Hello everyone
Does anyone know where to find a comprehensive list of which Unis accept CT towards UCAS points?
Or is it a case of approaching each one individually?
Thanks
Critical Thinking Forum » Critical Thinking
University acceptance of CT
(6 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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You wouldn't necessarily get a definitive answer even by approaching the universities, since different departments have their own preferences and prejudices.
My experience is that the majority of universities make either a 3 A Level offer or an offer of a number of UCAS points. Very few specify exceptions. The major exception is the Russell Group, who always exclude CT and General Studies. Some universities exclude A Levels in foreign languages for native speakers(e.g. Chinese students with A Level Chinese).
Oxford, at first glance, seems to exclude General Studies but not CT. However, I couldn't see anyone getting an offer from them if they were only doing 2 subjects plus CT.
The latest information I have is that the trend is towards universities accepting CT as part of the 3 A Level offer this is good news for the status of the subject but in my view it is wrong in other ways. I have always encouraged the better students to do 3 A Levels plus CT, rather tha 3 A Levels including CT.
I have also heard (from a fairly reliable source) that it is also likely that universities will have to accept foreign language A Levels for native speakers, as this is apparently discriminatory!
Posted 1 year ago # -
you need to think about what they are applying for, why, and where!
have been told for instance that LSE would rather that applicants do NOT have A level LAW if applying for LAWPosted 1 year ago # -
Thanks for the replies.
I was kind of thinking of drawing up a definitive list but doesn't look like that will be possible. I want to be able to show students/parents to give them a kind of idea of how it is viewed. Unfortuantely it is often lumped with general studies.
I think I'm also after anecdotes. For example, one of our Cambridge applicants was asked if they had CT. They actively wanted students who had done it. I guess I will have to ask our year 13s each year on responses at interview etc Things like this often sway some parents on deciding with their child if they should do it (esp at KS4).
ThanksPosted 1 year ago # -
I get really annoyed with students, parents (and some staff) confusing necessary and sufficient conditions! Getting 3 As may be a necessary condition of getting an Oxbridge offer but it is not sufficient. Oxbridge applicants need to be able to offer something extra and Critical Thinking is an ideal thing to do, not least because the sort of student who gets an A at CT cannot have achieved that grade through simply being conscientious and learning lots of facts. they achieve a good grade in CT by demonstrating the very skills that the top universities say they value very highly.
The hardest thing about getting into Oxbridge is not getting the 3 As but getting the offer in the first place.
A major source of confusion is the guidance put out by the Russell Group. The guidance itself is very clear and helpful but the way it has been reported (or rather misreported) in some newspapers is a scandal. The worst example was The Times which ran the headline "Top Universities Name the Soft Options" and then printed a list of "soft options" including CT. The actual two-page document they were referring to specifically mentioned critical thinking skills as being highly valued and listed CT with General Studies in a separate category. Maybe I shouldn't expect Times journalists to be able to read and understand a simple two-page document but I have found it very frustrating ever since to frequently have aspiring Oxbridge applicants telling me that "Oxbridge doesn't accept Critical Thinking".
Posted 1 year ago # -
If anecdotal evidence is being asked for, I can give a recent example. Someone who has been involved in CT (including assessment) from its early glimmerings in the late 1990s contacted me to give the example of Clare College Cambridge. This is his old collge and he was there recently for a reunion. The tutors stressed very strongly that CT is a sine qua non for applicants. In this way, it is necessary (though, of course, for the sake of matriculation, not sufficient). However, this does not mean necessarily that applicants have to have an AS or A2 in CT, more that they have to be able to demonstrate the skills. If OCR and/or AQA's assessments are a good measure of CT skills, then it would follow that having the qualification with a good grade could be taken as evidence of the skills.
Posted 1 year ago #
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