Who provides this reference?

Candidate X attends a university, completes the first year and wants to drop out. Do the same course at another university.

Does candidate X's SF provide the reference or is it the university that does so?

The university, as the most recent and relevant academic body to deal with the student. The new university would smell a rat otherwise.

I am asking for a friend, I think they would prefer for this to happen. However they are apprehensive that said uni will write a bad reference. Said friend is confident that she can make a good impression and hence obtain a good reference but thinks that because she wants to go to a better uni that she would get a bad reference from current one- her words not mine.

Who would she ask anyhow, dean of admission? Subject tutor? Personal tutor/

Personal tutor to start with. Referees aren't usually that small and petty. It's a bit late in the season for all this, though.

They'll have transcripts anyway.

of

of

Of the year at university?

Are you talking of transferring to jump to a better uni in essence?

All the grades for the assignments she has done there.

If she is hoping to 'trade up' though the back door, as it were, she will still be expected to meet the entry requirements at the new university in terms of A level grades.

I apologise if I didn't make it clear - since this is through a third source.

Plain and simple - she is going to uni now because she is being forced to - whilst she enjoys the course, she doesn't want to go to Uni Y. I'm not sure what you are referring the back door to be - but she intends to get say a first in year 1, whilst meeting and possibly exceeding the entry requirements of the new "better" as it were university.

Not transferring like this:

Year 12: AS.
Year 13: A2
Year 14/1st year undergrad: Repeating certain A Level modules and 1st year courseload at degree.
Year 15: Upon results obtained in year 14, deciding whether to drop out or not.
Year 16: Starting course again or possibly a different course at a different, "better" university.

So the new university that is being applied to would obviously have access to all her secondary school and degree marks/ums etc.

I think that clarifies it better, its very confusing imo

Well, it's not my place (or yours, I guess) to comment on the foolishness of going somewhere she doesn't want to go, since that's out of our hands and none of our business. However, what I mean is that she will not be able to get into a better university with lower A level results than would have gained her entry in the first place, but if she is resitting her A levels as well, then that will overcome that problem if she improves her grades. I will say, though, that resitting A levels and getting a first are not as simple as saying the words make it sound.

Why is she worried that they'll write her a bad reference? I did exactly the same and my personal tutor wrote a good reference for me. I hated 1st year, didn't turn up for lectures or seminars from term 2 and then got a 2:2 in one module, a pass in another and failed another which made me fail overall and she still gave me a good reference.

I will tell her to action out her plan before she goes on this endeavour but just one more thing, she said she had extenuating circumstances at time of sitting exams - I take it her tutor would write a reference for this. And also whilst her degree modules would also be available to the admissions at these universities - would they go any way of helping her getting an unconditional offer - or would it solely be based on the A Level grades (well basically the whole application from the run of the mill applicant in year 13/post A Levels)

Candidate X attends a university, completes the first year and wants to drop out. Do the same course at another university.

Does candidate X's SF provide the reference or is it the university that does so?

But did you go to a uni that you would consider better as a result?

I imagine they will take a holistic approach, once the hurdle of the A levels has been overcome. Extenuating circumstances need to be communicated to the exam board at the time of the exams. If they were, then the relevant consideration has already been applied. She can't have it twice. If they weren't, there is nothing that can be done about it now. It is too late.

I went to Soton 1st year hated it and just applied to KCL to start again, used my school as a reference it wasn't a problem. No one cared or even bothered to question anything, just remember universities are about placing bums on seats.

No I went from Warwick to Sheffield. What do you mean by better?

She did have at the time of sitting the exams, and had the medical notes to show for it and gave them to the EO. She has disclosed to me that she is talking to her GP to see if she has a mental health illness/learning difficulty which I believe is a mitigating circumstance if diagnosed. I do understand what you are saying though.



Did you sit any A level exams at your time in Soton?

That's true, but I consider that for the competitive universities where places are over-subscribed that they would.

Well done though. If you could have done it differently would you have taken a gap year instead of your year at Soton?

Yeah, I had to redo Geography and Politics. I just had 121 lessons and did my exams in the June sitting. Just look at this years clearing for example KCL, had loads of competitive course and also in extra I saw UCL had so many courses.

To be honest, I had a great time at Soton, it gave me a better understanding of what to expect with university and also taught me to respect hard work. Before I just looked at university as going just for the sake of it. Its not till you there it sinks in that this is such a life changing decision, so you want to have the right course at the best possible uni!