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Accepting my two uni offers which have the same grade requirement

I have a university offer from queens Belfast to study law and I need AAA and I have the same offer from uni of Glasgow. I was considering Cardiff to do as my reserve, as they want AAB. However, I prefer both Glasgow and Belfast, but I don’t think it’s smart to choose my two unis with the same grade requirements. Has anyone done this or got any advice?
Original post
by SineadKM
I have a university offer from queens Belfast to study law and I need AAA and I have the same offer from uni of Glasgow. I was considering Cardiff to do as my reserve, as they want AAB. However, I prefer both Glasgow and Belfast, but I don’t think it’s smart to choose my two unis with the same grade requirements. Has anyone done this or got any advice?

It's normally unwise to choose offers which have the same conditions as your firm and insurance choices. That's because if you meet the grade requirements for your firm, then your insurance option vanishes, but if you miss the grade requirements for your firm then you've also missed the grade requirements for your insurance. So it really doesn't provide any insurance at all.

The only scenario where this might make sense is if you have reason to believe that one uni will have more scope for accepting candidates who've just missed their offer grades than the other. Do you have any reason to believe that? Looking at the stats on UCAS it seems that in recent years both Queen's Belfast and Glasgow have confirmed the the place of about 50% of the offer-holders who achieved AAB (i.e. missed by one grade).

That being the case, doing what you're proposing would fall into the "unwise" category, as AAB may well cause you to drop into Clearing.

It's clear that your not terribly keen on Cardiff. Would it be better or worse than having to secure a place via Clearing?

Reply 2

Original post
by DataVenia
It's normally unwise to choose offers which have the same conditions as your firm and insurance choices. That's because if you meet the grade requirements for your firm, then your insurance option vanishes, but if you miss the grade requirements for your firm then you've also missed the grade requirements for your insurance. So it really doesn't provide any insurance at all.
The only scenario where this might make sense is if you have reason to believe that one uni will have more scope for accepting candidates who've just missed their offer grades than the other. Do you have any reason to believe that? Looking at the stats on UCAS it seems that in recent years both Queen's Belfast and Glasgow have confirmed the the place of about 50% of the offer-holders who achieved AAB (i.e. missed by one grade).
That being the case, doing what you're proposing would fall into the

Reply 3

It can make sense to do this - because the grades a Uni wants in an offer may not be what they accept in August. If you think one of these Unis is more likely to accept you with lower grades, and these really are the only two Unis you want to consider, then its worth the risk. But you do need to have a Plan B in case neither accepts you - resets, Clearing strategy etc.

Btw, Cardiff is worth avoiding at the moment, Big staff redundancies, axed courses, and planned strikes. Whatever that Uni tries to tell you, it will have an impact on you as a student.

Reply 4

Original post
by SineadKM
I have a university offer from queens Belfast to study law and I need AAA and I have the same offer from uni of Glasgow. I was considering Cardiff to do as my reserve, as they want AAB. However, I prefer both Glasgow and Belfast, but I don’t think it’s smart to choose my two unis with the same grade requirements. Has anyone done this or got any advice?

Hi @SineadKM ,

Congratulations on those offers! 🎉

I agree with the over comments that it's probably best to not pick the two offers with the same grade requirements. The insurance offer is important to give you another option if you don't get the grades you expect. However I understand that choosing between Glasgow and Belfast may also be difficult.

My first recommendation would be to put the lower offer as your insurance.

Next, to choose your firm choice between Glasgow and Belfast, weigh up the options, this may include distance, campus type, course modules, societies, course reputation, placement year and career prospects. These are just examples, but deciding which personal factors are important to you is a great step in deciding which university to choose.

When it comes to results day, if you are not happy with your outcome you can always attempt to go through clearing at other universities. The most important thing is to go a university you feel happy with. Your happiness can majorly impact your experience and your opinion on the subject.

I wish you luck with your exams, please feel free to ask me any questions,
-Sophia (University of Central Lancashire)

Reply 5

Original post
by DataVenia
It's normally unwise to choose offers which have the same conditions as your firm and insurance choices. That's because if you meet the grade requirements for your firm, then your insurance option vanishes, but if you miss the grade requirements for your firm then you've also missed the grade requirements for your insurance. So it really doesn't provide any insurance at all.
The only scenario where this might make sense is if you have reason to believe that one uni will have more scope for accepting candidates who've just missed their offer grades than the other. Do you have any reason to believe that? Looking at the stats on UCAS it seems that in recent years both Queen's Belfast and Glasgow have confirmed the the place of about 50% of the offer-holders who achieved AAB (i.e. missed by one grade).
That being the case, doing what you're proposing would fall into the "unwise" category, as AAB may well cause you to drop into Clearing.
It's clear that your not terribly keen on Cardiff. Would it be better or worse than having to secure a place via Clearing?

“Hello DataVenia,

Thank you for your enquiry, and I am so glad to hear you're keen on joining us as UofG.

Regarding your enquiry, priority will go to students who meet our entry requirements. If we have space on the course after we have reviewed all our applications, you may be considered however priority will go students who come close to our requirements. Please note that many of our courses are competitive and we may not be able to consider applicants with less than our minimum.

That being said, I am sure you will find your path successfully at whichever University you end up getting.

Thanks,
Maria, PG Student Rep,
MSc Sound Design and Audiovisual Practice

Reply 6

Original post
by SineadKM
I have a university offer from queens Belfast to study law and I need AAA and I have the same offer from uni of Glasgow. I was considering Cardiff to do as my reserve, as they want AAB. However, I prefer both Glasgow and Belfast, but I don’t think it’s smart to choose my two unis with the same grade requirements. Has anyone done this or got any advice?

Hello @SineadKM,

Thank you for your enquiry, and I am so glad to hear you're keen on joining us as UofG.

Regarding your enquiry, priority will go to students who meet our entry requirements. If we have space on the course after we have reviewed all our applications, you may be considered however priority will go students who come close to our requirements. Please note that many of our courses are competitive and we may not be able to consider applicants with less than our minimum.

That being said, I am sure you will find your path successfully at whichever University you end up getting.

Thanks,
Maria, PG Student Rep,
MSc Sound Design and Audiovisual Practice
(edited 8 months ago)

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