Would not declaring a subject in UCAS affect my chance of admission?

Original post by SeanlvsGloria

i hired a consultant who told me it's okay to hide the fact that i have a terrible grade on English literature by not declaring for it

Ask for your money back. He or she was wrong. You run the risk of complete disqualification on the grounds of concealing details for the sake of hiding a, presumably, irrelevant low grade. That is foolish.

You need to contact UCAS and get it corrected before the chickens come home to roost.

Reply 3

SeanlvsGloria

OP

9

How can they find out about it though ? Sorry if this is dumb and rude. Thanks!

Reply 4

Original post by SeanlvsGloria

How can they find out about it though ? Sorry if this is dumb and rude. Thanks!

Read this response to an identical question, given by an authoritative admissions insider:

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=80212106&highlight=

Reply 5

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by SeanlvsGloria

How can they find out about it though ? Sorry if this is dumb and rude. Thanks!

Everyone has a ULN - unique learning number - they can find all your data via that.

Reply 6

PQ

21

Original post by SeanlvsGloria

How can they find out about it though ? Sorry if this is dumb and rude. Thanks!

Just email [email protected] with the details of the qualifications to add.

When they confirm that your application is updated notify your universities of the change (explaining that you received bad advice from a consultant). If you are honest now you protect yourself.

Reply 7

SeanlvsGloria

OP

9

Original post by Muttley79

Everyone has a ULN - unique learning number - they can find all your data via that.

It's rather strange

Because i got an interview invitation from Imperial College London already and i submitted my UCAS quite a while ago.

If they can check my ULN, and since i've submitted my UCAS for such a long time, why would they still give me an interview invitation ? ( If i understood it right, not every single applicants would get an interview , and i'm hoping to get an offer after the interview next month)

I didn't express explicitly enough in my question, i'm taking the AS subject this year and i only finished the IGCSE of it last year, I haven't got an result for my AS grade yet and i'm only taking it because the school forced me to. Could this be the reason why?

Reply 8

romememe

11

You are legally required to state all educational exams you sit (or will sit). If you have plans to drop English Literature, you don’t need to state it, however, if you simply don’t want to declare your grade but have plans to sit it, then, if discovered, it will be viewed as universities intentional deception as, before sending it off, you sign a terms and conditions stating that all the information is factually accurate and complete.

Reply 9

Original post by SeanlvsGloria

It's rather strange

Because i got an interview invitation from Imperial College London already and i submitted my UCAS quite a while ago.

If they can check my ULN, and since i've submitted my UCAS for such a long time, why would they still give me an interview invitation ? ( If i understood it right, not every single applicants would get an interview , and i'm hoping to get an offer after the interview next month)

I didn't express explicitly enough in my question, i'm taking the AS subject this year and i only finished the IGCSE of it last year, I haven't got an result for my AS grade yet and i'm only taking it because the school forced me to. Could this be the reason why?

Yes bu you haven't added it as pending? There will be a problem on results day as your grades won't match what you say you are studying.

Reply 10

SeanlvsGloria

OP

9

Original post by Muttley79

Yes bu you haven't added it as pending? There will be a problem on results day as your grades won't match what you say you are studying.

Oh Crap, yes you are right, i will craft a letter to state that i wasn't sure of what i was doing and made a mistake then send it off to UCAS ( i'm the first in my school to apply to UK in years so i literally had no idea what i was doing)

Reply 11

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by SeanlvsGloria

Oh Crap, yes you are right, i will craft a letter to state that i wasn't sure of what i was doing and made a mistake then send it off to UCAS ( i'm the first in my school to apply to UK in years so i literally had no idea what i was doing)

It would be awful to lose your place on results day because you didn't complete the form properly. Hope it works out :smile:

Reply 12

PQ

21

Original post by SeanlvsGloria

Oh Crap, yes you are right, i will craft a letter to state that i wasn't sure of what i was doing and made a mistake then send it off to UCAS ( i'm the first in my school to apply to UK in years so i literally had no idea what i was doing)

You don't need to craft a letter - just a short email will do

Original post by PQ

Just email [email protected] with the details of the qualifications to add.

When they confirm that your application is updated notify your universities of the change (explaining that you received bad advice from a consultant). If you are honest now you protect yourself.

Reply 13

hiyatt

13

Original post by SeanlvsGloria

Hi guys

So, i've submitted my UCAS form, i take 4 subjects this year: All 3 sciencs at A2 level and English literature at AS level, I finished A2 math last year and obtained an A* on that.

When I was filling in subjects for my application, I didn't declare my English literature, as my grades are extremely terrible ( D/E) while all my other subjects are high A/A* , i hired a consultant who told me it's okay to hide the fact that i have a terrible grade on English literature by not declaring for it, but i'm rather concerned seeing posts about people saying it might affect admission.

So, would it ?

Thanks guy!

Love you!

Yeah dont worry about it thats exactly what i did :smile:

they dont check

Reply 14

user73867

Original post by Good bloke

Read this response to an identical question, given by an authoritative admissions insider:

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=80212106&highlight=

Original post by Muttley79

Everyone has a ULN - unique learning number - they can find all your data via that.

@threeportdrift (TPD, I'm also tagging you as this is a similar thread to the lying about GSCE's thread.)

Can you explain how Exam Boards don't have to comply with GDPR?

Clearly, my exam results are personal data held about me. For personal data to be shared one must give explicit permission.

Given my school registered me for exams with the exam board, I have had precisely zero direct contact with the exam board. Consent cannot be given by the school. Therefore the exam board has no legal right to share my data with third parties.

I did my A levels 10 years ago, so this isn't exactly relevant to me but I think it does mean obtaining data regarding exams is more difficult than you think.

SS

Reply 15

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by Supersaps

@threeportdrift (TPD, I'm also tagging you as this is a similar thread to the lying about GSCE's thread.)

Can you explain how Exam Boards don't have to comply with GDPR?

Clearly, my exam results are personal data held about me. For personal data to be shared one must give explicit permission.

Given my school registered me for exams with the exam board, I have had precisely zero direct contact with the exam board. Consent cannot be given by the school. Therefore the exam board has no legal right to share my data with third parties.

I did my A levels 10 years ago, so this isn't exactly relevant to me but I think it does mean obtaining data regarding exams is more difficult than you think.

SS

Disclosures of data that are necessary to the purpose for which the data is collected are always permitted. Hence a disclosure by UCAS or an exam board to an institution to which you have applied, or through which you applied, is fulfilling its purpose of facilitating your application. If you don't want such disclosures, don't apply.

I have a similar example at home. I help to run a junior sports club and we capture information from people who join. We need to disclose information to national governing bodies, local leagues, tournament organisers and so on - always for the necessary purpose of administering the member's membership benefits and playing. We need not (and don't) offer an opportunity to stop such disclosures. If you don't want it you don't join.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 16

PQ

21

Original post by Supersaps

@threeportdrift (TPD, I'm also tagging you as this is a similar thread to the lying about GSCE's thread.)

Can you explain how Exam Boards don't have to comply with GDPR?

Clearly, my exam results are personal data held about me. For personal data to be shared one must give explicit permission.

Given my school registered me for exams with the exam board, I have had precisely zero direct contact with the exam board. Consent cannot be given by the school. Therefore the exam board has no legal right to share my data with third parties.

I did my A levels 10 years ago, so this isn't exactly relevant to me but I think it does mean obtaining data regarding exams is more difficult than you think.

SS

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lrs-privacy-notices/lrs-privacy-notice

It is likely that your parents consented to your personal data being shared on your behalf (as a minor at the time of exams).

Basically your exams were funded by the DfE - as part of that they have held a right to keep records of the exams taken and the results with permission to share them to other public bodies (or organisations operating on behalf of public bodies)

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 17

stoyfan

Original post by Supersaps

@threeportdrift (TPD, I'm also tagging you as this is a similar thread to the lying about GSCE's thread.)

Can you explain how Exam Boards don't have to comply with GDPR?

Clearly, my exam results are personal data held about me. For personal data to be shared one must give explicit permission.

Given my school registered me for exams with the exam board, I have had precisely zero direct contact with the exam board. Consent cannot be given by the school. Therefore the exam board has no legal right to share my data with third parties.

I did my A levels 10 years ago, so this isn't exactly relevant to me but I think it does mean obtaining data regarding exams is more difficult than you think.

SS

Just by looking at wikipedia you can see why this may not be a problem:

Lawful basis for processing

Unless a data subject has provided informed consent to data processing for one or more purposes, personal data may not be processed unless there is at least one legal basis to do so. According to Article 6, the lawful puposes are:[9]

(a) If the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data; [Check, you most likely agreed to this when creating a UCAS account or your parents would have filled in a form allowing the government to store the test results in a database].
(b) To fulfill contractual obligations with a data subject, or for tasks at the request of a data subject who is in the process of entering into a contract;[check, the obligations would have likely been specified in the agreements]
(c) To comply with a data controller's legal obligations; [check]
(d) To protect the vital interests of a data subject or another individual; [check]
(e) To perform a task in the public interest or in official authority;[This is definitely in the public interest.]
(f) For the legitimate interests of a data controller or a third party, unless these interests are overridden by interests of the data subject or her or his rights according to the Charter of Fundamental Rights (especially in the case of children).[This is for the legitimate interests of the data controller as they need that data to ensure that you actually obtained those results]

It terms of data processing, it GDPR isn't that different to UK's data protection laws, therefore, if UCAS and the Govt is following the UK DP law (which they most likely are) then they are also in compliance with GDPR.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 18

In the case of UCAS, it has a clear need for disclosures relating to processing and facilitating the application but it would require specific permission to disclose for the purposes of marketing, for instance.

Reply 19