Five things I’ve learned from five young men applying to university this year

This blog was kindly authored by Lucy Haire, Director of Sector Engagement at UPP, writing in a personal capacity.

This year, my son was in Year 13 at an impressively well-run central London comprehensive boys’ school, and he and his friends were in the thick of applying to university. Working for a student accommodation company, and previously for the Higher Education Policy Institute, alongside my early-career background as a sixth-form teacher who oversaw hundreds of UCAS forms, I’m familiar with university admissions. Yet supporting my son and some of his close friends revealed the reality of a process that is far more complex, time-consuming and demanding than many parents and carers might imagine.

1. Few know what they want to study. 

In my sample of prospective students, only one really knew what he wanted to study. University departments and careers services put immense effort into open days, talks, taster sessions and social media content, but the young men I spoke to were still unsure. Apart from the one student who was completely certain, the rest simply half-liked some subjects and wondered about others before taking a leap of faith. In fact, one young man asked for help switching to a completely different subject just days before the deadline. Fortunately, UCAS (the UK’s university application service) makes this relatively straightforward. Another had no idea what to pick and was ready to give up, but I worked with him through the night to find suitable courses and submit his application in time for the next day’s deadline. While my sample may not be representative, it could reflect the reality that hundreds of thousands of students are rolling up to higher education this autumn on sheer faith.

2. Apprenticeships are seen as the holy grail – but are very hard to come by.

All but one of the young men I was talking to repeatedly said that they wanted an apprenticeship, imbibing near-propaganda level promotion from recent governments, with their school dutifully covering the ground. But securing one proved very hard. Unlike university applications, apprenticeship admissions are mostly run by individual organisations on their own timetables, and places are far scarcer. One student did everything right: relevant work experience, top performance on company tests and in interviews, great predicted grades and exemplary manners. Coming from a modest working-class background, he was still unsuccessful and ultimately accepted a place at a Russell Group university instead.

3. Applying for a student loan can be difficult.

Supporting all five students with their applications was just the first step. As offers rolled in, I checked if they were accepting them and considering student loans and accommodation. During peak exam season, one student missed the loan deadline and hadn’t arranged housing. He had emailed his preferred university requesting an administrative number needed for his loan application, but received no reply. I called the switchboard for him and was passed between departments, none of which had the answer. I insisted until they eventually found it. This particular university came dangerously close to losing the student in the process.

4. Re-sits are a mystery.

No one talks about re-sits. Information evenings focus on UCAS Clearing and Confirmation, which is great for finding alternative courses, but never mention retaking A levels. One student reached out to me (this student was not in my original group of five supportees), unsure of her options after missing her grades. Schools naturally focus on first-time success, and there can be barriers to retaking exams at your own school. But seeing the whites of the eyes of this student and her parents who had realised re-sits were their best path but have no idea where to turn shows a gap in support.

5. Clearing experiences vary, and it really shows.

One young man performed brilliantly in his marketing BTEC and applied for related degrees in London, but returned after results day determined to study philosophy instead. His family couldn’t guide him, so, admittedly nervous about his new idea, I spent time checking his motivation and whether he understood the demands of a non-vocational subject. Satisfied with his resolve, we explored options and he secured two Clearing offers. To help him decide, I called both universities and arranged for him to attend their open afternoons that week. One institution offered only a generic campus tour without subject details or academic staff, whereas the other had a philosophy lecturer lead the tour, right in the middle of the summer recess. You can guess which university he chose.

What to make of it all?

Having worked around higher education for over 15 years and in education generally for even longer, I remain deeply impressed by those who teach, create courses and handle the administrative and leadership demands of schools and universities. I’ve written for HEPI before about the complexity of a vice-chancellor’s role, and I view school headteachers in much the same light: nearly all deserve far more praise than the public or press are willing to give. This blog isn’t a detailed policy report based on carefully analysed surveys of thousands of applicants or dozens of parent focus groups, all of which make for fantastic repositories of evidence. Rather, it’s a snapshot of a group of young men, some of whom are first-generation university applicants, others not; some are from middle-class backgrounds, others more disadvantaged; some second-generation migrants, others not.

I’ve recorded this simply as a reflection of how I experienced the application process as a parent and trusted confidante to a group of young men (and one young woman belatedly). My only hope is that these reflections offer some helpful context for everyone involved: students, parents, carers, schools, and universities alike.

The Denouement

The denouement is that all but one of the young men – who has deferred his engineering place at Kingston – are about to set off for university. One is heading to Loughborough to study sports science, another to King’s College London for geography, another to Northeastern University London for philosophy and another to Westminster for biology.

All’s well that ends well. 

Yet I’m well aware that some of these outcomes depended on a dollop of good luck. Institutions vary enormously in how much support they offer and how accessible they are; a family without someone able to counsel, chase, call, and insist could easily have seen a very different result. While these five young men certainly engaged, they also benefited from an immense amount of effort put in on their behalf by their school, by the universities and by me. Not every applicant this autumn will be so fortunate.