On hold for Bristol Aerospace
Also anyone else been put on hold/been given an offer for this course?
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Reply 1
Fwiw, with GCSEs typically as long as you meet the minimum requirements they are less important (but a huge issue if you fail to meet minimum standards). A-levels are much more the dial mover for engineering.
Reply 2
Also anyone else been put on hold/been given an offer for this course?
Hi, are you still on hold for Bristol? I’ve not heard yet with similar grades
Reply 3
Nope got rejected (Alternative course)
Reply 4
Sorry to hear that - and doesn't look good for me then! Can I ask what your A-levels were and are these grades predicted/achieved? I'm predicted A*s in Maths, FM, Physics and DT and still on hold....
Reply 5
No don't be sorry lol. I got into Oxford and UCL so I'm fine! Probably wasn't gonna firm or insure Bristol so I hope the offer goes to someone who actually wants it. You're still on hold? That probably means you have a chance I think... I got A*A*A* in Maths, fm and physics and A in history and they are predicted grades. Let me know if they offer you a place!
Reply 6
Reply 7
Yep, still on hold! I've got Bath and Durham offers, but liked Bristol campus so hoping offer comes through. Good luck for Oxford/UCL - I got pooled for Cambridge Eng but no luck!
Reply 8
Ah ye Cambridge engineering is rly hard. I hope you do get Bristol but honestly Bath is so so nice. They're like very close in proximity and Bath just has better vibes for me but its subjective obvs. Good luck tho let me know if you get an offer
Reply 9
Also anyone else been put on hold/been given an offer for this course?
Are you still on hold? I applied in December and still haven’t got a response other than being ‘put on hold’
Reply 10
I am. On hold since 6 Oct
Reply 11
Hi - I finally heard from Bristol - also offered alt course (not even engineering). Waited 6 months to hear this 😡. Bristol is not a real university! I have 4* predicted in Maths, FM, Physics and DT and am sponsored by the RAF - not sure what more they want!! At least have other good offers. 😄
Reply 12
Probably based off GCSEs, or a combination of factors. Ultimately they have to use a meritocratic method for selection and unfortunately predicted grades are typically very volatile and not very reliable so they have may well have utilised more objective data for their selection methodology.
No point wasting mental energy on it, it sounds like you have other opportunities available so focus on them.
Reply 13
No point wasting mental energy on it, it sounds like you have other opportunities available so focus on them.
I also got 11 A*s at GCSE - not sure what more I could have done!
Reply 14
Reply 15
That just isn't fair wow. To me, it seems Bristol has a lot of spaces taken up by candidates who have taken place in outreach programmes which is fair enough. The reason it is kinda messed up though is because you can do an outreach programme for a less popular course, say English, and then apply for Bristol's flagship aerospace course and get a guaranteed contextual offer of AAB to study at a "premiere" aerospace department. You have solid predicteds and the RAF thing is extremely cool so I'm sure you'll do great things. If it helps, no one I know who applied (There were 3 of us) got in so don't worry and good luck!
Reply 16
The people ive met from outreach programs who have gone onto top universities are normally insanely inspiring, they don’t have the time or resources to start scheming ways into university like this, they are most of the time people from very tough backgrounds (often both physically and psychologically) and the students who have capacity on top of existing challenges to apply for these programs and achieve remotely close to AAB are normally off the chart rockstars and the progression data shows this. There is lots of data showing how this pool get on at university and afterwards and they are always in a macro assessment on the far right of the bell curve when opportunity levels out.
Now im not going to comment on who deserves a place more as the profile provided seems an excellent candidate, but I will push back on the idea of students of outreach programs being implicitly connected with abusing the system.
Reply 17
TY - I am fine about it - and supportive of contextual applications, just sorry that this leaves fewer spaces for other candidates. TBH, I think the large number of international students on the course will be a factor, given international fees are so much higher than UK fees. Content to study elsewhere!
Reply 18
The people ive met from outreach programs who have gone onto top universities are normally insanely inspiring, they don’t have the time or resources to start scheming ways into university like this, they are most of the time people from very tough backgrounds (often both physically and psychologically) and the students who have capacity on top of existing challenges to apply for these programs and achieve remotely close to AAB are normally off the chart rockstars and the progression data shows this. There is lots of data showing how this pool get on at university and afterwards and they are always in a macro assessment on the far right of the bell curve when opportunity levels out.
Now im not going to comment on who deserves a place more as the profile provided seems an excellent candidate, but I will push back on the idea of students of outreach programs being implicitly connected with abusing the system.
1.
I am someone who does a contrast subject and so I would be eligible for both more STEM based courses as well as humanity/essay based courses such as Law or Politics so I'm not entirely sure that just because someone got into an English access programme means they have a low chance of doing a STEM combination. The clearest example of this is law where most unis don't require any a levels except maybe an essay subject which is also very subjective. Maths Physics Econ is a very popular combination and I know a few people who do politics with physics as well.
2.
I never said they abused the system. I know for a fact that people can apply to do an outreach programme for one thing and then apply for a contextual offer in something totally different. The issue does not arise from someone applying to do something like physics or maths and then switching to aerospace, it will be from definitively less popular, not related courses that is the issue. The person I know who got a contextual offer did not "abuse" it. They managed to get into an outreach programme for something, then utilised their contextual offer for the EXACT same course. I am aware people like this exist. That being said, you're not doing the wrong thing exactly by deploying your offer for a different course. It isn't morally or ethically wrong.
3.
Of course they're inspiring, I think you've taken my words too harshly. Bristol has a reputation (in aerospace) similar to that of Imperial and Oxbridge both of whom are (increasingly) moving to accommodate more state school candidates and contextual candidates with extenuating circumstances. The issue comes from this exactly which is that if it goes too far and they admit too many contextual candidates, it hurts the reputation of the university. The fact is Imperial looks like it is never going to do this as an Imperial offer holder is relatively difficult to come by and mostly their aerospace offers have all been A*A*A* and Oxford (I'm not sure about Cambridge sorry) makes it fair by considering cGCSE when considering who to interview and the interview process is more thought process based rather than knowledge based. But the Oxford offer will be the same A*A*A regardless of how much context one has. The issue with Bristol is that gaining a place on an outreach programme is very doable for those who need it and had Bristol checked all contextual data (I know someone who lied who now has a contextual offer for no reason) and made sure that the course applied for at the outreach programme is the SAME course that the applicant is made an offer for, I'd have far less issues. I have no problem allowing candidates with a real passion for aerospace into institutions like Bristol but not at the cost of candidates who actually want to go there AND have near perfect grades.
Reply 19
Yeah it will definitely be a combination of everything but if you're happy to study elsewhere, that's really all that matters.
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