)
Sounds good to me. Decent universities with rigorous standards will expand, while crappy ones with low standards will shrink.

how do you differentiate between high achieving and "crappy" institutes?


Because some of the best universities have poor departments whilst those that are considered "crap" universities have some very good departments

[bishbash72]

(Original post by YB101)
how do you differentiate between high achieving and "crappy" institutes?


Because some of the best universities have poor departments whilst those that are considered "crap" universities have some very good departments

The average level of all of a university's departments, obviously.

[RibenaRockstar]

Also my course is still available in Extra, which means it isn't even full, giving me a good chance of scraping in with a missed grade.

[Oh my Ms. Coffey]

I found some good institutions for physics still in extra. Both Durham, Manchester and Birmingham all had places long after the deadline had passed.

Oddly, Durham has 195 places in extra.

[beanstalkgirl_24]

(Original post by Muscovite)
I hope so - if I **** up my a levels I refuse to go to a former-poly

Gosh you snob. What is wrong with an ex poly if they do your course and have a good department? I hate it when people paint the picture that 'all ex poly's are crap'. It's so wrong.

[YB101]

(Original post by beanstalkgirl_24)
Gosh you snob. What is wrong with an ex poly if they do your course and have a good department? I hate it when people paint the picture that 'all ex poly's are crap'. It's so wrong.

I know but it's understandable. Im guessing it's due to the entry requirements, popularity and long standing reputation. Most people wouldn't want to go somewhere they knew was "easy" to get into.

[beanstalkgirl_24]

(Original post by Muscovite)
/\ troll

No, I'm not a troll. I applied to Surrey University (an ex-poly), Bath Spa (not ex poly but I would assume someone of your snobbery would assume it is crap) and Birmingham Conservatoire (part of Birmingham City University). Birmingham Conservatoire is where I am going in September, and it boasts the highest graduate employment (85%) for music. So actually, unless you can back up your comment I would zip it.

[RibenaRockstar]

So only one of the three you applied to is an ex-poly, and it's not the one you're going to...

Besides, Music is a slightly different kettle of fish to Economics or Engineering.

[threeportdrift]

There is no reason for 'elite' universities to go into clearing, they are likely to have more places available for adjustment though.

Sure there is no cap on the number of students they take at AAB or above, but there are practical limitations (class sizes, lecture theatres, lab spaces, computing resources, library space, books, accommodation, sports facilities, transports etc) so they can't just randomly choose to take more students without a plan and some preparation.

The people who are really going to be hit hardest are likely to be the ones that hold offers of AAB or higher, and who get results below AAB. They are going to find it hard to get a place at any very competitive university.

The reason is that places for students with less than AAB (SNC places) are very strictly controlled. Universities will be fined for either under-recruiting or over-recruiting to their SNC allocation. Because of a variety of issues including the obligation to offer Widening Participation places as part of the OFFA agreement, and the rather odd equivalency judgements made by the govt that means for example Welsh Bacc students will probably have to be counted against SNC places, competitive universities are likely to have little or no capacity to offer places to AAB+ students who drop to a grade even one step below that. The SNC offer:acceptance ratio ie the expected take up of places probably does not have the flex to cater for A*A*C for example.

[Meat is Murder]

(Original post by threeportdrift)


The people who are really going to be hit hardest are likely to be the ones that hold offers of AAB or higher, and who get results below AAB.

Lol. So like everyone?

[nulli tertius]

(Original post by threeportdrift)
There is no reason for 'elite' universities to go into clearing, they are likely to have more places available for adjustment though.

The rumours are that applications to some courses at good universities have fallen off the side of a cliff and that the headline numbers of applicants disguise how patchy applications to those institutions have been.

A number of universities will be making marketing pitches for students who have achieved but not exceeded their offers elsewhere and are thus not available for adjustment. They will try and persuade candidates to ask to be released into clearing with an offer already on the table-a sort of quasi-adjustment.

Sure there is no cap on the number of students they take at AAB or above, but there are practical limitations (class sizes, lecture theatres, lab spaces, computing resources, library space, books, accommodation, sports facilities, transports etc) so they can't just randomly choose to take more students without a plan and some preparation.

But they have been preparing for this.

The people who are really going to be hit hardest are likely to be the ones that hold offers of AAB or higher, and who get results below AAB. They are going to find it hard to get a place at any very competitive university.

The reason is that places for students with less than AAB (SNC places) are very strictly controlled. Universities will be fined for either under-recruiting or over-recruiting to their SNC allocation. Because of a variety of issues including the obligation to offer Widening Participation places as part of the OFFA agreement, and the rather odd equivalency judgements made by the govt that means for example Welsh Bacc students will probably have to be counted against SNC places, competitive universities are likely to have little or no capacity to offer places to AAB+ students who drop to a grade even one step below that. The SNC offer:acceptance ratio ie the expected take up of places probably does not have the flex to cater for A*A*C for example.

This is entirely true but this this is alos the year of the benighted general studies. For the government's purposes AAB doesn't just relate to offer subjects. Anyone who misses their offer but finds that they have AAB counting their general studies grade is likely to have a much easier time of it.

[pshewitt1]

(Original post by Oh my Ms. Coffey)
I found some good institutions for physics still in extra. Both Durham, Manchester and Birmingham all had places long after the deadline had passed.

Oddly, Durham has 195 places in extra.

apparently some universities don't actually give this Info to ucas some explained this on my clearing thread as extra and clearing are opt in/out

[MagicNMedicine]

(Original post by threeportdrift)
The people who are really going to be hit hardest are likely to be the ones that hold offers of AAB or higher, and who get results below AAB. They are going to find it hard to get a place at any very competitive university.

Exactly.

The students that are going to benefit are the ones that get AAB or above, but end up displaced (and there are usually a lot of these in the system often that applied for competitive courses and for whatever reason didn't get picked up). In the past lots of them ended up reapplying but now they have a better chance of being picked up.

Unfortunately there are a lot of students that regard themselves as high fliers, but then underachieve in their A levels (usually with some excuse special circumstances yadayada), and they still have high ambitions with university choice but will find themselves squeezed out of the market.

[dj1015]

(Original post by Muscovite)
I hope so - if I **** up my a levels I refuse to go to a former-poly

good luck with that one lol.....

[Aeschylus]

(Original post by nulli tertius)
The rumours are that applications to some courses at good universities have fallen off the side of a cliff and that the headline numbers of applicants disguise how patchy applications to those institutions have been.

A number of universities will be making marketing pitches for students who have achieved but not exceeded their offers elsewhere and are thus not available for adjustment. They will try and persuade candidates to ask to be released into clearing with an offer already on the table-a sort of quasi-adjustment.

Rumours? A family friend who works in a STEM department at a university that is reguarly deified on here said applications are down nearly a quarter. They're going to try and remedy this by asking people who've applied for similar subjects but missed the offer to have this instead as an alternative - a good many departments at universities are filled via this method as I'm sure you know!