[IsaacJ]

Hey,

I'm looking to do an undergraduate Physics degree at Edinburgh/Glasgow/St Andrews. Hopfully getting something like AAAAB in my Highers. What I'm curious about is other activites.
My question to previous applicants, what work exp/extra's did you have? Were they crucial? What would give the the best chance of being accepted?

Thanks a lot for any responses!

[heyimbored]

I didn't apply to any of them but I just wanted to say that work experience/placements etc...aren't quite as important in physics compared to some other subjects (medicine springs to mind) because decent ones at least are hard to come by.

Obviously some people will have some experience, especially when you look at the very top unis, and it wont hurt to have it, but I wouldn't worry if you can't get any. I didn't have any experience and had offers from Warwick, UCL, Nottingham, Lancaster and Sussex, all of which have pretty strong departments so it clearly didn't hurt me, it'll ultimately depend on how competitive those courses are though, and I think that St Andrew's at least is a little more picky than any of them. Glasgow are a little more lenient I think.

[qno2]

If you have AAAAB with A's in both Maths and Physics then you should get unconditional's to all 3 assuming no major surge in good applications to any of them. St Andrews might be a bit funny though. Have a friend this year who applied for Chemistry and Physics with AAAAB (B in maths) and got rejected just because he didn't have an A in maths. Experience or anything like that is not nessisary at all I don't think. English students are more attractive to unis coz they bring over 4 times as much money per year but hey...

Anyway, just also saying that just in case you fall below AAAB mark (unconditional threshold for Glasgow) it's worth considering other unis for your other 2 choices (if you apply to any of those unis twice then its most likely that they will give you the same offer with plenty of room to switch to something else if need be) What are your main deciding factors on what uni to go to though as they are all quite different in there own way?

[IsaacJ]

(Original post by heyimbored)
work experience/placements etc...aren't quite as important in physics compared to some other subjects (medicine springs to mind) because decent ones at least are hard to come by.

I've actually almost got a work experience placement related to Physics at a company who do weapons related research, such as RADAR. I'm also going to a physics summer school at the University of Birmingham this summer. Will these make me an attractive prospect?

I reckon Edinburgh as my 1st choice due to quality/prestigiousness, but as well as the more interesting social life Edinburgh has compared to somewhere like St Andrews. Despite St Andrews being higher quality and prestige. I also know Edinburgh as a city well as I've always lived here.

Glasgow is sort of a backup, or just another option.

Although I've just looked at thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk , that says St Andrews as 3rd, Glasgow is 10th and Edinburgh is 17th. So I'm not sure :/

[Julii92]

(Original post by qno2)
. St Andrews might be a bit funny though. Have a friend this year who applied for Chemistry and Physics with AAAAB (B in maths) and got rejected just because he didn't have an A in maths.

It's not so unusual, Edinburgh would have rejected him also. They require an A at maths for all chemistry/physics/engineering courses.

[aspirinpharmacist]

Not sure extracurriculars are that crucial. I know a guy who got the same grades as what you're expecting, and to be honest, apart from playing guitar (which he is brilliant at, it's pretty much the only thing he's not lazy about) I don't know that he does any other stuff out of school. But he got an unconditional and he's going to Edinburgh, so I'm sure you'll be fine.

[IsaacJ]

What are they pro's and con's of each Uni? I've done a fair bit of research but still none the wiser as to what Uni would best fit me. (Im only looking at Scottish Uni's)

[qno2]

(Original post by Julii92)
It's not so unusual, Edinburgh would have rejected him also. They require an A at maths for all chemistry/physics/engineering courses.

He firmed his conditional of B in AH maths for materials chemistry at Edinburgh and insured his unconditional for materials chemistry at Glasgow.

[Julii92]

(Original post by qno2)
He firmed his conditional of B in AH maths for materials chemistry at Edinburgh and insured his unconditional for materials chemistry at Glasgow.

Point taken. It's just worth noting that requiring a high grade in maths isn't unusual for these courses, and given the competitive nature of St Andrews it's understandable they'll go with those who achieved this in their first sitting.

[IsaacJ]

So do I still have a chance of getting into these Uni's if I get a B in H Maths? I'm taking AH Maths, Physics and Computing next year.

[qno2]

(Original post by IsaacJ)
So do I still have a chance of getting into these Uni's if I get a B in H Maths? I'm taking AH Maths, Physics and Computing next year.

Yea you still have a good chance I'd say. It just comes down to how well you do overall in your highers though a B in higher maths will set you back more at Edinburgh and St Andrews than Glasgow I think.