Author Topic: Uni application points system (Read 22836 times)

_tom_ · « **on:** December 03, 2006, 08:27:04 PM »

Well I need to start thinking about applying for unis soon (although I'm not sure if I will be going but I dont know what else I want to do yet). This ucas points system - do you generally NEED to have the points uni's say to get in? Because I have a feeling I wont get the points required for the courses I'm looking at. Anyone know?

Cheers for any help.

Afghan Dave · « **Reply #1 on:** December 03, 2006, 09:11:10 PM »

UCAS Points?

Bah Humbug Pishh and Tiddle...

I have seen SO many young people tie themselves in emotional knots over this I think it is some form of initiation right.

The system works for some VERY specific individuals.

1) Those fellows who know exactly which Uni they wish to attend eg: Oxbridge or a prestigious Med School and the like.

2) Teachers as a means of motivation and control.

The brief period between reaching the age at which you are "FREE" and knowing what to do with that freedom is a difficult one for all concerned.

You no longer defer to the wisdom of elders and can't be made to do something without the use of fear.

Having to threat of hopelessness from failing to gain UCAS points for entry serves the system by keeping your mind on your work, namely A levels.

If you DON'T know EXACTLY what you want to do at university or which one you wish to attend matters are far more liberating.

99.9% of universities have spaces left on courses. These courses cost alot of money ( a fixed cost) to run... Every space left unfilled is pure financial mismanagement.

At clearing you will be 98 times out of 100 the most powerful bargainer but it takes some guts and flexibility.

You can often get your first choice or sometimes better.

You will be VERY VERY unlucky to be left out in the cold.

My advice? Do your very best but don't let the UCAS system scare you into missing out on some of the BEST GODDAM TIMES OF YOUR LIFE! (Age 17 thru 21)

I myself stumbled through the system being told that I wasn't taking things "seriously" and am now MORE qualified than 99% of those smug "mummies" boys who laughed and remained tight assed till graduation.

Afghan Dave BA hons, MA, VC and bar, esquire.... (only joking about the VC and bar

)

PDT_003

dave_mc · « **Reply #2 on:** December 03, 2006, 09:38:18 PM »

it depends. if they think you deserved to get the grades and you only missed by a little, they'll probably let you in anyway (if they have space).

it really depends how flexible you are, etc.

also, don't you have an insurance place down? or is that like most people's insurance offer, one you don't actually want to have to take up?

:D

:cheers:

Elliot · « **Reply #3 on:** December 03, 2006, 10:30:39 PM »

I $%&#ed up my A levels and still went on to do a PhD at Cambridge and then became a barrister (which was my life's ambition) - so don't worry, do go to University (great band opportunities at the least), work like a dog and do your best; there are always clearing places at good Universities, so if you don't hit the grades you want - you will get somewhere.

ToneMonkey · « **Reply #4 on:** December 04, 2006, 09:37:24 AM »

I just missed the points needed to get on my course, but phoned the uni that morning and they confirmed that I had a place on the course that I wanted.

A fair few friends got what they wanted through clearing.

rahnooo · « **Reply #5 on:** December 04, 2006, 11:58:51 AM »

Quote from: Afghan Dave

UCAS Points?

2) Teachers as a means of motivation and control.

I'd disagree with this. By the time you are ready to apply to university you should be mature enough to motivate yourself - it's certainly what you will need to do once you are at uni as lecturers won't chase you to hand in essays or do the work, they'll just fail you. So why not start before hand. Teachers can give you all the tuition in the world, but unless you are willing to put the graft in yourself they are waisting their (and your) time.

As a rule of thumb assume that universities do require the exact point score they advertise the course at, as you can't always guarantee a place on the course if you miss the grades. However also remember those grades are only "average offers" - if you can write a good personal statement and demonstrate you are exactly the type of student they should want on their course, then you may well get a lower offer. Academic qualifications certainly help here but so do extracurricular activities, positions of responsibility etc.

There is a certain strategy to playing the UCAS game (or at least there was way back when I did it). Don't apply to 6 high offer courses, as you don't have any contingency plans. I decided to apply to two high offer courses, two "mid offer" courses, and two low offer courses, so that I could keep my first choice high offer course, and have an insurance offer that I was certain to make the grades on even if my A levels didn't go well and I missed the grades on my 1st choice. Fortunatly I got the grades to my first choice, but having the contingency was handy :)

*Rahnooo*

_tom_ · « **Reply #6 on:** December 04, 2006, 04:42:30 PM »

Cheers for all the help, it doesnt seem quite so scary now :lol: Yeah I've got backups in mind if I dont get my first choice although I still havent chosen all 6..

I've been revising for a few hours today and I'm allready sick of it. Why did I ever bother choosing business studies :P

BTW - how do you choose which is your "first choice" and which are your backups or whatever via ucas? When putting my choices in, it automatically arranges them into alphabetical order..

rahnooo · « **Reply #7 on:** December 05, 2006, 10:13:41 AM »

You don't select choices until you have received all your offers. You then have to return yet another form to UCAS stating which two offers you have accepted and in which order of preference.

So if nothing else the UCAS system gives you valuable life experience in bureaucracy and shuffling paper ;)

*Rahnooo*

Bainzy · « **Reply #8 on:** December 05, 2006, 11:08:48 AM »

Many of the top Uni's don't use points, they use grades. Anyway, don't worry about it, since I needed ABB to get into Nottingham, whereas the guy living next to me in halls did too yet got in through clearing on CCC.

_tom_ · « **Reply #9 on:** August 06, 2007, 12:28:14 PM »

Sorry to bring this thread back up but its results in less than a fortnight!

When you people say clearing, do you mean the clearing when you dont get your insurance option either and have to wait till places come up anywhere, or clearing at your first choice uni? I really dont want to go to my insurance option now, I just want my 1st choice as they have good industry links etc whereas the insurance choice doesnt, and also has slightly worse technology/equipment etc.

If anyones interested, I'm hoping to get into De Montfort, Leicester to do Media Production BSc (not to be confused with the cr@pper Media Studies BA!).. only need 200 ucas points to get in, but I'm only doing 2 A levels so its harder to get in for me now, wish I kept up at least another AS so it was easier! I just hope they'll let me in because I know I'm not going to get 200 points..

WezV · « **Reply #10 on:** August 06, 2007, 12:36:42 PM »

the system is a lot more flexible than we tell you at a'level - and de montfort will let anyone in anyway :P

i speak to so many a'level students who are put off uni because of the cost. I know its more for them than it ever was for me but student loans are bigger too!! And having a student loan is the best loan deal you will ever get. if you cant pay it back you dont, if you earn enough then a little bit gets taken out your wages each month and whatevers left after 25 years gets written off anyway. its not like a loan where someone will come and reclaim your possesions and break your legs

_tom_ · « **Reply #11 on:** August 06, 2007, 12:38:19 PM »

Well hopefully they let me in then, I've allready been allocated a room in halls etc which seems nice :D

Its costing around £3000 a year for tuition fees and another £3000 or so on top of that for accomodation I think, but I think dads paying for my accomodation ;)

Will · « **Reply #12 on:** August 06, 2007, 01:15:24 PM »

well good luck!
thank god i don't want to go to uni, wouldn't mind getting the grades to return in yr13 though

Oli · « **Reply #13 on:** August 06, 2007, 06:12:29 PM »

I'm starting a uni course this september, but fortunately, because i'm now classed as a 'mature student', i don't have to go through UCAS. I remember when I was in school, it was my year that they rolled out the online UCAS application... it was terrible, they hadn't planned it at all, so every school that was going to use it did so at the same time on the same day. The outcome? Spending 45mins waiting for it to log in, and the other 15 trying to get to page 2 or 3 to enter your details :p Didn't really fill us with confidence that they couldn't even develop the application properly, or use servers that wouldn't die because they had so many clients trying to connect to them- if they couldn't get that right, how could get actually process all the uni applications?!

Good times! :)

But yea, as others have said, there's quite a lot of scaremongering in the system.

dave_mc · « **Reply #14 on:** August 06, 2007, 06:35:56 PM »

best of luck with your results, tom.

i don't think it's fair to charge any tuition fees, and i feel sorry for anyone going to uni now. what doesn't help is that those deciding that it's "only fair" to charge tuition fees didn't have to pay fees themselves...