Yet another hurdle... (Another Mother...please read!)
Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 8:57 pm
11 Plus Exams Forum
The UK’s largest 11+ forum, with more than 750,000 posts contributed by over 35,000 members and an unrivalled team of experts to advise and assist you on your 11+ journey.
https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/
Yet another hurdle... (Another Mother...please read!)
https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/viewtopic.php?t=14451
Page 1 of 3
Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 9:03 pm
YAY!!!! Not that I would want DD and DS to go to Uni in Scotland but there had to be some advantage to us softy southerners moving up to Yorkshire!!!
Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 9:05 pm
Yay! If true it means that DC won't go so far away from home and they won't be able to blame me!!
Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 9:19 pm
Hang on a minute though - this will really scupper DD's plans. I suspect she wants to get as far away from us as possible! 
(And she'll have to learn to use a washing machine!
)
(And she'll have to learn to use a washing machine!
)Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 9:28 pm
Not necessarily ML.... saw a friend this morning her DS had just arrived back from Uni with plenty of washing!!!
Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 10:01 pm
Well maybe once a term - fortunately as a family of 6 we have a large drum washing machine!
If DD ends up somewhere closer I expect the inevitable bags of laundry will be smaller but more frequent....
Anyway, back to the point, is it fair for a uni to give preference to students purely on the basis of where they live? This is completely separate from and in addition to weighting depending on type of school attended and according to the Telegraph report Edinburgh is the only one that uses it. Many unis have outreach projects for local schools which is not quite the same - this is a proper weighting element, which sounds a bit dodgy to me. Of course if every uni did this (a bit like school catchment areas) then it would be fair, I suppose. Just imagine the howls of outrage, though, if London were to openly state that it gives preference to applicants from the home counties...
If DD ends up somewhere closer I expect the inevitable bags of laundry will be smaller but more frequent....
Anyway, back to the point, is it fair for a uni to give preference to students purely on the basis of where they live? This is completely separate from and in addition to weighting depending on type of school attended and according to the Telegraph report Edinburgh is the only one that uses it. Many unis have outreach projects for local schools which is not quite the same - this is a proper weighting element, which sounds a bit dodgy to me. Of course if every uni did this (a bit like school catchment areas) then it would be fair, I suppose.
Just imagine the howls of outrage, though, if London were to openly state that it gives preference to applicants from the home counties...Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 4:20 pm
Hi Marylou - Yes I saw this in the Guardian - also saw a piece there yesterday saying that Oxford admissions had risen slightly for indies last year, though offers to state up again this year...
All too confusing to second guess.. But the Edinburgh thing is pretty galling - beginning to think her only hope will be to live with my parents for a Gap year. It doesn't feel equitable. As it is the English seem to be the only students paying fees!
All too confusing to second guess.. But the Edinburgh thing is pretty galling - beginning to think her only hope will be to live with my parents for a Gap year. It doesn't feel equitable. As it is the English seem to be the only students paying fees!
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 4:53 pm
Hi, another mother - it might be worth asking which courses are actually covered by this policy. I've just discovered that the course my DD is interested in isn't one of them - according to the admissions officer for that course, they are only interested in finding the best students they can regardless of domicile. (Not quite sure what this says about the other courses that do apply it though 
)
I think the best thing is just to go for it and see what happens, though I still expect an enforced gap year is likely. Not really a problem for us as our DD is an August baby. She won't even be 18 when she gets her results!
)I think the best thing is just to go for it and see what happens, though I still expect an enforced gap year is likely. Not really a problem for us as our DD is an August baby. She won't even be 18 when she gets her results!
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 7:35 pm
Apparently Edinburgh BioSciences took way too many students last year (about 200 too many!) so cutting back drastically on offers this year & increasing grade offer to AAA at A2 or equivalent.
In the past they haven't been particularly oversubscribed - talking about 4 or 5 applications for each place this year. (Obviously most of those will have applied to 4 or 5 other Unis as well though)
Went up to post-offer Open Day & did seem to be lots of Scots/Northerners but not exclusively & maybe this is just representative of those who apply.
At least this year's Freshers wont be in bunk beds in a single room!!
In the past they haven't been particularly oversubscribed - talking about 4 or 5 applications for each place this year. (Obviously most of those will have applied to 4 or 5 other Unis as well though)
Went up to post-offer Open Day & did seem to be lots of Scots/Northerners but not exclusively & maybe this is just representative of those who apply.
At least this year's Freshers wont be in bunk beds in a single room!!
Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 12:01 am
Given how ludicrously oversubscribed English is, hard to believe it won't be on the target list.. It doesn't make me warm to the place either - I've never liked inverted Scots snobbery.
I think the trouble too will be that you really need to tailor your personal statement to Edinburgh if you are applying - which might not sit so happily elsewhere (ie if you write about the call of the heather and the hameland).. will sound odd if you put Sussex down too! But I will look it up.
Marylou's point about the outcry that would happen if say London starts doing this is valid too - 'You can only go to UCL if you live north of the river!!?' the whole thing is madness!
I think the trouble too will be that you really need to tailor your personal statement to Edinburgh if you are applying - which might not sit so happily elsewhere (ie if you write about the call of the heather and the hameland).. will sound odd if you put Sussex down too! But I will look it up.
Marylou's point about the outcry that would happen if say London starts doing this is valid too - 'You can only go to UCL if you live north of the river!!?' the whole thing is madness!