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More Rejections than Offers? Advice and Support *Here*

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Original post by jelly1000
That should be achievable then. If you get AAA or more come the summer then by all means consider it, but think about whether you really want to take a gap year, and if so plan what you are going to do. It will be a long year if you don't.


Yeah, obviously everything depends on grades.

I need 60% in English for an A, 64% in Psychology for an A, and 71% in Biology for an A-they should all be achievable....
Reply 121
If you got rejected from a uni but the same course goes through clearing do you think that there is a possibility you will be accepted or so you think that they would just refuse you because of their decision before?
Also - does anyone know how clearing is actually worked out? Is it just from if people do not accept the offers from the uni they chose?

Thanks!
Original post by Roo88
If you got rejected from a uni but the same course goes through clearing do you think that there is a possibility you will be accepted or so you think that they would just refuse you because of their decision before?
Also - does anyone know how clearing is actually worked out? Is it just from if people do not accept the offers from the uni they chose?

Thanks!


If you achieve higher grades than predicted then probably. If you receive the same then who knows, possibly? Depends on reason of rejection.
Reply 123
I have the grades already they rejected me because a) its a competitive course anyway and the people that applied I think had more practical experience than me and b) they said it was based upon my interview :frown:

But last year the course (Occupational Therapy) did go through clearing so I am hoping it does this year too,,,
Reply 124
Advice for me please?

I applied for medicine, and am now the "cheerful" recipient of four rejections, and an ABB offer for Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Bristol - a course I currently have no enthusiasm for, and am not keen to study next year.

My current "plan" is to try and study some kind of science course next year, allied to medicine, and possibly to include forensic science as part of joint honours or something - my ideal course would be Forensic Anthropology at Dundee (however, they are closed for applications through Extra) - I'd then apply for Grad-Entry Medicine. For my first degree, I'd rather not study at a campus university or a former polytechnic (because I'm a snob like that)

I'm now wondering what my best option would be - should I enter Extra, and try to get on a course that would mean I was definitely at university next year (though none of the available courses jump out at me), should I take this risk of waiting for Clearing, in the hopes that something takes my fancy there, or accept the offer I have, and try to get a better place through Adjustment (assuming I'll be eligible)?

(Academics all in sig)
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by CatieW
I'm now wondering what my best option would be - should I enter Extra, and try to get on a course that would mean I was definitely at university next year (though none of the available courses jump out at me), should I take this risk of waiting for Clearing, in the hopes that something takes my fancy there, or accept the offer I have, and try to get a better place through Adjustment (assuming I'll be eligible)?

(Academics all in sig)


All depends how willing you are to just have a gap year. I'm assuming you'd rather take a gap year than do a course you don't like for most of this reply.

If there's nothing in Extra that appeals to you (although have a good look, a course that doesn't immediately jump out might turn out to be very interesting; also phone unis just to ask even if they say they're closed - it costs a phone call, but could end very well) and you're definitely not interested in your Bristol offer, you may as well reject it now and plan for Clearing. If something becomes available in Extra after you've rejected Bristol, you could enter Extra up until 6th July.

Clearing is likely to be particularly hectic this year, but you'd have the advantage of knowing you're in it, which does make it slightly easier - battle plans can be drawn. :p: There are usually some good courses in Clearing, although you may have to compromise; for example, on the ruling out of ex-polys. I didn't think I'd ever go to one, but the course I wanted was only at ex-polys so I did ... and it's pretty much the best decision I ever made.

Adjustment isn't particularly appropriate to your situation (there's an explanation here) or likely to work ... but it is extremely low risk, the only risks being you won't be eligible and there is something in Clearing that you miss whilst waiting to be released from Bristol. Personally, I would think Clearing has a better chance of working.

If you're in any doubt about your Bristol offer, accept it for now; it's very easy to get released so you can use Clearing (although not Extra; UCAS don't seem to be allowing people to use Extra if they've accepted a firm, even if they then get released) up until a week before results day, it's quite easy to be released albeit with some delay on and after results day, it's nigh on impossible to get it back once you've rejected it and the fourteen day grace period has gone. So it's far, far easier to change your mind from accept to reject than vice versa.

Hope this has been of some help. Reading back, I think I may have just explained things rather than answered your question...

EDIT: If you would be willing to compromise, this forensic anthropology course is still open in Extra according to the listing on UCAS.

You're not obliged to take up an offer through Extra, you can apply and the same rules about rejecting it/being released from it later are still relevant.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 126
Hi, I currently stand at 2 rejections for my first pick courses which were foundation maths at hallam and manchester met(full)
I was rather taken aback that i was rejected onto a foundation course, i'm mature student and never did a levels (so its not a case of having failed or done wrong ones) I did an apprenticeship in accountancy and have NVQ level 3 and 4.

But hallam said they only consider the NVQ on their finance degrees, so as far as they were concerned i had no Level 3 qualification.

This seems a bit unfair to me because they don't require a set subject or grade (with it being the foundation year thats kind of the selling point ha) so to me it seems that its just to check you have a set learning ability, so the fact i surpass that in a different subject i feel should be satisfactory.

i know you'll probably think, well its their discretion so no point saying its unfair ha.

but would it be worth me ringing up and talking to someone in maths dept, my qual is in accounts like i said so its loosely related, not like i did a drama qual and now want to do maths. and begging for reconsideration?

I have been offered a place at bradford college for an accountancy degree, but i don't really want to go, i just applied cos i had 3 more choices and was thinking it was all to pot anyway so wanted to know if theyd accept me, i'm not sure if the unconditional offer from them is year 1 or 2, as i applied for entry 2 but put in notes, entry level 1 also.

is it worth giving hallam yet another call (when i called for clarification on decission i just spoke to general admissions, so she didn't care one iota what my nvq was)

thanks for any help, feelin very dejected :frown:
Reply 127
Original post by skippy83
Hi, I currently stand at 2 rejections for my first pick courses which were foundation maths at hallam and manchester met(full)
I was rather taken aback that i was rejected onto a foundation course, i'm mature student and never did a levels (so its not a case of having failed or done wrong ones) I did an apprenticeship in accountancy and have NVQ level 3 and 4.

But hallam said they only consider the NVQ on their finance degrees, so as far as they were concerned i had no Level 3 qualification.

This seems a bit unfair to me because they don't require a set subject or grade (with it being the foundation year thats kind of the selling point ha) so to me it seems that its just to check you have a set learning ability, so the fact i surpass that in a different subject i feel should be satisfactory.

i know you'll probably think, well its their discretion so no point saying its unfair ha.

but would it be worth me ringing up and talking to someone in maths dept, my qual is in accounts like i said so its loosely related, not like i did a drama qual and now want to do maths. and begging for reconsideration?

I have been offered a place at bradford college for an accountancy degree, but i don't really want to go, i just applied cos i had 3 more choices and was thinking it was all to pot anyway so wanted to know if theyd accept me, i'm not sure if the unconditional offer from them is year 1 or 2, as i applied for entry 2 but put in notes, entry level 1 also.

is it worth giving hallam yet another call (when i called for clarification on decission i just spoke to general admissions, so she didn't care one iota what my nvq was)

thanks for any help, feelin very dejected :frown:
Yes, I think it's worth having another go and this time speaking personally to the Admissions Tutor, not some minion in the general admin team. The whole point of being a mature student is that you will a non-traditional academic CV. You don't say how recently you got these NVQs, but that might have been a factor too.

If that approach fails, you could consider something like an OU foundation course in Maths instead, if other unis have more sense and would accept you for a 'proper' Maths degree next year with such a qualification.

Whatever you do, don't settle for something you're not really committed to - a truly expensive waste of money and time. Better to end up borrowing more for the tuition fees but doing the right course, than starting a so-called 'cheaper' one only to find that you absolutely hate it and you drop out anyway - having still run up a bill for this and that, which still has to be paid.
Original post by Minerva

[*]However, don't get too taken in by the "oh which is better out of uni a, b, or c" bit either; there's quite a lot of that nonsense around on TSR, most of it ill-informed and unhelpful. In the end it's what you make of your university life that counts far more for employers, so rather than idle speculation about which university is "best", make sure the course really suits you, in every sense. That way you are much more likely to achieve your potential, which is what this is all about, isn’t it? So don’t dismiss an opportunity at a less high profile uni without looking into it carefully and being sure that you are doing so for the right reasons.


I think I understand what you're trying to say but realistically employers will usually rate degrees from better universities more highly...
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 129
Original post by Minerva
Yes, I think it's worth having another go and this time speaking personally to the Admissions Tutor, not some minion in the general admin team. The whole point of being a mature student is that you will a non-traditional academic CV. You don't say how recently you got these NVQs, but that might have been a factor too.

If that approach fails, you could consider something like an OU foundation course in Maths instead, if other unis have more sense and would accept you for a 'proper' Maths degree next year with such a qualification.

Whatever you do, don't settle for something you're not really committed to - a truly expensive waste of money and time. Better to end up borrowing more for the tuition fees but doing the right course, than starting a so-called 'cheaper' one only to find that you absolutely hate it and you drop out anyway - having still run up a bill for this and that, which still has to be paid.



thanks, Yeah my qual is quite a while ago, i finished it about 7 years ago. So that is a slight neg, but i did put on my PS that i'm self teaching a level maths at the mo, i have 2 A's for modules so far, and will take another 2 in a fortnight, but they aren't on my study quals part of application cos i won't have finished by sept, will take final 2 in january (which i thought i'd do alongside the F.deg)

cos even though i wanted to do Fdeg just in case i wished to change uni's they would still require i have a level maths, understandably. but the foundation course at hallam did grant access straight onto the maths degree or maths secondary education.
sorry to ramble on.

I have looked into the OU, but i'm very weary and confused tbh.
I'm weary because of whats happened already (before i applied i'd discussed my eligability with hallam and they'd said yeah its all good blah blah blah which was why i didn't rush and try and take 4 modules for my alevel this may) and also because if i aim to get in on a maths degree, i know leeds for one are very picky, they said they wouldn't accept an access course, i'd need maths alevel and poss Further Maths,

and then i'm confused, because another course hallam do is a 2yr maths education with QTS, which says the following entry req's

"A level pass in mathematics. Successfully completing the equivalent of one year's full-time degree study in an appropriate subject, such as BTEC or HND/HNC, City and Guilds full technical certificate level 3, Open University 120 credits. "

and it also says can convert after year if teaching isn't what u want and get a full maths/maths with education degree.
but the OU doesn't have 120 credits of maths modules at level 1 (level 4 uni terms ie first year) so it seems like i'm having to do 60 credits at yr 1 level, then 60 at 2nd yr level, which i'd be concerned about being too much to cope with aswel as working (which i'd need to do seen as though i wouldn't get any loans doing ou)

I know OU might not be something you really know a lot about, sorry for going on, i guess its nice just to bounce all these thoughts around, my boyf just nods and says hmm yeah lol. he's useless at advice.

i'm not one thats bothered which fee structure i get on, i just want to get started or know what track i'm on.

I wonder if I did a year of accountancy it'd help my case, seeing i've got recent taught education, (and obviously accepted onto a degree ha) and it'd give me an academic reference aswel, with the off chance that i might enjoy it and end up completing the degree.

i'll defo ring up again though, they can only say no again ha.
Reply 130
Original post by Minerva
Yes, I think it's worth having another go and this time speaking personally to the Admissions Tutor, not some minion in the general admin team. The whole point of being a mature student is that you will a non-traditional academic CV. You don't say how recently you got these NVQs, but that might have been a factor too.



just out of interest here is the entry req's on the site, which i looked at ages ago, but then had numerous conversations with someone there about me specifically, but i don't know now who that was :frown:

The course overview
This course is the first year of our extended degree in engineering and mathematics. It allows you to study an engineering or mathematics degree if you do not have the usual A level or equivalent qualifications.

It is ideal for
mature students who have been out of education for some time
2011 Entry
Normally five GCSE passes at grade C or above including mathematics, science and English language, plus 40 points from GCE/VCE A levels or BTEC National qualifications.
We may also accept you, if you have no formal qualifications but can show evidence of ability and a genuine commitment to studying mathematics

so they don't specify NVQ true, but i have 160 points even at my level 3 qual, never mind level 4; in fact, i've got a music grade 7 which gives me more than 40 ha, but tbh i didn't put on app cos i don't know where certificate is to prove it lol.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 131
Original post by lilahnurave
I think I understand what you're trying to say but realistically employers will usually rate degrees from better universities more highly...
And you know this from experience, do you? I have been recruiting people for a long time and which university the applicants graduated from matters not a bit. What they did while there were at university does, if it's recent, if not it's entirely on what they've done since. No person specification that I've ever seen says "graduates from *name of university* only. Many graduates from highly ranked unis are also highly able people - that's why they got there in the first place - so you would expect to find a lot of places on competitive entry graduate schemes etc going to them - but a highly able applicant who graduated from a so-called 'lesser' uni would not lose out just because of the university they went to.
Reply 132
Original post by skippy83
just out of interest here is the entry req's on the site, which i looked at ages ago, but then had numerous conversations with someone there about me specifically, but i don't know now who that was :frown:

The course overview
This course is the first year of our extended degree in engineering and mathematics. It allows you to study an engineering or mathematics degree if you do not have the usual A level or equivalent qualifications.

It is ideal for
mature students who have been out of education for some time
2011 Entry
Normally five GCSE passes at grade C or above including mathematics, science and English language, plus 40 points from GCE/VCE A levels or BTEC National qualifications.
We may also accept you, if you have no formal qualifications but can show evidence of ability and a genuine commitment to studying mathematics

so they don't specify NVQ true, but i have 160 points even at my level 3 qual, never mind level 4; in fact, i've got a music grade 7 which gives me more than 40 ha, but tbh i didn't put on app cos i don't know where certificate is to prove it lol.
It's the bit in bold you need to work on. Find out who the admissions tutor for the course is and get on to them on Monday, unless you are very sure that you have already talked to him/her.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by lilahnurave
I think I understand what you're trying to say but realistically employers will usually rate degrees from better universities more highly...


Not true.

Employers care a lot more about personal qualities, work experience, enthusiasm, life experience, maturity etc, than what uni you went to.

Also, there are departments at lower-ranked universities that are better than those at top institutions. People at lower-ranked unis can get higher classifications than those at higher ranking ones - and not because the standard of work is lower.

I graduated from Winchester and every single job interview I have had hasn't even involved a discussion about where I went, unless I have mentioned it in passing when talking about what I learnt and what skills I gained from my time there.

A lot of people on this site have opinions like yours, but a lot of them are either looking to go into very specific fields, or it is just guesswork as they haven't actually graduated themselves so have never tried to get a full-time job.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by ~ Purple Rose ~
Not true.

Employers care a lot more about personal qualities, work experience, enthusiasm, life experience, maturity etc, than what uni you went to.

Also, there are departments at lower-ranked universities that are better than those at top institutions. People at lower-ranked unis can get higher classifications than those at higher ranking ones - and not because the standard of work is lower.

I graduated from Winchester and every single job interview I have had hasn't even involved a discussion about where I went, unless I have mentioned it in passing when talking about what I learnt and what skills I gained from my time there.

A lot of people on this site have opinions like yours, but a lot of them are either looking to go into very specific fields, or it is just guesswork as they haven't actually graduated themselves so have never tried to get a full-time job.


In the majority of even vaguely competitive industries, yes, of course its true! You really think someone with a degree from Warwick will be brushed over in favour of someone from Solent? Perhaps you should inform the top ten universities of this, they should really know.... There are exceptions to every rule, but I really can't believe you are encouraging people to attend lower ranked universities and claiming joining a few societies will make that up

The university you attended I assume would already be stated on your CV, so any interviewers would already know and have no need to ask, so that is not a valid argument.

Original post by Minerva
And you know this from experience, do you?


Yes, I do know this from experience - but not my own luckily.
Reply 135
Original post by Minerva
It's the bit in bold you need to work on. Find out who the admissions tutor for the course is and get on to them on Monday, unless you are very sure that you have already talked to him/her.


thanks, yeah i probably have spoken to him/her, but before i applied, which was why i thought i'd be fine based on what they said, i only spoke to a regular person when the decission came in.

i'll defo ring him on monday. Thanks
When did I mention anything about joining societies?

People should choose a university based on where they WANT to go, not where they THINK they should go. There is no point being miserable for three years because the place is slightly higher on the league tables.

Work experience/life experience/maturity etc count for a lot more than the uni.

Have you actually graduated uni? Or even started it?
Original post by lilahnurave

Original post by lilahnurave
In the majority of even vaguely competitive industries, yes, of course its true! You really think someone with a degree from Warwick will be brushed over in favour of someone from Solent? Perhaps you should inform the top ten universities of this, they should really know.... There are exceptions to every rule, but I really can't believe you are encouraging people to attend lower ranked universities and claiming joining a few societies will make that up



Being a graduate of a "top" university says nothing about you as a person. It says yes, you managed to do well in your A levels and got into university X but that is about it. Most employers (particularly on the competitive grad schemes) are looking for graduates who not only have a degree to their name as that goes with the territory of 'grad scheme', but can also do a million and one other things which you're not going to gain from studying your degree alone. This is why there are thousands of graduates who enter the jobs market and suddenly realise, wow this is competitive because in the working world, unlike school and university, your academic record is not enough to see you through.

If I were filling a vacancy and I had two candidates who were both very recent graduates, one from LSE, say, who had a degree and very little else, then one from another university who had done innumerate things during their degree period as well as getting a good degree, then I know which one I would employ. Obviously, a lot of graduates at top level universities do take part in a million and one other things whilst at university and subsequently end up on successful graduate schemes but it will have been due to the merit of their experiences whilst at university rather than the pure fact they went to university A rather than university B. Yes, perhaps if you had zero transferable skills having a degree from certain universities may well get you past the first round of a graduate scheme if you were applying to an old fashioned scheme (which I'd be wary of anyway if they were far more interested in university name rather than the actual person) but once you were into the second and subsequent rounds you'd be competing against people who did tick all of the boxes and if you didn't, the name of your university is not going to help you progress.

For reference, my friends and I all graduated at some point over the last 2 or 3 years. The ones who are now highly successful in their careers on some of the most competitive graduate schemes out there are the ones who did a lot to add to their CV whilst at university and come from an array of universities. The ones who went to university and that was it are now working at Tesco or in a bar in the same job they did before going to university. This includes people who have first class degrees from Cambridge, UCL, Edinburgh and Warwick. They've applied to loads of graduate schemes and keep getting rejected because evidently, a degree just isn't enough because you can not write "I went to Oxford therefore I'm exempt from your questions as I know you want me" as your answer to all of the questions on the application form, it only fits into the academic background box.

Minerva isn't encouraging people to go to a lower ranking university over a higher ranking one. She is encouraging them to go to the university which is right for them and offers them the opportunities they want from university. This is about helping people pick the right university so that they are happy and more likely to make the most of their time there. Getting the actual degree is just one tiny part of making the most of time and is certainly not going to get you a job on graduation.
Reply 138
Original post by lilahnurave
In the majority of even vaguely competitive industries, yes, of course its true! You really think someone with a degree from Warwick will be brushed over in favour of someone from Solent? Perhaps you should inform the top ten universities of this, they should really know.... There are exceptions to every rule, but I really can't believe you are encouraging people to attend lower ranked universities and claiming joining a few societies will make that up
See oxymoronic's post above.

The university you attended I assume would already be stated on your CV, so any interviewers would already know and have no need to ask, so that is not a valid argument.
Whether it's on your CV or not, the assessors/interviewers may not have access to that information, in order to make selection processes as fair as possible and remove any possibility of a 'halo' effect.

Yes, I do know this from experience - but not my own luckily.
I'll say it again: no interviewer/assessor for a graduate scheme or firm will make a decision about your application on the basis of which university you went to, not even as a tie breaker. The kinds of jobs and graduate scheme places that we are talking about here will have detailed person specifications attached to them. These will have a degree as the basic entry criterion - no degree, no chance - but after that there will be a lot of statements about leadership and communication skills, time management, drive for results, etc etc. Someone who has lived as an academic hermit at Warwick will lose out to the outgoing graduate from Solent, since the former will be unable to demonstrate those skills and the latter can.

If you want to believe that graduates from 'top' unis can swan into any job or graduate scheme they want to simply because of the university they went to, feel free. I just don't recommend it, that's all.
Original post by ~ Purple Rose ~


Have you actually graduated uni? Or even started it?


Not sure why you think that attitude helps your case? I have graduated, thank you.

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