Firm & insurance choice debate
Any advice would be much appreciated. My daughters favourite uni happens to be the one with the lowest grade requirements. BCC. Delighted to say she has an offer for this one. All her other choices have higher grade requirements. BBB or BBC.
Is there, therefore any merit in putting an insurance choice down or should she just go ahead and accept her first choice as her firm which is her favourite anyway. What are the pros and cons of not putting an insurance
Her course requires her to attend interviews , so I just wondered if there is a point to attending any more interviews when she has an offer with her favourite
Is there, therefore any merit in putting an insurance choice down or should she just go ahead and accept her first choice as her firm which is her favourite anyway. What are the pros and cons of not putting an insurance
Her course requires her to attend interviews , so I just wondered if there is a point to attending any more interviews when she has an offer with her favourite
If there's only one course offer you'd be happy accepting, then don't feel you have to put an insurance choice down - it's optional. Come Results Day, if you miss out on your firm choice you'll be able to go straight into Clearing.
From UCAS
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Original post by Happyrunner
Any advice would be much appreciated. My daughters favourite uni happens to be the one with the lowest grade requirements. BCC. Delighted to say she has an offer for this one. All her other choices have higher grade requirements. BBB or BBC.
Is there, therefore any merit in putting an insurance choice down or should she just go ahead and accept her first choice as her firm which is her favourite anyway. What are the pros and cons of not putting an insurance
Her course requires her to attend interviews , so I just wondered if there is a point to attending any more interviews when she has an offer with her favourite
Is there, therefore any merit in putting an insurance choice down or should she just go ahead and accept her first choice as her firm which is her favourite anyway. What are the pros and cons of not putting an insurance
Her course requires her to attend interviews , so I just wondered if there is a point to attending any more interviews when she has an offer with her favourite
Definitely put the favourite as firm
although
If you mean she has interviews at places which are not her favourite then I'd say it may still be worth going as they may drop their offer grades post interview. This could mean that her non favourites have matched grades or lower than her fave and she could use them as insurance. It could also be that once she has attended interviews she changes her mind as to which her favourite is. Even if all her offers stay the same and she still has the same favourite after interviews I'd say it would be worth putting one of the others down as insurance as they might be less strict over missed grades than her firm.
thank you to everyone for your helpful replies. It may be if she may well change her mind anyway at interview about her favourite as Folion says
Good luck to everyone else in the same situation
Good luck to everyone else in the same situation
There are no pros to having an insurance with higher grades than your firm. It won't be functional as an insurance choice, as if she misses the BCC needed for her firm, a course asking for BBC/BBB is unlikely to accept her. She can't change her mind and chose her insurance on results day, for example. She only goes there if her firm rejects her, and her insurance accepts her.
If the university asking for BCC is where she really wants to go, then she should firm that. Is she confident about getting the grades?
Of course, as you say, if she is visiting her other choices she may change her mind and decide she likes another one more. If she ultimately goes for a BBB choice as her firm, then having a BCC insurance choice is a good idea, as this gives her a proper back up if she misses her grades.
ETA: This article has lots of useful advice on chosing a firm and an insurance. http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/firm_and_insurance_choices
If the university asking for BCC is where she really wants to go, then she should firm that. Is she confident about getting the grades?
Of course, as you say, if she is visiting her other choices she may change her mind and decide she likes another one more. If she ultimately goes for a BBB choice as her firm, then having a BCC insurance choice is a good idea, as this gives her a proper back up if she misses her grades.
ETA: This article has lots of useful advice on chosing a firm and an insurance. http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/firm_and_insurance_choices
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by SlowlorisIncognito
There are no pros to having an insurance with higher grades than your firm. It won't be functional as an insurance choice, as if she misses the BCC needed for her firm, a course asking for BBC/BBB is unlikely to accept her She can't change her mind and chose her insurance on results day, for example. She only goes there if her firm rejects her, and her insurance accepts her.
If the university asking for BCC is where she really wants to go, then she should firm that. Is she confident about getting the grades?
Of course, as you say, if she is visiting her other choices she may change her mind and decide she likes another one more. If she ultimately goes for a BBB choice as her firm, then having a BCC insurance choice is a good idea, as this gives her a proper back up if she misses her grades.
ETA: This article has lots of useful advice on chosing a firm and an insurance. http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/firm_and_insurance_choices
If the university asking for BCC is where she really wants to go, then she should firm that. Is she confident about getting the grades?
Of course, as you say, if she is visiting her other choices she may change her mind and decide she likes another one more. If she ultimately goes for a BBB choice as her firm, then having a BCC insurance choice is a good idea, as this gives her a proper back up if she misses her grades.
ETA: This article has lots of useful advice on chosing a firm and an insurance. http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/firm_and_insurance_choices
On the point I've highlighted whilst having an insurance higher than a firm is less than ideal and definitely a risk I'd still say it is better than just putting a firm only with no insurance.
In order to even consider this the lower grade firm would have to be your very definite favourite and the higher grade insurance would have to be very close in asking grades to the firm.
If you have a firm only then if you miss your grades and the firm rejects you then you have no option but to go through clearing and grabbing what you can where you can or reapplying the next year with known grades or resits. By at least having an insurance there is a chance that they may take you because at least they know you actively have considered that uni, like it and are therefore more likely to stick with it than a clearing candidate. Just depends how flexible they are on grades and what places they have. If both firm and insurance reject you then you're no worse off than if you'd put a firm only.
Oh and I've lost the link but I did see an interview with an admissions tutor who said situationally putting a higher insurance wasn't that bonkers but it was very situational.
As a general rule highest grades as firm, agreed
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by Folion
On the point I've highlighted whilst having an insurance higher than a firm is less than ideal and definitely a risk I'd still say it is better than just putting a firm only with no insurance.
In order to even consider this the lower grade firm would have to be your very definite favourite and the higher grade insurance would have to be very close in asking grades to the firm.
If you have a firm only then if you miss your grades and the firm rejects you then you have no option but to go through clearing and grabbing what you can where you can or reapplying the next year with known grades or resits. By at least having an insurance there is a chance that they may take you because at least they know you actively have considered that uni, like it and are therefore more likely to stick with it than a clearing candidate. Just depends how flexible they are on grades and what places they have. If both firm and insurance reject you then you're no worse off than if you'd put a firm only.
In order to even consider this the lower grade firm would have to be your very definite favourite and the higher grade insurance would have to be very close in asking grades to the firm.
If you have a firm only then if you miss your grades and the firm rejects you then you have no option but to go through clearing and grabbing what you can where you can or reapplying the next year with known grades or resits. By at least having an insurance there is a chance that they may take you because at least they know you actively have considered that uni, like it and are therefore more likely to stick with it than a clearing candidate. Just depends how flexible they are on grades and what places they have. If both firm and insurance reject you then you're no worse off than if you'd put a firm only.
In this scenario, I think it is very very unlikely that a university asking for BBB/BBC will accept a student who has missed a place at a university asking for BCC. A university asking for BBB is likely to be a lot more competitive than a university asking for BCC, and there is basically no chance of them letting in a student who got CCC or lower.
A university asking for BBB can easily pick up candidates with much better grades than CCC in clearing. They are very unlikely to offer a CCC student a place.
Also, these universities are all going to be subject to student number controls- this means they are unlikely to be able to find space for a candidate offering CCC. If the grades involved were higher, my view might be a little different.
I supposed there is nothing to be lost by putting a university down as an insurance, but it is very unlikely they will accept her if her grades are low enough for her to be rejected by her firm- so essentially she basically no better off than having an insurance.
Original post by SlowlorisIncognito
I supposed there is nothing to be lost by putting a university down as an insurance, but it is very unlikely they will accept her if her grades are low enough for her to be rejected by her firm- so essentially she basically no better off than having an insurance.
I supposed there is nothing to be lost by putting a university down as an insurance, but it is very unlikely they will accept her if her grades are low enough for her to be rejected by her firm- so essentially she basically no better off than having an insurance.
Exactly, very slim chance but better than no chance and I wouldn't advocate it at all except for the fact that this student has a very strong preference for her lowest offer. Of course her preferences may change after her post offer visits.
THank you all for very interesting feedback.
She wants to go to her 5th and final interview and then of course theres time to reflect and make up her mind
She wants to go to her 5th and final interview and then of course theres time to reflect and make up her mind
Original post by SlowlorisIncognito
There are no pros to having an insurance with higher grades than your firm. It won't be functional as an insurance choice, as if she misses the BCC needed for her firm, a course asking for BBC/BBB is unlikely to accept her. She can't change her mind and chose her insurance on results day, for example. She only goes there if her firm rejects her, and her insurance accepts her.
If the university asking for BCC is where she really wants to go, then she should firm that. Is she confident about getting the grades?
Of course, as you say, if she is visiting her other choices she may change her mind and decide she likes another one more. If she ultimately goes for a BBB choice as her firm, then having a BCC insurance choice is a good idea, as this gives her a proper back up if she misses her grades.
ETA: This article has lots of useful advice on chosing a firm and an insurance. http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/firm_and_insurance_choices
If the university asking for BCC is where she really wants to go, then she should firm that. Is she confident about getting the grades?
Of course, as you say, if she is visiting her other choices she may change her mind and decide she likes another one more. If she ultimately goes for a BBB choice as her firm, then having a BCC insurance choice is a good idea, as this gives her a proper back up if she misses her grades.
ETA: This article has lots of useful advice on chosing a firm and an insurance. http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/firm_and_insurance_choices
But even if they put the insurance choice as the university with lower entry requirements then their firm then if they don't meet the requirements of the firm and insurance then they're unlikely to be accepted. If they put the firm choice as the lower offer and insurance as the higher of the two offers then if they miss their firm they will also miss their insurance requirements.
My daughter put Bristol as her firm actually it offered (narrowly) the lowest grades, she put her second choicen as insurance (fractionally higher) and rejected a higher ranked top five university as did not think she would meet the requirements. She was doing a baccalaureate not a levels. However come results she actually got higher points overall than Bristol asked for , and far higher points in her chosen subject BUT one point off in another non relevant subject. On this basis Bristol rejected her (making her wait six weeks between Bac results and A level results ) the insurance uni whose offer was slightly higher accepted her but incredibly the really highly ranked university said they woud take her in clearing if she was eligible. She was not as as her insurance had confirmed her.
All this proves is that you do NOT have to,put the hardest offer first. And it's safe to have an insurance choice even if the conditions are slightly harder. They may not fill all their places on the course. My daughter is very happy at her insurance choice which anyway seems to have a better course than Bristol.
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All this proves is that you do NOT have to,put the hardest offer first. And it's safe to have an insurance choice even if the conditions are slightly harder. They may not fill all their places on the course. My daughter is very happy at her insurance choice which anyway seems to have a better course than Bristol.
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Original post by Mellomum
but incredibly the really highly ranked university said they woud take her in clearing if she was eligible. She was not as as her insurance had confirmed her.
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She was eligible for Clearing though - she just had to ask her insurance choice to release her into Clearing
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Original post by Origami Bullets
She was eligible for Clearing though - she just had to ask her insurance choice to release her into Clearing
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unfortunately by the time Bristol rejected her (late in the afternoon on A level results day) the other university could not guarantee that there would still be places left! This university rarely enters clearing and they were bombarded that morning it was all sewn up by lunchtime. If Bristol had done the decent thing and rejected her in the morning (they had had her results for six weeks
) it might have been ok. As her insurance was already a very good university it was felt not worth the risk.Original post by Mellomum
unfortunately by the time Bristol rejected her (late in the afternoon on A level results day) the other university could not guarantee that there would still be places left! This university rarely enters clearing and they were bombarded that morning it was all sewn up by lunchtime. If Bristol had done the decent thing and rejected her in the morning (they had had her results for six weeks ) it might have been ok. As her insurance was already a very good university it was felt not worth the risk.
) it might have been ok. As her insurance was already a very good university it was felt not worth the risk.Oh blimey - they didn't treat you very well at all
Was it Durham by any chance? If so, rest assured that they treated their Clearing applicants very, very badly last summer - they had people waiting for a week in some cases to hear if they'd been accepted via Clearing, by which point all the other decent Clearing spaces had gone
YES it was Durham! I feel better now, I guess my daughter wasn't the only one. In fact they actually told her NOT to submit her withdrawal to her insurance university, asked again for her results, and then after a protracted weekend, said on Monday or Tuesday they were full. I daresay a few applicants who just missed their grades for Cambridge or Imperial got those places.
But Bristol treated her worse, to be honest.
But Bristol treated her worse, to be honest.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by Mellomum
YES it was Durham! I feel better now, I guess my daughter wasn't the only one. In fact they actually told her NOT to submit her withdrawal to her insurance university, asked again for her results, and then after a protracted weekend, said on Monday or Tuesday they were full. I daresay a few applicants who just missed their grades for Cambridge or Imperial got those places.
But Bristol treated her worse, to be honest.
But Bristol treated her worse, to be honest.
Every year there are people who don't exactly have a textbook experience of Confirmation and Clearing. I was one, and so was your daughter!
However, in reality there's no difference overall between Bristol and Durham in terms of prestige or anything like that, so if she's happy at Bristol I don't think she's lost out at all.
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she is not at Bristol; as I said earlier, they kept her waiting six weeks from the time she submitted her baccalaureate results on July 5th to the afternoon of August 15th (A levels confirmation day) before rejecting her.
This delay cost her a place at Durham I'm sure. (To say nothing of the general stress!)
She has gone to her insurance university whose conditions were slightly higher than Bristol's. Hence my suggestion that it's not always that the case that you must put the highest offer as your firm.
This delay cost her a place at Durham I'm sure. (To say nothing of the general stress!)
She has gone to her insurance university whose conditions were slightly higher than Bristol's. Hence my suggestion that it's not always that the case that you must put the highest offer as your firm.
(edited 10 years ago)
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