Should we move to the UK admissions system?

Parent Cafe
79

<p>Basically as said - very academically focussed, but the academics are all public exams. There is no such thing as a GPA or class rank, teachers simply track your progress and predict what your grades are going to be. The predicted grades are important for admissions, as the final exam will not be taken until well after application. The university will base your offer to study on your predicted grades, and your place will be confirmed if and after you actually achieve the grades in your offer. It’s not a holistic approach to admissions, but then our system is made to produce professionals who know a lot of depth in one or two subjects, not grads who are well rounded in lots of subjects but lacking the depth.</p>

<p>I think the only serious drawback to our system is predicting grades and basing your uni offer on them, but not knowing whether you will achieve them. Therefore if you have a high grade offer your place is hanging in the balance until the day you know your results! There was a proposal to change this, but I didn’t like the proposed new system any better, and thought it wouldn’t help matters. But I don’t know if it will actually happen</p>

<p>Athletics admissions don’t happen, but you might get a sports bursary once there. So your sport won’t help you get admitted in the first place, but it might get you extra money later. Legacy admissions are not done, and in fact I suspect it is illegal. URM again doesn’t really happen, although sometimes lower offers are given to those with difficult backgrounds/schools. Things like Medicine have special access courses to help such people get in. Volunteering is only required for subjects like Medicine wher it is essential and counted. Otherwise, it’s an EC and not really important at all</p>

<p>I think our system does on the whole actually works very well. I do not think we have any less freedom than US students picking their uni choices. Frankly I do not know anyone who would want to apply to any more unis than they have. In fact we have the advantages of

  1. Tuition fees which are pretty much the same at all universities and are paid back only after you graduate, and are earning above a minimum income limit. Therefore we have far less financial worries than many US students will face as we are not financially restricted from any uni by tuition fees. Living costs are different -whether you can afford to live in London must be considered, but otherwise it’s fine
  2. No GPA and class rank and no real consideration to how many students are coming from one school - means we avoid the horrible situation whereby you and your friend both want to apply to the same very prestigious uni and it’s her first choice, but if you both apply you might prevent her from getting a place. Lots of my year have offers from the same unis, highly ranked ones, as the ‘best’ unis can offer places to 7 people in the same year with no problem.
  3. Inexpensive (£22 to submit the full five applications at the beginning of the year) and the process is set out for you and very clear and straightforward </p>

<p>I can easily see how our system would not work in the US though, but it works well for us on the whole. I’d rather go through the UK process than the US one, it suits me better, despite the lingering worry about whether I will actually achieve the grades I need to take up my offer.</p>