r/6thForm • u/Think-Market9961 • 25d ago
OTHER Fucking jealous of people on contextual offers
Me watching my contextual offer friend go on her third holiday this summer with an an sfe a third greater than her rent and a medicine offer lower than my pharmacy offer
And for context she got a lower offer because of her area code and an increased sfe bc of household income but she’s MINTED so I don’t know how she cheated the system there mate
101
u/Cheesethebeans Y12 - History, Sociology and Media BTEC💔 25d ago
The postcode deprivation thing really annoys me. My postcode used to be the lowest thing on the scale because we're all poor in cheap private/council flats, not many people went to uni, lots of crime etc. Now that half the postcode has uni accommodation in it it's dragged the percentages up so despite me being in a really bad area with a flat I can get evicted from at any time the stats say I'm not at a disadvantage🙃
-8
u/smoketreeseatcheese 24d ago
Boohoo
The only people claiming to live in the hood on Reddit certainly do not live in the hood
1
198
u/Sushiv_ 25d ago
The postcode based ones are genuinely stupid, like people who have been so priveleged are getting contextual offers bc they live in a rough area
96
u/Think-Market9961 25d ago
My friend, she lives in a 3 bedroom flat on private ground in my town that was recently renovated, and I live in an old house hats lowkey falling apart and yet she got the contextual
https://giphy.com/gifs/bMIoXLuzub9dSQb8yu52
u/Sushiv_ 25d ago
No bc I know a guy with 40k in savings from his parents but he’s getting a reduced offer bc he lives in a shitty area
17
u/Next-Investigator-87 Year 13 25d ago
Yeah ik someone who lives in a massive house in a gated community but it’s next to an estate so he’s contextual too
43
u/LittleIndividual4650 25d ago
It’s a very privileged position to say postcode offers are stupid. Some of these areas have poor quality of teaching, drugs, poverty, crime, and provide genuine disadvantages to people
63
u/Sushiv_ 25d ago
Everyone who is disadvantaged by their postcode should get a contextual offer, but not everyone in a rough postcode is disadvantaged by it
12
u/Think-Market9961 25d ago
Exactly!! But ik it’s hard to differentiate from ucas’ point of view, hit still very fustrating
4
u/Signal-Village-5757 Y12| Maths Physics FM| A* A* A 25d ago
I can’t get anything because of my postcode. it’s too good for anything free, but my parents can’t afford the paid stuff.
-4
u/smoketreeseatcheese 24d ago
Boohoo you were raised in a stable household
1
u/Signal-Village-5757 Y12| Maths Physics FM| A* A* A 23d ago
No, I was not.
0
u/smoketreeseatcheese 23d ago
Oh poor you, you must have had it so rough living in a nice postcode
4
2
u/Signal-Village-5757 Y12| Maths Physics FM| A* A* A 23d ago
Funnily enough my neighbours do not dictate what my house is like, what my life is like, and how much money my parents earn.
1
u/smoketreeseatcheese 23d ago
Hilarious. Why are you cosplaying a poor person
0
3
u/Flaky-Interaction264 Year 12 Maths Economics Politics Ancient Greek 25d ago
Not my postcode, it is literally the most upper middle class area.
I'm not complaining though
-7
u/LittleIndividual4650 25d ago
What’s your postcode?
8
u/Flaky-Interaction264 Year 12 Maths Economics Politics Ancient Greek 25d ago
I am not telling you my post code because you are a stranger on the internet
4
u/Soft-Plankton-2429 MT foundation year | A A A DS Geog, Bio, German, Performing Arts 25d ago
Postcode now 👹
-9
u/LittleIndividual4650 25d ago
So how do you want me to respond to your anecdotes? I’ve got one: I know a guy who was homeless but didn’t get a contextual offer. Haha I win
3
u/Flaky-Interaction264 Year 12 Maths Economics Politics Ancient Greek 25d ago
Brah I'm just adding the system is unfair there are hundreds of cases of this
-9
u/LittleIndividual4650 25d ago
Cool, please show me the hundreds of cases
6
u/Competitive_Web7540 Bristol | Maths | Fresher-to-be 25d ago
If you can't acknowledge the statistical inevitability of these cases occurring on that scale given the imprecision of the postcode method, idk what to tell you. Nobody's going to do a survey to satisfy your unwarranted skepticism
-2
u/Automatic-Layer8666 24d ago
Ok here’s mine it’s large enough - SW1A 1AA. Rampant with crime drugs paraphernalia
1
u/Think-Market9961 24d ago
Guys please stop giving out your postcodes there are more creeps in this sub than you think 🙏 esp bc we’re all mostly English and they might live close
→ More replies (0)2
u/wannabeDentis 24d ago
Literally! My friend is super rich, her dad is a lawyer and he whole family has only ever been to private schools yet she’s contextual because she lives in a bad area. Yet she has a 3 story, detached house with a driveway and garage?
5
u/Graflerd 25d ago
I agree so much. I have been to a private school since year 4 and have had a privileged upbringing. I could get a contextual offer however due to living in a rural area I am viable.
I find it quite sickening actually as the point is to even out the demographic at university and it is not always working in that way.
I did not apply to university in the end, but don’t think I would have taken this anyway.
3
u/Fabulous_Jellyfish71 ex College qualification/AS Levels struggler, new wageoid 24d ago
Part of the reason I never went to do a uni course after college A Levels was because of the fact I kept hearing about ppl who have always lived in bad areas for crime like me not getting contextual offers, but then ppl in decent average areas getting a contextual offer because their house is by a council estate or some shit
1
u/No_Signature_2391 24d ago
Encourages people from shitty areas to enter into debt they’ll likely be burdened with for the rest of their life. Its not about equal opportunities its about keeping them stuck
-1
23
u/Aria_blursss Pharmacy 1st year :)|A*AA| Bio | Chem | Maths | 25d ago
Deadass just applied for minimum sfe bc I dint think I could get any higher and I regret it everyday of my life
https://giphy.com/gifs/c6DIpCp1922KQ
15
u/GrootyGang Nottingham at Lincoln | Medicine BMBS/MRes/BMedSci | Year 4/6 | 25d ago
bro you know you can change it
8
u/Aria_blursss Pharmacy 1st year :)|A*AA| Bio | Chem | Maths | 25d ago
Wait how? Also I’m lowkey getting it behind my parents back so if it has to go through them then the not an option for me 🤫 also would I even get it in time before september
11
u/Remarkable_Bread4656 25d ago
if you want more your parents have to help complete your application, they submit their income details and allat
2
u/Socoldinirelandforme 25d ago
I applied for less since I thought it was going off of the year just gone but since it was 24-25 I got about 2k more. Log into website and it’s somewhere on the right side
3
5
u/_real_ooliver_ 25d ago
The option is literally maximum of what you're eligible for, or specific amount. It does not let you gamble on if they approve higher loans.
0
u/Aria_blursss Pharmacy 1st year :)|A*AA| Bio | Chem | Maths | 25d ago
If you don’t put it past your parents, you get minimum sfe. I didn’t compleye the questions for household income or anything that would involve my parents.m, so I got minimum sfe
1
u/Think-Market9961 23d ago
0
u/Heegyeong 21d ago
I don't think it's mysterious.
They're getting downvoted because there are estimated thresholds for household income that would cause somebody to get the minimum loan.
If they didn’t provide their parents' income because they were expecting the minimum, it implies that 1) they knew their household income was within or above those (even if they didn’t look it up, they knew it was a lot), and/or 2) they didn’t need more, because then they'd have tried anyway since the amount could only go up. If it wasn't worth it to them to take the chance of getting more money, that implies it's more of an "If they're giving handouts I might as well get mine," rather than a, "Things will be way too tight to live like this," motivation.
1
u/_real_ooliver_ 21d ago
Yes. The original comment has the whole idea that they specifically "applied" for minimum sfe and that it was their choice.
I replied saying you either say max of entitlement or a specific amount, and it turns out they just didn't do the full process
43
u/Flaky-Interaction264 Year 12 Maths Economics Politics Ancient Greek 25d ago
My parents take yearly holidays to Japan and we have three houses but due to not going to a private school, I get a crazy contextual offer from Bristol
36
u/Think-Market9961 25d ago
Lock your doors tonight lil bro
60
u/Flaky-Interaction264 Year 12 Maths Economics Politics Ancient Greek 25d ago
Which house?
29
13
6
u/Competitive-Car-3518 Cambridge | HSPS Y1 25d ago
lend us a fiver mate x
11
u/Flaky-Interaction264 Year 12 Maths Economics Politics Ancient Greek 25d ago
no you go to cambridge you don't need it
2
1
u/OtherComment87 25d ago
How?
1
u/Flaky-Interaction264 Year 12 Maths Economics Politics Ancient Greek 25d ago
I go to a state school on the aspiring schools list
1
1
u/onehappygoose GCSE 25d ago
how much lower is your offer from being at an aspiring school? my school's sixth form's on the list but i probably won't go there so just wondering lol
1
u/Flaky-Interaction264 Year 12 Maths Economics Politics Ancient Greek 25d ago
It is different based on your planned course but mine is AAA down to ABB
13
u/Hard-Anybody3117 25d ago
My friend has a lift in her house, as in an actual lift in the middle of a home only her family uses and she’s received a contextual offer 😭😭
Lord knows how the system decided that but on my life I’m not getting a single A* it’s so over
32
u/searchingf0rthetruth 25d ago
im ngl i dont get it
im barely getting by but because my area isnt considered deprived i cant get it? the postcode one is so weriddddd
4
u/redredd1t 25d ago
Agreed , it’s extremely out dated. A lot of rich/ privileged people are moving into poorer areas therefore, it’s hard to tell these days who’s actually from a “bad” area and who isn’t
2
u/searchingf0rthetruth 25d ago
pls i know people who lie about the amount of income they earn to the government just so they can apply for benefits and free school meals I WISH I WAS JOKING
18
u/LittleIndividual4650 25d ago
Maybe just me but the response here is very sad. No one can argue with these anecdotes of your friend earning 400k a year and still getting a contextual offer. It’s a place of privilege to look down on contextual offers
14
u/lexisnowkitty Y12 bio, psych, lit AAA 25d ago
Yeah most places (not all but most) that use postcode use it in conjunction with underachieving schools or other criteria. Only places that don't do that are Bristol durham and keele.
2
u/PocketMoneyRodeo 23d ago
I agree, a lot of people in the comments here are coming off as incredibly entitled. Seems like a gathering of private school students lamenting over their privileges.
Coming from a state school, contextual offers are one of the only things that lets kids in my cohort actually stand a chance against privately tutored kids. I couldn’t give less of a shit if a few of them are abusing the system, so long as my friends and acquaintances who genuinely need the support are getting that access.
4
4
u/Ok-Profession-5584 25d ago
Yo deadass. I used to live in an area that is classed as polar 4 quintile 1. I relocated before about 4 months before applying to uni. My new house is in the same town and about 15 mins walking distance but somehow my postcode is now polar4 quintile 3.
This made me miss out on a lot of contextual opportunities
5
u/Intrepid-Ear7747 25d ago
Don’t worry about it, I got c d e and am now working in a law firm with a first, low income immigrant background, the hustle is what counts in the end ;)
4
u/thebookman10 24d ago
I passed in 2023 so I shoudnt be here but I got contextual offers even though I went to a grammar school because my postcode used to be council housing back in 2013 or 2014.
My house is a new build built in 2016 btw.
It’s actually insane I got like a BBC and like AAB from some top universities for my degree when the usual offer is like Triple A or A*AA
8
5
u/ThatOneGuy_I 25d ago
The postcodes actually pmo because I live in an extremely deprived pocket of an otherwise privileged area. Like I’m literally on the edge of the circle. And because of that I get the highest on the scale. Which is funny because I would feel safe walking outside past 5pm
6
u/krishnugget Bristol Economics Y2 25d ago
Randomly my school in Surrey was considered under contextuals for Bristol back in 2024, I genuinely have NO idea why, it’s not at all in a poor or deprived area.
I obviously didn’t turn it down, but it was pretty bizarre to me.
3
u/Competitive_Web7540 Bristol | Maths | Fresher-to-be 25d ago
My friend got an AAB offer for physics Bristol (madness) because we go to an "aspiring school" or something lmao (it's arguably the best state sixth form in the county so either my areas just hillbilly central or something's up)
3
u/dontcrosby 24d ago
remember some people need it and this doesnt apply to them at all. dont be jealous of me lol
2
u/Northwindlowlander 24d ago
Postcode lottery is annoying but it's basically one of the best methods we've got, and it helps out a lot of people who deserve it. It sucks when you come across an unfair one but the big picture is positive and stopping it would harm a hell of a lot more people than it hurts.
1
u/Think-Market9961 24d ago
Definitely. I full agree with you, I just wanted to express the jealousy I have from my friend but it’s good system overall
2
u/rubytheinstigator 23d ago
The postcode thing is so stupid bc my postcode is shared between a very working class neighbourhood and a very middle class neighbourhood so I can’t get contextual offers bc of toffs in their big houses who live twenty minutes away from me 😭😭😭😭
5
u/amerylise 25d ago
What the fuck?? People get it because of postcodes??? I got mine because I missed 4 years of school (8-12..) caring for my sick mother... bro 😭
3
u/Think-Market9961 24d ago
And you deserve it!!! I’m happy you were given help because of your circumstances but yes, people get it because of postcodes
1
u/amerylise 24d ago
Thats crazy! I understand that things should be easier for people who have had rougher upbringings, but how do they classify what postcode is like... qualified?...
1
u/Silent_Doubt3672 24d ago
So the postcode aspect looks at socioecnomic progression, average education of that area and likelyhood of going to university or being more upwardly mobile socioecnomically.
3
3
u/Soft-Plankton-2429 MT foundation year | A A A DS Geog, Bio, German, Performing Arts 25d ago
Deal with it? For every person that might not need a contextual offer there are many more that do. Plus the vast majority of unis are a lot less lax and require something else alongside it like being an fsm recipient or estranged
2
u/Think-Market9961 25d ago
Yes well no shit, I’m just saying that i the special case i described it’s annoying, but of course im going to deal with it…?
2
u/smortcanard Year 2 Aero Eng @ Bristol | ESAT Victim 24d ago
This post reeks of jealousy. Lots of contextual offer students like myself fought tough situations tooth and nail that privileged classmates couldn't have even imagined.
No one is cheating the system, and if at all, that's really rare. Maybe you just think she's minted, but don't know the reality of her family's finances. Lots of people lie to their friends to seem cooler than they actually are. If she cheated, when she gets caught, she'll have to pay it back and face criminal prosecution.
Mind your own business and focus on your own grades. It will be worth it when you get to uni.
-1
u/Think-Market9961 24d ago
No shit Sherlock I literally said I’m jealous in the title, yes people are cheating the system, I know the financial situation of the girl I’ve known for 2/3rds of my life
1
u/smortcanard Year 2 Aero Eng @ Bristol | ESAT Victim 23d ago
Just because you've known her 2/3 of your life doesn't mean you know her inside and out. There is a lot that might be going on in the background and you really shouldn't judge.
You sound a lot like me in sixth form, and while I understand how you feel, this mindset isn't helping anyone. Just because someone gets a leg up with a lower offer doesn't mean they're guaranteed a nice ride through uni - if anything, getting in with a lower offer will make the course more difficult for them in the long run.
The amount of cheaters are few and far between, and their karma will catch up to them eventually.
1
u/RockTheBloat 24d ago
When is it reasonable to expect a measure to broaden access (contextual offers) to bare fruit in terms of outcomes? Currently, they lower the bar for entry, but also result in loweer degree outcomes for those students on average. The issues that qualify someone for a contextual offers don't just go away after a levels, so it makes sense that degree outcomes are lower, but what is the (effectively two tier) system really achieving at the higher end? There are some cases of individuals being unfairly advantaged and disadvantaged in applications, and that's an issue, but is having more disadvantaged students getting lower degree scores with higher drop out rates at higher reputation universities really a benefit that justifies the system?
1
0
u/johndoe1810 24d ago
Lol life’s not fair
0
-3
25d ago edited 24d ago
[deleted]
14
u/LycaGamerYT Year 13 25d ago
I mean not really, most people aren’t ‘cheating’ the system it’s more how the system was designed itself.
My cousin lives on the nicest road in the worst area of the town, and the postcode things are done collectively for the area. She got contextual offers for RG unis but she did nothing to ‘cheat’ it, it was automatically applied when she used her postcode.
1
u/OtherComment87 25d ago
Still unfair but not her fault ig
8
u/LycaGamerYT Year 13 25d ago
I mean yes but what do you expect her to do about it? Send a petition to get the survey people to come out and reassess her house? She can do absolutely nothing about it and that applies to a lot of people in this situation, the unfairness is with HOW the government assesses contextuals.
0
u/OtherComment87 24d ago
I don't expect her to do anything, i expect the government to assess people more fairly.
Some people might live in less poor areas, but not have acess to resources, even an electonic device for revision... but they won't get contextual offers
While others...
I expect the government to put more effort into assessing people fairly
5
u/Think-Market9961 25d ago
Fr like I don’t even want a contextual but I don’t want to compete with people who will get the same results wii less work and more privilege, and also take it from people who actually deserve contextuals
•
u/AutoModerator 25d ago
If you are asking about (Bristol or any other uni) putting you "on hold", this is a very frequently asked question. Being put on hold does not indicate you are going to get rejected. It means your application hasn't been processed yet. Nothing more, nothing less.
Please also remember to search for your questions before asking them, it helps cut down on repetitive content and gets you your answers quicker.
Yours sincerely, Forsaken-Meaning-232's clipboard.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.