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Physics Applicants 2012

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Original post by ninuzu
Hi guys, nice to find this thread :smile:
Just finished my AS levels (chemistry, physics, critical thinking, maths and further maths). Got 8A*'s and 3A's at GCSE. Considering Imperial, St. Andrews, Nottingham, Cardiff and unsure on the last.
Any good suggestions for a 5th that I could look at?
Thanks :smile:


Manchester and Durham are both excellent universities for Physics, although they have high grade requirements (A*AA for Durham and I believe A*A*A - A*AA for manchester this year), but it sounds like you won't have a problem either way that :smile: If you're looking for something as a backup, Southampton was a great place. I'd also recommend Lancaster - it's my backup choice - the university was lovely and it has a really strong Physics department :smile:
Reply 1921
Avatar for JayReg
JayReg
14
Original post by ninuzu
Hi guys, nice to find this thread :smile:
Just finished my AS levels (chemistry, physics, critical thinking, maths and further maths). Got 8A*'s and 3A's at GCSE. Considering Imperial, St. Andrews, Nottingham, Cardiff and unsure on the last.
Any good suggestions for a 5th that I could look at?
Thanks :smile:


Don't be frightened by applying to Oxbridge. I think it's worth giving it a go if you have good As results to complement your really good GCSE's. As above Manchester and Durham are also very good for physics.
Is there a limit to where I could apply with exceptional foundation year grades? So far I have got an offer from Manchester on the basis my foundation year grades continue to be very high.
Original post by Oh my Ms. Coffey
Is there a limit to where I could apply with exceptional foundation year grades? So far I have got an offer from Manchester on the basis my foundation year grades continue to be very high.

No idea


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Reply 1924
Avatar for ninuzu
ninuzu
17
Original post by TenaciousMonkey
Manchester and Durham are both excellent universities for Physics, although they have high grade requirements (A*AA for Durham and I believe A*A*A - A*AA for manchester this year), but it sounds like you won't have a problem either way that :smile: If you're looking for something as a backup, Southampton was a great place. I'd also recommend Lancaster - it's my backup choice - the university was lovely and it has a really strong Physics department :smile:



Original post by JayReg
Don't be frightened by applying to Oxbridge. I think it's worth giving it a go if you have good As results to complement your really good GCSE's. As above Manchester and Durham are also very good for physics.


Thanks for the responses guys :smile: I'll probably consider Oxbridge, depending on my AS results, and yeah I noticed insanely high requirements at Manchester!
Original post by TenaciousMonkey
Manchester and Durham are both excellent universities for Physics, although they have high grade requirements (A*AA for Durham and I believe A*A*A - A*AA for manchester this year), but it sounds like you won't have a problem either way that :smile: If you're looking for something as a backup, Southampton was a great place. I'd also recommend Lancaster - it's my backup choice - the university was lovely and it has a really strong Physics department :smile:


Really? I didn't like the look of Lancaster one little bit. Well, to be specific, I didn't like the look of the Physics department. The rest was nice enough. It seems the rest of the uni has a grudge against the Physicists when it comes to maintenance. :P It's a shame, because it's ranked highly. :-/
Original post by Tora Shin
Really? I didn't like the look of Lancaster one little bit. Well, to be specific, I didn't like the look of the Physics department. The rest was nice enough. It seems the rest of the uni has a grudge against the Physicists when it comes to maintenance. :P It's a shame, because it's ranked highly. :-/


I really liked it! The accomodation was good, the university was fairly nice, the Physics department was pretty good... all round okay, I thought!
Original post by TenaciousMonkey
I really liked it! The accomodation was good, the university was fairly nice, the Physics department was pretty good... all round okay, I thought!


hmmmmm. Maybe I was just spoilt by pretty 'ol York lol
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oPJ_Lad
anyone else do AQA Physics B? :smile:
Original post by oPJ_Lad
anyone else do AQA Physics B? :smile:


I'm doing C (applied). There seems to be quite a lot involved in medical! The rotational dynamics half of applied is just linear dynamics with "rotational" put in front of acceleration, velocity etc, and the 2nd half on thermo is pretty easy to grasp for people with physics brains like people here.

On the core section, some of the gas calculations can be tricky but seem to become routine when you've done a few. Mostly worried about the nuclear side as we were barely taught it.
Original post by oPJ_Lad
anyone else do AQA Physics B? :smile:


Yep :biggrin:
Original post by ninuzu
Hi guys, nice to find this thread :smile:
Just finished my AS levels (chemistry, physics, critical thinking, maths and further maths). Got 8A*'s and 3A's at GCSE. Considering Imperial, St. Andrews, Nottingham, Cardiff and unsure on the last.
Any good suggestions for a 5th that I could look at?
Thanks :smile:


St Andrews only has around 50 places so super competitive. I liked Sheffield as a back-up but other people rated York and Leeds. For St Andrews you'll need good extra-curricular stuff as so many people apply there with a string of A/A*s at GCSE and with the right predicted grades. ( though that's also true of Durham)
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by alcimedes
St Andrews only has around 50 places so super competitive. I liked Sheffield as a back-up but other people rated York and Leeds. For St Andrews you'll need good extra-curricular stuff as so many people apply there with a string of A/A*s at GCSE and with the right predicted grades. ( though that's also true of Durham)


All very true. I was rejected from St Andrews (alone with Oxford), then found to my great surprise that I much preferred York to Lancaster and Sussex.
Original post by alcimedes
St Andrews only has around 50 places so super competitive. I liked Sheffield as a back-up but other people rated York and Leeds. For St Andrews you'll need good extra-curricular stuff as so many people apply there with a string of A/A*s at GCSE and with the right predicted grades. ( though that's also true of Durham)


Is A/A*'s really that important for Durham? Im screwed then.
Reply 1934
Avatar for ninuzu
ninuzu
17
Original post by alcimedes
St Andrews only has around 50 places so super competitive. I liked Sheffield as a back-up but other people rated York and Leeds. For St Andrews you'll need good extra-curricular stuff as so many people apply there with a string of A/A*s at GCSE and with the right predicted grades. ( though that's also true of Durham)


Ok thanks :smile: I do have a bit of extra curricular stuff, so I've been on a Villiers Park course and have a Nuffield Bursary with the institute of astronomy in Cambridge this summer. Thanks for telling me though, I wasn't aware of how competitive physics is at St Andrews.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Oh my Ms. Coffey
Is A/A*'s really that important for Durham? Im screwed then.


Yes they are, well A*s I got offers from Oxford (firm) Bristol (insurance) exeter and Imperial but a rejection from Durham as my GCSEs weren't good enough and I got 7A*s and 5As as well as a BTEC at distinction and an A at advanced FSMQ additional mathematics
Original post by natninja
Yes they are, well A*s I got offers from Oxford (firm) Bristol (insurance) exeter and Imperial but a rejection from Durham as my GCSEs weren't good enough and I got 7A*s and 5As as well as a BTEC at distinction and an A at advanced FSMQ additional mathematics


They'll love my B's C's D's and E's.
Original post by natninja
Yes they are, well A*s I got offers from Oxford (firm) Bristol (insurance) exeter and Imperial but a rejection from Durham as my GCSEs weren't good enough and I got 7A*s and 5As as well as a BTEC at distinction and an A at advanced FSMQ additional mathematics

I'm pretty sure your GCSEs weren't the problem, because I got an offer with 3A*s and 6As. Different universities are just looking for different things.
Original post by natninja
Yes they are, well A*s I got offers from Oxford (firm) Bristol (insurance) exeter and Imperial but a rejection from Durham as my GCSEs weren't good enough and I got 7A*s and 5As as well as a BTEC at distinction and an A at advanced FSMQ additional mathematics


Are you sure that was the reason? It seems awfully strange to be rejected on the basis of GCSEs as high as yours.
Original post by TenaciousMonkey
Are you sure that was the reason? It seems awfully strange to be rejected on the basis of GCSEs as high as yours.


That was the feedback they gave me...

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