UCAS Tariff Points

[Legseleven]

Yes, that was my understanding of it Kate_N. Certainly the girl who applied for medical school didn’t try to use the UCAS tariff points she had amassed via RAD exams to assist in her application, but she did explain to the interview panel exactly what her dancing had given her and they stated that this had given her a real edge over other interviewees. Other interviewees may also have had similar extracurricular interests but may not have discussed their benefits with the interview panel as eloquently and with such insight, if at all.

 

I do find it annoying that ballet, music in particular seem to be dismissed by some because they are seen as elitist middle-class interests. As I said previously, whatever the extracurricular interest is and whether or not it is possible to gain UCAS tariff points by pursuing it, it adds to lives and builds character, tenacity, time management skills etc. That is just as much the case for someone who does sport only at school level as it is for a county or national level player and just as much the case for someone who undertakes community work as for someone who goes to ballet or music lessons. Ballet or music, sport or community service or whatever the activity is in itself may not get you where you want to be in a different field, but will help you develop skills required in adult life and an understanding of that may well help your application to stand out from those with the same level of academic qualifications. 

Edited January 26, 2018 by Legseleven

[Anna C]

45 minutes ago, Kate_N said:

I would still advise caution. The thing is, that the required results in terms of letter grades must be there.

 

Other aspects of an applicant's life and abilities may help make them stand out from other applicants with the same results, but without the required grades, those other skills/activities will not make up for the lack of required grades, for in-demand courses at elite universities.

 

Perfectly true. But "life experience" and the commitment, ability and talent required to pass Grade 8 music and/or Adv 1 or 2 ballet AND get sufficiently high academic marks to apply to top unis certainly appeal to some unis, including Oxbridge.  So many highly academic pupils (and I'm talking anything from 4-6 A* predicted A Levels) aren't offered Oxbridge while pupils who are predicted 3 As or thereabouts are. Obviously they have to pass the multi-faceted application process first, including interview, but like the Medical student above, Advanced ballet etc does seem to require other qualities that appeal to Admissions panels.  As I said earlier, definitely don't start ballet/music/sport just for the UCAS points or to advantage you on your application - BUT if you have these achievements, they are definitely worth mentioning in a personal statement, linking the qualities they require to those of your chosen course. 

 

As a final point, I too am aggrieved by the assumption that only the "elite middle classes" "push" their children into extra curricular activities.  That's a sweeping generalisation and untrue for many of us.  

[Nicola H]

1 hour ago, Kate_N said:

I would still advise caution. The thing is, that the required results in terms of letter grades must be there.

 

Other aspects of an applicant's life and abilities may help make them stand out from other applicants with the same results, but without the required grades, those other skills/activities will not make up for the lack of required grades, for in-demand courses at elite universities.

Shock horror !  Nicola agrees  unreservedly with Kate on something  ;-) 

if the offer is made in terms of  specific grades in specific subjects  n that stands  unless the HEI is faced with significant numbers of offer holders missing their grades ...  ( or  more than the usual numbers  built into the assumptions admissions tutors use  for  missed  grades /  late changes of course / those who simply fail to show up at the start of term) 

[aileen]

The ex-ballerina was, presumably, categorised as a mature student if she had not taken A Levels or had not had access to a full range of science A Levels at 16/17/18. Different considerations apply to mature students. Mature students will have the benefit of greater life experience and will generally have better inter-personal skills, certainly compared with the average 17 or 18 year old boy.

 

Several of my son's friends and contemporaries got into Oxbridge two years ago. Some had extra-curricular activities to put on their Personal Statement but others had nothing at all in terms of high level achievements in sport, dance, music, DoE etc. They got their places because they performed well in the entrance exam and interview and achieved the grades asked for which were A*, A*, A in a couple of cases. Despite the lifting of the cap, in the case of over-subscribed courses some admissions tutors seem to be concerned to preserve the reputation of the course and the ''integrity' of the admissions process by taking a tough line on missed grades. I've heard of a tutor taking previously rejected applicants who had achieved the necessary grades in preference to applicants who had been offered places who had dropped more than one grade. 

[Anna C]

I feel that we're going round in circles slightly now.  When push comes to shove, all any student can do is apply and see what happens.  So much depends upon course chosen, what each uni (or Oxbridge college) is looking for; yes, certain grades are of course required and that makes the process tougher now than when every UCAS point contributed to a total required amount.    However, if you have skills, achievements and resulting qualities that you can link as being beneficial to your chosen path of study, then IMO you have nothing to lose by listing them on UCAS and/or mentioning them in your Personal Statement.   If you reach the interview stage then it's something that just might catch the tutor's eye.  

[MAK]

@Anna C and @Legseleven and others, you may have hit the nail on the head. If you get through the initial sift and as far as an interview (where appropriate) then I suspect there is more opportunity to demonstrate the value of non-academic activities there, in person, than might be the case with forms alone, but I would hope that you don't get downgraded for including the information even if it's not counted. 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Kate_N said:

I would still advise caution. The thing is, that the required results in terms of letter grades must be there.

 

Other aspects of an applicant's life and abilities may help make them stand out from other applicants with the same results, but without the required grades, those other skills/activities will not make up for the lack of required grades, for in-demand courses at elite universities.

I attended dd’s school HE fair this week and asked each advisor about this exact question, in light of this thread. Each university has their own take on it and with the new A level and GCSE landscape they are looking at a range of options to address ‘widening participation’ so there is no one answer. One point that came up from advisors from top Russell group unis was not include much in the personal statement (less than 20%) but get the school to write something in their letter especially around juggling competitive dance and school studies. It also depends what degree your are applying for and how competitive the entry requirements are. ... just read previous posts sorry for the repetition ... 

Edited January 26, 2018 by Guest