h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So UCAS, the body that handles university admissions for all students in the UK, has released a report into how the system can be changed and hopefully improved.

For those who don't know how it currently works (especially you furriners) it's fairly straightforward: between September and January students complete one application for university, no matter how many different universities they want to apply to (there are a maximum of 5 choices). The form itself is actually a masterpiece in simplicity with clear and well-laid out sections and the only tricky bit is the personal statement where students have to sell themselves to universities (since demand far outstrips supply right now, universities can be very choosy) and have a restricted and restrictive word count to do it in.

Universities ask for minimum grades or UCAS points achieved at the end of 6th form/college (each qualification result carries a set number of points: an A* in an A level is worth 140 points whilst an E is worth 40) and students are told to apply for courses that ask for grades around their predicted grades. This is where the problem lies: predicted grades can be awfully unreliable and the actual results don't come out until the 3rd week of August, just a few weeks before a student would be expected to start university. To accommodate students who miss their predicted grades and universities who fail to fill their quotas, there's a scheme called Clearing where unsuccessful students call around universities and see what courses are available. It's a horrible situation where students have to make life-changing decisions in a matter of minutes and it causes all kinds of problems for universities too, as they suddenly have a bunch of unknown quantities coming to them, instead of the carefully chosen students they would ideally have. There are also logistical issues of sorting out accommodation etc in a matter of weeks.

UCAS' proposal is that students don't apply to university until they have their results. Now I like UCAS a lot, they're good mediators between schools and universities, and they're efficient and reliable (except on some results days, like this years and their entire server went down). But this proposal shows they've gotten a little bit out of touch with how it is for schools and universities alike.

UCAS is a simple process, but it's quite a time-consuming one. The personal statement often take 5-10 drafts before it can be sent off and it needs quite intensive staff support (I work 30 hours a week - between now and Christmas, I expect at least 15 hours a week to be taken up by UCAS alone) and there's also a school reference to be written which can easily take 4 hours per student. That's simply not available during the summer holidays or early September.

University admissions tutors (the people making the decisions) also don't have enough time under the current system. There are some departments at some universities that receive tens of thousands of applications and August is when university staff tend to take their holidays too, as they're too busy at other times. They've got to read forms, liaise with academics, make decisions, make contact with students. Some arrange addition tests and some courses need things like medical and criminal records checks. 3-6 weeks isn't enough to get that done.

Then there's student finance: student finance is unrelentingly awful. They're inefficient, their form is confusing even to people who use it regularly, their staff are usually rude and hopeless, they're incredibly slow and they have a tendency to lose things. In my experience a student who has simple student finance needs and is prepared can be lucky to get their application done in 2 months. 4 months is more normal from my experience and 15 months isn't unheard of. There is no way, with the current student finance system/provider that university applications could be done in such a short space of time.

While I like the idea of students applying only once they've got their grades, as it saves a lot of hassle and stress for everyone, the current timetable doesn't allow it to happen. So here's my solution - either get exam results out much quicker (say mid-July), or move the exams forward so results can come out earlier. A few schools (including mine) are trialling a system whereby GCSE (exams at the end of compulsory education) students don't get a long summer and instead start 6th form within a week of their final GCSE exam. This give the A Level teachers a whole extra six weeks to teach, which could offset the time they lose to early exams. I'm going to a consultation meeting in a couple of weeks (feels very high level for me, but I got picked) and we'll see what happens.

Apologies if this was too dry/technical but it's something that would have a major impact on my job if it happens and I thought you guys might be interested.

In my day, there were two real considerations for getting into a college or university. The higher the grade average (which was usually available by mid-July) and financial resources. Student loans were unheard of, so far as I was aware. So the whole idea was never a reality for me.

I do understand that the grades are still a very important consideration for who now get accepted, but finances almost more important. And from what I hear, the process to aquire assistance is very very long. I'm sorta glad that my only child is well past the probable age for trying to access any of that.

for explaining your system so well for us 'furriners', it was edumacational to me.

I might do a journal about various issues and inequalities in the university system but it'd be an essay and a diatribe. You have been warned.

Thanks for writing this, and so very clearly HonestIago - you explained the situation very well. It's not so easy to have such a natural writing style as this

You actually made me wonder what we have in our backlog of Entries so I had a quick peek and found this dated Entry.

http://wsogmm.h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A301050

I would really welcome any feedback on that, or points that should be updated.

I would also for anything you might write on the lines of how to write a personal statement - as we have nothing at all, and as you say this is a crucial step in a young person's life.


Now I am interested in hearing what else you might write about in this Journal


Lanzababy

I never had any sort of involvement in procedures for going to University so this was somewhat enlightening.
I went from school at 16 straight into a 5 year motor engineering apprenticeship. It was the last of its type in which we were taught not just how to replace a part but to strip/repair/refit parts. Sadly today that doesn't apply, its a case now of remove part, throw away, fit new.

I got into university through Clearing. 17 years ago. I nearly expired from stress. I now work in a University (not in finance! No no no no no!) and it seems even worse. This distresses me. It really doesn't help that the UCAS people seem to be meandering about in the 1990's.

*sigh*

Very informative and interesting journal posting, this.

I've worked on the Clearing phone lines for two different universities and it's quite upsetting dealing with people who are dealing with so much stress and disappointment. There are some crazy stories there (maybe the basis of another journal...)

The pressures on staff in the call centres is enormous too, particularly for the bigger universities. From 7.30am to 7pm the phone is ringing *constantly* and by the end of the day your tongue is so swollen it feels like you've got to push it back inside your mouth.

Just awful for everyone involved and I wouldn't be sad to see it go.

Lanza, I'll see what I can do for the UCAS entry and start the personal statement entry this weekend. Might be able to run up the skeleton of it by Monday.

It's always interesting to hear about situations in the news from people who really know about them.

You remember your comment about medicine being genetic? I had an ethical dilema about that. One of Ben's colleague's son's wants to do medicine. Should I refused to offer any advice because I don't see why he should get an unfair advantage because he was middle class.

He's an expensive private school.

My entirely biased opinion is that it's not his fault he was born to a privileged family and I'd absolutely expect him to get every bit of help he can. Our Head of 6th Form sends her daughter to an expensive private school and I've helped with her UCAS applications, because that's what you do.

I don't want to drag any one down and I don't begrudge the lucky kids their luck (after all, I went to a private school myself) I just want to help the less lucky ones close the gap. I'll help anyone who asks but I want my professional life to be about giving kids the sort of opportunities I was given.

Thanks for considering helping with the Guide HonestIago, I am really delighted.

Now we're able to see the reader statistics, we are getting a lot of visitors who seem to be searching for help type Guide Entries, so I'd imagine help in understanding UCAS would fall very firmly into this category.

If anyone's interested the Peer Review thread for the updated entry is F48874?thread=8284341

Is this the first NaJoPoMo entry/update?

At first browse, it's looking damned good. Full and detailed, and yet very readable. Nicely done!

This is really interesting. Here, you only apply to uni after you got your exam results (which is by the end of May, usually.

Depending of what you want to study, you may choose a uni which does not have a numerus clausus on your chosen subject. A numerus clausus means that you have absolutely no chance if your marks aren't really good (except all others applying there have bad marks, too).

Uni replies fairly quickly, so you can start looking for accommodation.
Even so finding some is very difficult, especially this year, when we had twice as many students finish school than we usually have (due to a chnage in school system).

This is for HI for being first to zoom to PR with something from the Journal Challenge. Well done and thanks!

I got into university through clearing over 30 years ago.

It was a horrible experience as you say and especially so back then because it was pre-internet and pre-pre-pay-mobile-phones and we didn't have a land line at home. I had to go out to a phone box with a bag of coins.

Someone else I knew back then stayed on the dole for a year, applied the next year and got an unconditional offer. This seems a much better idea because you apply for where you are very likely to be accepted.

So, I wondered. Why do they (UCAS, schools etc) have to make it so more terribly complicated to change things which do need changing. Why not just make all students take a year out, get the exam results in August and apply Sept-Jan for the next year. Everything bureaucratic stays as it is.

Many of the more well off students who can afford to do interersting things take the year out anyway.

There's a lot of evidence that people who take a year out have a better chance of getting into uni and do better once they're there, with lower drop-out rates and higher attainment. There is the danger that you'll fall into the wage trap though - even a minimum wage job will give you about twice as much income as you'll have as a student and you get used to that income/routine - dropping down out of it can be hard.

A87719656 - How to write a perfect personal statement has entered Peer Review. Comments welcomed.