Should I even bother applying (Psychology)?

Hi guys, (I'm intending to study Psychology at Uni)

My AS Subjects are Psychology, Politics, English Literature and Sociology and EPQ all with predictions of (AAAAA) this year.

My GCSE grades: Maths (B) Cor Science (C) Additional Science (B) English Lit (A*) English Lang (A*).

I'm thinking of aiming quite high in terms of university choices: Bath, Kings College, Birmingham, Royal Holloway (not sure about last choice). Russell Groups are key for me as research aspects of their unis are one of the things I am most excited to take on.

Bath is HUGELY competitive due to its placement year. I am a hugely bright and academic student and my personal statement has been commended very highly by teachers and peers so far.

Bath requires and A in Maths GCSE. This is my only limitation. I'm so sure that my AS grades will outshine my GCSE grade. All other grades/aspects of my application would be perfect such as my incredibly relevant work experience within Kings College Psych department, Neurological hospital, UCL summer school etc.

As well as this, I know many Unis 'prefer' two sciences including Psychology (I've already dropped the idea of going to UCL because of this) I only have psychology but my Personal Statement is hugely biologically based, AS Psychology has heightened my Maths skills, and I plan on reading many biologically based Psychology books in order to prove that I AM competent at core science and Maths.

Should I give Bath a go and still apply? The only thing limiting me is that Maths grade which, if I achieve my predicted grades this year surely I would prove a more wortht candidate than others who lack in areas I excel in.

Thank you for your help


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GCSE requirements are fixed. The course is competitive, so a lot of students will have all As at AS, and anyone might struggle to get an offer with the very best AS level grades. By not meeting one of the GCSE requirements, regardless of what you achieve this year, you're practically guaranteed a rejection as there will be hundreds of other candidates that do meet it and have the same AS grades as you. You do have five applications, but there's basically no hope for Bath - I really recommend focusing on other universities that don't require that GCSE grade.

It might be worth emailing them to ask, but the admissions tutor would likely see your GCSE grade and put you on the reject pile, before even checking your personal statement.

Ask the people in charge of admissions at the university. They'll be able to tell you whether or not an application like yours would be considered.

You should probably ring them and ask about their shortlisting procedure. Unfortunately, it is likely that they use the grade requirements for the first sift of applications, in which they look at UCAS points, GCSE grades and presence of science subjects and reject all of those that don't meet the criteria - they probably won't even read the personal statement at this stage. I don't know that for a fact, so check it out with them.

Hi all, thanks for your replies.

I've contacted Bath and they have responded with:
Thank you for your interest in applying to study at the University of
Bath.

The Psychology course at the University of Bath is a very competitive
one and we consider your application as a whole before we make a
decision.

With regards to your questions:
Your application would still be considered with the lower
Mathematics GCSE however it would be less comeptitive as a whole
compared to others that have achieved all the typical entry
requirements.

How does this sound in your opinion...it seems that they would still take a look at my application?

Applications from students with grade B or 6 in Mathematics at GCSE level (or equivalent) will still be considered but we anticipate that most applicants who are successful in receiving an offer will be offering Mathematics at grade A or 7 or above. If you do not have the required grade in Mathematics, you may wish to consider retaking your GCSE in order to make your application as competitive as possible.

is there a reason your GCSE's were less stellar than your AS predictions? It surprises me that you got A*A*BBC (the grades are okay but it also seems a rather low number?) but are predicted AAAAA without any mention of extenuating circumstances for your GCSE's...

If you have any make sure your teacher mentions them in your reference and I think most unis have an extenuating circumstances form you can fill out as well (I'm not sure as someone did this for me at my secondary school).

Well they'd certainly look at it... but the chances of you getting in are basically zero. It's a competitive course anyway and your chances have been unfortunately harmed by your GCSE grades. If several of your other choices are safe - so you can basically know you'll get at least some offers because your AS/predictions are higher than the entry requirements - then it might be worth applying to Bath as a very risky choice. But King's College and Birmingham are also very competitive. If you put Bath, King's College and Birmingham all down, you could theoretically face rejection from all 3.

Basically, apply if you think it's worth the risk. But have several safer options on your UCAS application.

to be honest you have 5 choices, Bath is unlikely to look at you but you do have some really good stuff on your application as well so personally I'd give it a go... it's probably going to fail but if that happens you have four other choices to fall back on and at least you won't be wondering 'what if'

their website says...



is a maths retake out of the question for you?

Thanks all of you who have helped me out.

I've decided to remove Bath from my list. Although it is my dream university, I'm not sure if it's worth the risk as my circumstances are quite unusual (in terms of grades at GCSE compared to A-level) and, ultimately, I'm not sure how admissions would take that so I won't bother.

Thank you all again, you've been of great help in this decision!