In The Press
University Spaces Fight
From The Bath Chronicle Thu 18 Feb, 2010
Many Chronicle readers may be alarmed at the recent news about the cutbacks in spending on higher education, which will impact on sixth form students who are hoping to get places at university this autumn. They are finding themselves caught in a funding crisis which is likely to reduce the availability of places at a time when poor employment prospects for school leavers have swelled the number of applicants by over 100,000. There is mounting concern that some universities are tackling the imbalance of demand and supply by retrospectively raising their entry requirements after students have submitted their applications. Indeed we have seen some evidence of this with a small number of our own students. My advice to students is to be robust in negotiating with admissions tutors. If you get a rejection from a university where your predicted grades match or exceed the published requirements, get on the phone and ask why you have not been offered a place. It's a good idea to print out website pages on the day your application went in, showing hard evidence of the grades that were asked for at the time. This won't change the outcome in many cases, but we have already found that some universities have been prepared to reconsider, resulting in places being offered. Parents also need to be supportive in helping their sons and daughters maintain their motivation and composure in the run-up to public examinations as they anxiously await offers. There has also been some speculation about how applicants taking the International Baccalaureate will fare in the current climate. As growing numbers of students in Bath are opting for the IB Diploma, it is pleasing to report that our first cohort are getting some excellent offers from top universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. 39 points (out of a possible 45) seems to be the typical 'Oxbridge' offer to our IB students and this is comparable to three A grades at A-level. The funding squeeze is likely to continue for a number of years, so younger sudents and their parents should plan to do all they can to enhance their chances of getting a place. Getting the best possible GCSE grades helps, and prospects will be improved by having a good track record of appropriate work experience and extra-curricular activities. It is to be regretted that the excitement of applying to higher education has become mired in controversy and additional anxiety for young people. This is the inevitable consequence of an incoherent strategy for HE from policy-makers
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