DD has higher than expected predicted grades- any ideas for a ‘stretch’ option for economics?

[LysistrataSusanCarter]

DD had a list of three universities she liked in her expected grade range and two insurance options. Her favourite is York, which asks for AAB.

Predicted grades have come back today and hers are A, A, A for economics, classics and maths. I think that York would still be her first choice, but she is being encouraged to at least consider a couple of more ambitious options too and she is now also a little worried she is undershooting. Her interests are more in health and development economics than in finance.

However, we are a bit stuck about other options. She doesn’t want to be in London, wants a campus university and no more than a couple of hours from london on the train. She is autistic and dyslexic, and would need good support around neurodiversity. There are several (e.g Warwick, Cambridge) where an offer is highly unlikely. The only other options we can think of are Bath and Exeter (not sure she has high enough GCSE grades for Bath- they were 6-8’s.) it’s not the end of the world if she overshoots and doesn’t get an offer somewhere as she loves both York and Sussex.

Before we go back to the drawing board, I wonder if there are any other suggestions?

Loughborough? Campus, AAA entry requirement.

Thank you. That is a really good shout and one I had not even considered (despite ruling out Nottingham, which I think is very close by.)

If she likes York, go to York.

York is more than 2 hours from London isn’t it?

Although Bristol is not exactly campus, the halls at Stoke Bishop are a campus but she would take the bus to lectures.

What about Nottingham? Has similarities with York. Or Birmingham? Is she looking at course content because her interest is a bit niche and she doesn’t have FM? I’d try and look at this aspect because aiming higher might be much more mathematical.

Sussex is an odd choice -why not look at Surrey? Overall higher ranked.

I think this is where she will go, to be honest. And it does seem absolutely perfect for her. But I guess we have not thought about other options until now.

York is 1hr 50m on the train from London. It goes over 2hrs when you factor in getting from station to campus or to King's Cross, but the main journey is less than 2hrs now.

@YorkshireTeaCupSeemed longer when I did it! I’d rather be in York vs Sussex though!

It definitely used to be! Theyve introduced a load of non stop services, and services that only stop at Grantham on the way up. Then there are still some 2hr 20m services that stop everywhere.

@MeetMeOnTheCorner she is looking at course content because she would like to become a health economist, or maybe enter the civil service graduate economist programme. She knows she does not want to work in finance or investment.

We know a couple of young people studying economics at Bristol who enjoy it. But they are quite robust and we have both been put off by Bristol’s very poor reputation around pastoral and learning support. I’m not sure that that is completely justified, but we have also been warned off by college teachers. I’m not sure that is entirely justified, but once you’ve heard it from so many people it does put you off a bit.

I will encourage her to take another look at Nottingham though, as I know it has a good reputation and the university surroundings are lovely.

It’s so important to be happy and settled at uni, My DD didn’t stretch herself with grades and went to the uni that she loved (still a good uni). She’s had such a lovely time there and will graduate with a first next week,
(Plus if any wobbles in the exams then a slightly lower offer takes the pressure off)
York is a great uni and a great city,

Birmingham and Exeter might be worth a visit. Bath is lovely but apparently very competitive even if you get the right predicted grades.

Hi, OP -

I agree with L’boro. It seems to have what DD wants and it has an excellent reputation for working with SEN students.

If they have suitably orientated modules for DD, I like B’ham and Exeter, and I generally regard Bath very highly. In the subjects I know it has a good reputation for working with SEN students.

However, Economics is fiercely competitive. No applicant should assume that meeting the admissions requirements is enough to gain an offer.

A number of strong Economics programmes (amongst others) are now making offers in tranches. For example, if the standard offer is AAA then the first tranche of offers may go to applicants with PGs of A star, A star, A. After a while (based on further incoming data), those with PGs of A star, A, A will receive offers and, again later, some or all of those with A A A may get offers. Or they may never know why they did not.

This is a marked contrast to the large majority of degree programmes which are in recruiting mode and will, either quickly or in a batch when Home applications close, make offers to the large majority with the right PGs and perhaps some near misses.

@UnbeatenMum is correct. Of the unis discussed above, the biggest negative for me about Bath is that in some subjects it has been known to make tiered offers - it is very much a selecting university. I don’t know about the others.

(I strongly disapprove of tiered offers. If universities had the courage of their convictions, they would raise their standard offers. But the practice is something to be aware of.)

Economics is so competitive generically that I suspect many at York will have AAA or better. I think DD would find herself solidly in the middle, in terms of qualifications, there.

What about her Insurance choice? Having done a long stint as an admissions tutor in a School with a very high offer, I know that everyone who is not happy about the idea of a gap year, or risking Clearing alternatives, needs an Insurance choice allowing for two dropped grades. It is impossible to predict who will be taking it up.

So for DD that is an ABB choice. I appreciate that this might be a bit of a cliff edge in terms of how attractive she finds the programmes.

Best wishes to DD.

Warwick is a campus uni, Econ entry is A star AA with an A in maths. Your DD is predicted above that. It is also within 2 hours of London. I don't know about pastoral or disability support there. And yes there is 2nd year housing close by both private halls of residence and houses. Most prefer to live in Coventry and Lem for the nightlife, cafes, restaurants on their doorstep but this comes at a cost of travelling by bus to get to campus. It depends on the child.

Correction I misread the DD’s PGs. Apologies. The A star helps, but it is tricky. It is the least relevant subject, which is worth keeping in mind. An A star in Classics doesn’t mitigate a slipped grade in a facilitating subject.

You seldom find offers of A star, B, B. In theory A, A, B is already two grades down from the PGs, which is great, and def gives DD more options. But it seems realistic to focus more on the possibilities of slippage in Economics and Maths (or to accept the risks of Clearing/gap year)

@poetryandwine thank you- knowing about the tiered offers is really helpful. I know Econ is hugely competitive which is why we discounted Warwick. She also refuses to do the TMUA.
I wrote it wrongly in my first post. Predicted grades are Aeconomics, Aclassics and A maths. She is well on the way with her EPQ and should get an A. So she’s well within York’s AAB. She has UEA/Sussex as insurance which are ABB and she would be happy to attend either.
I think Bath has put her off as she has seen various publications from the university about having incredibly popular they are, we just had a counter-productive effect of making her not want to apply there.

They won't care about an EPQ and top universities don't even offer on all students predicted 4A* (including FM). She may get a higher ranked University in clearing if she gets those grades, but there's a lot to be said for liking the college and city.
DD gained As in maths, physics and chemistry. She is current doing a Masters of maths in Liverpool and loving it.

It sounds like she is in great shape, then, OP.
I have also heard good things about Sussex regarding support of SEN students.

DD might want to join the online forum The Student Room. She can post questions to UGs at any university or in any degree programme around the UK concerning actual admissions processes, SEN provision, course module content, teaching and learning, extra curriculars, residential options or anything at all. Answers are usually thoughtful. TSR is a wonderful resource.

@poetryandwine thank you. I will suggest she signs up to that as I think it will be really helpful to have contact with students in a similar position to her.

She has a meeting with her head of the university admissions at college today to speak about options for a stretch application. I know that he will suggest Exeter as he went there and loved it. She is sceptical because it’s a long way from us, but everyone I know who has ben seemed very happy there.

I know people are not always positive about it on here, but she absolutely loved Sussex at the open day and everyone was so friendly.

Some do care about an EPQ at the margins, my own included. I agree it isn’t a primary factor. However the EPQ is a good preparatory experience for uni, regardless of what it contributes to the admissions profile.

I am not at all sure that Higher ranked Economics programmes will be in Clearing. With good chances at York and a safe Insurance choice I think that if DD is up for it - and it is perfectly fine if she is not - she might want to consider one more aspirational choice.

What about Sheffield, OP? They have health economics course modules, and Sheffield is a global centre for research in the field. Importantly, the university has a very strong reputation for its work with SEN students.

The large number of researchers here and at York is important, and should be assessed elsewhere. I suspect DD may want an MSc. Doing a Final Year Project will be good for her in several ways: if she gets off to a strong start her supervisor will (should) write a good letter; it is a warm up for the MSc thesis; most importantly, a good student who practises reasonable self discipline can usually end up with first class project marks for an enjoyable experience. (Note that some SEN students must guard against perfectionism). More researchers means a greater choice of supervisors.

Sheffield just barely fails the constraints you have put on the journey from London, being 1h, 58m to 2h, 15 min away by train. But the uni is very close to the rail station.

@LysistrataSusanCarter You are not really correct about Bristol. They are very different from a few years ago. Nothing like bad publicity to up their game. The landscape has changed. Plus many other universities had similar issues without the publicity. It’s a bit like the Nottingham murders. It’s put students off Nottingham but it’s not a completely stand alone case. We just get swayed by adverse loud publicity.

Sheffield is a very popular university with students. It’s not campus, but everything is handy. Everyone likes Sheffield.

Im not entirely sure specialising at undergrad level works in terms of future careers. I’ve seen various people do this and it doesn’t seem to be an advantage for getting a job because few specialise from day 1. Plus, in the civil service, applicants don’t get to choose which department they work for with the Assistant Economist scheme. Just something to be aware of.

Thanks, @MeetMeOnTheCorner I forgot about the campus criterion. But yes, students like the place so much that it might be worth including anyway, especially given the excellent reputation for supporting SEN students.

Also the city, which has a reputation for being very liveable, is an employment hub for health economists. It is likely that there are good employment links with the university.

BTW I visit Sheffield Uni and even though it is not a campus I agree it is quite manageable. I would decline to say this of many.

Perhaps worth checking out, OP? Obviously DD’s decision.

Let her go to the uni she slices and tell her not to feel pressured by school. Mine is predicted AAB and has chosen a uni that asks for BBC as first choice ( the uni with the lowest grades she applied to). However she was so happy after visiting with both the course and the uni. She was discouraged and told to put it as her insurance but in the end decided it was the place for her .

Manchester is very good for international development and good for support. International development is incredibly competitive for jobs, the most competitive economics field I would say. Health and civil service much easier but health economics involves value for money assessments on whether to give treatments like do I deny a cancer patient treatment as its too expensive.

I don't think people should choose purely on grades, so if she likes York stick with it.