[Seb]

Applied for physiotherapy, which I know is very competative especially at Sheffield. I dont think its grades as mine are pretty good. Im a mature student doing an access course as well which may work against me. Im going to email them and see what details they give me. Sucks but its not the end of the world. still other places to go, hopefully not flat and in the south though. I really hope I dont have to go through clearing or any shit like that.

[duncan]

Applied for physiotherapy, which I know is very competative especially at Sheffield. I dont think its grades as mine are pretty good. Im a mature student doing an access course as well which may work against me. Im going to email them and see what details they give me.

Most admissions tutors are keen to take mature students as they make good physios. Access qualifications should be accepted if you are predicted to get sufficient credits.  Have you been interviewed?  Presuming not, it can only be past or predicted academic performance, inappropriate reference, or a non-ideal personal statement. 

What are your A level grades and how far are they from the current requirements of the universities you are applying to?  Many now ask for ABB or AAB for physiotherapy.  How many Access credits are you taking, are this enough, and what are your predicted grades?

Do you have an academic reference? 

How many people have read your personal statement?  Any of them physiotherapists?  Do you have a wide range of work experience and have you described this range in your personal statement?  "I've got some arranged" will result in the application going straight to the reject pile.  Try and see as many different kinds of physiotherapists at work as you possibly can and talk about his in your personal statement.  Additionally, some hospital-related voluntary work would go down well. Hospitals are funny places: some like their sense of community, others are phobic about them. Admissions tutors like to know hospitals are somewhere you would be comfortable working in.

Many applicants fail to demonstrate a knowledge of the breadth of physiotherapy.  Many personal statements only talk about musculoskeletal physiotherapy as this will be the applicants's personal experience.  These applications will be rejected immediately.  Most physiotherapists don't work with sportspeople.  Admissions tutors need to know that you know this and that you would be happy on a two or three year course and in your first two or three years of work when you will see few or no sportspeople. Additionally, physio. training is paid for by the NHS who, naturally, want universities to choose people who are likely to work in the NHS for some time.

... its a buyers market at the moment, many universities are lying on their backs legs apart at the moment...

We are still sitting primly on our seat, knees firmly together thank you!

[Seb]

Thanks for the in depth reply.
I havent had an interview. I know my predicted grades for the access course are good but previous to that my qualifications are pretty much non existent. Im doing enough access credits.
By academic reference to you mean reference from my tutor?
Quite a few people read my personal statement and said it was pretty good. Stupidly I didnt get a physio to look at it even though I know a few.
It could very well be the work experience, im currently doing some which lasts a few weeks ago till I go to uni. It does cover a lot of different areas and is nothing to do with sport which to be honest is not the area I want to go into. BUT it hadnt started when my personal statement was sent. SO I may in fact be buggered.
Another uni contacted me asking for more details which I have given them including a lot more details about the work experience im doing. Do you think that was just a formality or do that actually mean they are considering me?
Cheers for the help, it stressing me out quite a lot that I might just not get in anywhere.

[tomtom]

phone up the department Seb and ask to speak to the admissions officer. It'll probably be an academic working there.

Be direct - ask them why they rejected your application, what their policy is with mature students, and whether they would re-consider. If I was in their shoes I'd take you calling them up as being a pretty strong sign that you wanted to come there! Fronting them up may make them change their mind. I guess you could piss them off a bit, but seeing as you've already been rejected by them I suggest you have nothing to lose...

Only the squeaky wheel gets greased! (not sure if thats the best metaphor but hey ho...)

[Seb]

I was going to email them but yer Ill give them a call, whats the worst that could happen. At least Ill know, and if it turns out my application is just shit in general I can start making contingency plans.

[duncan]

By academic reference to you mean reference from my tutor?

Yes.  Some mature students only provide references from employers.  Good background but doesn't always tell us much about the likelihood of you coping with the course.

Quite a few people read my personal statement and said it was pretty good. Stupidly I didnt get a physio to look at it even though I know a few.
It could very well be the work experience, im currently doing some which lasts a few weeks ago till I go to uni. It does cover a lot of different areas and is nothing to do with sport which to be honest is not the area I want to go into. BUT it hadnt started when my personal statement was sent. SO I may in fact be buggered.
Another uni contacted me asking for more details which I have given them including a lot more details about the work experience im doing. Do you think that was just a formality or do that actually mean they are considering me?

It is possible you have not 'ticked the boxes' with your personal statement.  Show it to a physio. friend and see what they say. 

From the Sheffield Hallam website: 

"You are required to have some prior knowledge and experience of working with a physiotherapist. This can be gained by shadowing a physiotherapist in a number of different settings."

You can't rewrite your UCAS form but you can contact all the universities you have applied to, including Hallam, and tell them you now have the work experience. 

It might be worth phoning Hallam, thought when I was admissions officer I didn't take calls (following several experiences with distressed or irate parents).

[Seb]

Thanks, Ill do all of that and even if Hallam don't change there mind (I imagine they wont) Itll still help for other unis im sure. Thanks for the good advice.

[andy popp]

Duncan and Tom have given you some great advive. Do try ringing them, do take the other university contacting you as positive (really, they are not going to do that without a reason). Do look again at your personal statement - predicted grades are extremely important in how decisions are made but personal statements can make all the difference. I read them all carefully and will sometimes make offers to applicants with lowish predicted grades if the statement impresses. Or rather I used to because though Tom says ...

phone up the department Seb and ask to speak to the admissions officer. It'll probably be an academic working there.

... it may well not be. Admissions at an increasing number of places are being centralized and tutors now only see the exceptional cases (unusual qualifications etc.), i.e. there is much less academic judgement involved unfortunately.

[Seb]

do take the other university contacting you as positive (really, they are not going to do that without a reason).

This is good to hear. Just sorting out emails now. Going to call when im not in class tomorrow. Thanks again for your good advice.

[fatdoc]

cripes... those grades would have got u  into med school in 1987... not that I'm advocating that as a choice... just scares the shit out of me what me kids will have to achieve in any walk of life..

[webbo]

cripes... those grades would have got u  into med school in 1987..
[/quote
mmmmmm I feel there is an obvious reply to that being a nurse but that might be related to the amount of red wine I've drunk so for once I'll let it go.

[fatdoc]

IIRC wernt  u going about us being a load of old soaks at one point??

 

[GCW]

cripes... those grades would have got u  into med school in 1987... not that I'm advocating that as a choice... just scares the shit out of me what me kids will have to achieve in any walk of life..

Yeah, they used to let any old people in then.

[fatdoc]

yeah, only went for it to 5 years at sheff uni.

[Seb]

cripes... those grades would have got u  into med school in 1987... not that I'm advocating that as a choice... just scares the shit out of me what me kids will have to achieve in any walk of life..

Yer Its pretty damn scary how hard it is to get into anything worth doing. If i wasn't totally sure this was what I wanted to do Id have just stuck to my old job and earned more money and not basically given up my social life and having any money to risk it. But its really not about money is it and as Wayne Gretski said "you miss 100% of the shits you dont take".

Got a email back from Sheffield saying they are very busy and will get back to me when they can. Ill call them tomorrow morning.

[BB]

as Wayne Gretski said "you miss 100% of the shits you dont take".

  That's got to be a typo, shirley? Shits or shots, it's perfectly true either way!

[cheque]

as Wayne Gretski said "you miss 100% of the shits you dont take".

  That's got to be a typo, shirley?

Yep, it's Gretsky 

[Seb]

   Although im thinking its still true. Thats what i get for not reading my post before pressing post.

[Seb]

Maybe thats whats wrong with my application. My person statement is just full off accidental swearing.

[SA Chris]

Hurrican Bawbag has struck. No power at home since 8:30pm. Getting a 2 year old up fed and dressed by the light of a spotlight in 5deg temps isn't fun, nor piling the entire contents of the freezer into the car and distributing it to friends with freezer space. Work is nice, warm and peaceful by comparison.

Sounds like FD had an entertaining flight home?

[Oldmanmatt]

Landing at Gatwick last night, I was forced to hold the pretty stewardess's hand. First time I've seen a pro in tears. She nearly broke my fingers. There was some fairly loud praying going on in that cabin (excess of elderly Italians).
Hmm...
She really was pretty.
Maybe that should have been a YYFY...

[b3n99]

Two days at the cave spent falling off the last move of Rock Atrocity. After about 5 fails on the last move on the second day I found some great new beta making the move to the flake much easier. Next go i fell off matching the slot, didn't get there again, NNFN. 3 hour trip needed again over christmas now!

[fuzzface93]

Mum lost her fight with cancer last night NNFN 

There's always a silver lining, she left me some money and told me to use it to go climbing. Chin up lad. 

[b3n99]

Hope your OK Fuzzy mate, you know everyones at the warehouse is there for you if you need us!

[fuzzface93]

Cheers ben, means a lot. Its been a long time coming, so i'm sort of ok. At this point it was more of a relief than anything.

Off topic, but on a somewhat cheerier note are you still organising a trip to font?