How to spread UCAS applications

Hi all. I am new here. I have been searching the internet for the answer, but I can't find one so I have come to ask:

My y12 son has unbelievably amazing predicted grades of A*A*A*A. He is disappointed with the A and thinks it will put him at a disadvantage...

He wants to do Maths/ Maths and Stats. He is thinking about top unis including Oxbridge but he also wants to make sure he gets an offer from at least a couple of his 5 applications.

So how should he spread his applications. What required grades does he need to go down to make sure he gets some offers? AAA(B)?

He has also heard that you should have 1 or 2 choices as Aspirational, Achievable, Back up. But how do you spread that when one paper they are all achievable? Should you pick one from Oxford/Cambridge/Imperial? Two from next tier (not sure what this is!) Warwick? Bath? And one from somewhere like Southampton which wants AABB?

Also some have compulsory Application tests, others have optional tests for reduced offers. As my son is unsure how he'd do in these, does this affect how he should spread his applications?

Thank you for any help or advice anyone can give!

Reply 1

ageshallnot

Original post by QUILLPEN

Hi all. I am new here. I have been searching the internet for the answer, but I can't find one so I have come to ask:
My y12 son has unbelievably amazing predicted grades of A*A*A*A. He is disappointed with the A and thinks it will put him at a disadvantage...
He wants to do Maths/ Maths and Stats. He is thinking about top unis including Oxbridge but he also wants to make sure he gets an offer from at least a couple of his 5 applications.
So how should he spread his applications. What required grades does he need to go down to make sure he gets some offers? AAA(B)?
He has also heard that you should have 1 or 2 choices as Aspirational, Achievable, Back up. But how do you spread that when one paper they are all achievable? Should you pick one from Oxford/Cambridge/Imperial? Two from next tier (not sure what this is!) Warwick? Bath? And one from somewhere like Southampton which wants AABB?
Also some have compulsory Application tests, others have optional tests for reduced offers. As my son is unsure how he'd do in these, does this affect how he should spread his applications?
Thank you for any help or advice anyone can give!

One underutilised tactic is to apply in phases. Start with Oxbridge plus 1 or 2 others and see what responses he gets and how any tests and interviews go. By the January equal consideration deadline he should have had some decisions and will also know more about how his A-levels are going. That information can inform his remaining choices.

Reply 2

QUILLPEN

Thank you. Do schools/colleges all allow you to do this? They seem to have a deadline for submitting UCAS form to college, but in our talk they never mentioned this. So I am wondering if, whilst UCAS allow it, if it's something all schools and colleges allow.

(I can get my child to ask his 6th form obviously!)

Reply 3

ageshallnot

Original post by QUILLPEN

Thank you. Do schools/colleges all allow you to do this? They seem to have a deadline for submitting UCAS form to college, but in our talk they never mentioned this. So I am wondering if, whilst UCAS allow it, if it's something all schools and colleges allow.
(I can get my child to ask his 6th form obviously!)

It is most definitely allowed as @PQ can confirm. Some schools try to get applicants to submit all 5 at once but that's in their self interest and they cannot stop your son doing it in stages.

Reply 4

martin7

Original post by QUILLPEN

Thank you. Do schools/colleges all allow you to do this? They seem to have a deadline for submitting UCAS form to college, but in our talk they never mentioned this. So I am wondering if, whilst UCAS allow it, if it's something all schools and colleges allow.
(I can get my child to ask his 6th form obviously!)

The deadline for submitting the form to the college is to allow them to get a reference written with predicted grades etc before the UCAS submission deadline. The deadline for Oxbridge applications this year is Tuesday 15th October.

Bear in mind that it's your son's application, not his school's application. They might not be used to this approach being taken, but it's a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

(edited 5 months ago)

Reply 5

QUILLPEN

Sorry, just clarifying my question as I think about it more...

If you are predicted 3 A* and you apply somewhere that wants A*A*A, are you more or less guaranteed an offer? Provided you meet their criteria, what would lead them to rejecting you?

Is there some information somewhere about what % of those who applied with the grades were offer a place?

Reply 6

PS Reviewer

Original post by QUILLPEN

Ucas have this information on the course pages in the form of “1 in x” applicants got an offer. If it’s over 80% (4 in 5) then it’s fairly safe to assume that every applicant with the required qualifications was made an offer - quite often regardless of whether their predictions met/exceeded the standard offer.
There’s zero guarantee of an offer if predicted grades exceed the standard offer. The majority of applicants will have predicted grades around or above the standard offer.

Reply 7

QUILLPEN

Thank you that's really helpful. I saw all the 17 of 20 things and I wasn't sure what they meant in practice. Or rather, I assumed my son would be fine, but I wasn't sure if this was evidence.

Reply 8

Muttley79

Original post by QUILLPEN

Thank you that's really helpful. I saw all the 17 of 20 things and I wasn't sure what they meant in practice. Or rather, I assumed my son would be fine, but I wasn't sure if this was evidence.

I would choose between Oxford and Cambridge first - you can't apply to both.

Has he started MAT/STEP prep? if not he must start soon - my students started at Easter [State school].

Avoid Imperial - lack of studnet support.

Raed the course descriptions - Maths degress vary a lot - especially the balance between pure/stated/other applied.

For example my maths degree included Quantum mechanics and fluid dynamics