quiet spot where I could face what felt like monumental news to me at the time. It felt like my world would
come crashing down if I did not hit the marks. My future rested on what was in that envelope, my happiness
relied on those letters and numbers. This is what rushes through many 16-year-olds’ minds. This is what it
feels like for the majority of young people collecting their results this week. This is the reality.
A survey carried out by the NHS in 2017 found that 17 per cent of people between the ages of 17 and 19 have
a mental health disorder. This is commonly attributed to increased social media use, but adults all too often
fail to notice the common denominator which affects children of all genders and backgrounds on a daily
basis: the flawed education system.
We know that people should not be reduced to being just a number or part of a statistic, yet that’s how the
British education system treats us. In the UK, a 17-year-old must cross a threshold of grades before they can
even consider certain prestigious universities.
Universities as well as schools repeatedly tell teenagers that we are not good enough because our grades are
not good enough, and no matter how hard we try, we’re taught that any perceived academic failure could
affect the rest of our lives.
We are told that there is no point applying to Oxford or Cambridge because our grades are not good enough
to even get us through the door for an interview. According to the Oxford University website, only 47 per
cent of applicants are actually given the opportunity to reach the interview stage because many applicants
are rejected upon an initial glance at their grades, and are not given the chance to speak for themselves or
show who they are as a person.
This does not need to be the only way. Over in the US, for instance, things are done very differently. For
example, if you visit an Ivy League university in the United States, they will tell you there are “no minimum
grade requirements”. The application process for American universities is far more holistic and well-
rounded than the British Ucas system. The same is true of many other countries’ university systems.
Contrary to what some seem to assume, unconditional offers don’t make
students feel complacent, they make them feel wanted
Instead of limiting students by reducing them to numbers on a page, the American system pushes them to
highlight their strengths beyond the academics throughout their application – often in musical skills,
volunteering or personality traits. They value ambition and creativity and the desire to succeed. They
encourage anyone to apply to the most prestigious institutions because they know there is more to an
applicant than a bag of grades.
Now that British universities are finally offering unconditional offers, people are actually criticising this
move. In fact, unconditional offers may actually be a step in the right direction. At least students would
finally be able to receive an offer from a university they are allowed to fully celebrate, rather than spending
months with a niggling voice in the back of their mind saying, “what if I don’t make the grades?”
Contrary to what some seem to assume, unconditional offers don’t make students feel “complacent”, they
make them feel wanted; they give students a light at the end of the tunnel and the chance to take a break
from the hamster wheel of a British education. They allow students to take their final exams with a passion
for their subject rather than bags of fear and anxiety for a change.
I’m not suggesting we allow the youth to run wild, or to ban examinations. In fact, I believe there should be
better discipline within schools. However, we must review the values of our education system and raise