[katherinejt]

Okay, so I am from Australia

I am only in grade 11 (16 years old) and I applied to uni's this year as a kind of 'practice' for when I was really going to apply next year. The time of applying next year is right in the middle of my HSC exams and all, so I needed to get used to it so I wasn't stressing out.

I didn't actually expect any offers, but I have received two, waiting back from 1.

I got into Durham and QMUL to study History. (Conditional)

However, I don't know if I should reapply next year and apply for Oxford as well, because that is where I always planned on going.

Should I firm and insure now, or should I reapply next year and take the chance of not getting an acceptance anywhere, as well as having the stress for admissions exams, personal statement, getting reference etc, next year?

I am also thinking that I might be close-minded. To be honest, I don't know a lot about Oxford except its prestige. I have been researching Durham and I am kind of getting really pulled in, and QMUL has a great location which may provide more opportunities for me to work (since international fees are crazy!)

SO, your opinions please, and so sorry for the long post

[soul-fuel]

I just read the whole of your post in an Aussie accent

[SunderX]

Also Australian here, although I applied from Shanghai with IB qualifications.

What were the conditions attached to the Durham/QMUL offers? And what are your predictions? Both are respectable universities in the UK, but if you're paying full international fees, you might as well try for Oxbridge, which has more international recognition and a better return on investment. If you're planning on working here afterwards, unless you have UK ancestry, the current government is not so hot on immigration, and getting a work visa is not particularly easy.

Curious - why do you want to study in the UK? My sister is headed off to the University of Melbourne in a couple weeks (she got offers from Imperial and Durham, but was rejected from Cambridge). It seems a lot more economical to stay in Australia where you're eligible for grants and student loans.

[katherinejt]

(Original post by SunderX)
Also Australian here, although I applied from Shanghai with IB qualifications.

What were the conditions attached to the Durham/QMUL offers? And what are your predictions? Both are respectable universities in the UK, but if you're paying full international fees, you might as well try for Oxbridge, which has more international recognition and a better return on investment. If you're planning on working here afterwards, unless you have UK ancestry, the current government is not so hot on immigration, and getting a work visa is not particularly easy.

Curious - why do you want to study in the UK? My sister is headed off to the University of Melbourne in a couple weeks (she got offers from Imperial and Durham, but was rejected from Cambridge). It seems a lot more economical to stay in Australia where you're eligible for grants and student loans.

Thanks for your response

The conditions were:

QMUL- HSC with ATAR of 90 or more
Durham- HSC aggregate of 380 or more with History Extension and Modern History at 380% (roughly equivalent to an ATAR of 93 or so)

It is predicted that I will receive above 94 for the ATAR, but I haven't even started year 12 coursework, so this is based on year 11 work.

The thing with Oxford is... its minimum grade is an ATAR of 98.95, even though acceptance grades in the UK are similar to that of Durham.

As for why I want to study-- for the experience, for the course (I love the courses in the UK so much), because its something i've been working towards since I was in grade 7, because my ancestry is from there (and I have family living there), and because when I visited the UK, I fell in love with it. And of course, because I love the universities over there. Studying in the UK is something I'm very passionate about.

[SunderX]

(Original post by katherinejt)
Thanks for your response

The conditions were:

QMUL- HSC with ATAR of 90 or more
Durham- HSC aggregate of 380 or more with History Extension and Modern History at 380% (roughly equivalent to an ATAR of 93 or so)

It is predicted that I will receive above 94 for the ATAR, but I haven't even started year 12 coursework, so this is based on year 11 work.

The thing with Oxford is... its minimum grade is an ATAR of 98.95, even though acceptance grades in the UK are similar to that of Durham.

As for why I want to study-- for the experience, for the course (I love the courses in the UK so much), because its something i've been working towards since I was in grade 7, because my ancestry is from there (and I have family living there), and because when I visited the UK, I fell in love with it. And of course, because I love the universities over there. Studying in the UK is something I'm very passionate about.

Do you think you'll be able to do better when the time comes? Cambridge only requires 98.5% (according to the Kings College website). Are they giving your offers on the basis of Year 13 results as well?

If you have a British grandparent, it might be worth applying for UK citizenship. I think you also need prior residency for local fees status, but it'll at least help your case (and if your family has property in the UK, might swing it).

[katherinejt]

(Original post by SunderX)
Do you think you'll be able to do better when the time comes? Cambridge only requires 98.5% (according to the Kings College website). Are they giving your offers on the basis of Year 13 results as well?

If you have a British grandparent, it might be worth applying for UK citizenship. I think you also need prior residency for local fees status, but it'll at least help your case (and if your family has property in the UK, might swing it).

Ok, well I have done 1/4 terms of year 12, and there is no year 13- so it's year 12 results only. As much as I would like to, in my heart of hearts I know I cannot get 98.5.

Well my family who lives in the UK is my aunty and my uncle-in-law (who is the British citizen and owns property). But no grandparents. I think great- grandparents maybe.

[chloooeee]

Best advice: Stay in Australia!

I bet the UK looks all cute and snowy and cosy but yeah it's going downhill bigtimeee.

[Vikitora]

Well, having read of your predicted grades and if you really want to study in the UK, go for Durham. They are better than QMUL.

But to be entirely honest, if you really want to learn loads, don't go there. i was considering that step from Germany, but then I began completely disregarding these bloody league tables and had a look at what you learn, how you learn and the amount of contact time. I'll simply describe the reasons for my stay in Germany.
You don't learn as interdisciplinary as in some other countries. If you've got the money, go for Chicago or something similar. I've decided to stay in Germany because I really do prefer the interdisciplinary approach here.. you learn about philosophers and economy if you study history and, most importantly, you learn loads about classics. At many unis you need to learn French and Latin at some point, or you'll drown.
Contact time.. in the UK you only ever get around 5-12 hours of contact time (I think 12 is the norm at LSE).. here you get 25-30over.

I've been told by a PhD candidate from Trinity College Dublin that you learn interdisciplinary in the USA and if you are able to pay the international fees for the UK, you may as well go to the US.

Additionally, prestige is NOT everything.. I'd pick the uni where you learn the most and that does not necessarily mean the most prestigious one.


Greetings.
Vikitora