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Sitting on the fence: Sheffield, York, Oxford Brookes or Clearing?

Alright, so here is my situation.

I'm 22, and have just 'finished' my first year of English and Russian (BA) at the University of Sheffield. I took of leave of absence in January after I failed the entire first semester due to a variety of personal reasons (I won't detail them because it's not relevant)

My personal tutor suggested that I'd be able to resit my first year, though my Russian tutor wanted me to switch to English only. I've recently discovered that the paperwork I filled out to enable my leave of absence wasn't done properly (a mistake of my own doing) and as a result, the university automatically filed an unsatisfactory progress report against me.

This may or may not prevent me from returning in September, and if I can, it may mean I'm forced to switch to English single honours.

Owing to the personal issues I mentioned earlier, I'd rather not stay in Sheffield to do my BA anyway, so I submitted a late application for English BA at the following:
University of York
University of Birmingham
Newcastle University
Queen Mary (UoL)
Oxford Brookes University
Ultimately, I got an unconditional offer from Brookes, and an offer for a different degree (English in Education) from York. Birmingham was the university I had my heart set on.

The decision I now have to mke is this: Do I take one of the offers, stay in Sheffield or turn down both universities and try to secure a place in Birmingham in clearing (Birmingham are appy with my grades but not my personal statement, which I can rewrite before clearing)

1. Oxford Brookes. Feel like a big step down from Sheffield but I have been to one of their open days when I was first applying to universities las year, and I really liked the atmosphere.
2. York. Arguably more respected than Sheffield, this would actually be a 'step up' from Sheffield, but I wouldn't be able to put my optional modules in a language and go abroad (this is what I did at Sheffield) and the degree is very education based, which isn't massively appealing to me. (Though I do want to do a PGCE and become a teacher after I graduate, I want my BA to be 'neutral)
3. Sheffield. Certainly has merit, but personal reasons make me want to leave and I'm not entirely sure if Sheffield is even willing to have me back, and if they'd lock me out of language study if they did. (The deadline for accepting/rejecting my offers is tomorrow, and I doubt I can find out in just one day)
4. Clearing. A big risk, but it does theoreticalyl give me a second chance at Birmingham, which is the uni I really want. That said, it could leave me with nothnig and I don't know for sure that I have Sheffield as a fall-back.

What do you guys think?

Reply 1

TenOfThem

If the personal reasons are going to continue to impact in Sheffield then that does not seem like a choice even if they do want you back

What are the chances of Birmingham being in clearing ... they are a good university and I always thought that English was a popular course

Oxford Brookes would be a step down from a Russell Group university but ... given your issues ... if the course and the the campus appeal to you perhaps you should consider this very strongly

York is a good university but that in no way compensates for doing a course you are not interested in

^^^ all my personal opinions rather than anything else ^^^

Reply 2

Observatory

You are unlikely to get a better university/course in clearing than the ones you were accepted to. They will have given out offers knowing that a roughly level % decline or go elsewhere, so good universities/courses in clearing usually are looking for people who, say, got AAB and missed A*AA and AAA offers.

York is the "best" university but that sounds more like a pre-PGCE course than a 'real' English degree, and if they offered it to you after rejecting you from another course it is probably quite undersubscribed.

Since you want to do a PGCE anyway, I don't think going to Oxford Brookes will hold you back. The number of employers for which university prestige is an overwhelmingly important factor is quite small.

Reply 3

Routhy

I've accepted the place at Brookes, but I can still withdraw my UCAS app and stay at Sheffield, so it's between Brookes and Sheffield now. I figured York wasn't right for me and Clearing would have been a stupid risk.