So, why did we do it?
The main reason, obviously enough, was to make sure you didn't miss the deadline for replying. Missing the deadline for replying can be stressful for those it affects as it means that your replies are automatically made for you and you decline any offers you had. You have a period of 7 days in which to get this sorted but this involves you having to call UCAS to change your replies to get it all rectified. This means more work for you and more work for UCAS.
Here are some numbers to crunch regarding contacts received (basically telephone calls, social media queries and emails) by our Contact Centre regarding the May reply deadline last year which should show what I mean:
- Contacts received in the 7 days before the May deadline asking to change replies: 1228
- Contacts received in the 7 days after the May deadline asking to change replies: 5083
- Increase in queries asking to change replies: 414%
So, from your point of view, if you can reply by the deadline then you're saved the stress of seeing your offers getting declined. You're also saved the hassle and cost of having to call us up to get it all corrected. Also, if you miss your 7 day window to correct it, it's then in the universities' hands as to whether they allow you to accept their offers.
From our point of view, it would massively reduce the amount of people contacting us to change their replies if the deadline was kept to. This would then mean that more advisers are available to answer other queries across our various channels. Everyone wins!
The final burning question that some of you will have is why you received more than one text reminding you! The answer, like with most of these things, was a 'technical glitch' which duplicated some texts. A big apology to anyone who did get more than one text - it definitely wasn't our intention to appear over-eager! Hopefully though, our reasons for sending it may now be a bit clearer.
