[Closed] Unconditional Uni offer

unconditional offer is nice to have on the table, but does she really want to go to Lincoln? Other cities may well be more vibrant and enjoyable for a young lass. Way back in the day I chose Bristol over Exeter for that exact reason

I'd be pleased, they're confident she'll make the grades they're looking for but allowing for a bit of slippage.

I've no idea how popular that course at that Uni is or what graduates move onto - the latter would be key for me in advising my daughter on what decision to make. If you're spending £50,000 on a course you want to make sure it will deliver the skills that you want to acquire and be the stepping stone to your next thing (job or whatever).

An unconditional offer is great, it takes the pressure off from having to perform to a certain level in the exam. Means you can go into the exams a little more relaxed As long as she passes she is in.

When I applied back in 06 I got unconditional offers from all Unis I applied for, but I think that was down to them needing to fill the mature student category. I was 21 at the time.

its a massive investment of money and time. unless I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do after and how a degree was going to facilitate that, I probably wouldn't go. but thats with the benefit of hindsight.

I chose plymouth uni as I wanted to surf more. the degree was secondary but I left uni with £5k in student loans, not  £50k+....

'I’m also fully aware that this may well be a way of filling courses that might not be so popular, but apparently still less than 5% of UK students receive an unconditional offer.'

This. Only a certain type of institution/course offer unconditional offers, and they are not exactly portals to doctor/lawyer, as you mention. However, if she likes the subject and likes the Uni/course, be pleased that she made a good impression, and that she might actually enjoy it.

"but does she really want to go to Lincoln? Other cities may well be more vibrant and enjoyable for a young lass"

She's quite immature and a nightmare when she has a drink. Lincoln seems a safe bet over her other choice for that course of Leeds - or somewhere darn sarf

"its a massive investment of money and time. unless I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do after and how a degree was going to facilitate that, I probably wouldn’t go. but thats with the benefit of hindsight."

She has little clear idea about what she wants to do - I'd much rather her do an apprenticeship or such like, or even have a gap year until she matures a little. However, she is adamant she wants to go to uni, so it would be wrong to stand in her way

It's a good thing to have on the table. But still pursue the other choices and once all done she can make a choice, but not necessarily  go for the unconditional one if it's not the best degree for her.

I had  an unconditional offer from a posh uni bitd, so it's not limited to 'certain institutions'.  I had just failed to make the conditional grade requirements, and was gutted. Then they phoned me up the next day and said, 'no problem - offer changed to unconditional'. Phew!

The other thing to remember is that often the interview is more important than academic grades, especially for a subject that isn't a direct continuation or closely related to  school subjects.

Mine had an unconditional so had the same decision to make. It was not an unpopular course; stem subject at a russell group. She waited for other offers but as this was one of her top 2 preferences in the end she took it. She was glad that she did come exam time as the pressure was not so intense, and she did not end up getting their advertised grade requirement.

Filling courses might be part of it, but so is filling courses with the students they think will do well and complete the course.

It was entertaining when we went to a pre-course open day and one of the other parents insisted on comparing offers vs predicted in a pompous way, she was the only one with an unconditional offer, which flustered him somewhat.

‘I’m also fully aware that this may well be a way of filling courses that might not be so popular, but apparently still less than 5% of UK students receive an unconditional offer.’

I'm not sure how true that statement is, there were a flurry of stories in the news about unconditional offers just before Christmas;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/12/14/universities-accused-making-mockery-a-levels-following-huge/

this article says 1 in 5 received an unconditional offer last year.

I'd echo comments above that choosing a course she is interested in and will give a path into a career she wants to do is most important.

I started a mech engineering degree in the early 90s mostly because it was what other people expected me to do, I had no real idea of what I wanted to do with my life and never completed the course, I think my student loan was about £2.5k when I left, I can't imagine the effect of doing the same now but having £30-40k debt.

"Unconditional if you put us first" isn't worth much if she doesn't want to put them first. I assume that would commit her to going there though I may be mistaken - but what else could it mean? Does she have higher-rated (in her eyes) options?

Lots of students hugely in debt with virtually worthless degrees isn't an unambiguously positive thing for them or the country. Of course creative advertising degrees from Lincoln may be the next big thing, my uni days are long past! Leeds is a decent uni and a good city IMO.

Boy1 had an unconditional offer from UWE Bristol Animation course last year. He turned it down to go to AUB Bournemouth on a Model Making course.

I went with him to the interview and from everyone's reaction to his portfolio if they could have abducted him there and then they would have. UWE have strong links with Aardman Studios but he was unsure of the animation focus. This year at AUB he's applied to Aardman for a summer internship!

OP. Your daughter and you should be royally proud of an unconditional offer, but just make sure the Uni is the right one, and not just the course, but the town, accommodation, social scene, etc.

I teach in Scotland, where unconditional offers are very common due to the structure of our education system.

I do see quite a few kids (even otherwise very motivated and enthusiastic ones) relax a bit *too* much after they got their unconditional offer and their grades can suffer as a result. Not the worst thing in the world, but certainly worth bearing in mind that she may lose some of her motivation and might need a bit of cheering on to stick at her A levels.

Also worth ignoring the naysayers up there about uni. If she has no clear idea of what she wants to do then uni is a great place to figure that out.

My daughter is holding an unconditional offer as her insurance, she was told she would get unconditional at four places, but only ended up putting the ones she liked best on the list, rather than on the basis of offers, all good universities too. She's holding out and working hard for her first choice, fingers crossed, though it'll cost us a packet if we have to pay London rent.

I have two nephews who have media type degrees from Lincoln, they seem to have had a great time and the louder one hardly ever got arrested. The choice of uni and course doesn't seem to have held them back, they are now both assistant managers in the bars they work in.

I think  degrees that are more creative and you present a portfolio are more likely to offer unconditional offers from the people I know.

As it gives more of an insight into how good you are rather than exam results for creative subjects

she seemingly impressed with her personality and Portfolio

If that's the case I'd be looking to get her into employment. It's a better route to getting experience in something she enjoys.

Personally I don't see the value in a degree now, unless it's in something academic for a top university.

At the Uni where I work as a lecturer we give unconditional offers to students who we want and think will improve:

a. the course for other students (i.e. drag them up)

b. the visible output of the course (i.e. make the course more appealing in the future)

It is basically a sweetener to get students that we wouldn't otherwise get in open competition. I personally don't agree with the practice, I'd think it would be better to lower the grades required. On my cynical days I also think that we use it to fill courses that shouldn't exist as the careers they lead to don't require degrees. Does she really need to go to Uni? It is an expensive pass time only to end up 3 years behind on the career ladder if a degree isn't a requirement.

One thing that we are told by employers (and I do this myself) is that A-level grades count, particularly trying to get a job straight out of a degree. So she will still need to work just as hard for an unconditional offer as a conditional to do well in the future.

On this basis she is still going to have to work so may as well opt for the Uni she wants to go to and has the course that excites her most as first choice rather than taking the "safe" option. It will be her all encompassing emotional, intellectual and physical home for 3 years and will probably define much of her future life. Making the decision based solely on who gives an unconditional offer would be...........unwise.

As a lecturer one thing that I cannot recommend enough is a gap year. Almost without exception students who have gap years cope better with the rigors of Uni, particularly those who do a gap year working or interacting with people (intern at a marketing firm?) rather than "travelling" or sitting on their arses. But any of these is preferable IMO to going straight to Uni.

a relative of mine was persuaded by her mum to take a Geography course over an Art course at Uni, because "geography is more employable". She dropped out of Geography during her second year as she didn't enjoy the course.

If she was encouraged to follow her passions, I reckon she will have got a degree.

OP - If daghter has a genuine talent and passion for the subject, encourage her to excel at it!

OK so I am a pedant - but surely "unconditional if you put us first" is in fact a conditional offer? They are offering her a place IF she puts them first, to me that is a condition. I think they are putting a cynical spin on conditional offers - they must have a new marketing manager who used to work in car insurance.

The Uni I work at doesn't do unconditional offers as they are a big risk, but they do put bums in seats (and £9,250 in the coffers).

View it as a backup but explore all the options, it's a buyers market out there for most courses now.

The choice of uni and course doesn’t seem to have held them back, they are now both assistant managers in the bars they work in.

ooof. harsh.

"hels: OK so I am a pedant – but surely “unconditional if you put us first” is in fact a conditional offer?"

Yup, that's exactly what it is. This is a pretty new thing, it's not a traditional unconditional offer nor a traditional conditional, it's really a way for universities to play fast and loose with the offers system- it amounts to a conditional that'll get changed to an unconditional when you make it first choice. Some unis have done very well out of it but most are getting wise to it now so it's going to be much more common next year and it'll all even out, but for now it's messing with people's heads.

For the OP- it really comes down to those predicted grades and how confident she feels. As far as possible she should go for the course and place she wants even if that's a conditional but it's all about the risk. Creative courses with interviewing and portfolios are a wee bit trickier because Extra and clearing aren't usually such good options as they are for boring courses.

Lincoln definitely want her- have they made her a trad conditional too?

PS,

A friend's son was given an unconditional offer to read History at UEA. Consequently he has taken this as an excuse to put F all effort into his A levels.
Mate is not chuffed!

I am assuming she has applied through UCAS?

She doesn't have to reply to her offers until she has all of them in. There is then a deadline for her to reply based on when she received her last offer. The deadlines are on the UCAS website.

This sounds like an attempt to get her to choose Lincoln before knowing what the other offers are.

My advice would be to wait and see what all the offers are. She could still choose a "Conditional" as her 1st choice and her "Unconditional" from Lincoln as her insurance offer.

"My advice would be to wait and see what all the offers are. She could still choose a “Conditional” as her 1st choice and her “Unconditional” from Lincoln as her insurance offer."

If I'm understanding the OP correctly, that's not an option- the "unconditional" is dependent (conditional, in fact) on being 1st choice. It's basically an exploit of the fact that universities can change from conditional to unconditional- so as soon as you go "firm" they can set you to UF.

UCAS apparently are not best pleased. We're not, but we're doing it now because for a lot of our courses we're losing out on RUK students to RUK unis that are already doing it. it is, in my professional opinion, a bummer.

Of course you should be pleased!! It's a great show if confidence in your daughter's abilities!!! 🙂

I would be pleased but wary. UK universities are now competing fiercely against one another to get bums on seats. Lots of Russell Group universities are now introducing new courses with lower A-Level grade requirements in order to access more government funding. Unfortunately UK HE looks like it has been blown into bubble territory.

This will sound very negative, but the most important question to now ask when selecting a university is, Will this uni still be in business by the time your daughter finishes her degree? (this is no reflection on Lincoln, which I understand is a good institution and is well positioned to benefit from a new government funding stream known as KEF, but there are some universities which could be in trouble soon)

The government has already indicated it will effectively allow a university to go bust.

My daughter got an unconditional offer after 5th year exam results for her first choice university which was Edinburgh. She still did well in 6th year but definitely wasn't taking things as seriously as she had in previous years. That might have had an impact when she started university and decided that the course she'd chosen was a mistake, so packed it in after first year (by then end of which she was barely bothering to attend). She then worked for a year before going back to uni and getting an accounting degree, which seems to have suited her much better.

On a different note my son has gone to uni in London and I can confirm that the costs of doing so are absolutely massive compared to going to a uni in Scotland. I've lost count of how much cash we've put into that so far!

Uni could be a massive waste of time and money, especially if she does the wrong course or goes to the wrong uni. I saw a mate's brother just before xmas; he'd started uni last September then jacked it in after a couple of months as he realised it probably wasn't what he wanted to do and better to sack it early than a year or two down the line. How keen is she on the subject etc? For some jobs, then a good degree from a top uni is essential, but in the advertising world I wouldn't have thought it'd be quite as important. No chance of getting an apprentice role at a company, see if she likes it? If she's good at interviews/personality/portfolio then she's probably halfway there! They could probably put her through her degree at a local college on day release. Or take a year out, work in a bar etc. have and think and then see, as chances are things might've changed in a year. The only risk with this is getting stuck in a rut working in a bar and then never going to Uni (not that that's a bad thing).