Is it worth submitting an appeal for a university?

I was recently rejected from Bristol uni for economics. It was my first choice and I'm sort of restricted in what universities I go to anyways, so I wanted to go for convenience reasons as well. I applied for econmics (their standard offer is A*AA), where I applied with my predicted grades (A*AB, B in maths). I was really hopeful for a contextual offer eventhough I didn't fit the immediate criteria, however I have a chronic condition (MS), and I was hoping they might be considerate of that to give me a contextual offer since other univerisites do. I saw that Bristol offers people the chance to write an appeal after the application status, is it worth me writing one in? I'm quite desperate to get into the uni, but I'm not sure if its worth me doing it or whether it would change anything

Reply 1

random_matt

20

I very much doubt it.

Reply 2

gjd800

20

Can't see it changing anything, unfortunately, but you lose nothing by trying.

Reply 3

greentiger

14

Original post by unxmutual

I was recently rejected from Bristol uni for economics. It was my first choice and I'm sort of restricted in what universities I go to anyways, so I wanted to go for convenience reasons as well. I applied for econmics (their standard offer is A*AA), where I applied with my predicted grades (A*AB, B in maths). I was really hopeful for a contextual offer eventhough I didn't fit the immediate criteria, however I have a chronic condition (MS), and I was hoping they might be considerate of that to give me a contextual offer since other univerisites do. I saw that Bristol offers people the chance to write an appeal after the application status, is it worth me writing one in? I'm quite desperate to get into the uni, but I'm not sure if its worth me doing it or whether it would change anything

I really doubt it, if you’re denied you’re denied, there’s loads of students hoping for a chance just like you. The higher ranked universities have harder contextual criteria’s also, a lot suggesting you have to fit 3 out of several specifications.

You can always see whether bristol had spaces through clearing, it’s not the end of the world don’t worry 🙂

Reply 4

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

21

If they have a process it’s worth a go, but ordinarily these kind of decisions aren’t reversed.

Reply 5

Caitlinnn.

11

If you have a chronic illness you should go through extenuating circumstances rather than trying to get a contextual offer. Specifically for Bristol they ask you to fill out your own extenuating circumstances form and have a teacher from your school confirm this in an additional letter which should then be uploaded to your applicant dashboard. You could try appealing the decision (especially if you didn't declare extenuating circumstances on their form) but like others have previously said it might not be reversed.

Reply 6

TomcSixthForm

8

Original post by unxmutual

I was recently rejected from Bristol uni for economics. It was my first choice and I'm sort of restricted in what universities I go to anyways, so I wanted to go for convenience reasons as well. I applied for econmics (their standard offer is A*AA), where I applied with my predicted grades (A*AB, B in maths). I was really hopeful for a contextual offer eventhough I didn't fit the immediate criteria, however I have a chronic condition (MS), and I was hoping they might be considerate of that to give me a contextual offer since other univerisites do. I saw that Bristol offers people the chance to write an appeal after the application status, is it worth me writing one in? I'm quite desperate to get into the uni, but I'm not sure if its worth me doing it or whether it would change anything

Definitely worth a shot. You can build an extremely strong argument with MS for why you do not meet their typical offer. I'm assuming there's proof of a diagnosis based on the severity of the condition and how it affects brain function and general coordination. If it's not a serious case of MS, you could potentially argue that the effects occur in short and quick bursts at unexpected times. I had a fairly similar situation which uni’s took into consideration. Where my dad was diagnosed with ME (a similar condition) during Year 10, which led to my becoming a carer unexpectedly as he suffered quite a lot, having to take months of work at a time and needing support for most things. Therefore, if you have MS and have a diagnosis, you should be able to argue for a lower conditional, but try and have proof ready for why it affected your grades. I hope this helps and good luck.

Reply 7

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

I think the concern is that your weakest grade is in maths and this is essential for the degree you're applying to - it is THE foundational subject at A-level for economics at degree level. They may simply feel that even if they could give you a contextual offer, they would still need to ask for a (much) higher grade in maths to cope with the course.

Sometimes it's better to be rejected rather than be accepted onto a course you won't be able to succeed on academically - especially if they are aware of that.

Perhaps if you'd had the A* in maths and B in an unrelated subject they would have been able to facilitate something. But its impossible to say. However for the reasons above I just strongly suspect they feel you would struggle with the mathematical aspects of the course (which are widespread).

Is it worth submitting an appeal for a university?

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