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Original post by Secretnerd123
I'm taking a gap year so obviously wont be in college anymore so i was wondering who would be able to be my referee?



You can still ask any of your teachers/tutors at that college. They will be the most obvious people to ask and its quite acceptable for applicants to name someone from a school college they are no longer attending (ask them first). You need someone able to comment on your academic potential and to predict grades, so realistically it has to be someone who has taught you recently even if you have actually left college/school.
Original post by returnmigrant
You can still ask any of your teachers/tutors at that college. They will be the most obvious people to ask and its quite acceptable for applicants to name someone from a school college they are no longer attending (ask them first). You need someone able to comment on your academic potential and to predict grades, so realistically it has to be someone who has taught you recently even if you have actually left college/school.


Linked to this, you may be able to apply through them rather than as an independent candidate just sending it to them for a reference, meaning your referee can check through your application for you and suggest any necessary changes. :smile: If I recall, my old school allowed past pupils to do this.
Original post by electriic_ink

Because generally, the better candidates apply earlier and unis know students like getting responses as early as they can.


Rubbish. 2 friends of mine applied on the 12th/13th Jan and I applied on the deadline day of 14th January (2013) and we received all of our offers from 15 different universities in under 3 weeks.
Mainly RG uni's too.
Reply 23
Well I got a significant amount of my offers well before the deadline (around november?) and I know many other universities hand them out before the deadline. Whether that's because they were sure they would give me the offer anyhow or because they were working on a first come first serve basis I can't say. I would probably still apply early so long as you've thought about it well and have visited the uni's in your AS year because the way I see it is that universities have a limited amount of offers to hand out so in the beginning there may be less competition so you may have an easier time whereas later say if there's only 5 places left and 50 applicants sure they may give you equal consideration but that's in light of the 5 spaces remaining I suppose so they can only pick 5 out of the 50.

I could be wrong though. I'm sure there's a couple of admissions tutors on this forum who would probably clear up any questions you have. Probably changes per uni too because some don't even hand out offers at all until after the deadline).
Original post by YearRetaker
Rubbish. 2 friends of mine applied on the 12th/13th Jan and I applied on the deadline day of 14th January (2013) and we received all of our offers from 15 different universities in under 3 weeks.
Mainly RG uni's too.


I didn't say it was impossible to get an offer if you apply on the deadline, just that it's advantageous to apply early.

I got my offers in November. If the universities were really interested in not letting when you apply matter, they'll have all waited until after January before giving them out.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by electriic_ink
I didn't say it was impossible to get an offer if you apply on the deadline, just that it's advantageous to apply early.

I got my offers in November. If the universities were really interested in not letting when you apply matter, they'll have all waited until after January before giving them out.


Universities don't have a set number of offers that they give out, they just give out offers to any applicant which they decide that they want, so when you apply doesn't make a difference. If they give out offers before the deadline, I assume it's to people they would have given an offer to regardless of when before the deadline they applied.

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Original post by River Shadow
Universities don't have a set number of offers that they give out,

Of course they do. If they give out too many offers, they'll end up accepting too many people, which means the university gets fined.
Original post by electriic_ink
Of course they do. If they give out too many offers, they'll end up accepting too many people, which means the university gets fined.


They risk getting fined, but they still give out more offers than they have places, as they know that not everyone will accept their offer.

An admissions tutor (returnmigrant) posted further up the thread confirming that they don't have a set number of offers to give out.

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(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by River Shadow
They risk getting fined, but they still give out more offers than they have places, as they know that not everyone will accept their offer.


I know that. That doesn't stop them having an expectation of how many people will firm/insure and how many firmers/insurers will end up starting the course.
Original post by electriic_ink
I know that. That doesn't stop them having an expectation of how many people will firm/insure and how many firmers/insurers will end up starting the course.


Just edited my previous post - see post from returnmigrant for information on how it works. :smile: You're right in saying they have an idea of how many places will be taken up, but they don't have a set number of offers to give out - aside from anything else, it wouldn't be fair to applicants.

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(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by River Shadow
Just edited my previous post - see post from returnmigrant for information on how it works. :smile: You're right in saying they have an idea of how many places will be taken up, but they don't have a set number of offers to give out - aside from anything else, it wouldn't be fair to applicants.

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I didn't say they have a set number of offers to give out. What they do have is an idea of how many offers they want to make.

I expect, as returnmigrant says, the universities try very hard to make the process as fair as possible but whilst they insist on handing out offers before the Jan 14 deadline, they can't guarantee it.
(edited 10 years ago)
I was always under the impression that they waited until the deadline until they have out offer, which makes do much sense. But while I was applying this year, around mid November people in my classes were receiving offers I started to freak out haha. I had just finished my UCAS PS and that stuff and sent it away. I recieved 2 offers before the deadline on 20th of Dec and 6 Jan.

I'm not sure if they're are a certain amount of spaces kept until after the deadline but I would get my application sent of mid December to avoid any disappointment


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Reply 32
Original post by Secretnerd123
Hey im applying this year and i was wondering if unis work on a first come firt serve basis. I want to make my PS really good and dont want to rush it :frown: if i applied in December would i be diasdvantaged? I will be receiving unconditional offers as im taking a gap year and receiving my alevels this summer


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similar position but im on a gap year

does anybody have a layout of a personal statement, like what each paragraph should contain?
Original post by Fat-Love
because the way I see it is that universities have a limited amount of offers to hand out

I could be wrong though. I'm sure there's a couple of admissions tutors on this forum who would probably clear up any questions you have. .


Read my answer above.

You are wrong.

I AM an Admissions Tutor.
Original post by 3mmz
similar position but im on a gap year

does anybody have a layout of a personal statement, like what each paragraph should contain?


Lots of info and advice here :

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Personal_Statement_Library
Original post by munchen102
I was always under the impression that they waited until the deadline until they have out offer, which makes do much sense. But while I was applying this year, around mid November people in my classes were receiving offers I started to freak out haha. I had just finished my UCAS PS and that stuff and sent it away. I recieved 2 offers before the deadline on 20th of Dec and 6 Jan.

I'm not sure if they're are a certain amount of spaces kept until after the deadline but I would get my application sent of mid December to avoid any disappointment



Some Unis do wait until after mid-Jan deadline to send out offers. Others do it as they arrive, or in batches per month.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by electriic_ink
whilst they insist on handing out offers before the Jan 14 deadline, they can't guarantee it.


All applicants who apply before the mid Jan deadline are treated equally. Its as simple as that. We do not have a quota of Offers and once those are all used up we stop making Offers. If you meet the admissions requirements and we like your PS/reference you will be made an offer.

You are confusing 'Offers' with 'Places'. Not everyone who gets an offer with make us their Firm. And many of those who do, wont get the grades. Offers do not equal Places.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by YearRetaker
Rubbish. 2 friends of mine applied on the 12th/13th Jan and I applied on the deadline day of 14th January (2013) and we received all of our offers from 15 different universities in under 3 weeks.
Mainly RG uni's too.


Thank you.

[So perhaps some of you would like to take note of this and stop trying to 'guess' how the system works, or that you know better, and accept that it does work.]
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by returnmigrant
I am an Admissions Tutor at a leading RG Uni, so here is the correct information:

If you apply before the mid-Jan 2014 deadline your application will be treated equally. THERE IS NO ADVANTAGE IN APPLYING IN OCTOBER.

Universities have been involved in undergrad admissions a great deal longer than any of you. We know the rough % of offers that convert into confirmed places, both at the '5 choices' stage and at at the 'Firm/Insurance' stage. This is based on years and years of experience and statistics. There is not a finite number of offers available and once those are 'used up' we stop making offers. It doesnt work like that.
This may well be true at your institution, but do you know this is the case at all RG universities?
Original post by returnmigrant
All applicants who apply before the mid Jan deadline are treated equally. Its as simple as that. We do not have a quota of Offers and once those are all used up we stop making Offers.


I didn't say you had a quota. I said you have an idea about the number of people you want to give offers to based on your expectation of how offers turn into places. There's a big difference between the two but both put those who apply early at an advantage.

If you meet the admissions requirements and we like your PS/reference
you will be made an offer.

How vague.

You are confusing 'Offers' with 'Places'. Not everyone who gets an offer with make us their Firm. And many of those who do, wont get the grades. Offers do not equal Places.


No I'm not.

If you really wanted to guarantee that it was done fairly, you'd ask UCAS to send you all the applications in a random order after the January deadline.
(edited 10 years ago)