Source
r/unitedkingdom•
HappyResultsDay

Some UCAS/Uni Advice

That's it for me, have been. Using a throwaway account so now to throw it away. Thanks for all the comments and questions. May well look into doing something for UCAS applications in September and try to come back next year for results days in Scotland and the rest of the UK (sorry IB/EB folks, there just aren't enough of you and you probably have good advice already). Good luck to everyone and for those off to uni, get involved in everything from the start, it gets harder later on.

Hi

I work in student recruitment for a university but have today off (we're not in clearing) so thought I'd post some top tips for results day in a freelance sort of way. Here we go:

  1. if you don't understand what a uni is saying to you contact them not UCAS. I have a twitter search in my work Tweetdeck for folk mentioning my uni and talking to UCAS. It happens lots...

  2. Don't email a university admissions department today if you need a quick response. Phone, phone and phone again until you get through.

  3. It has to be you who calls. Unless we already have your permission sorted out so someone else has access to your application we cannot discuss your details with your mum, best friend, cousin, brother, dog etc.

  4. If you missed your conditions but UCAS says you have a place anyway you do. This happens when a course is under-subscribed and we take in a few narrow misses as well. You got lucky, congratulations. If you want to check, call the uni.

  5. If you narrowly missed your conditions for your firm choice you can still call them and ask if there is any chance they will take you. Last year we had a couple of courses with a small number of places that went to proactive narrow misses. There is no harm in making that call and asking the question. If you missed by more than a grade it's not worth it.

  6. Some students who have missed conditions will not have a decision yet. This is the worst but universities do it for courses with hard limits on places, like education subjects, that are controlled by government. If people who have the uni as an insurance choice don't take up the place as they got in to their firm you may still get the place. This does mean you have a good chance of a place but also that you can't enter clearing yet. Call the uni and if necessary get them to reject you if you'd rather move on.

  7. If you missed your firm and insurance choices just grabbing something random from clearing so you can go to uni may not be the best plan. Some graduates from all unis struggle to get work (I graduated from a sciencey course in a Russell Group uni and have course mates who have struggled with employment ever since, 95% employment rate means 1 in 20 aren't). Make sure the course will get you where you want to go, that the uni will suit you and that you will be happy living there for 3-5 years. If not you're wasting your time.

  8. Don't panic. Uni isn't everything and you definitely don't need to get a degree right after school. There are other options out there and loads of great advice too, if you school careers advisor has no ideas it's time to look elsewhere. Some schools like to boast about the numbers they get into uni so have careers advisors with no clue about other vocational options. You have an Internet, find our what's around you and go for it! You also don't have to decide the rest of your life NOW! Just make sure you are doing something productive and it won't harm a future uni application (though qualifications do expire for some unis so you may have to do an access course if you wait a while).

I'll be checking this occasionally, if folk have any questions, in between stripping paper off my living room walls.

Congratulations to all and good luck!

EDIT: I'm going to actually go do some wall paper stripping now, this became a little bigger than I was expecting. I'll try to come back on this afternoon and answer more questions. The most common ones so far have been:

  • My firm/insurance choice still says decision pending what should I do? Contact the University first, ask when they will make a decision, how likely you are to get a place. Contact your insurance choice if it was your firm and let them know of the situation and the time you should expect a decision. If you have met their conditions they should be able to hold on for you. If it's your insurance choice that is pending, or you haven't met your insurance choice either then it's time for a big decision. You can ask your firm/insurance choice to let you go and enter clearing but it's your decision on whether you do this. Check with some unis with places first that they would take you and don't just grab one because it's there. Make sure you're going somewhere you will be happy and do well.

  • I've applied to finance for my firm choice but I got my insurance, do I need to reapply? You don't need to reapply but you do need to contact whoever does your funding and let them know. I think for Student Finance England there's a form you can get from their website that you have to fill out. I looked at their website and gave up, you should try harder than me!

  • I want to reject my firm/insurance choice even though they've accepted me. Contact them and ask, they don't have to but I can't see a situation where it's in their interest not to so they almost certainly will. Good luck in clearing!

Posted Aug 14, 2014, 7:05 AM UTC · edited

539345
theHM•

I'm not a student, or a mod of r/unitedkingdom, but I wanted to say thank you for providing such a great and timely post to the subreddit. It's great that you took the time on your day off to help people out.

Thanks!

126
HappyResultsDayOP•

Just happy to help, my favourite bit of my job is taking people who are in a massive stress and giving them the simple advice they need to just calm down and get on with whatever they're going to do.

54
[deleted]•

I'm a bit in shock at the moment. My firm choice now says unconditional offer next to it and the site says my place has been confirmed. Is this 100% definite? There's no way they can withdraw it now?

79
hwalsh01Warrington•

Not reasonably no. You're in. Go get shitfaced.

168
jaynojMiddle England Shire•

Go get shitfaced for the next four years.

FTFY.

BTW, u/Peps875, congrats!

68
AerozephrCanada•

Obviously the regularity of being shitfaced varies between degree programs

13
hwalsh01Warrington•

Nope. Eveningly.

6
rystamanBirmingham•

Just scraped into my course, sprained my ankle yesterday and i'm going to get shitfaced tonight at a foam party. I'm definitely slightly screwed tonight, i can't walk but fuck it!

8
hwalsh01Warrington•

Foam parties are weird. When I got my results I was in a bar in Harrogate by 11am. I proceeded to stay in that bar for 12 hours. It was awesome.

3
rystamanBirmingham•

I've never been to one before and i can hardly stand at the moment. I can't put any weight on it and i think i'm being a bit silly going out tonight but fuck it, this will be a one off event.

3
headwrongManchester•

You've won.

32
GourangaPlusPlusNorthants in Derbyshire•

Fucking freshers feeling all enthusiastic and shit

19
Lolworth💂 London•

That'll stop soon enough!

5
HappyResultsDayOP•

I've never seen UCAS get this wrong and if the uni says you are UF they cannot retract it. Check with them if you want that 100% certainty. Congratulations, hope it's all you were hoping for!

23
duffkingProper Job•

Closest ive seen to a uni getting it wrong was when I got my results a few years ago and my firm choice still said conditional. Spent the morning worrying that I'd missed my grades but later found out I hadn't.

Phoned them up and they told me they couldn't find me in their system.

Turned out they'd forgotten to process me because I was deferred entry. Was a lovely morning.

20
HappyResultsDayOP•

Sounds great, hope it wasn't my uni!

2
Rofosrofos•

No, sorry but it looks like there's been a mistake. Go back to nursery school and start again.

21
CrashingAnalystCheltenham•

When my offer changed to unconditional (in 2007) that meant I got in.

6
ibiza6403•

I started uni in 2007 as well. God I wish I could go back.

1
GourangaPlusPlusNorthants in Derbyshire•

I finished in June and started work 2 weeks later. Fuck I miss it too much already

1
ibiza6403•

Hoping to do an MBA to relive some of the old magic. I remember Fresher's Week and all its glory as if it were only yesterday.

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
[deleted]•

Some graduates from all unis struggle to get work (I graduated from a sciencey course in a Russell Group uni and have course mates who have struggled with employment ever since, 95% employment rate means 1 in 20 aren't). Make sure the course will get you where you want to go, that the uni will suit you and that you will be happy living there for 3-5 years. If not you're wasting your time.

Honestly this pretty much encapsulates a few bits of good advice

  1. What happens after uni is down to your motivation

  2. Same thing again for if you don't go to uni immediately

  3. University opens options, but it isn't going to let you walk into anything without a struggle nowadays.

  4. Don't freak out if you go to university #2 instead of university #1 if it is still what you actually want to learn and has a path to what you want to do. Things always happen again through motivation, no-ones going to give you anything anymore but the upside of that is you can show motivation easily through the hard-work in itself.

I went to a 94 Group uni, got a 2:2 had a year or so of crap (grad of 2011) and now I work for a venture capital firms marketing arm in Germany.

I'm happy with my life, well paid and have enough to save and prospects for the future. According to many people (and at points I bought this as well) if you don't have a 1st in a highly specific almost vocational-degree/STEM from Oxbridge and then work for a Big-4 Firm you may as well kill yourself. It just doesn't make sense because that is a very small number of people (who often are burnt out in a couple of years anyway). For anything else there's a lot of paths even if dont succeed at jumping through one particular "hoop" immediately.

34
ninj3Oxford•

1st in STEM subject from Oxbridge

work for big 4

What a waste. But oh so common these days.

25
binaryv01d•

work for a big 4 that uses none of those advanced technical skills they spent four years gaining

Yep, it's depressing.

15
CtrlF4Greater Manchester•

Its the way of thinking/'transferable' skills you develop that make you more desirable. Employers couldn't give a shit that I can run a great Western Blot or even what one is, but they get interested when I mention I'm good with data handling and analysis and other stuff like that.

Make your peace with it and just enjoy the fact that you got 3 years living in a pseudo reality, you learnt some pretty interesting stuff and it was awesome.

3
binaryv01d•

But that's exactly it. I've worked alongside people with degrees in maths, operations etc. They were hired for their 'data skills' - but they either never take the initiative or never have the chance to actually apply any of those advanced statistical techniques or ideas that they learned about. The extent of the data to be 'analysed' (i.e. filtered and counted) is a few lists bashed (incorrectly) into spreadsheets, and most of the data analysts' time is spent trying to (manually) fix how crap it is.

What I'm saying is: the jobs could generally be done by a trained monkey if they had a bit of nous. Most of the cool skills people have coming in to a Big 4 audit/accounting/whatever firm as a graduate are completely wasted. Maybe those skills aren't needed - but I think they'd certainly be useful if anyone ever had the chance to use them.

3
[deleted]•

While I agree, thats another debate to do with what Science pays and what it can offer outside of low-level research positions. Actual STEM work is highly competitive and often very specialised not just by degree but by the subject of your dissertation and other things (e.g Chemical against petroleum engineering often has much less overlap than people think).

Mainly my point is that people shouldn't freak out there are lots of hoops, and im trying to say it without sounding as platidudinous as the inevitable out of touch Guardian article on "what to do if you didn't get your results" which normally is something like "omg you didnt get into Oxbridge, well being a garbageman isnt so bad".

10
Quagers•

The pay issue is huge, I got a 1st MPhys from a top uni specialising in Astronomy, a subject I loved and with a supervisor who was heavily involved in the telescopes at ESO and designing the next generation of large telescopes. Theoretically I was in a perfect position to go down that route and I'm sure I would have loved it.

I now work in London doing financial analysis.

My starting salary was twice what I could have even vaguely hoped to earn after my PhD (4 years down the track) and my potential future salary is exponentially higher. I'm sorry I just can't ignore that, I loved my subject but you know what, understanding how markets work is vaguely interesting as well and I have things I want to do in my life outside of making professor and actually when you look at the workload of grad students the hours aren't even that different!

Its sad that thats the situation we are in and I don't know what the solution is since clearly there will never be the money in academia to compete with business on salary terms. I also commend those that choose to stay in but no one should be too harsh on the thousands who made the same choice as I did, its very hard to reject the lure of the city.

1
[deleted]•

I didn't want to say/go into detail because its not my field, but yes the above basically summarises the reason why people dont go into science. There are (extremely) well paid scientific positions but they are a fatal combination of highly specialised and as variable as the seasons,

I'll try not to divert the conversation too much but For example first there was a rush for Marine geologists and engineers for seabed Oil, now its chemical guys and people specialising in the type of rock that fracking requires which then largely throws a lot of experienced STEM guys on the heap/into lower paid roles/back into academia some people can move into project management, but a lot of the time academic level science applied commercially can be a lot more unstable than people think because "science" is far from unitary at the higher levels.

Did a brief spell in technical recruitment.

1
Hanshen•

Aye, I've got a double first BA/MA, distinction at MPhil and PhD all from Oxbridge... Everyone thinks I'll just walk into a job but the fact is I have tried and failed multiple times like everyone else. I was pushing for a career in research so didn't consider placing emphasis on non academic work experience so now even getting interviews is a nightmare. It's actually quite frustrating being told by your friends and family that 'but you're bound to get a job', as if it's a full gone conclusion. The fact is that I am now so old and type cast that I am pretty constrained.

8
HappyResultsDayOP•

The worst thing you can be is better qualified than your interviewer. Over qualified is such a horrible response to a rejected job application. Personally I don't see why that's even allowed legally. If you are the best person for the job you should get it. Over qualified allows discrimination.

5
Hanshen•

That's the sting though. I understand that on paper I am probably far more qualified to post doctoral work than any of my former employers outside of academia. I am not however, more qualified to do myriad other things that actually have real work applicability. Working for a grad employer for example, i have no method of illustrating that I would be good for a role outside of the interview room. My best friend who, if I am honest, is far more intelligent than I is now a director at a big 4 accountants despite dropping out of school after GCSEs. Work experience is the key criteria for landing a job (as it should be). It's just awkward because I changed career trajectories too late for internships etc.

It's annoying because essentially I know that I will end up in academia. I will be yet another white middle class male, albeit of a dissident sexuality, conducting research on the behalf of socially disadvantaged groups in an, 'is better than thou' sort of way. That's sort of why I swore off think tanks, the premise is inherently condescending. Recommending the best course of public action on behalf of other groups is so diametrically opposed to my personal philosophy that I just can't do it. Quite the subject change, but that's why I find myself in a situation where I have the qualifications to do a job that I simply can't imagine doing.

1
WinuitScotland•

who are the big 4?

2
mjtriggsLancaster•

Usually means the big four auditing/accounting firms: Ernst & Young, KPMG, Deloitte and PwC.

3
ninj3Oxford•

Depends on which particular bank or finance or consulting sector he's talking about. They generally always have some sort of "big four" that they can feel really smug about being part of, and anything else is just for failures. It's a similar mentality to "oxbridge or bust". Ridiculous.

2
HappyResultsDayOP•

This is excellent advice!

2
TheSpaceOfAdes•

Hi, I have a few questions and I'm just wondering if you could answer them.

  1. My insurance has rejected me but my firm is still deciding. I got my results (ABB) but my firm offer is AAA. Should I hope for the worst and start planning clearing?

  2. If I do go through clearing, what am I expected to say to Unis on the phone?

22
beejiuEssex•

I don't think you can enter clearing unless you get rejected by your firm offer. I'd get on the phone to them and ask what's happening.

30
TheSpaceOfAdes•

I've phoned them and they're still deciding but they have told me to ring them back after a certain amount of time. Thanks for the reply though!

15
MetalKeirSolid•

Best of luck. I can only imagine the worries swimming around your head and stomach.

12
TheSpaceOfAdes•

Thanks, I'm weirdly calm about it atm, which I guess is a good thing?...

8
SoberIrish•

Hey do you mind me asking what that certain amount of time is that they asked you to ring back after?

2
kim_bong_chill•

So... did you get in?

3
TheSpaceOfAdes•

Hi not at all, it was about an hour

2
presidentsheep•

Exactly the same thing happened to me, same grades and everything. Ultimately I got rejected by my first choice (too many people with AAB getting in, bastards!) I spent the next day ringing round all the russell group unis to try to get into the course of my choice and found they all wanted AAB at least, as there were very few spare places going. So I decided to hold off for a year.

Not the end of the world.

I resat 2 exams to bump myself up into AAA and got an unconditional offer from my first choice after Jan exams the next year. Spent the rest of the year working and saving up some money to help pay for accommodation first year.

This was back at the last couple of years of £3k fees so it was really competitive for those last few places, I'd try just ringing around whatever unis you like, assuming you've visited a few? See if they have places on the course you wanna do?

If you can't get in this year, don't rush into things, taking a year out is a completely normal thing to do.

7
hwalsh01Warrington•

You may as well ring and approach other unis while your main is deciding. You can't really lose anything.

4
TheSpaceOfAdes•

Thanks for the reply, what do I say to other Unis when on the phone? Do I ask about the course or just say that I am interested?

2
hwalsh01Warrington•

May as well be honest. Tell them your results. If you just missed that A. Things like that.

4
TheSpaceOfAdes•

Ok thanks

2
beejiuEssex•

Are you at college? Is there anybody on hand there to offer support? I think you'll need a clearing number from UCAS before you can negotiate with unis. I guess they'll just want to know your grades and your desired course.

2
TheSpaceOfAdes•

No I was at school earlier but my firm said it'd take a while so I've gone home

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
KingKang96•

I got into Uni!!! Three A's! SO HYPED!

Cheers for the help/advice!

22
HappyResultsDayOP•

Congratulations!

4
jibbistYork•

Holy fuckidy fuck, were you born in 1996?

Also: beer is nice, got get drunk :)

-1
KingKang96•

Yep! 18 yrs old!! And I'm already at the pub!!

1
michaelisnotgingerLeeds•

Good luck everyone. We're all counting on you

19
[deleted]•

[deleted]

12
Gaitskells_GhostYorkshire•

I should point - as a recent(ish...) graduate myself, that there is a lot of misconceptions as to how you 'pay' for the course.

At the moment, so long as you apply for student finance, you don't pay a thing. All of the costs for the university course are met by the government, as is your student loan for living costs.

When you start earning a salary in excess of £21,000 per year (mine is £15,000), you will get a deduction from your payslip - just like with Income Tax and National Insurance. I had a bonus this month but - with a monthly income of just under £2000, I had to pay £90 - usually, it is nearer £50.

To all intents and purposes, the current structure is basically a graduate tax.

The way in which the concept was sold to people was an abject failure (I went on a number of demonstrations about it...), but there's a bit of a myth about 'paying' for university and it does sadden me when I see intelligent 18 year olds fretting about where they will get £27,000 from all in one go. You don't need to.

18
somethingsquishyKernow•

Good reply! I know a lot of people who didn't go to uni because they were put off by the fees and it's such a shame - just think of it as the best loan you'll ever have! It's a small amount each month (if you earn enough), gets written off after 25 (?) years or when you hit a certain age (I think?) so you'll never actually pay the full amount. I graduated 5 years ago and still haven't paid anything towards it :P

8
[deleted]•

[deleted]

5
Gaitskells_GhostYorkshire•

To be honest - it very much dependent on what you study. All the statistics that I have seen indicate that where you studied Computer Science is largely meaningless (there's a slight bump for Imperial and Cambridge, but in the case of the latter, that is mainly because of the advantage you get from being in London.)

The fact is, courses operate within a market place, and the only reason that universities offer them is because there is a demand from students, although rarely the same demand from employers. Computer Science, Mandarin (hell - ANY language) and the like will always exist in a buyers market because demand far exceeds supply.

I did History at a top five university and struggled to find a job for quite some time. Nothing to do with my talents or degree classification, purely because history graduates are ten a penny. I know people from post-1992 universities who had a job lined up by the end of second year, and others who studied at Oxbridge who are struggling to find an internship three years after leaving.

University is an investment, but the subject matters a heck of a lot more than people realise.

I should point out that this isn't an argument against studying history, politics or literature, purely that many universities (especially 'elite' ones) find it hard to tell people how to sell themselves on the milk round.

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
HappyResultsDayOP•

Universities mostly don't make a profit on UK Undergraduate students, in the sciences it's almost always a loss, in the humanities/arts it's sometimes a small profit. Where we do profit is overseas students, they get charged huge sums to come here yet it's still cheaper for US students to pay tuition fees, living costs, flights etc. than just the fees for a comparable uni in the states. This is what happens when you have an open marketplace.

The 9k fees aren't an open marketplace, they're a race to the top. If a uni charge you £6000 what are you not getting there that you would get at a 9k uni? That isn't how students think imo but the race to the top was inevitable and I would say the Government planned it but they're paying so much more out in fee loans than they predicted so they might just be stupid. £9k fees are a black hole for the Government.

As for shit unis, I contest the concept, you go to any uni and excel coming out with a good first and you will have options. You go to Oxbridge and hate it come out with a 3rd and you won't.

7
[deleted]•

[deleted]

4
HappyResultsDayOP•

As a Comp Sci graduate from a Russell Group uni (apparently very good by rankings) the people I know who are now working for Google, Microsoft, Amazon etc. did it with all the work they did outside of the course. Any degree in Comp Sci is only a basic building block and to get one of those top jobs it's about what you do along side it and you can do that anywhere. Anyone who thinks that a bit of paper will get them a job, no matter where it is from, is fooling themselves.

6
nasher168Hull•

It still gives you options, though. I've just graduated from Derby (ranked 90th or thereabouts). I'm now going on to do a Masters at Lancaster (ranked 10th). So I'm moving up!

1
CrashingAnalystCheltenham•

It's quite straightforward, universities used to be funded by government, then it switched to part government/part loan, then recently the government reduced their spending significantly but said universities could increase their fees.

In order to have the same revenue, Universities must charge these high fees. It's unfortuante but there you go.

Also another thing that is better to realise sooner rather than later is that you are basically paying the University for a licence to attend and get a piece of paper. It's up to you to study, to do projects, to achieve results. There's not really such a thing as a 'shit uni' because it's about what you do when you're there, rather than what the university does for you.

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

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[deleted]•

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1
wOlfLisKLeicestershire. Yes, the Midlands are a thing.•

If you miss out on going to the uni you want, don't be afraid to look further afield. I didn't get into what I wanted last year so took a year off and looked at universities not just in the UK but also in other countries. Eventually I settled on Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (A pretty big tech uni in the Netherlands). It's better than the Uni I wanted to go to last year but requires lower grades (Generally 2 Cs but I got in with a C and a D). It's also a really amazing city, the week i've been here has been amazing. It's actually much cheaper than the UK (Tuition fees is 2,000 Euro a year as opposed to 9,000 pounds a year). But you don't get a student loan.

So it's not the end of the world if you don't get the grades you wanted, you can still find a degree you like, whether it's in the UK or one taught in English elsewhere. Don't rush into a choice just because you feel you have to go now.

10
HappyResultsDayOP•

Going abroad is something so few UK students do. The language barrier is a huge fear, no knowing the fees or how to apply too. Hopefully this is something that can change as so many EU unis teach in English and offer amazing experiences. I wish I'd had the balls to consider it in my day. Congrats on being the exception to the rule, glad you're enjoying it!

11
wOlfLisKLeicestershire. Yes, the Midlands are a thing.•

Well a country like the Netherlands doesn't really have a language barrier. Even the people that speak "Bad english" speak it fluently. And dutch is very similar to English anyway.

But as it is, there's another 4 English students I've made friends with (2 of which got their results today but I haven't spoken to them about it yet) so anyone who decides to go abroad probably wouldn't be on their own. Definitely an option to look at though as opposed to trying to get what you can through clearing.

5
andrewjdScotland•

I did a similar thing. Narrowly missed getting into Medicine in the UK, but was accepted in Ireland. Lower fees than England and the same quality of education. There are about 4 people from the UK out of a class of 160, and I bet you there were thousands of similar or better candidates than me that also failed to get offers in the UK who never thought of it.

2
seasideseesaw•

Nothing related to uni but my boyfriend lives near Eindhoven, it's a cute city and pretty diverse. If possible get a car and do some exploring, there are so many awesome cities within driving distance!

1
wOlfLisKLeicestershire. Yes, the Midlands are a thing.•

I don't have a licence but I'll be sure to go to some of the local cities at some time.

1
seasideseesaw•

We've been over the Germany border, to Bruges and Amsterdam so far. Definitely take advantage of it!

1
EdenSBCounty of Bristol•

I wanted to do this for my Masters, but I can't find the type of course I'm looking for (Computer Science, conversion Masters, unrelated BA/Bsc accepted) anywhere outside of the U.K.

1
letsloseourselves•

Hello! I've been accepted by my insurance uni. However I'd like to change my course at that uni. I'm accepted onto Aerospace Engineering but I'd like to transfer to Medical Engineering. The entry requirements are exactly the same and they have clearing places. I've been ringing their clearing hotline to no answer for about 45 minutes now. Is there another way of doing this? I also tried ringing the engineering department, just as busy. Am I going about this the right way by ringing clearing?

9
HappyResultsDayOP•

You just need to keep calling them. I'd also try social media, Twitter and Facebook most likely, look for an Admissions one not the main one, and drop them and email but phone is your best bet for an answer so keep going. You may not be allowed to transfer in spite of your situation so be careful and hold that offer until you know what you're doing.

12
apjashley1W.Mids & Warks•

I changed from Aerospace to Medical once I was there. Which uni? If it's Queen Mary the department should be able to do this for you very easily.

3
WinuitScotland•

this guy. around 50 people at my uni changed into a different type of engineering or different course after a few days. a girl even went from art to mechanical

3
OptioMkIX•

In all honesty I would say to just leave it for the time being and change the course when you actually get there. A lot of people drop out (especially in engineering and especially in the first year) and the first year of most engineering courses is common to all eng courses at an institution.

8
letsloseourselves•

Thanks, it's good to know there's still the opportunity to switch if I can't right now. It'd just be nice to get it sorted now if possible, give me peace of mind!

1
HappyResultsDayOP•

Be sure that's an option. Some unis are amazingly flexible, some are not. Don't assume you can switch without having someone confirm it!

4
letsloseourselves•

I know! I'm in the process of getting it sorted right now :)

1
[deleted]•

This is correct a lot of engineering courses are mainly on fundamentals, the longer you leave it the more specialised you'll be getting but the first year is normally fairly common between disciplines (most disciplines actually even outside engineering).

1
hwalsh01Warrington•

I swapped my course on physics. You are right about it being up to the department. Keep ringing them until you can get through to someone who is in charge of undergrade. Or admissions.

I swapped after a couple of weeks so jta not uncommon to do just after you started.

5
letsloseourselves•

Thanks, I got through on their clearing number and got put through to the engineering department. They're going to call me back when they have an answer for me :)

EDIT: Success! In September I will be studying Medical Engineering at Swansea!

17
ppphhhKent•

Aaaay I graduated from Swansea last month. Singleton park is underrated, the mumbles is overrated, and never pass up an opportunity to visit the Gower.

7
letsloseourselves•

Ahh nice! Thanks for the tips, any more words of wisdom for a naive fresher?

1
LorryWaraLorry•

If your uni is anything like mine was (Warwick), first year Engineering is common to all disciplines and you can switch anytime. Check with them to be sure though!

2
DokkyYorkshire (West Riding)•

My tip - take a year out and evaluate your decision(s) afterwards.

9
shakaman_•

My tip - don't take a year out if you know what you want to do

33
DokkyYorkshire (West Riding)•

Still, have a good long, hard think about it.

4
GuyagLondon•

Unless your results haven't gone the right way, that thinking should have been done long before exams even began.

8
HappyResultsDayOP•

You're both right!

4
HappyResultsDayOP•

I went straight to uni from school, chose a course I had the graded for because graduates got paid tons. Dropped out after two years because I hated it.

This advice is great advice if you're not sure. If you know exactly what you want from life then go for it! If not take time and don't worry. Never feel pressured by parents, friends or unis. Your decision and this is a big decision.

3
squarebutstrongBuckinghamshire•

Do I still have to call up a uni if I'm going to reject their offer? (Sorry for hijacking this comment).

1
HappyResultsDayOP•

As far as I know yes, if there's a way of doing it on Track I don't know of it. If you find one let me know! If you manage to reject them on there then no you don't need to call them.

2
squarebutstrongBuckinghamshire•

Do i also need to cancel Student Finance now also? - And I also didnt find another way sadly, had to call them up.

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
trinitaeExeter•

University of Exeter - Here I come!

9
HappyResultsDayOP•

Said this elsewhere in the thread, lovely uni but everything is uphill all of the time. Even going back where you were is up hill. It's like the campus was made by Esher. Congratulations!

7
trinitaeExeter•

Thanks for the pointer, I'll definitely look into strengthening my calves before my arrival!

I'm an international student and I just can't wait to see Dartmoor and all the other historical sites! Thank you so much, I'm literally over the moon right now!

2
HappyResultsDayOP•

The UK is easy to travel around with some pretty good public transport. Make sure you explore as much as you can! You'll never get a better opportunity to get to know a whole country.

2
EpsilonaeDevon•

Congrats. :) I got into Exeter on a deferred year, and I'm still pretty stunned that I got in, it's an amazing university.

u/HappyResultsDay is right though, there are a LOT of hills all over Devon. If you're interested in Dartmoor I recommend spending taking some days out to climb the tors - will help you build up those calves too!

1
trinitaeExeter•

Thank you! :) That sounds encouraging, it's good that you got in!

I'm coming over a week before freshers with my family just to feel the air so to speak and become a tourist in a city where I'll spend the next four years of my life. Thanks for the tips!

2
notatadbadDurham•

I just got in to Exeter today too!

Can't wait to sort out my accommodation/etc in the next few days, then travel down in a few weeks :)

2
trinitaeExeter•

Congratulations! Yeah, me too! What course are you going for? I'm going for Business & Management with European Study.

2
notatadbadDurham•

I'm doing Q300 English :) Looks good - again, I can't wait haha.

2
FinKMCurrently in Toronto•

At Exeter currently, great choice! Any questions just ask.

2
notatadbadDurham•

Yes! Is Duryard good? Just got my accommodation offer :)

1
FinKMCurrently in Toronto•

It's only a year or two old so it is really nice inside. I do hope you like morning hill climbs though, it is a bit a trek to get anywhere. See the top left of this map.

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
notatadbadDurham•

Oh god.

Just visited the city in the last week and I noticed a canny bit of that. I know Jack Wills' are usually in a nice looking building, but they went full out with the old bank thing.

At the open days everyone thought I was Scottish, Norwegian, etc... Said Durham and loads were surprised, guess they're used to the similarly annoying Durham uni stereotype haha.

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

2
VanderdeckenNorth Yorkshire, formerly Surrey and occasionally Dorset•

Congrats! Which department? Bad luck if it's Physics, right on the top of the hill. Just standing next to that building gives me vertigo.

2
trinitaeExeter•

Thanks a lot! Business & Management with European Study!

2
VanderdeckenNorth Yorkshire, formerly Surrey and occasionally Dorset•

...blimey. Good luck fitting that in a tweet.

EDIT: But seriously, enjoy the fantastic views, a lovely city, quick trips to the coast and your amazing on-campus theatre (the Northcott).

3
trinitaeExeter•

I know, right? I will most definitely enjoy it, I am looking forward to it so much. Now that you're telling me these things, it's just a further incentive to go! Thanks once again.

2
FinKMCurrently in Toronto•

Bit late, but I'm at Exeter (going into third year), so if you have any questions just shoot.

2
trinitaeExeter•

No worries! That's great - how do you like it so far? General recommendation about nightlife as to where one should find themselves on a typical friday night?

1
FinKMCurrently in Toronto•

I love it, tonnes to do but you have to throw yourself out there in freshers week. Right, in terms of night life there are a few main clubs:

  • Arena: fairly standard, most popular for cheesy Tuesdays, big dance floor. Will still be busy most nights, and Friday is Asian night for some reason. People at arena are often singing along to Barbie Girl or drinking Jaegerbombs.

  • Timepiece: Lots of different parts, has a courtyard and a bar downstairs that you can turn up to earlier for a few drinks. Also a couple of other bars/pubs attached directly to it where you can wait for entry later on. Most popular on Wednesdays (Sports night, everyone wears chinos, a shirt, and tie), and Fridays. People at timepiece often can't stand up.

  • Cavern: In some old vaults underground, small and expensive but plays much better music and often has live bands. You need to go with a good group of people because you are less likely to bump into others. It's also one of the few clubs in town that students go to on a Saturday. People at cavern are hipsters.

  • Mosaic: Odd layout, and generally popular with those in Birks or Holland halls as it is nearer that end of town. The whole place is a bit cramped in my opinion. People at Mosaic are often ordering bottles of grey goose and crates of VKs.

  • Cellar Door: Similar to cavern, but a bit of trek to get to it (down by the quay). Popular on Tuesdays and I think DnB soc do some stuff there. People at Cellar Door are often slightly too old and on drugs.

  • The Lemon Grove aka. "The Lemmy": The on-campus nightclub, popular on Saturdays. So bad it's good. Sometimes. People at the Lemmy are often regretting their decision.

Also, in terms of pubs:

  • Firehouse: Near Timepiece, serves the best pizza ever. Full stop. Dinner tray sized, cheap, and delicious. The Firehouse challenge is to eat a whole one and drink a bottle of wine. Also has a huge selection of craft beer and cider (Careful, 8.2% cider that tastes like apple juice is dangerous).

  • The Imperial aka. "The Impy": A Weatherspoons based in an old coaching inn. Usual prices and range but is a really nice place to hang out for a few hours, has a big garden for when it's sunny.

  • The Ram: On campus pub, nothing remarkable. Food, drink, good for lunch.

  • The Victoria aka. "The Vic": Much smaller than the others, popular with later year students as is next to a lot of their housing.

So that's a quick run down. Have you given any though to societies, and do you know about accommodation yet?

2
trinitaeExeter•

Wow, this is an amazingly helpful rundown! Appreciate it loads! Thanks a lot! Yes, I took a look at all the societies and such, as well as the different sports that they offer - looks really promising!

Regarding accommodation, I'm still waiting for the official offer letter to come by post regarding my next steps. I live abroad so that's probably the main reason why it's taking longer than the UK students.

But wow, really didn't not expect such a detailed rundown. Thanks again!

1
myshinnynewaccount•

I did my a levels 2 years ago. I decided to go to university last week and am now in clearing and have been offered a place. Is it too late to apply for student finance? I know I won't get it on time, but if I apply now will I get it at all?

8
zeroandfalling•

Yes, go ahead and apply. It might mean that the payments are a couple of weeks late, but you must apply as soon as possible. They still have a month to process you so you are by no means too late, just a bit of a pain in the backside for their admin department.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-online-for-student-finance

Get on that, it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to finish it and you'll have it all sorted by lunchtime :)

17
[deleted]•

Technically you have until September (I know right?) to apply but you'd be homeless and starving by then. Get any and all applications in as soon as possible, their call center is Scottish and actually pretty helpful (so I've found) so get it done today and enjoy uni guys :)

1
HappyResultsDayOP•

No it isn't, I have to admit I don't know Student Finance England very well but you will definitely be able to apply. Get on their website and go for it. Congratulations on your uni place!

8
joey_dhManchester•

I work for Student Finance. The 'deadline' for sixth formers applying is arbitrary and only used to encourage early applications. If you apply now for just the standard income-assessed package and there's no issues with your application you should easily get your loan by September.

3
Surreal_Intelligence•

Definitely isn't too late. I found out about my university place about a week before the term actually began and was able to go through the process as if it were 3 months before. It did mean my first payment was a couple of weeks into the first term though so you will have to consider that if self financing would be difficult.

Congratulations on your place!

2
Timomouse•

Worth also noting that if you have issues, don't speak to the exam board. This isn't because they're crap or anything like that, but much of their advice will be to simply speak to your exams officer.

The exam board can't tell you your results, they can't sort out a resit, they can only really refer you back to your exams officer.

Also, they are hella busy today anyway from Exams officers, etc - it's not worth you waiting half an hour on hold only to be told to speak to someone at your school or college.

Some may hate them, but from experience, an exam board on results day gets thousands of queries and the vast majority of these coming from students they can't do anything with.

Source- Worked results day for a board before

7
ClairebwearPompey Mooshbird•

Can I just say that I missed my conditions and was offered an unconditional place. I received welcome pack and all other Gubbins within days then a letter a week later saying they had made a mistake and took back the place. What made it worse is that I decided to holiday during Freshers Week and was called up while I was dining in a restaurant in Greece asking why I had not registered for my course. I told them the situation and they went to check. No place still, just a monumental fuck up.

Six years later I have been running pubs and have a family now. Will be going through the OU as I need to work but still want to study. Moral of the story is phone and check, I suppose.

6
HappyResultsDayOP•

That's awful, I know my uni wouldn't do that. We accidentally emailed a load of folk whose offers still had one more stage to go before they were final congratulating them in their offer and giving information. We then made all those offers official. Our mistake so we had to sort it and that was the only fair way. At that point most would have got offers anyway but that final stage had to be skipped.

3
ClairebwearPompey Mooshbird•

Yeah it was pretty fucked up for me at the time. Had a week of being my first family member to get into uni blah blah. I took it on the chin as i had not met my conditions in the first place so assumed fault with myself. This day of days always irks me. Still, the plan is to do one years worth of credits with the OU, then transfer to a Russell Group up the road (if they have me).

2
HappyResultsDayOP•

Make sure you've talked to the uni first! Transfers can be tricky. I know the feeling though, I used to hate Freshers' Week after I'd dropped out. So many folk off to have the time of their lives and I wasn't. Admittedly in my case it was all self inflicted.

Going back at 26 was great though. Don't see yourself as different to other students no matter how old you are, so many mature students set themselves apart from the rest of the student population. They avoid Freshers' Week and everything else. Find at least one society or sports club of like minded people, there will be one and even with a family try to make the effort to get involved where you can. Find out if there's any support for student parents that you can get involved in too. Student Unions have got a lot better at recognising that student parents need more than just a cheap bar (though who doesn't like cheap bar?)

I also really enjoyed watching my 18 year old class mates making all the mistakes I did when I was their age. It's better than any TV drama at points! (For any 18/17 year old reading, you will probably humiliate yourself in some way, probably alcohol induced, in your first year. Dust yourself down, laugh at it and put it behind you. You will never be alone in it!)

There's lots more to uni than just study and it's open to you as well. Hope it goes well!

2
[deleted]•

Hey, I got accepted by my insurance uni, but rejected by my firm 4 days ago (before they knew my results [Edit: Yes, yes, I know they know before me, they weren't meant to make the decision until today]), is this possibly because my firm's uni course is oversubscribed?

I did also completely miss my conditions by two grades each subject to be fair, but I have just been diagnosed with ADHD - would that make much of a difference if I call my firm uni? My headteacher is also intending to write an extenuating circumstances letter

Edit: Thanks for all the advice!

5
HappyResultsDayOP•

Your firm uni cocked up. We get your results early so we can make decisions. No one is supposed to make decisions based on them until today. It's better that way so you aren't hanging on and waiting after results are out for us to update. My uni know of other unis doing this and we're trying through the professional body we're all part of (HELOA) to stop this. We also want the "here's a conditional that becomes an unconditional if you make us your firm choice" crap that Birmingham started. Work in progress.

Your firm are unlikely to take you as your application didn't have the ADHD in it and they will now be full I suspect. However there is no harm in contacting them. If you are really determined to go there consider a year out and re applying, ask what you could do that would help your application. Talk to them before you decide anything, some unis won't care about the ADHD others will.

A job in Tesco for the year will mean you can say you've worked on communication skills so there is little you can do that won't help and a year out is affordable. Just make sure it will improve your chances.

If you do look at a year out many people get scared their friends will leave them behind. When you get to uni you will meet a ton of people. Most of my friends are from my time at uni and that's true of most graduates. Don't worry, good friends will stick by you and you won't be alone!

8
[deleted]•

I got some mixed messages from the admissions operators - I called twice because I was unsatisfied by my first response (which seemed imo very harsh) it seemed very much like they were told 'This is what you need to say when they say this' but they don't actually have much knowledge of how admissions works.

Second time they suggested I call the exam boards to reconsider my grades, but my teachers said it is extremely unlikely. We are going to try and contact the course-specific admissions officer and plead our case anyway.

I feel like I can't consider taking a year out because I retook a year already - I'm perfectly happy with my insurance, but of course much rather go to my firm, and if there is any chance to get in I will do so.

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

4
HappyResultsDayOP•

We can't reject without knowing results unless we detect fraud in the application. This is very rare and only really happens with overseas applications through dodgy agents. Once you have a conditional offer it's a contract with the uni that we can't back out of.

3
hwalsh01Warrington•

You can always ting up and explain. Definitely mention that your head teacher will be in contact.

3
Carr0tCornish Lancastrian•

Results are received several days before clearing starts. IIRC we got student results last Saturday, but we weren't supposed to do anything that could accidentally release them ahead of time to the students...

2
quentinnukBrighton•

Universities receive the results on the Friday or Saturday before you get them on the Thursday. The Uni will have acted on that basis.

0
tomjgreenTeesside•

1 grade off my offer but my firm hasn't rejected yet, still responding. What are the odds my firm may still consider me?

3
HappyResultsDayOP•

That will depend on the uni, my uni would only keep someone hanging if the chances were good but practice varies. Get them to give you an amount of time that you can expect to hear back in. Sound out some unis about your chances in clearing with them. Then it's up to you if that's too long to wait or your clearing chances are too good.

3
tomjgreenTeesside•

I have just been on the phone. Apparently I am next in the waiting list for the course. Just need someone turn down their offer. Thanks anyway!

7
HappyResultsDayOP•

That I would hold on for!

3
SoberIrish•

Hi. So I've got my results and I just missed out on the grades for my firm choice. I got ABC and I needed ABB. But the UCAS results service is saying "Decision Pending" for my firm choice and isn't giving me any information at all about my insurance for which I need BBB. Would I only find out if I made my insurance choice if/when my firm choice rejects me?

3
HappyResultsDayOP•

Contact your insurance choice and ask them, tell them the situation and they can offer you advice. Also chase up your firm for a time they will have the decision made by and how likely you are to get a positive outcome. Being held like this sucks, it's something I personally hate about the way we do things but unis can do this so we do and theoretically it gets more people into their firm choice. The stress level for folk going through it is just awful. Good luck and I hope you get a good outcome!

3
SoberIrish•

Thank you.

1
ferrospork•

I'm not sure about that, but I would call your first choice admissions. When I got my A-levels I missed the grades I needed, but called them up and asked nicely and they let me in. It's definitely worth it.

Back then the Uni only received the grade, not the mark or percentage (which might still be the case), and I missed a required B grade by 1 mark. When I told them that they offered me a place.

1
ppphhhKent•

I was in the exact same boat a few years ago. I didn't get into either of my choices and had to go through clearing, hopefully that won't happen with you although to be honest I loved the uni I ended up at. It's probably worth having a look at the clearing choices now so you've got a bit of a heads up if it comes to that.

Phone both unis every half an hour and pester them for information. UCAS takes time to update, an hour's advance notice on your part can mean getting a place you want.

1
SoberIrish•

Thanks. I have it sorted now anyway, well kinda. The decision is still pending for my first choice but my insurance offered me a guaranteed place if I don't get accepted.

1
89sh•

I got into Uni but im on my gap year, when do i apply for student finance?

3
zeroandfalling•

If you are starting university in September 2014, you should have already applied for student finance and should do so immediately.

If you are starting university in September 2015 you should apply for student finance around early April 2015 so that they have plenty of time to process your application.

5
HappyResultsDayOP•

This is the correct response!

3
89sh•

thanks!

1
HappyResultsDayOP•

u/zeroandfalling is correct.

1
NefferStaffordshire•

I started university last year, I looked high and low for information like this when I started, just to try and ease my concerns more than anything else. Although this is a year late for me, thank you for posting, very helpful, please do this annually.

3
HappyResultsDayOP•

Given how well this has gone I might suggest we get a few unis together and do a pre arranged AMA on here the day before Scottish Results Day (it's before everyone else's). Will see if I can get the day off again!

8
NefferStaffordshire•

That's be a great idea. Good to have the information out here and to have people to ask the questions to when we aren't bounced around departments lol.

1
lululaplapGlasgow•

A Scottish one would be good! I've not started the whole uni process yet (well, I've started my personal statement today!) so it would be very useful

1
HappyResultsDayOP•

Cool, results day is often a little late for some of this advice. Right now your aim should be to get to a uni that is:

  • Somewhere you will be happy (city/town/campus is so important, so are societies, sports clubs, unions etc.)
  • Somewhere with good support for when things go wrong. At some point they will, what support is there to get things fixed?
  • Teaches and assesses in the ways that suit you best (there are still 100% exam courses out there, do you love/hate exams? How about coursework?)
  • Will get you to where you want to go, whether it's a job or just learning
  • If you're not 100% sure on that last point you want a more flexible course

Hopefully you have an idea of what you want to study course wise. Or at least what you want to apply to so it's time to look around. Now it's time to have a look at unis, don't just consider Scotland! Look down south as well, if you find somewhere that is the ideal for you you should consider it and don't let the fees scare you. I earn a decent wage these days and lost about $60 a month to Student Loan repayments, since it's come off since I started this job I don't even notice it. If you earn more you repay more and no one ever comes demanding you repay it all, if you haven't after 35 years it just vanishes. Pretty good deal! Do be aware of the differences between 3 and 4 year degrees one will suit you best and that may decide Scotland or England in itself as you can't do 4 years down south.

Your flair says Glasgow so get along to the Glasgow Higher Education Convention and talk to unis. Don't just grab prospectuses and leave the stand. Big unis get very busy, do wait and talk to them if you're interested in them. If you can, do some research in advance, don't be fooled by figures like whole University employment rates (what about my course and what sort of jobs do graduates actually get from it?) Look at league tables but don't look at an overall rank, look at a course rank and look at why a course is lower or higher, ask about that. Ask about anything else from the stuff above that you haven't been able to find out about in advance.

Also find out what they want from you, that personal statement, do all the unis you're applying to want similar things? Great, if not you may want to consider cutting one loose (I'm looking at you Oxbridge and your not caring about extra-curricular nonsense...)

Now you need to compose those 5 choices. You'll have your higher results so you can easily apply to one that is well within your results, that you'd be happy with but that might not be your first choice. Next up, where is the absolute dream? If it's a wee bit of a stretch on grades don't worry. Widening Participation contextual stuff (esp. in Scotland for Scottish students, nationalist governments don't set UK wide targets, not our choice) may mean you get a lower grade for reasons you won't know about until after you apply. The other three choices should be somewhere in between, on my form I put in a curveball choice of something I wasn't really looking at doing but it gave me a little more flexibility with my choices once offers were in. That's completely optional.

Any questions about applications let me know!

1
OddSockington•

I've got all of my results back apart from my English Coursework mark which, for whatever reason, hasn't been sent through. My 6th form contacted AQA and they're still waiting for a response. How long should it take for them to send out the mark? I can't get into my firm without it.

3
HappyResultsDayOP•

This one I'm afraid I don't know the answer to. Get your firm to tell you how long they can hold the place for. Contact your insurance as well and let them know the situation. Once you have the deadline from your firm get your school or yourself to contact AQA and basically yell at them until they agree to meet that deadline. I would also find any social media accounts they have and bombard them. That's just not good enough from an exam board. This time of year is stressful enough for students without that!

Optional: Contact your MP and tell them that privatising exam boards is stupid. After that contact the main opposition party in your constituency and tell them the same if your MP is part of the coalition.

5