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A*A*A* predicted (Maths, Further Maths & Computing) - Rejected by all universities

So my son's GCSE exam results: seven 9's and three 8's
Predicted A-levels this year: A*A*A* (Maths, FM & Computing) & A* EPQ

He did Oxford Maths entry test; stumbled on two questions hence only achieved 65%. Still respectable result but not invited to interview so a rejection.

He only applied to two universities, Oxford and Bath (Computing). Just had a rejection from Bath.

I have recommended that he takes a year out and re-apply once he has grades. Predicted grades are very likely so hopefully would help him.

Has anyone have an offer for Computing at Bath or Oxford this year? If so, do you mind stating your predicted grades (plus GCSE grades if you don't mind).

My son is diagnosed with high functioning autism so application letter not massively great in regards to what else he is involved in.

He was told that Universities prefer students to only do 3 A-levels rather than 4, so he is taking 3 (plus EPQ) rather than 4.

At a lose as to why he was rejected by Bath.

Or is it that he hasn't taken 4 A-levels?
(edited 1 year ago)

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@McGinger might know a bit more about the selection process at Bath.

4th AL should not make any difference with those predictions for 3 subjects.
Usually a university will state why you were rejected on UCAS, but if not you can usually request why the application was rejected from the university. If those are his grades it was probably the personal statement but I'd wait to hear the feedback from Bath first, and if it is he can always take a year out to improve and reapply. Personally, I would look into clearing or consider applying to different universities before the 30th June to see if they have space. CS is really competitive so if he reapplies next year I'd recommend having backup universities and not just the most competitive ones.
Can I ask why only those two universities - there are some other great universities that offer the course he has applied for.
Hi! As an undergraduate course, Computing is extremely competitive. The entry requirements for most of the top universities are all very high which means that having good predicted grades will not make much of a difference when applying. For me, my gap year was great for gaining experience to talk about in my personal statement but I also spoke about my interest in artificial intelligence specifically. Furthermore, I had some coding and robotics experience which I could talk about. I think the most important thing is going the extra mile to show your passion for the subject as these universities care about one’s potential in the field once they finish their degree. I will say applying to 5 universities would be good in order to have one safety and maybe another university that is a little less competitive.
i recommend taking a gap year and re-apply tothe same
Comp Sci at Bath is mega-competitive and every year many applicants with top grades are rejected.

If your son want more details, he needs to email [email protected] and ask.
Reply 7
Original post by Anonymous #2
Can I ask why only those two universities - there are some other great universities that offer the course he has applied for.
His uncle is a research fellow at Oxford and we were given a private tour when it was quiet. We also went to the Oxford open day including a visit to Merton. His face lit up when we were going around; that's extremely rare. Large numbers of students is off-putting for him. He has sound sensitives so smaller numbers are ideal. In comparison, Bath offers students with Autism a 3 to 4 day earlier start. They get use to the settings/halls before the masses turn up.

He is extremely bright, in the right environment he would excel. In the wrong one the outcome could be very different.
There's nothing complicated here. Computing/CS is probably the single most competitive subject after medicine. There are several students with stellar grades that will get rejected simply due to bad luck and/or a particular admissions officer not being thrilled with their personal statement.

Applying to only 2 universities is bound to lead to such outcomes. Of course I understand why you would pick these 2 universities given your son's circumstances, but it would have definitely been smarter to apply to other 'similar' universities like Warwick or Durham for example. 3 A Levels is perfectly good.
u probably got beaten by international students with AAA predicted lol. money hungry universities
Original post by ReeceV123
u probably got beaten by international students with AAA predicted lol. money hungry universities
This can only really be said for less competitive courses at less competitive universities. Not at all applicable for CS at Oxford and Bath.
apply through ucas extra it’ll
allow you to apply for one course at a time till you get an offer. not sure when it opens this year
Original post by Anonymous #5
apply through ucas extra it’ll
allow you to apply for one course at a time till you get an offer. not sure when it opens this year


It's already open.
Original post by mesub
It's already open.
thanks
Original post by reaston
So my son's GCSE exam results: seven 9's and three 8's
Predicted A-levels this year: A*A*A* (Maths, FM & Computing) & A* EPQ
He did Oxford Maths entry test; stumbled on two questions hence only achieved 65%. Still respectable result but not invited to interview so a rejection.
He only applied to two universities, Oxford and Bath (Computing). Just had a rejection from Bath.
I have recommended that he takes a year out and re-apply once he has grades. Predicted grades are very likely so hopefully would help him.
Has anyone have an offer for Computing at Bath or Oxford this year? If so, do you mind stating your predicted grades (plus GCSE grades if you don't mind).
My son is diagnosed with high functioning autism so application letter not massively great in regards to what else he is involved in.
He was told that Universities prefer students to only do 3 A-levels rather than 4, so he is taking 3 (plus EPQ) rather than 4.
At a lose as to why he was rejected by Bath.
Or is it that he hasn't taken 4 A-levels?
He can add other choices as he did not put 5 unis.

"If you did not use all your choices in your initial application, you don't need to use Extra, you can just sign in to your application and add another choice, as long as it’s before 30 June, and you’ve not accepted or declined any offers. "

There are other autism friendly places - a gap year won't necessarily help.
Comp sci might be even more competitive than medicine these days.

Was his diagnosis shared in the context section from the school? Perhaps that’s relevant.

For my own daughter I’ve always advocated (if it came to it) to consider a year doing something else and coming back next year. If needed..

Individual choice. If Bath appeals, how would Exeter look?

Another thought if it’s still possible to, adjust the personal statement? I’m sure there’s things that could be said.

Good luck!🍀
Reply 16
UPDATE:
He picked up his results on Thursday and achieved A*A*A*A* including his EPQ. He was relieved more that anything else. His older sister achieved A*A*A*A five years ago and said she understood as she felt exactly the same. As a parent, this did upset me as neither shared this with me before that.

So he is taking a gap year, taking some time out and will reapply.

Hopefully with actual grades he may be more lucky this time. I have also asked him to look at just Mathematics degrees. After every exam I asked him how it went. For every Maths paper he just said "it was Maths".

Coding is the only part of Computing that he enjoys but he still wants to do Mathematic & Computing at Uni.
Reply 17
Original post by reaston
UPDATE:
He picked up his results on Thursday and achieved A*A*A*A* including his EPQ. He was relieved more that anything else. His older sister achieved A*A*A*A five years ago and said she understood as she felt exactly the same. As a parent, this did upset me as neither shared this with me before that.
So he is taking a gap year, taking some time out and will reapply.
Hopefully with actual grades he may be more lucky this time. I have also asked him to look at just Mathematics degrees. After every exam I asked him how it went. For every Maths paper he just said "it was Maths".
Coding is the only part of Computing that he enjoys but he still wants to do Mathematic & Computing at Uni.

Well done (to your son) and no particular things to add to the above, and hope hes successful this time.
Original post by reaston
UPDATE:
He picked up his results on Thursday and achieved A*A*A*A* including his EPQ. He was relieved more that anything else. His older sister achieved A*A*A*A five years ago and said she understood as she felt exactly the same. As a parent, this did upset me as neither shared this with me before that.
So he is taking a gap year, taking some time out and will reapply.
Hopefully with actual grades he may be more lucky this time. I have also asked him to look at just Mathematics degrees. After every exam I asked him how it went. For every Maths paper he just said "it was Maths".
Coding is the only part of Computing that he enjoys but he still wants to do Mathematic & Computing at Uni.

That is awesome! I know there's time yet, but what universities will he apply to? I'm assuming you would encourage him to apply to 5.
Reply 19
Further Update:
So applied to Oxford with his A*A*A* plus A* EPQ. Was given two interviews with Merton and two with Jesus College. Sadly, 3 out of 4 interviews didn't go well as they kept cutting in while he was explaining his thought process. His Asperger's just took over and its likely he didn't come across as well as a result. In reality, we will never know why he wasn't given an offer; last year he requested some feedback but they seem to send out generic letters saying that competition was extremely high etc.

He had a clear picture of what the next few years would look like, so currently in a period of mourning, not sleeping etc. I know people shouldn't set their heart on things, but he is not neurotypical so this was never going to be the case with this.

In the meantime he does have an offer from Durham; he likes the course but accommodation, not so much. He is also investigating a degree apprenticeship with BAE which I hope improves his mindset.

He will attend an offers day if they have one, and I hope this will help him over the coming months.

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