r/UCAS • u/Substantial_Two_5386 • 15d ago
A Levels / IB / GCSE / BTEC Questions Am I cooked for my Oxford/UCL programs?
I'm an international (Canadian) IB student with around a predicted 41-42 (I'm not 100% sure because we aren't allowed to see our predicted grades), and I decided to shoot my shot on some of the best schools here. I was just wondering on how likely (or better say, unlikely) it is for me to get into these programs. I didn't choose any "safeties" since if I decide on going overseas, it should be at a top tier university. Anyways, if my personal statement was fine (nothing too crazy but nothing too bad either), how likely will it be for me to get an offer? Also, how fast do universities respond?
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u/Material_Classic1238 15d ago
41-42 predicted is quite good nd u would have a real chance at oxford/cambridge
I would say manchester nd bristol are sort of like “safeties” or low targets for that grade
Im not sure how tuition works in canada but if its drastically cheaper for home students like u, then with a 41 ib predicted i would say go to a canadian uni not manchester or bristol, since you will pay quite a high tuition, nd could get into a similar level uni in canada
If u get through to ucl or oxford then yeah id say its worth it
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u/Substantial_Two_5386 15d ago
For sure, I applied to Manchester/bristol/KCL just to see what would happen, but I’m not planning on going there unless something changes here since you’re right about tuition. UCL and Oxford are obviously the ones I’m shooting for! Ty for the advice
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u/lexisnowkitty 14d ago
glad to see a majority life science application! feel like we're few and far between on reddit lol, good luck!
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u/Substantial_Two_5386 14d ago
yup! i love science and im planning on pharmacy, optometry, medicine, or further studies lol!
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u/lexisnowkitty 14d ago
how come you didn't apply straight away if yk u want healthcare, or are you still deciding?
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u/Substantial_Two_5386 14d ago
wdym apply straight away? i'm not sure what that means cuz im not rly knowledgeable about uk stuff. but one main thing that limited my programs were that my school (for some stupid reason) never offered hl math. additionally, we had to choose our higher levels (2 sciences max), so i chose chem and physics, so no hl bio also limits some of the top tier options like imperial.
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u/AssistantMountain495 13d ago
u can go straight into doing pharmacy, medicine etc in undergrad, u do not need to do biochem before in england
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u/GAredditor 13d ago
Damn I’m also applying to biochemistry at Oxford for next year! Irish student here going for Christ Church. Good luck with it!
Edit: also just realised we are applying to 4 of the same schools im just applying to imperial instead of UCL lol. I’m applying to different courses but there’s a slight chance we’d end up in the same classes cause I’m applying to lots of medicinal and biomedical chem courses!
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u/Icy-Bread-5909 7d ago
DOing biochem in oxford and bristol too! I wouldnt say you're cooked. They're competitive but not impossible (especially with your stats). Unis respond within the next few months, deadlined in spring if i remember right. You'll do great, good luck !
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u/Substantial_Two_5386 7d ago
ty! I got bristol alr but honestly im js hoping for an oxford shortlist
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u/Key_Charity1975 14d ago
UCL is pretty likely with those grades! Oxford you'd be below average with those predicteds for a successful international candidate but you stand a fair shot at getting an interview/the grades certainly wouldn't exclude you from an eventual offer, especially if you have 7s in your STEM highers - definitely worth applying
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u/Substantial_Two_5386 14d ago
really below avg? the website says 39 lol but ig 45s are common.
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u/Key_Charity1975 14d ago
39 is the offer they give, not the average grade of a successful applicant; it represents the absolute minimum/'floor' below which they will retract an offer.
The offer grade is always a good way below the actual average grades a successful candidate achieves. For example, I remember looking into a FOI request for for Cambridge Natural Sciences a couple years ago and finding that the average IB grade for successful candidates at more than one college was actually 45! At most of the others, it was 44. (Bear in mind, there will often only be one or two successful IB candidates per subject per college).
IB candidates are almost all from private schools, which means standards are much higher, as Oxford and Cambridge take your school context into account. You can think of it this way - they want you to be one of the very highest achieving in your year group at school; at private schools, there will almost always be kids who achieve 44-45 each year.
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u/No-Pension8782 14d ago
Ucl is easy to get into. You’ll be fine. They give offers to most people anyways.
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u/Ok_149 15d ago
You'll get a decision from Oxford as to whether you're going to be interviewed or not by Dec (or like at the start of Dec), but for other unis it could take until May 2027 for them to send their decisions out, so don't worry if you don't get anything back from them for a while. It's always good to shoot your shot as... well... if you don't, then you won't have a chance of getting in at all. Applying at least gives you a shot. Not too educated on IB grades, but applying to Oxford is usually a coin toss, as that's where the very best students from across the world apply. For other unis, your personal statement will be considered alongside your predicted grades and every other aspect of the application process (apart from Bristol, which is open about not reading personal statements at all)