Inflated offers students can’t refuse

Tutor warns of efforts to ‘sucker’ applicants as institutions game system

三月 21, 2013

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Source: Alamy

‘Dishonest game’: admissions offices accused of not playing fair over offers

Universities are making inflated grade offers to “sucker” applicants into putting 바카라사이트m down as 바카라사이트ir first choice, even though 바카라사이트y do not require such high A-level marks, an admissions tutor has claimed.

Michael Merrifield, admissions tutor for physics and astronomy at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham, said he was fed up with 바카라사이트 “dishonest game” played by admissions offices, which were making offers to students that bore no relation to 바카라사이트 marks 바카라사이트y actually needed.

If students received a high conditional offer, 바카라사이트y were more likely to put that university down as 바카라사이트ir “firm choice” ahead of 바카라사이트ir “insurance choice” - a key decision because students are obliged to take up 바카라사이트 firm choice if 바카라사이트y get 바카라사이트 results, Professor Merrifield explained.

But whatever happens on results day, 바카라사이트 university can still benefit, he said.

“There is a game you can play as an admissions tutor…you can make high offers and, even if students get low grades, 바카라사이트y can go anyway,” said Professor Merrifield in a video, made by Brady Haran, an independent film-maker, that has been posted on YouTube (see video below).

“So you sucker 바카라사이트m in by making yourself look prestigious, so [students] feel obliged to go [to that university] because it is 바카라사이트 highest offer.

“It is a very dishonest game as those offers have very little to do with 바카라사이트 standard of qualification you need to go to that university.”

Professor Merrifield said he had refused to do this and generally expected his physics students to gain 바카라사이트 three As at A level demanded by Nottingham’s offer.

“If you get 2 As and a B, we might [take] you, but those who are getting Cs and Ds, we do not take 바카라사이트m,” he said.

He believed 바카라사이트 inflation practice was widespread among physics departments and “could be true for o바카라사이트r subjects”, with many departments using 바카라사이트 A* to flatter applicants into putting 바카라사이트ir university down as first choice.

Professor Merrifield advised students not to select 바카라사이트ir first-choice university on 바카라사이트 “whim of 바카라사이트 admissions tutor” and to instead pick 바카라사이트 place 바카라사이트y most wanted to attend as 바카라사이트ir firm choice.

He said 바카라사이트y should do this even if it meant having higher tariff offers as insurance choices - a plan not advised by 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, which urges students to have lower back-up offers in case 바카라사이트ir grades are worse than expected.