The Student Room Group

Help! Don't like any of my university choices

I have offers to study philosophy from all 5 of my university choices:

- Cambridge
- Durham
- St Andrews
- Birmingham
- Manchester

I do really really want to go to Cambridge and I will be firming that offer. But I've fallen so much in love with it that I can't imagine going anywhere else and don't like any of my possible insurance choices. Any advice?

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Original post by Platopus
I have offers to study philosophy from all 5 of my university choices:

- Cambridge
- Durham
- St Andrews
- Birmingham
- Manchester

I do really really want to go to Cambridge and I will be firming that offer. But I've fallen so much in love with it that I can't imagine going anywhere else and don't like any of my possible insurance choices. Any advice?


If you dont like your other choices then don't have an insurance choice :smile:
Then make sure youget the grades to get into Cambridge, so the others dont come into play.

If you dont like the others then reject them all (assuming youve researched them properly)and be prepared to use clearing and reapply next year for somewhere else.
Reply 3
Original post by claireestelle
If you dont like your other choices then don't have an insurance choice :smile:


Original post by 999tigger
Then make sure youget the grades to get into Cambridge, so the others dont come into play.

If you dont like the others then reject them all (assuming youve researched them properly)and be prepared to use clearing and reapply next year for somewhere else.

I guess the problem is that I still want to go to university in October, whether I get into Cambridge or not. I know that I will end up going to my insurance choice because there is no way I'll make the grades for Cambridge :frown: so I really need to like my insurance. Have you got any advice on which uni I should choose?
Original post by Platopus
I guess the problem is that I still want to go to university in October, whether I get into Cambridge or not. I know that I will end up going to my insurance choice because there is no way I'll make the grades for Cambridge :frown: so I really need to like my insurance. Have you got any advice on which uni I should choose?


If you can't imagine going anywhere else then dont force yourself to go to one of your other options as you could end up wasting a year of student finance that way.
Original post by Platopus
I guess the problem is that I still want to go to university in October, whether I get into Cambridge or not. I know that I will end up going to my insurance choice because there is no way I'll make the grades for Cambridge :frown: so I really need to like my insurance. Have you got any advice on which uni I should choose?


Your creating your own problems. Sometimes you just have to face up to things and make a choice.

If you cant imagine being anywhere else then do your absolute best to get into Cambridge. if you fail then reassess about applying the following year.

The other unis are perfectly fine but they are not Cambridge. They are unis in their own right where 10,000's of students go have a great time and get good jobs. You have a mindset that says its not Cambridge its not Cambirdge.

Talk to students what its like on the forums for those places.
Visit them and see if any of them stand out.
Look whether it gives you the career you wnat.

We dont always get what we want in life. You cna have a perfectly good time at any of hose unis.
Reply 6
Original post by claireestelle
If you can't imagine going anywhere else then dont force yourself to go to one of your other options as you could end up wasting a year of student finance that way.


Original post by 999tigger
Your creating your own problems. Sometimes you just have to face up to things and make a choice.

If you cant imagine being anywhere else then do your absolute best to get into Cambridge. if you fail then reassess about applying the following year.

The other unis are perfectly fine but they are not Cambridge. They are unis in their own right where 10,000's of students go have a great time and get good jobs. You have a mindset that says its not Cambridge its not Cambirdge.

Talk to students what its like on the forums for those places.
Visit them and see if any of them stand out.
Look whether it gives you the career you wnat.

We dont always get what we want in life. You cna have a perfectly good time at any of hose unis.

Thank you both, I'm going to try my best - both to get the grades and change my attitude! I need to remember that it's only 3 years of my life after all.
Original post by Platopus
Thank you both, I'm going to try my best - both to get the grades and change my attitude! I need to remember that it's only 3 years of my life after all.


If you miss your Cambridge offer you could look at what's available in clearing. Where else would you consider? There are some amazing unis you have not applied to.
there will be people at everyone of hose unis who didnt get in just as there will be ones who refused or could have gotten in. Try your best and accept you did, then make the most of wherever you go after.
Reply 9
Original post by Muttley79
If you miss your Cambridge offer you could look at what's available in clearing. Where else would you consider? There are some amazing unis you have not applied to.

I know :frown: I feel as though I should have applied to different ones (not sure which though) because I can't really feel excited about the ones I did pick. To be honest, I never visited any of them which I know was stupid and didn't do much research beforehand. Which unis do you reccommend?
Original post by Platopus
I have offers to study philosophy from all 5 of my university choices:

- Cambridge
- Durham
- St Andrews
- Birmingham
- Manchester

I do really really want to go to Cambridge and I will be firming that offer. But I've fallen so much in love with it that I can't imagine going anywhere else and don't like any of my possible insurance choices. Any advice?


Cambridge wouldn't offer you a place if they thought there was no way you'd make the grades. So believe in yourself a bit more, and go for it. It's fine to fall in love with a unitversity adn really want to go there - Cambridge is lovely. At the same time, it's sensible to have an insurance, and you have offers from an excellent set of universities in some other quite lovely places. Take the advice to find out a bit more about them, and take up any post-offer open day invitations (if you haven't already). Try to adopt the 'ok, now if Cambridge didn't exist, which of these would I choose....' mindset. Good luck.
Reply 11
Original post by cheshiremum
Cambridge wouldn't offer you a place if they thought there was no way you'd make the grades. So believe in yourself a bit more, and go for it. It's fine to fall in love with a unitversity adn really want to go there - Cambridge is lovely. At the same time, it's sensible to have an insurance, and you have offers from an excellent set of universities in some other quite lovely places. Take the advice to find out a bit more about them, and take up any post-offer open day invitations (if you haven't already). Try to adopt the 'ok, now if Cambridge didn't exist, which of these would I choose....' mindset. Good luck.

That's so nice of you, thank you! I just don't think I'll be able to get the one A* I need :frown: but we will see! I think I'm going to do a bit more research in my other choices and try to figure out which one I like best.
Original post by Platopus
I know :frown: I feel as though I should have applied to different ones (not sure which though) because I can't really feel excited about the ones I did pick. To be honest, I never visited any of them which I know was stupid and didn't do much research beforehand. Which unis do you reccommend?


What sort of place do you like? Campus or not? What sort of city - big/small?

What type of course?

I have a good friend who did Philosophy at Exeter; she loved it there. Personally
it's a uni I rate - did you consider it?
Reply 13
Original post by Muttley79
What sort of place do you like? Campus or not? What sort of city - big/small?

What type of course?

I have a good friend who did Philosophy at Exeter; she loved it there. Personally
it's a uni I rate - did you consider it?

I'm really open to anything (unhelpful I know)! Exeter is a uni which I'm now sort of wishing I had applied to. But the entry requirements were so high that they put me off at the time.
Original post by Platopus
I'm really open to anything (unhelpful I know)! Exeter is a uni which I'm now sort of wishing I had applied to. But the entry requirements were so high that they put me off at the time.

You could just firm Cambridge and have no insurance then look into other universities for clearing. However last year Exeter were not in clearing for Philosophy. Have you really looked into Durham. It is an excellent university in a very beautiful city. Other options at AAA/AAB worth looking into would be Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol and Cardiff although there is no guarantee these will be in clearing. It very much depends on what you want. Big city/small town, campus or not, North or South etc
Reply 15
Hey! Firstly, Exeter offers are absolutely not as high as Cambridge's, and if you've made it as far as to get an offer from Cambridge then you should definitely give Exeter a go through clearing (extra is closed, i think?)
ALSO I have heard of a girl who didn't get the grades for Cambridge, went to Kings instead and went through the transfer process (although you should know that she was absolutely crazy about cambridge, did all the research on the transfer and was met with excellent staff at kings who was more than willing to help her). She was attending cambridge by the end of the semester!
So that's another option. Have you visited any other unis? Personally my first is exeter and my insurance is loughborough, based on location, study abroad options, ratings/league tables and curriculum, as i never had the chance to visit them beforehand (failed art last year and had only visited unis for graphic design... had to start over). so if you do deep research into some other good places you may end up liking them as well (though never as much - i wanted cambridge as well, i can understand that. it does fade with time, though)
Original post by tc2802
Hey! Firstly, Exeter offers are absolutely not as high as Cambridge's, and if you've made it as far as to get an offer from Cambridge then you should definitely give Exeter a go through clearing (extra is closed, i think?)
ALSO I have heard of a girl who didn't get the grades for Cambridge, went to Kings instead and went through the transfer process (although you should know that she was absolutely crazy about cambridge, did all the research on the transfer and was met with excellent staff at kings who was more than willing to help her). She was attending cambridge by the end of the semester!
So that's another option. Have you visited any other unis? Personally my first is exeter and my insurance is loughborough, based on location, study abroad options, ratings/league tables and curriculum, as i never had the chance to visit them beforehand (failed art last year and had only visited unis for graphic design... had to start over). so if you do deep research into some other good places you may end up liking them as well (though never as much - i wanted cambridge as well, i can understand that. it does fade with time, though)

Philosophy is not available at Exeter in Extra other than as part of the flexible combined honours. It therefore is not going to be in clearing which is for courses which are not already full and clearly Philosophy at Exeter is already full up. The only way that will change is if loads of prospective Exeter students don't go there and all unis have stats on this kind of thing for many years. Basically if a uni thought it likely they would have courses in Extra as it is in their interest to fill their courses as early as possible rather than wait for clearing. Last year Exeter only had 4 subjects in clearing and the on Exeter campuses were I believe Drama and Modern Foreign Languages. There were also 2 in Penryn but these did not include Philosophy.
Reply 17
Original post by tc2802
...
ALSO I have heard of a girl who didn't get the grades for Cambridge, went to Kings instead and went through the transfer process (although you should know that she was absolutely crazy about cambridge, did all the research on the transfer and was met with excellent staff at kings who was more than willing to help her). She was attending cambridge by the end of the semester!
So that's another option.


Extremely rare, if it happened at all. And not a realistic option.

Original post by Platopus
I have offers to study philosophy from all 5 of my university choices:

- Cambridge
- Durham
- St Andrews
- Birmingham
- Manchester

I do really really want to go to Cambridge and I will be firming that offer. But I've fallen so much in love with it that I can't imagine going anywhere else and don't like any of my possible insurance choices. Any advice?


You'll hit your Cambridge offer. Don't worry :wink:

Insure one you like, and if it comes down to it you can always reject the insurance and take a gap year.
(edited 7 years ago)
Can you apply through UCAS extra to another uni you like the look of better
Reply 19
Original post by jneill


You'll hit your Cambridge offer. Don't worry :wink:



Aww I love your confidence!

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