When I applied to university the first time around, back when I was a pupil at Ballymena Academy, I couldn’t understand why we had to apply based on the results of our predicted grades. It seemed to me, and still does, that it would be fairer to have the university admissions process after real grades had been awarded.
The recent action [inaction?] by UCAS to put off a decision on having post-results admissions has been rightly condemned by the President of NUS-USI, Adrianne Peltz, who said that basing offers on predicted grades is an unreliable system and that going by predicted grades can have a negative impact on people from schools who don’t have people regularly going to university.
The NUS-USI President continued:
Transferring the university admissions process to after pupils have received their exam results could be very beneficial to our students, particularly for people from poorer backgrounds. Such a change would allow universities to judge prospective students on their real grades, rather than predicted grades which can quite often be very inaccurate for people who are at schools that aren’t used to sending their pupils on to universities.
“The Post-Qualifications Applications approach is an excellent idea and it is very frustrating that despite the fact there was strong support for this approach, there’s not going to be any reform towards this important change. It is critical that we widen access to higher education and PQA was a key way in which this could be done – this makes it all the more important that we now ensure government examines other ways to widen access to higher education.
“UCAS has once again put off a decision on PQAs, and that makes it all the more important that the Stormont Executive pro-actively addresses how to ensure greater access and full equality of opportunity in relation to higher education for everyone in Northern Ireland.”
It seems that the universities and schools do not want any change to the system. I wonder why. Is it that they might have to change what they do?
Of course, exams are not the only thing that should be taken into consideration when applying to university. Results in examinations are not always the indication that someone has the intelligence to excel at university. They are results of having shown that you can learn what the examiners want you to say. I’m sure that we will find a way to include all that an applicant has to offer in a properly managed admissions process. Perhaps, everyone would benefit from a year out between school and the beginning of university? Perhaps a year to grow up a bit? Any ideas?
Gyronny Herald 