Contesting Psychology decision

I agree it would sound like begging effort to explicitly ask. I got feedback from York when I got rejected and I did sort of hint I would like to be in lol - but I'd recommend you just find out a reason first from them. Simply send their admissions person an email asking for feedback (don't phone cause it apparently breaches data protection to tell you over the phone). Then, go from there and start asking insightful questions like 'if I did this, might I get accepted next year? I really am keen to study here' and that'll show your determination. Aim your attempts at admissions though rather than the department as in a lot of unis the actual department doesn't sort out undergraduate apps - they just ok the decisions of the admissions office.

Hope that helps somewhat!

Reply 5

Hey,
Sorry about your decision from Bristol, I just got home to find I've been unsuccessful for Psychology with them too :frown:

the bastads! I wrote them two emails (the last one yesterday) asking if they could confirm whether they had received my application because it had been 10 weeks and I had heard nothing and was worried, then they just reject me today, nice! Call me bitter but I think they are up their own arses. I am from a rubbish state school and exceeded their entry requirements, blimmin prats!
I went to visit Exeter today and they were lovely,really down to earth, they showed a funny video they had made of their department doing their version of the video to the road to armarillo song, their lecturers were walking down corridors and were miming to it, was well funny, looks like fun there.

Reply 6

To Zoea85: Don't you think it's a little unfair to suggest the admissions tutors at Bristol are up their own arses, simply because *you* got rejected? I think there were about 1000 applicants this year for around 100 places, and most of those will have met the entry requirements. Some people are going to have to be disappointed, there's no two ways about it.

Also (I seem to say this a lot on TSR), Bristol admin teams (ESPECIALLY the Psychology tutors) couldn't care less what school you went to - they base their decisions on merit alone. To start complaining about the system in that way because you were unlucky is a bit of a kick in the teeth to those of us who are here already.

To the OP: I don't mean to sound sarcastic (it's not easy to come across otherwise via the net), but, honestly, how do you expect the phone/email conversation to go with the admissions tutors? They've had as much information as they could possibly use via your UCAS statement; realistically, you're not going to do yourself any good by getting your hopes up and wasting time by trying to make them change their mind via phone/email.

I'm really sorry; I know it's not a happy position to be in. As I said above, the Psychology degree at Bristol is hugely popular this year, which means that some people - regardless of how good they are - are just going to be unlucky. You'd be a lot better concentrating on your available options now, rather than potentially getting worked up over Bristol.

Reply 7

Oh for gods sake, are we not allowed to vent our dissapointment? I did'nt make that remark because they rejected 'me', I said it because they have not responded to either of the two emails I sent well over 7 weeks ago, which I think is rude and arrogant. I got the impression that they were up their own backsides before I even applied because I had emailed them in regards to visiting the campus and their reply was stand off ish whereas Exeter were really helpful. How does it bother you if I have a moan about being rejected from my potential first choice? You need to get a life instead sticking your nose where it doesn't belong ass licking a bloody University as if its your life long best friend.

Reply 8

How eloquent :rolleyes:

Reply 9

How pathetic.

You obviously didn't have an answer to that one.

Reply 10

You're absolutely correct. I've had so many conversations in the past with friends and acquaintances about UCAS and university admissions. Good, well thought out, reasoned conversations. I've never had one so immature as this. So I'm going to stop now.

To the OP: I honestly do wish you the best of luck at university, whichever you choose.

Reply 11

DENNIS_MENACE

OP

Hi folks

Thanks to everyone that's posted; it really has helped me decide my next root of action. I am going to send an e-mail to Bristol requesting possible feedback in to my application. Although this would be purely for curiosity, i am intrigued as to why i was unsuscessful having been predicted three A's and being told by both the 'TSR PS Helper' and my respective teachers that i had written a 'fantastic' PS. Perhaps im just unlucky.

zoea85- I can understand your disappointment, but hey what's Bristol's loss is exeter's gain!!!!

Reply 12

I think venting disappointment is fine but you shouldn't go crazy about a rejection. In my case, a rejection was simply given from York cause other people had 2 science subjects and that was it - they said it shouldn't be taken as any kind of insult to your ability or anything like that. And I was disappointed but what can you do. Think of it this way, these people don't know anything about you truly, so theres no point getting worked up over a decision which some obscure somebody in a darkened lonely room has to make.

There's always gonna be disappointment like epoch said and it is tough I guess to decide who to choose considering so many candidates nowadays can offer top grades. I wouldn't call Bristol erm 'self assured' (for a better putting), its inevitable people will be turned down and like I said before admissions departments often deal with undergraduate apps, not the psychology department themselves so the staff and department itself might be very down to earth. Plus, amarillo video?!?!!? Doesn't really show off the teaching skills lol. I'd prefer departments that would advertise their credentials!

Reply 13

[QUOTE Plus, amarillo video?!?!!? Doesn't really show off the teaching skills lol. I'd prefer departments that would advertise their credentials!

They showed their Amarillo video after the whole departmental talk, it was a little bit of light relief to break the ice, you know, a bit of fun. I don't know about anyone else but I'm going to University for the atmosphere not just the subject. If a University can produce good results and they also know how to have a laugh, then to me, thats healthy. I wouldn't want to go to a place where the lecturers were so serious and up in the clouds that they sent you to sleep.

To Epoch157, I'm not immature I just come from a completely different background to you. Life doesn't consist entirely of snotty snobs with perfect communicative skills, you know. Just because I don't beat around the bush with flowery language does not make me immature, it just makes me down to earth. You should try coming back there one day, you might like it.

Reply 14

flora

7

zoea85

You need to get a life instead sticking your nose where it doesn't belong ass licking a bloody University as if its your life long best friend.

So this is being 'down to earth', not immature and offensive? Your reactions are a bit extreme, i understand you're disappointed, but there's no need at all to give a response like that... And it sounds as though you're really happy to be going to Exeter, so i don't see why you're so angry at Bristol- if you think they're so 'up their own arses', you probably don't want to be there anyway.

Back on topic: Dennis_Menace, it really does sounds as though you were unlucky, and it can't do any harm to email them, but honestly I wouldn't be surprised if you just get some generic response of 'there were lots of outstanding applicants this year...'. They've made their decisions for whatever reason-I doubt it was anything wrong with your application, just sheer weight of good applicants. Being predicted AAA should have meant you stood a good chance, but then again it isn't really grounds to contest their decision- loads of applicants will have top grades. I'd stress in your email that Bristol really would have been your first choice, then you might stand out enough to get a more personal reply. Could perhaps one of your college tutors write to them as well asking for feedback? Good luck.

Reply 15

zoea85

I wouldn't want to go to a place where the lecturers were so serious and up in the clouds that they sent you to sleep.

I didn't mean that, I meant I would like lecturers who are serious and good. I don't really care for their personality as long as they are good teachers and teach me what I need to get my degree. Maybe thats just me cause I have very firm aspirations, but I cannot stand having incompetent authority figures where they don't teach everything and I have to self-teach (which I had to do last year with attachment and abnormality, and with social psych this year). Exeter probably is a good uni for psych but I'd rather mr apathetic and concise than someone whose laissez-faire attitude costs me the first I would want to achieve

And to OP: good luck with the email, hope it satisfies the questions you have

Reply 16

zoea85

To Epoch157, I'm not immature I just come from a completely different background to you. Life doesn't consist entirely of snotty snobs with perfect communicative skills, you know.

Yeah, I know. Just out of interest, why do you think I came from a completely different background to you? I don't think I did - my school certainly wasn't the best. You seem to have a lot of issues about people's backgrounds, when really, it doesn't matter at all.

I thought you were being immature because you accused me of 'ass licking' a university, when in fact I was just pointing out a generalisation flaw in your argument that, personally, I get tired of hearing from people.

Anyway, for what it's worth, I hope everything goes okay with Exeter. Regardless of you venting at me on here, I don't like seeing people missing out on what they want in life.

And I really mean that.

Reply 17

Yeah I agree with epoch, no-one should miss out on what they wanna do so good luck with Exeter. Out of interest, what subjects were those good grades in?

Reply 18

nickb123

I didn't mean that, I meant I would like lecturers who are serious and good. I don't really care for their personality as long as they are good teachers and teach me what I need to get my degree. Maybe thats just me cause I have very firm aspirations, but I cannot stand having incompetent authority figures where they don't teach everything and I have to self-teach (which I had to do last year with attachment and abnormality, and with social psych this year). Exeter probably is a good uni for psych but I'd rather mr apathetic and concise than someone whose laissez-faire attitude costs me the first I would want to achieve

And to OP: good luck with the email, hope it satisfies the questions you have

Lecturers don't have to be apathetic to be good!?! At my school the best teacher I had was so flamboyant and enthusiastic about her subject and I got an A* at the end of it. I can't stand incompetent teachers either, which has been driving me nuts since starting college. I only have one decent teacher at college at the moment, the rest I have are useless. One is newly qualified and has not got a clue what she is teaching and keeps getting it wrong, so we have to teach ourselves. The other has so little motivation or interest for the subject that she just tells us to 'make notes' most lessons. I have very firm aspirations too and I am aiming for a 2.1 or a 1st. I also know that this doesn't mean that you have to have a robot for a lecturer. I think mostly Uni is about the work and reading you do yourself and I'm used to that from the way my teachers are at college.

Reply 19