I just wondered what you guys thought about this.

[DarrensPassion]

Laura is currently applying to do a Social Work and Health Care B.Sc Hons degree at university with a view to ultimately becoming a counsellor. She has received a couple of offers from 2 universities, but one of them insisted on her having to do an exam type essay within a tight framework of only 1 week which she did before Xmas. Then she was asked to go for both individual and group interviews at the same university. We finally get a letter today offering her a place but saying that because her maths result at GCSE was not quite high enough they want her to sit the university's own maths exam!! Why do they offer places and then insist on them taking extra tests? :S Surely if everything else is OK then I don't see that she needs to do this If she was applying to Oxford & Cambridge then that's a different matter. Do you think that this maths test result means that their offer is conditional upon her passing it or not even though they say there are offering her place anyway? *is somewhat confused and worried for her* Laura hates maths and it isn't a strong subject for her, but in all her other subjects she's doing very well

The trouble is that she hasn't done maths for a couple of years and now it looks as though we're going to have to hire a private tutor to coach her to get her through this exam. It's getting increasingly difficult to get into these universities and the stress is getting too much. She already has more than enough work to do with revising for her A2 levels this spring and summer and then the schools also go and insist upon them taking an extra exam in General Studies to up their UCAS points!! That and the cost of it all!!

Janie xx

[Twizzle]

It seems very harsh and very unfair of them to want Laura to sit yet another exam paper. Aren't these kids under enough pressure already?

[Bromley]

Like I said on the FC forum Janie, I think it's terrible the pressure and stress kids have to go through today. It must be awful. All the hard work she's done to get this far as well

Joyce

xx

[Dryzabone]

I also think it's very unreasonable Janie, as Michelle said if the course criteria has been met that should be it. Only other thing that springs to my mind is they have more students than places available, though what relevance a maths test?

I hope you manage to get things clarified very quickly to restore some peace of mind.

Hugs for Laura!

[Juliet10]

I think that it's OTT of the University to expect her to do another Maths exam, especially when she won't need it for the degree she wants to do. She has fulfilled all their other criteria, after all.

Michelle

xx

[DarrensPassion]

That's more or less what I thought too Michelle, except maybe there could be a degree of statistics involved but even so, I think it's a bit much of them to expect her to sit yet another test.

Janie xx

[DarrensPassion]

Well Laura had another letter from UCAS today and their offer is conditional upon her passing this blasted maths exam! Why put her through all that assessment and interviews beforehand if this is so vital? [img]mad.gif[/img] In every other respect, they seem to want her, but OMG she is now stressing badly over it because she simply can't do maths.

She has also been offered a place at another university which has an open day this weekend. She is going there on Saturday to have a look round and if she likes it better, then maybe she'll go there instead. They haven't listed any other criteria other than she gets the grades in her A2 exams which is perfectly normal.

I simply hate this whole system, cos now with practically everyone staying on at school and doing A/S and A2 levels, they now have far more students than university places available to go round. Loads of her friends have been rejected outright and have been offered no places as yet, so in that respect she is lucky. I blame Tony Blair and his government for all this grrrrrrr [img]mad.gif[/img] I just want her to be happy in what she does and not get too stressed over it all. I feel really sorry for these kids because it's all getting too much for them.

Janie xx

[Katt721]

Awww poor thing [img]frown.gif[/img] I agree it's much too stressful for kids these days....the whole system here is different...but, if you're not two to three grades above yourself....you're at a disadvantage [img]frown.gif[/img] Brittany's just totally burned out...and she's only a junior in High School....

I can't fathom trying to be a student these days....

[Hannah_Lou]

Well i know this is going to sound stupid and not completely. And also it sounds big-headed or whatever, but i know i cant see myself getting that far. I am in year 10 in high school and the pressure i am under is undescribable (sp?). Once you hand in one piece of coursework for a subject, they throw another bit at you, or sometimes they just pile it on to make more work. You have to be very quick and intelligent to get all the work done and i know i wont be passing gcse. I have one real gcse at the end of this school year and its for short course geography and i am dreading it. I seems to be ignoring all my work and coming online to get away from it all. I know i should be doing the work but it seems easier just to get on here and ignore and try and do it last minute...even though that doesnt work...

God i wish i could drop it all, i would do anything just to drop it...

[img]frown.gif[/img]