Application Process geared towards the privileged

I’m feeling dejected at the moment. So many people have received offers and invites to offer holder days. I’ve only received them from my two insurance choices, but the other three are saying they operate the tier system and will get back by mid May. However, offer holder days only run to the end of March, so I will miss out on attending these important events, and can’t start planning accommodation, finances etc for months. Meanwhile I read posts on here from people turning their noses up at good unis, yet they can hold onto FIVE offers until the June deadline while people like me are waiting with baited breath to get even just one offer from a good uni! I’m working so hard at my A levels and am predicted As and Bs, yet that’s still not good enough because there are people lucky enough to be at better schools (or have teachers more generous with their predicted grades) and predicted As and A*s. The irony is that education is meant to help you better yourself - but you can’t access good quality education because others (or their parents) are already ‘better’ than you. I wish the unis would look at more than just predicted grades, and give a chance to people like me who are hard working and passionate about our subject. And I wish the system for offer holder days etc was fairer, as I really wanted to attend these. I don’t understand why they only hold them until March when they know they are holding back on giving some offers until May? Like they can only be bothered to do it for the ‘better’ students. I feel like my future is in the hands of the more privileged, and I’m just waiting to receive their leftovers. There seems to be an unfair class system in education. Sorry for the rant!

Your dejection is valid. Uni applications are stressful and frustrating for many

Small note though, unis don't process applications in any particular order. Just because other have received offers before you doesn't mean that you've been rejected. Unis may divide their applications into early applications, equal consideration applications and late applications, but they will send out offers in small randomized batches within these groups. Also, any offers made during this time do not fill up seats, so there's no need to worry about there not being any places by the time May rolls around Also, though the deadline for unis to make decisions is 18 May, most unis will make the majority of their offers before that.

Which unis did you apply to, and for what course?

If you're unable to make it to an offer holder day, maybe you could book onto a campus tour instead? You'd still be able to have a look around the uni and ask questions about what it's like. Some unis also keep an archive of virtual open days that you may find useful too. (Of course, this isn't the case for every uni.)

Best of luck to you!

Where do you want to go to university and what s it that you are hoping to be reading?

Thank you for your reply. But I have actually been told by a uni that they have sent out offers to the people with the highest predicted grades first, and will now work down the list.

And the point about the offer holder days stopping too soon is real - whatever order they assess applications in, it’s unfair that they stop the offer holder days before they have even finished making offers. I think that everyone who applies before the ‘equal consideration’ deadline should also be given equal opportunity to attend any offer holder/preparation/etc events.

Hi, as an example - the last Exeter Offer Holder Day is 1 April. However, their blanket email is that they are working hard to respond to applications and will do this by Mid May. It seems unfair that, through no fault of their own, people will not be given the opportunity to attend an offer holder day even if they submitted their application by the January deadline. To me, it would be more logical to run these days until the students’ June deadline.

Hi, as an example - the last Exeter Offer Holder Day is 1 April. However, their blanket email is that they are working hard to respond to applications and will do this by Mid May. It seems unfair that, through no fault of their own, people will not be given the opportunity to attend an offer holder day even if they submitted their application by the January deadline. To me, it would be more logical to run these days until the students’ June deadline.

Which course are you applying for and at which universities?

I’m feeling dejected at the moment. So many people have received offers and invites to offer holder days. I’ve only received them from my two insurance choices, but the other three are saying they operate the tier system and will get back by mid May. However, offer holder days only run to the end of March, so I will miss out on attending these important events, and can’t start planning accommodation, finances etc for months. Meanwhile I read posts on here from people turning their noses up at good unis, yet they can hold onto FIVE offers until the June deadline while people like me are waiting with baited breath to get even just one offer from a good uni! I’m working so hard at my A levels and am predicted As and Bs, yet that’s still not good enough because there are people lucky enough to be at better schools (or have teachers more generous with their predicted grades) and predicted As and A*s. The irony is that education is meant to help you better yourself - but you can’t access good quality education because others (or their parents) are already ‘better’ than you. I wish the unis would look at more than just predicted grades, and give a chance to people like me who are hard working and passionate about our subject. And I wish the system for offer holder days etc was fairer, as I really wanted to attend these. I don’t understand why they only hold them until March when they know they are holding back on giving some offers until May? Like they can only be bothered to do it for the ‘better’ students. I feel like my future is in the hands of the more privileged, and I’m just waiting to receive their leftovers. There seems to be an unfair class system in education. Sorry for the rant!

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