According to the head of the university admissions service, thousands of teenagers did not get their university places because their goals were unrealistic and advice they followed was not useful. At this moment 27% of applicants who missed out on a degree place this year are still in clearing. Last year more than 132,000 applicants of those who have applied to universities were in clearing, compared to 181,000 this year. The number of places available is unknown but it is falling too fast.
Applicants have a chance for the so-called insurance choice which includes a number of preferred universities and back-up institutions and requires lower grades. Pupils benefit from insurance choice as, in case they miss the marks at the universities they would like to enter, they could have a place there.
The chief executive of Ucas, Mary Curnock Cook, expressed the idea in his essay that too many students have lost their chances as they applied to an insurance institution which required as high grades as top universities. As a result, students missed out a chance to get necessary grades. Other students were misinformed or set themselves goals which were unreal to achieve.
Curnock Cook said: "I think there is quite a lot of improper usage of the insurance choice. The advice is to list an insurance university that has lower grades than your top choice. But there is some evidence that the insurance choice isn't being used in that way".
Then the chief executive of Ucas added: "We need to make sure that young people have good advice from a number of sources, including their parents. It is not just teachers who give them advice. We have to get better information into the system because the system is becoming more competitive. People do need to make realistic choices."
The Institute for Career Guidance agreed that students had adopted the risky strategy of leaving themselves no leeway in case of a missed grade.
According to Andy Gardner, from the Institute for Career Guidance, many students want to enter top universities as this will give them more chance to get a well-paid job after they graduate. So, universities with excellent reputation always require only high grades from students. He considers that the grades that students have received at AS-levels exams should be reflected in insurance choices.
Andy Gardner: "Students need to be realistic because these universities are not going to be flexible if they even slightly miss their grades."
Alan Bullock, head of student information services at Havant College in Hampshire, said: "If you apply for competitive subjects like economics or English at universities who are all close to the top of the league tables, then however outstanding your grades the margins are going to be extremely tight and there will be very little leeway."
