How much can clearing grades drop by?

jlm7

Hey guys, i'm looking to apply for biology through clearing once it starts, my main problem is rubbish grades of BCD, just wondering if anyone has any ideas or personal experience of getting a place with these kind of grades at the best unis possible?
Obviously I realise i'm not oxbridge material lol but i'd like to have an idea of the best i could realistically do, i know sciences aren't always the most popular and competitive of courses so i'm hoping that may work in my favour?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Your grades are the equivalent of CCC (240 points). If you were applying to courses that asked for BCC or BBC, you might get in. But you'd be lucky to get in anywhere that asked for higher.

Here are some unis that accept 240 points:

Aberdeen
Bangor
Glasgow
Hull
Keele
Stirling

Here are some unis that MIGHT let you in:

Aberystwyth
Aston
Kent
Queen Mary

Give all of the above a try.

Reply 2

Anannya

8

Grades can drop very significantly sometimes along the line of CCD depending on the course and the university. Since its biology you might be in luck as their requirements are relatively much less than the usual in clearing. :smile:

Reply 3

OP

akmd

Your grades are the equivalent of CCC (240 points). If you were applying to courses that asked for BCC or BBC, you might get in. But you'd be lucky to get in anywhere that asked for higher.

Here are some unis that accept 240 points:

Aberdeen
Bangor
Glasgow
Hull
Keele
Stirling

Here are some unis that MIGHT let you in:

Aberystwyth
Aston
Kent
Queen Mary

Give all of the above a try.

Wow... thats not great news... Thanks for your replies though, guess its no uni this year for me!

Reply 4

jlm7

Wow... thats not great news... Thanks for your replies though, guess its no uni this year for me!

Don't let my comment discourage you. The universities I've listed are perfectly decent places to study. Kent, Glasgow, Queen Mary, Keele, Aberdeen and Stirling all have good reputations for Biological Sciences. If you haven't signed up with UCAS for this year, do so and they will submit a clearing passport to you.

Reply 5

Good bloke

19

I think you may have the wrong idea about offer grades. The top universities are not looking to fill up places with a fire sale at the end of summer. They are looking for students who will do well and are capable of finishing the course. They don't want students dropping out and those that struggle with understanding the material do tend to drop out.

In sciences and engineering they choose offer grades mainly because those are the grades that represent the ability they have decided their undergraduates need to be at in order to understand and do well in their courses.

There is also an element of honing the intake down in the case of heavily over-subscribed courses.

They are unlikely to be impressed with someone getting much lower grades and then retaking in a third year, either, so think carefully before planning to do that. Don't forget that the system has changed so that all universities will know all your module grades from now on, so you cannot hide any of it.

Reply 6

OP

Good bloke

I think you may have the wrong idea about offer grades. The top universities are not looking to fill up places with a fire sale at the end of summer. They are looking for students who will do well and are capable of finishing the course. They don't want students dropping out and those that struggle with understanding the material do tend to drop out.

In sciences and engineering they choose offer grades mainly because those are the grades that represent the ability they have decided their undergraduates need to be at in order to understand and do well in their courses.

There is also an element of honing the intake down in the case of heavily over-subscribed courses.

They are unlikely to be impressed with someone getting much lower grades and then retaking in a third year, either, so think carefully before planning to do that. Don't forget that the system has changed so that all universities will know all your module grades from now on, so you cannot hide any of it.

I appreciate your input but i'm not that naive to think its a 'quick fire sale', i'm not expecting to get into UCL or anything. I posted really to ask about clearing specifically for biology not in general as i had experience with clearing last year. I gained a place at Sheffield on a BBB course, which most people would say is too big a gap to be accepted, so was curious to know other peoples opinions/experiences in biology.

Reply 7

Wilko_777

10

jlm7

I gained a place at Sheffield on a BBB course, which most people would say is too big a gap to be accepted, so was curious to know other peoples opinions/experiences in biology.

What happened there then? Did you resit some of your exams this year or something?

Reply 8

One of the points to consider is how your actual grades compare with your predictions, and if you've not done so well, why not. Unis can and do take into account circumstances so candidate A who was predicted BBB but managed BCD because of bereavement or illness might get in, where candidate B, also predicted BBB but gets BCD with no extenuating circumstance, doesn't.

PS - :dito: Wilko_777 - confused about the OP's actual position?!

Reply 9

OP

Wilko_777

What happened there then? Did you resit some of your exams this year or something?

Nope they accepted me with BBB, the wonders of the clearing process eh? lol but the course wasn't really what i wanted to do, my parents persuaded me it was a 'good' degree and a few of my friends from home were also going to sheffield so i made the mistake of not following what i wanted to do.

Reply 10

So you are now reapplying for a different degree? If I were the Admissions Tutor I'd be asking questions like: Did you complete the first year? How did you do in the coursework/exams that you did complete? Why this course? I'd want to be pretty sure you were really committed to it.

Your current position is rather different from what it was last year, because you have at least started an undergraduate course, which most applicants through Clearing won't have done. And, who knows what the "market" might be like this year? Impossible to say - except that Science courses generally (outside the really top-notch outfits) seem to require lower grades than Arts Courses do - which is as much a product of the relative popularity of the courses as it is of the level of academic achievement required to cope with the course content. You could research courses, that were in Extra, with standard entry requirements of your grades plus two (ie up to BBB not overlooking the CCC and BCC options) and see what interests you. You have the advantage of being able to interpret the "prospectus speak" now through practical experience. Check the Clearing thread as there are some lists there of courses that were in Clearing last year, but courses that were in Extra as at 30 June this year are likely also to be in Clearing.

Reply 11

OP

Thanks for your help kw2005 :smile:

Reply 12

Also, refer to my earlier post. Kent, Glasgow, Queen Mary, Keele, Aberdeen and Stirling are all good places to look at and I'm sure most of them will make you an offer. :smile:

Reply 13

jlm7

Thanks for your help kw2005 :smile:

Reply 14

OP

akmd

Also, refer to my earlier post. Kent, Glasgow, Queen Mary, Keele, Aberdeen and Stirling are all good places to look at and I'm sure most of them will make you an offer. :smile:

Thank you for your suggestions as well, i've emailed Kent but i'm not really keen on the others location wise to be honest.

Reply 15

jlm7

Thank you for your suggestions as well, i've emailed Kent but i'm not really keen on the others location wise to be honest.

That's fair enough. What kind of location are you looking for?

Reply 16

kellywood_5

I'd imagine you could get offers from some OK unis with BCD for biology, probably including ones that normally ask for BBB, given that it's not that competitive. As kw2005 said, you can start your research now by finding out what unis were in Extra this year and Clearing last year and what grades they generally ask for. If you also think about the answers to the typical questions you're likely to be asked when you phone up, you'll be quite well prepared for results day.

Reply 17

I should point out that all of the unis I have mentioned so far in this thread all had vacancies in UCAS Extra. So they will likely be in Clearing too. :smile:

Reply 18

OP

akmd

That's fair enough. What kind of location are you looking for?

Well i want to stay in England so i've ruled out Aberdeen, Glasgow etc.. Also not really keen on London so that rules QM out. I shouldn't really be this fussy i know, beggars can't be choosers!

Kellywood thanks, i wasn't sure BBB universitites would be worth looking at? as, from what i've seen, places like Lancaster, Warwick & Southampton are BBB and obviously i'd never get in there lol.
Thanks for your input as well though!

Reply 19