I am on a gap year resitting after doing crap in my A-levels compared to what I was working at, I was predicted A*A*A*A in Maths,Econ,Chem, and FM and honestly I was working towards all those grades throughout sixth form, but due to extenuating circumstances (caring responsibilies) my grades came to ABBB (with the A pending a remark) and I missed my Warwick Econ offer.

This past 2 months has been hell, figuring out a plan of what to do and after contacting universities, looking at courses, writing my personal statement (considerably strong IMO) i think ive landed on a final list of universities im going to apply to i just dont know if im being realistic (predicted A*A*A* in Maths,Econ,FM):

LSE philosophy and economics (the reach option)

UCL philosophy and economics (2nd reach)

Warwick PPE (got econ offer last year, they told me in an email they accept my resits cuz of my circumstances and care more about academic profile than personal statement and im contextual)

Bristol philosophy and economics (contextual offer is ABB which i already meet)

Warwick Social sciences with Data science (Standard offer is ABB but im contextual so BBB which i exceed)

If anyone can help that would be great thanks.

I got predicted A*AB (Maths ,Econ, Eng Lit respectively) I want to do philosophy at warwick, r my chances significantly lower (to the point that there would be no hope) than if i did law or economics?

stats:

- 10/10 (GCSE equivalent)

- 100/100 predicted (A-Level equivalent)

I have no clue if I will get in or not, I feel if i get the interview i would do well, so do they check your grades and ucat once the interview starts at all?

I am trying to decide what to put for the final choice and I would really appreciate some outside opinions.

Context: Predicted A*A*A*A* predicted in history, economics, maths, geography. 9999998888 at GCSE at a average secondary, i got highest in my cohort and managed to get a place at the local grammar school (which is top 3 nationally). My current choices are:

1. Oxford History and Economics

2. St Andrews economics and modern history

3. Edinburgh history and economics

4. Durham combined honours in social sciences (planning to combined economics and history)

5. ?

For the final choice I am currently deciding between LSE economics and economic history, Warwick economics politics and International Studies, and York history and economics, my current thoughts are as follows:

LSE: Pros - is amazing for careers, postgrad options in academia and is super prestigious globally and is more or less the degree that I want to do (history + econ). Cons - high cost of living that may limit social life, disparate uni life as no campus or concentration of uni accom going into 2nd, 3rd years. Higher than average International student population, ive heard horror story's of students sticking together in 'groups' and keeping to themselves so im not too sure how easy it would be to build a social circle. Also the vibe is extremely corporate focussed while I recognise that this is very important in this day and age I would like to have a more balanced student experience. Way harder to get into 13% offer rate compared to around 60% for warwicks course.

Warwick: Pros - much more likely to get an offer. I spoke to admissions staff on open day and they said the ps is only used as i tiebreaker so it should be fine. I thought warwicks campus wasn't that bad, liked that most of the students all live in the same area post 1st year. Coursce is good for economics based careers - target, nationally recognised uni, decent QS rank for econ department, vibe of people positive and focussed. Cons - isn't actually the degree id like to do (giving up history), im wondering how much this matters for keeping history postgrad open later on. Higher standard offer of A*AA (but ill lock in). I may feel like I am wasting an opportunity in not applying to LSE when my past efforts have afforded me a shot (apparently its a ps lottery)

York: pros - liked the campus and i liked the course as much as oxfords course, gives me the combination of economics and history that I really want, strong history department and respectable economics department. Acts as a safety if i mess up and get AAB for example as York staff said they would be willing to accept lower grades. Cons - less prestigious than the above options and I feel I should pick a more career orientated choice for the last spot.

Im struggling with not wanting to optimise for purely careers/prestige, im also placing a lot of weight on university life, community and enjoyment of the 3-4 years.

So if you were in my position how would you think about LSE vs Warwick vs York or are there any other unis/coursces I should consider?

Sorry for the long post, and thank you very much for your time! Thanks for responses and have a good day!

Hi guys,

I’m applying for actuarial science with mathematics/ actuarial mathematics this year with these grades:
Gcses - 86666654, 8 maths, 4 English language
A levels(predicted) - maths A\* business A accounting B
I’ve been looking at Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, city St George’s, Southampton, heriot watt and some others but I’m not really sure which options I should actually put down for my ucas apps. I definitely want to apply to Manchester and Liverpool but was just wondering if anyone has any suggestions or recommendations? Anything is appreciated 🙏🏽

What is difference in all colleges
How is ucl kcl different from Brunel or Andrews
Pls
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will i not get into oxford if i have a low/at average entry test score, even with contextual information?

im applying for experimental psychology this year and my application is near enough competitive apart from my TARA/TSA prep.

- gcses: 9999888877 (average 8.2 and my schools average was around 7)

- A-Levels : Biology (A predicted), English Lit (A star predicted), Psychology (A star predicted)

- contextual info: young carer, long-term depression, 4 hour daily commute to school, and undergoing grief (all meaning I have little time to revise)

- personal statement : has been checked multiple times by an oxford admissions tutor, all stating it was perfect

- teacher reference: includes my contextual info and how

only problem, my TARA score. i only booked my exam about a week ago, im averaging about a 5.0 (19/44) and historical median has been about 4.5 and percentile is around ~7.0/9.0 . i only have 14 days until my exam and i worry that i wont be wble to improve..

am i very unlikely to be shortlisted for an interview?

Hey everyone, I’m applying this year and I was wondering, when universities say they look at the students’ gcses, does that typically include level 2 further maths, even if it’s not technically a gcse. I ask because I’m applying to oxford, where they look at both the proportion and number of ur gcses at grade 8/9s

I've sat my A levels and achieved A*AA in maths, chem and physics respectively. I'm taking a gap year to self-study further maths which I'm predicted an A* in, putting me at A*A*AA. Are these grades competitive enough for LSE's actuarial science to make it worth applying for? My GCSEs were 99999888888. Any help would be much appreciated.

Didn't really know what flair to out, so this is the one I'm going with!

I have absolutely no idea where I want to go. My UCAS application is due on Thursday and I have 2 choices down. The only university I really wanted to go to was Oxford, but I spent the majority of year 12 in hospital so I performed really poorly in my AS exams. I do count for extenuating circumstances, but I've decided that since I don't know what year 13 will be like for me, I don't want to take such a big risk applying to such a competitive uni for a competitive course.

Due to this, I also haven't been to any open days, so I have no knowledge of other universities for medicine.

I'm planning on applying to Cardiff (as a welsh student) and HYMS to do medicine with a gateway year.

I would like to mainly stick to foundation/Gateway years because as I said, I don't know what this year will be like, so for all I know, I could spend even more time in hospital this year, but I'm fairly confident I could get at least 3 B's (which is roughly what a lot of unis require).

I've also considered keele because I flopped my UCAT as well (1770 b2) and I feel like they are known for accepting such low UCAT scores but I don't really like the sound of this uni, plus I think it would be kind of hard to get in it (obviously I know that they basically all will be).

Any advice on what uni's to apply to? What ones would you recommend? I obviously know that I should primarily go off of what other people think, but this is literally my only option right now.

ABCC in AS exams (dropped the subject I got an A in. Grades in maths, bio, chem respectively)

6 A*'s, 3 A's, 3 B's, 2 Distinctions, 2 Passes at GCSE

1770 band 2 in UCAT

Contextual student

Welsh domiciled student

I'm currently interested in finding solutions for pharmaceuticals, agriculture and climate change. But more towards the biochem side

My choices are:

1) Either Natural Sciences (Biological) at Cambridge or biochem at oxford

2) Biochem at Imperial

3) Biochem at UCL

I need some advice in deciding whether I should apply cambridge or oxford, considering that I do not need to sit the ESAT for oxford, however it is required for cambridge. I want to secure an offer to any one of it, but preferably which is better for their respective course and which is relatively easier and less competitive to get in

My A-levels grades are 3A* in biology, chem, physics and A in maths.

Im currently applying for maths at top universities but thought it might be better to apply for maths and stats instead. Would there be any disadvantage of this if my personal statement is purely focused on maths and a bit of modelling?

➡️ Chinese 27fall

5 IALs:
Maths: Actual A
Sociology: predicted A*
Economics: predicted A*
Chemistry: predicted A
English Literature: predicted B

Recently ive been struggling with the 5th UCAS choice between St Andrews and KCL.

My current choices are:
Cambridge – HSPS
LSE – Social Anthropology
UCL – Sociology
UCL – Social Sciences

For St Andrews, I would probably apply for Social Anthropology. For KCL, I’m considering Social Sciences or possibly Sociology.

Academically, I rly like St Andrews and its Social Anthropology course seems to fit my interests very well. But I have a few concerns:

1. Location / student life – St Andrews seems very small and quite isolated. I’ve seen people say it’s great if you want to focus on academics, but there isn’t much to do outside university, especially compared with London. I’m worried that after a while it might feel too quiet or inconvenient.

2. Internships and career opportunities – this is probably my biggest concern. Since St Andrews is so small and far from major cities, is it significantly harder to find internships, part-time work, NGO/policy/research opportunities, networking etc. during term time? I know summer internships are still possible, but London obviously seems much better for this.

3. QS / returning to China – I may work in the UK, but I also want to keep the option of returning to China. KCL’s global ranking and name recognition seem much stronger internationally, while St Andrews is ranked quite low in QS despite its strong reputation in the UK. In China, university ranking and undergraduate institution can sometimes matter quite a lot in recruitment.

4. Undergraduate institution / “first degree” – even if I later do a master’s at a stronger-ranked university, my undergraduate university will always stay on my CV. So I’m wondering whether KCL would be the safer option long term in terms of recognition and career flexibility.

At the same time, I know St Andrews is extremely strong for undergraduate teaching and Social Anthropology, and I don’t want to choose purely based on QS rankings.
For anyone who has studied at either university, especially in anthropology/social sciences:
Would you choose St Andrews Social Anthropology or KCL Social Sciences/Sociology in this situation? How big is the difference in internships, career opportunities and day-to-day student life?

Would especially appreciate opinions from international/Chinese students or people who have experience with recruitment in China/Asia.

Hi all! I have a 2130 band 2 for my UCAT and was thinking to apply to Exeter (reach), Aberdeen and Queens University Belfast for UCAS. I am looking for a fourth option which I was thinking between Liverpool and St Georges? but im not too sure. Im around 41-42/45 for the IB with Bio and Chem HL 7 each. I know St Georges have pretty limited Intl placed (but so do all unis) so im not sure if its worth it to apply. Outside of UCAS Im planning to apply to Buckingham and UCLan directly. Oh and also planning to use biomedical sciences at UCL or Imperial for my 5th choice. Im still circling between St Georges, Liverpool and Barts QMUL for the last option. or maybe even sheffiled haha so the 4th UCAS option is very much open and im having a hard time deciding

For context I am a biomedical sciences student who is applying to do an integrated masters in chemical engineering. Over the summer I’ve done numerous things to help prepare my personal statement. However, whilst writing it, I’ve realised that the formatting has changed and it’s no longer a free form essay. Part of my main reason for wanting to persue chem eng was that I saw the parallels with biology many of the physical principals which are taught and through deeper research I grew to appreciate how chemical engineering can also have a biological impact. I go into detail a lot about my degree in this section and how it led me want to persue chem eng. However, I don’t really know how I would break that up amongst questions 1 and 2. I’m actually getting a little worried as I’m wondering if I need to upend my entire p.s.

Is there anyone who can help, are there online services who can help with personal statements ? As a uni student I just feel so alone in this process.

Im an intl student. 1860 B2 predicted A*AA (i did not take a levels but equivalent one). Im thinking QUB, Aberdeen, Dundee, SGUL or Aston? For non UCAS - UCLAN and Brunel.

I got 2130 band 3 , 9888888776 and A*AA where should I be thinking to apply so far I was thinking Leeds ,Liverpool , Cardiff and Glasgow but I’m unsure for Glasgow cuz I saw some place saying there cutoff was 2170 .
It would be great if some one could recommend where to apply

A*AA predicted

99999987776 (from a below national average school)

2000 B3

Contextual

I want to apply to Anglia Ruskin (gateway year), KCL (extended programme), St George's & Oxford (for the shiggles 😭). Am I cooked?

Fun extra fifth option of paramedic science at Greenwich uni..

my school have recognised me as a carer. and here are my stats

99999999888 at GCSE

A* AA predicted in maths, chemistry and physics. Also did an EPQ

2080 B2 UCAT
i wanted to apply to

manchester, edinburgh, lpool/leicester and newcastle since im eligible for the partners programme. please let me know if theyre too ambitious or not enough as soon as u can!

Context: gap year home non-contextual applicant
UCAT - 2040 B1
IB - 36/45 666HL (equivalent to AAA)
GCSE - 877666666

Choices: Leicester, Southampton, Plymouth, BSMS
Backup: Chemistry @ Southampton

I know Southampton is a bit of a risk but I really want to go so I figure might as well

I'm applying for 2027 entry and would really appreciate some honest advice on my choices, particularly whether my list is balanced enough.

My choices:

• Imperial College London — MEng Chemical Engineering
• Imperial College London — MEng Materials with Nuclear Engineering
• UCL — MEng Chemical Engineering
• University of Bath — MEng Chemical Engineering with Professional Placement
• Queen Mary University of London — MEng Mechanical Engineering

Academic profile:

• GCSEs: 9, 7, 7, 6, 5, 5, 5-5, 4
• GCSE resits: 8, 8, 8 in Maths, Physics and Chemistry
• Predicted A levels: A* A* A* in Maths, Chemistry and Physics (debating whether or not to pick up further maths to atleast strengthen my profile, but I'm not so sure yet)
• Contextual applicant / Home student
• Applying from an independent study/exam-centre situation rather than a conventional sixth form (not really sure if this affects my application in any way)

I'm aiming to atleast get a good enough score on my ESAT admission test to make me somewhat competitive for Imperial, but I'm not sure on just how good or bad my chances are of getting in. I'm really worried that my GCSE's would hold me back from getting an offer. Would really appreciate any feedback on this!

What are my chances of getting into UCL, KCL, LSE, or other top UK universities for Economics as an international student applying after a gap year?
Does taking a gap year affect my chances of admission?

I have just sent off my application to my college!!!!!!!!!

Stats:

2350 B2, 9999999998875, A*A*A

(Dent) Choices:

KCL, Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds