Decline Unconditional Offer and Student Finance

Hi guys,

I have a simple yet confusing question: after my Conditional offer has become Unconditional, can I refuse to go to the Uni?

I am asking this because I'm going to take a test for another uni in my country in July: in the very rare case that I pass it, I would like to go to this Uni instead of one of the two UK universities I have chosen as Firm and Insurance choice.

I am confused because I believe to have read somewhere that when I firmed my Uni, I made a formal commitment with it. And yet I have read somewhere else that it still possible to refuse the conditional offer.

So what is the truth?
Also, I haven't sent my EU-Student Finance forms yet. If I'm not wrong, I should be able to wait until I get into the Uni to send them. (Is this true?) If I send them before entering the Uni in UK, but then I pass the test in Italy in July, is it possible to withdraw this application? So should I wait to send it or it's not necessary to do so?

All your help is much appreciated.

Reply 1

returnmigrant

21

If you have already made your choices you cannot now change them. You cannot therefore accept any offer the other Uni might make you. Why are you going to this Uni for a 'test' anyway - if you have made Firm/Insurance choices then you are no longer an applicant to that Uni.

Your only alternatives now are to decline both your Firm/Insurance and hope the other course is in Clearing (very, very risky) or to drop your entire UCAS application for this year and reapply next year to a University you actually want to go to.

Reply 2

All-in

3

Original post by masedendo

Hi guys,

I have a simple yet confusing question: after my Conditional offer has become Unconditional, can I refuse to go to the Uni?

I am asking this because I'm going to take a test for another uni in my country in July: in the very rare case that I pass it, I would like to go to this Uni instead of one of the two UK universities I have chosen as Firm and Insurance choice.

I am confused because I believe to have read somewhere that when I firmed my Uni, I made a formal commitment with it. And yet I have read somewhere else that it still possible to refuse the conditional offer.

So what is the truth?
Also, I haven't sent my EU-Student Finance forms yet. If I'm not wrong, I should be able to wait until I get into the Uni to send them. (Is this true?) If I send them before entering the Uni in UK, but then I pass the test in Italy in July, is it possible to withdraw this application? So should I wait to send it or it's not necessary to do so?

All your help is much appreciated.

No one has a gun pointed to your head, of course you can pull out at anytime you wish, just make sure to communicate this as soon as possible to your firm and insurance (and student finance if you have already applied).

it is probably best to apply now for student finance anyway, this so you have your funding in time arranged because it does take some time to get this processed. Consiering it could take even 2 months, applying in July is risky.

If you do get in your chosen uni in Italy in July, and you choose to go there, simply communicate to your firm and insurance that you wish to withdraw, and student finance as well. Nothing will be paid by Student Finance anyway until you physically enrol at a UK uni.

Just out of curiosity, why would you consider an Italian uni (which one?) over a UK uni? I was in your same dilemma and foolishly accepted to go to an apparent top Italian uni (Bocconi), and live to regret it everyday. The italian university system is incredibly flawed.

Reply 3

Origami Bullets

19

If you get into the other university, you can simply withdraw from the firm and insurance, and cancel the student finance application. There is no penalty for this, but it is considered polite to do it noticeably before A Level results day in mid August, so that they can give your place to someone else.

Original post by returnmigrant

If you have already made your choices you cannot now change them. You cannot therefore accept any offer the other Uni might make you. Why are you going to this Uni for a 'test' anyway - if you have made Firm/Insurance choices then you are no longer an applicant to that Uni.

Your only alternatives now are to decline both your Firm/Insurance and hope the other course is in Clearing (very, very risky) or to drop your entire UCAS application for this year and reapply next year to a University you actually want to go to.

The third uni that they are referring to isn't in the UK, so what you've said doesn't apply....

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 4

masedendo

OP

Original post by All-in

No one has a gun pointed to your head, of course you can pull out at anytime you wish, just make sure to communicate this as soon as possible to your firm and insurance (and student finance if you have already applied).

it is probably best to apply now for student finance anyway, this so you have your funding in time arranged because it does take some time to get this processed. Consiering it could take even 2 months, applying in July is risky.

If you do get in your chosen uni in Italy in July, and you choose to go there, simply communicate to your firm and insurance that you wish to withdraw, and student finance as well. Nothing will be paid by Student Finance anyway until you physically enrol at a UK uni.

Just out of curiosity, why would you consider an Italian uni (which one?) over a UK uni? I was in your same dilemma and foolishly accepted to go to an apparent top Italian uni (Bocconi), and live to regret it everyday. The italian university system is incredibly flawed.

Thank you so much. That's exactly what I was looking for.

You said that you regret to go to Bocconi. That's interesting, a friend of mine will go there next year. I hope you'll manage to solve your problems (what were the main problems with Bocconi anyway?). It may be helpful to know this for my friend.If you want to know my own opinion about Bocconi , I think that it used to be a competitive Uni, but nowadays it's only all about the brand: if you have enough money, you can get there quite easily.

Anyway, to answer your question, I am aware that in general UK universities are far better than those in Italy. But the Uni I would try to get in (again, almost impossible for me) is the Scuola Normale Superiore, located in Pisa. Even though It has almost no international reputation ( but here again is Italian school system's fault, since it really deserves it) it is traditionally known as one of the most prestigious and challenging uni in Italy. The selection is enourmous: each year only about 60 students can enter it ( 30 students for the class of Science, 30 for the one of Humanities) and to enter (class of science) you must pass two hard written test plus two oral tests.
The good thing about getting in Normale is that you get an high standard teaching but it's completeley cost-free! So this is basically why I would choose it against a British one.

Reply 5

Joe955

6

Personally I found Bocconi a great university: it is very well-organised, it gives you lots of chances to go abroad and lessons have always been interesting. It has also been ranked 5th in Europe.

Reply 6

BeckyMary

I personally dare to enter into this discussion because I have got experience of both Bocconi University and Scuola Normale Superiore .

Bocconi University, is true, in the last years it got pretty easy to enter there as they are doing a lot investment and to be sincere they need money, at least the first tuition fee of 10.500€ Per student. However, when you'll be inside there, you'll realize that it is really really really hard to get high marks, you need a lot of commitment and study, while getting low marks or not passing the exams doesn't need so much effort but for sure a lot money (if you don't pass the year the tuition fee increases and instead of staying there for 3y of undergrad a lot people stay there 5y to get a degree ).
Also the level of teaching is really high, professors are really prepared and attendance (really suggested) drastically reduces your free time. Therefore choosing bocconi, not for parties and not for wasting thousand of euro, is a pretty though choice and that's why it's among the best uni of the world.

Scuola Normale Superiore, it's true, it's free and the name is prestigious for Mathematics, physics and Classical Letters however..
I was invited by scuola Normale Superiore to spend a week there between my fourth and fifth year of high school: the lessons were wonderful but there was a big BUT. Out of the 8 courses you are going to follow during the academic year just 2 of them are held by Scuola Normale, the other 6 are of Università di Pisa.. Now, can EXCELLENCE be given just by 2 courses per year??
Plus, believe me, a lot of people inside there are just completely alienated from reality and if you are a person that has a lot of other interests a part from study, you aren't gonna fit well.

And for what concerns the choice between studying in uk or Italy, everything depends on where you would love to work.. Studying at Normale makes it pretty hard to work in uk also because you won't study in English while studying in uk, even maybe not in a top university, makes it easier to find job either in Italy either in uk

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 7

Joe955

6

I completely agree with BeckyMary.

Reply 8

masedendo

OP

Original post by BeckyMary

I personally dare to enter into this discussion because I have got experience of both Bocconi University and Scuola Normale Superiore .

Bocconi University, is true, in the last years it got pretty easy to enter there as they are doing a lot investment and to be sincere they need money, at least the first tuition fee of 10.500€ Per student. However, when you'll be inside there, you'll realize that it is really really really hard to get high marks, you need a lot of commitment and study, while getting low marks or not passing the exams doesn't need so much effort but for sure a lot money (if you don't pass the year the tuition fee increases and instead of staying there for 3y of undergrad a lot people stay there 5y to get a degree ).
Also the level of teaching is really high, professors are really prepared and attendance (really suggested) drastically reduces your free time. Therefore choosing bocconi, not for parties and not for wasting thousand of euro, is a pretty though choice and that's why it's among the best uni of the world.

Scuola Normale Superiore, it's true, it's free and the name is prestigious for Mathematics, physics and Classical Letters however..
I was invited by scuola Normale Superiore to spend a week there between my fourth and fifth year of high school: the lessons were wonderful but there was a big BUT. Out of the 8 courses you are going to follow during the academic year just 2 of them are held by Scuola Normale, the other 6 are of Università di Pisa.. Now, can EXCELLENCE be given just by 2 courses per year??
Plus, believe me, a lot of people inside there are just completely alienated from reality and if you are a person that has a lot of other interests a part from study, you aren't gonna fit well.

And for what concerns the choice between studying in uk or Italy, everything depends on where you would love to work.. Studying at Normale makes it pretty hard to work in uk also because you won't study in English while studying in uk, even maybe not in a top university, makes it easier to find job either in Italy either in uk

Posted from TSR Mobile

Thank you so much for this response.
I'm glad to hear that Bocconi indeed deserves the name it has. It is clear that I was wrong.

I also find very useful what you said about Normale. I had this feeling that studying at Normale would not give me the same international career possibilities of a british uni. You said that getting a degree in a British uni should let me find a job even in Italy: I believe you,but do you have evidence or examples for this? This reasoning holds for every major?

I'm going to study mathematics, and , to be honest, I'm contemplating an academic career, so I'm not really concerned about getting a job (should I?). With this information, what would you ultimately choose, assuming that you get to enter into Normale, between it and a uk uni (for instance Warwick or Manchester)?

If it's not clear, I'm ****ing scared about loans, so the idea of getting a high level instruction for free is intriguing.(and yet, your have a good point when you say that only two extra course don't seem much for excellence). Assuming that you're Italian as me, what can you say to assure me on this topic? :smile:

Last but not least, yes, I do have interests of my own and I feared that a lot of those guy would just be crazy alienated weirdos. But, hey, who knows: there must be some interesting people there!

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 9

All-in

3

Original post by BeckyMary

And for what concerns the choice between studying in uk or Italy, everything depends on where you would love to work.. Studying at Normale makes it pretty hard to work in uk also because you won't study in English while studying in uk, even maybe not in a top university, makes it easier to find job either in Italy either in uk

Posted from TSR Mobile

I'm sorry but this is all absolute crap, and you obviously have no idea what you are talking about. A UK degree has no validity in Italy. It is not recognised by the Italian state, so you cannot apply for jobs that require a degree or for the so called "concorsi" for public, academic or research positions. You have to make a written request to a Rector of an Italian university to issue a certificate of equivalance, which is at the absolute discretion of the university to do so, and usually the university will ask to sustain further exams at their unviersity to obtain this equivalency.

Source: http://www.miur.it/0002Univer/0052Cooper/0069Titoli/0359Il_ric/0361Docume/1482Equipo_cf2.htm

Reply 10

BeckyMary

Original post by All-in

I'm sorry but this is all absolute crap, and you obviously have no idea what you are talking about. A UK degree has no validity in Italy. It is not recognised by the Italian state, so you cannot apply for jobs that require a degree or for the so called "concorsi" for public, academic or research positions. You have to make a written request to a Rector of an Italian university to issue a certificate of equivalance, which is at the absolute discretion of the university to do so, and usually the university will ask to sustain further exams at their unviersity to obtain this equivalency.

Source: http://www.miur.it/0002Univer/0052Cooper/0069Titoli/0359Il_ric/0361Docume/1482Equipo_cf2.htm

Till his last post, no one knew that he wanted to study mathematics and pursuing an academic career.

Masedendo, in this case things get a little bit harder in the sense that what all-in said is true only if you want to pursue an academic career in an Italian public university. If you want to do it in a private university, experience and study abroad is definitely suggested. And if you want to do it in a university abroad what matters is just that you have a PhD. But as I told before, studying abroad is a competitive advantage if you want to work in Italy while studying in Italy and then find job abroad is hard, because universities don't have such good and strong relations with institutions in uk like uk universities.
However, when I was considering to study mathematical engineering (something a little bit less abstract than pure mathematics), an ordinary professor of Bicocca University, where I was an intern in the R&D department of Material Sciences, told me that academic career was just one of the many opportunities you had with that degree. With a degree in Mathematics you can work inside the Research department of many famous banks, developing models useful for the computation of risk and many other things , you can work also for Government and Central Banks..

On the side of Normale well, there are many many points: a lot of famous scientists got out from the mathematics course of Normale and for the three subjects I stated above (mathematics, physics and classical letters) Normale has got a really prestigious reputation.
However in some kind of way as I told you before, because of the 2 courses I don't really know whether it's so excellent. For sure if they offered 8 courses of Normale instead of 2, it'd be probably as good as MIT. One thing I'm sure (but this mainly regards physics there) is that they have pretty strict relations with CERN of Geneva and another thing is that if you know French, you have the possibility to go on exchange to the Ecole Normale in France. [i got all this info from students of Normale]

Posted from TSR Mobile