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How Hard Is It To Get Into Imperial

Hey, I'm currently in year 12 doing Maths and three sciences. I was wondering how hard is it to get into Imperial, is it like only the very select few get through luckily or is it, get the grades and your pretty much in?

I'm thinking of doing Chemical Engineering or something similair. If anyone could help thank you, I pretty much know nothing about applying to university and all this.

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Reply 1
Good grades, good personal statement and good reference, and you ought to be alright. They have less places than applicants with the right grades though, so it sure as hell isn't a case of "grades = offer", except for some departments like Materials Science which are very unpopular.
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Imperial College London
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Reply 2
Good grades and a reasonable personal statement should get you an interview at least. How difficult the interview is varies between department.
Reply 3
As the other two posters. However, it's important to notice that it's not like Oxbridge difficult - perhaps it's bold statment, but there is quite a chasm between Oxbridge and what you might think of as the next group down - Imperial, LSE, perhaps Durham etc.

Basically if you are an AAA student then you will have a good reference and stuff, so as long as you aren't really boarderline (i.e. get all 240 UMS) you're right on track :smile:
Reply 4
Henerz
As the other two posters. However, it's important to notice that it's not like Oxbridge difficult - perhaps it's bold statment, but there is quite a chasm between Oxbridge and what you might think of as the next group down - Imperial, LSE, perhaps Durham etc.

Basically if you are an AAA student then you will have a good reference and stuff, so as long as you aren't really boarderline (i.e. get all 240 UMS) you're right on track :smile:


Assuming you mean chasm in terms of entrance difficulty, then yes indeedy.
Reply 5
Henerz
As the other two posters. However, it's important to notice that it's not like Oxbridge difficult - perhaps it's bold statment, but there is quite a chasm between Oxbridge and what you might think of as the next group down - Imperial, LSE, perhaps Durham etc.

Basically if you are an AAA student then you will have a good reference and stuff, so as long as you aren't really boarderline (i.e. get all 240 UMS) you're right on track :smile:


Imperial is a highly regarded specialist institution, I'm not sure if I'd confidently class it as below Oxbridge.
Reply 6
cerise
Imperial is a highly regarded specialist institution, I'm not sure if I'd confidently class it as below Oxbridge.


In terms of applications alone though, it's not as rigourous, because they get fewer viable* applicants per place, and can give out more offers per place, so they don't need to reject as many. I assume Henerz meant in terms of entrance criteria, as opposed to quality of the institution. Otherwise, there will be trouble. :p:

*by viable, I mean offer-meeting-material. Imperial get a fair few BBB applicants who want to chance it, whereas most Oxbridge applicants are AAA+, because Ox+Cam are so intimidating, so Applicant:Place ratios won't reflect this accurately.
Reply 7
HCD
In terms of applications alone though, it's not as rigourous, because they get fewer viable* applicants per place, and can give out more offers per place, so they don't need to reject as many. I assume Henerz meant in terms of entrance criteria, as opposed to quality of the institution. Otherwise, there will be trouble. :p:

*by viable, I mean offer-meeting-material. Imperial get a fair few BBB applicants who want to chance it, whereas most Oxbridge applicants are AAA+, because Ox+Cam are so intimidating, so Applicant:Place ratios won't reflect this accurately.

Good point.
extremely hard (not that I would know :rolleyes: )
Reply 9
Well they gave me an offer so it can't be that hard :s-smilie:
Reply 10
HCD
In terms of applications alone though, it's not as rigourous, because they get fewer viable* applicants per place, and can give out more offers per place, so they don't need to reject as many. I assume Henerz meant in terms of entrance criteria, as opposed to quality of the institution. Otherwise, there will be trouble. :p:

*by viable, I mean offer-meeting-material. Imperial get a fair few BBB applicants who want to chance it, whereas most Oxbridge applicants are AAA+, because Ox+Cam are so intimidating, so Applicant:Place ratios won't reflect this accurately.


Okie, Chaplin. :smile:
Something that is important to remember is that applicants:tongue:laces is not the same as applicants:redface:ffers at most universities. The vast majority of people who get an offer from Oxbridge will put it as their firm and get the grades they need. This isn't the case at the "second tier" universities simply because there are more of them (and all the successful Oxbridge applicants will pick 4 of them as well), and you can apply to all of them (unlike with Oxbridge, where you can only apply to one or the other). This means it is a lot easier to get an offer from a "second tier" university, because they will give out many more offers than there are places, which is not the case at Oxbridge. This isn't anything to do with the quality of the institution, just the way that UCAS is set up and the (perhaps undeserved) reputation that Oxbridge enjoys of being better than any competition that leads to almost 1:1 offers:accepted places.
Yeah well... well... WE HAVE A TOWER!
As long as you have the required grades with a good personality and interest in what you're wanting to study, it won't be too hard. :biggrin:
xinolisss
As long as you have the required grades with a good personality and interest in what you're wanting to study, it won't be too hard. :biggrin:


Thats just stupid.
Sorry to doubt your superior intelligence but why?
Superior Intelligence
ja... ja... I laughed my butt off dude, how come you so funny?
Superior Intelligence.
Oh yeah, I can see how intelligent you are, you can't think of anything else to say... owww that's soo amazing...

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