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Theology Applicants for 2013 entry

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Reply 20
Original post by SJC
Durham - 2013 :biggrin: Woo.


Ah, cool :biggrin: just durham or anywhere else too?
Original post by anniema
I'm not a Quaker myself but I have attended a number of their worship meetings. What about you? I had a look at the Peter Vardy books but I'd already covered a large amount of the topics he writes about, in RE. I'm looking forward to getting really into the reading though, when I get a bit more time. :smile:
Ahhh, gosh... the dreaded AS exams :P I'm hoping for all As, but it is hard to tell.


I'm sort of a Quaker. I've grown up going to both Quaker meeting and RC church but I'm not actually a member. I've done a lot of their youth things and stuff though. Vardy definitely does cover stuff that I've done in RS but I think he goes into a lot more detail so I've still found him useful.

What course are you (and others) studying?
Is anybody thinking of applying to more philosophically based courses?

Also, is anyone thinking of applying to somewhere as a backup? Grades wise I mean. For example, you could be applying somewhere that requires 3 A's, but is anyone going to apply someplace a little easier to get in just to make sue you get a place?

I remember in year 12 I was about to apply to places that had ludicrously high entrance requirements, thinking that just getting the grades would be enough. I realise now that's not the case! What has everyone else done extra-curricular to make themselves stand out? (Don't worry I wouldn't copy, it's a little late for that at least :'))

ALSO (sorry for the long post!) does anyone have any specific religions/denominations that they're interested in? And is that going to effect where you want to study?
Original post by LucyEliClay
Is anybody thinking of applying to more philosophically based courses?

Also, is anyone thinking of applying to somewhere as a backup? Grades wise I mean. For example, you could be applying somewhere that requires 3 A's, but is anyone going to apply someplace a little easier to get in just to make sue you get a place?

I remember in year 12 I was about to apply to places that had ludicrously high entrance requirements, thinking that just getting the grades would be enough. I realise now that's not the case! What has everyone else done extra-curricular to make themselves stand out? (Don't worry I wouldn't copy, it's a little late for that at least :'))

ALSO (sorry for the long post!) does anyone have any specific religions/denominations that they're interested in? And is that going to effect where you want to study?


Personally I want to apply for theology courses. I did think about philosophy (especially when I was thinking about doing history as well, as there are more joint honours which have philosophy in though) but I feel that the stuff I'm really interested in id the religious stuff. Several of my friends have decided to do philosophy - that seems a lot more common than theology actually.

I'm not sure about back up places. I guess I will apply to somewhere with lower grades - I'm in a different situation than most though, as I'm in year 13 and applying during my gap year so I'l already have my final grades. I think the problem I've noticed with theology is that there seems to be a big jump - offers go from AAA straight down to ABB/BBB - there seems to be little in the middle. Also, I've noticed that generally speaking theology offers seem lower. That said, seeing how things have gone this year for people at my school, I would definitely recommend everyone applying to at least one lower offer - universities seem to have very weird systems fro giving out offers!

I haven't done specific extra curricular stuff but looking back there is definitely things I can put down. Orchestra is my main thing and I also help to ruin RS and Philosophy club at school but other than that there's not loads. I did do envision last year (a youth charity thing) so I can put that down as well. And I've been doing a sewing course this year. And EPQ.... Uh yeah, nothing really spectacular or anything.

So have you applied this year then for 2012 entry? Or are you just curious? Any advice?
Original post by Angelicus
Personally I want to apply for theology courses. I did think about philosophy (especially when I was thinking about doing history as well, as there are more joint honours which have philosophy in though) but I feel that the stuff I'm really interested in id the religious stuff. Several of my friends have decided to do philosophy - that seems a lot more common than theology actually.

I'm not sure about back up places. I guess I will apply to somewhere with lower grades - I'm in a different situation than most though, as I'm in year 13 and applying during my gap year so I'l already have my final grades. I think the problem I've noticed with theology is that there seems to be a big jump - offers go from AAA straight down to ABB/BBB - there seems to be little in the middle. Also, I've noticed that generally speaking theology offers seem lower. That said, seeing how things have gone this year for people at my school, I would definitely recommend everyone applying to at least one lower offer - universities seem to have very weird systems fro giving out offers!

I haven't done specific extra curricular stuff but looking back there is definitely things I can put down. Orchestra is my main thing and I also help to ruin RS and Philosophy club at school but other than that there's not loads. I did do envision last year (a youth charity thing) so I can put that down as well. And I've been doing a sewing course this year. And EPQ.... Uh yeah, nothing really spectacular or anything.

So have you applied this year then for 2012 entry? Or are you just curious? Any advice?



Well I very nearly put in a late application to UCAS, but I'm going to apply in the autumn when I have my results, so I'm really in the same position as you.
That's exactly what I've found! I needed the extra time because it seemed too daring to apply to places where if I miss the offer by just one grade, I'd be left with no place. I'm pretty scared that my results are going to be AAB, or something along those lines, as there really doesn't seem to be many decent courses that cater to the demographic with those grades. I know Heythrop the grades for most courses are BBC, but in reality the people that tend to get in have three or four predicted A's.

Does anyone know of any courses with entry requirements that aren't obscenely high or low?

Where are you applying?
Reply 25
Original post by LucyEliClay
Is anybody thinking of applying to more philosophically based courses?


I am! :smile: have you found any courses that looked good for that? I think the religion, philosophy and ethics course at KCL looks good

Also, is anyone thinking of applying to somewhere as a backup? Grades wise I mean. For example, you could be applying somewhere that requires 3 A's, but is anyone going to apply someplace a little easier to get in just to make sue you get a place?


Definitely need back ups; that is compulsory at our schools, and I thought it was the same everywhere

I remember in year 12 I was about to apply to places that had ludicrously high entrance requirements, thinking that just getting the grades would be enough. I realise now that's not the case! What has everyone else done extra-curricular to make themselves stand out? (Don't worry I wouldn't copy, it's a little late for that at least :'))


Linked to theology, I founded the RS & T Society and chair their debates, and I also ask my teachers for extra reading around the subject :smile:

ALSO (sorry for the long post!) does anyone have any specific religions/denominations that they're interested in? And is that going to effect where you want to study?


I am just finishing my third (of four) years studying Islam as half my RS course because that is the religion my school specialises in. However, even though I had no choice but to specialise in Islam, I have grown to be really interested in it. It probably won't affect where I want to study too much, although if they offer a module in Islamic Studies then that is always a bonus.
Reply 26
Original post by anniema
Ah, cool :biggrin: just durham or anywhere else too?


Just Durham (:
My brother just finished his MA in Theology there :biggrin:

you?xx
Original post by SJC
Just Durham (:
My brother just finished his MA in Theology there :biggrin:

you?xx


How come your only applying to one university out of interest? Isn't that a bit risky? That said, both my parents did theology at Durham and it does look gorgeous!
Reply 28
Original post by Angelicus
How come your only applying to one university out of interest? Isn't that a bit risky? That said, both my parents did theology at Durham and it does look gorgeous!


I just only want to go there, it's risky. But I'll have my grades by then so if they meet the standards it'll be a unconditional..
If I don't I'll resit any modules in my year off ( I'm in/out of hospital - hence the year off!)

:biggrin:
Ahh Durham is a gorgeous University, may I ask what your parents do now?
I'm thinking of future careers...
Reply 29
Original post by SJC
Just Durham (:
My brother just finished his MA in Theology there :biggrin:

you?xx


Fair enough, I love the look of Durham so much.
I'm probably going to apply to 5, but am hoping to get an offer from Edinburgh, Durham or Cambridge otherwise I may rethink my plans. :smile: xx
Original post by SJC
I just only want to go there, it's risky. But I'll have my grades by then so if they meet the standards it'll be a unconditional..
If I don't I'll resit any modules in my year off ( I'm in/out of hospital - hence the year off!)

:biggrin:
Ahh Durham is a gorgeous University, may I ask what your parents do now?
I'm thinking of future careers...


I'll be a similar place to you then, what with having grade next year :smile: I would recommend putting at least one other uni on there though - my brother applied for university with grades that exceeded what he needed (A*A*A*B) and he still got rejected by Bristol - so its not always just down to the grades and you don't want to end up with no where to go. Although, hopefully your desire to go to Durham will be able to shine through if you aren't bothered about other unis.

My dads a biblical studies tutor at a Quaker Studies Centre - basically runs a lot of weekend courses, does interfaith work and stuff with adults. My mums been a stay at home mum mainly but shes planning to retrain as a librarian soon and before she worked at home she worked for charity doing organisingy things (as far as I can tell :P) I think theology has very few careers that it leads directly too though. I think most people end up doing things that aren't really related to their degree.
Reply 31
Im looking to apply for philosophy and theology (or courses similar to this) at:

Exeter
Leeds
Cardiff
Manchester
Birmingham

is anyone else looking at these/know anything about these courses at these unis?
Reply 32
Hi everyone,

I'm going to be graduating in TRS from Cardiff in a couple of months, happy to help with any questions :smile:
Reply 33
How did you find the course?! would you recommend it?
What were your favourite and least favourite parts of the course? (over the 3 years or in individual years)
Thanks!
Original post by magic_box
Hi everyone,

I'm going to be graduating in TRS from Cardiff in a couple of months, happy to help with any questions :smile:


Just wanted to ask, what were your A levels in and your grades? Also what you planning to do now in your career and what are job prospects generally like for TRS graduates? :smile:
Reply 35
Original post by mg2012
How did you find the course?! would you recommend it?
What were your favourite and least favourite parts of the course? (over the 3 years or in individual years)
Thanks!


Hey :smile: I found the course really good; I like that in Cardiff you're able to pick a different subject to study in first year (most people do 3 but Theology and Religious Studies count as two separate subjects) - if you enjoy it there are options to continue with it or even change degree programs from second year (I know people who have done this).
So the flexibility was a big plus for me as I was initially very indecisive about what to study - but I know some students were not happy about this as they wanted to concentrate solely on their main subject so that is something to consider if applying to Cardiff.

Some of my favourite modules have been things I wouldn't have necessarily thought I'd enjoy actually - a second year module on the Mahabharata for instance really stands out for me! I'd advice to think carefully on modules as some can sound really exciting in the booklet but if you really take some time to think about what they would entail studying they may not be for you (this happened to me a couple of times, but it is easy to change modules in the first 3 weeks of teaching so not too much of a problem)

Hope that helped a little - feel free to PM me for any more info/questions - I do tend to waffle a bit! :smile:


Original post by tastetherainbow
Just wanted to ask, what were your A levels in and your grades? Also what you planning to do now in your career and what are job prospects generally like for TRS graduates? :smile:


I got 3 As in Religious Studies, English Lit and Sociology and a B at A/S History :smile: But I don't think that many TRS courses require 3 As (although this may have changed so don't take my word for it :/)
Ah! The big question of what I'm going to do now .... to be completely honest, I'm not sure.
For a long time I wanted to do my PGCE in RS, but at the moment the situation of RE in schools is looking fairly precarious and I didn't want to do another year of study and get myself so much further in debt if I would just end up unemployable at the end of it all! So have put off applying for now and am going to keep my eye on the situation to see if it improves.
At the moment I'm applying for anything and everything going and am going to take it from there.

I think job prospects for TRS are on a par with other humanities/arts subjects. However I would honestly say I am not sure I would have chosen to study this at university if I had my time again, not because I don't love the subject, because I do, but I just feel a more vocational degree would have served me better in the long run.

However please don't let that put you off applying, I've honestly had a wonderful time on my degree and still adore my subject, but just think carefully and do not rush into anything :smile:

I have now written an essay, I'm sorry!!
Again, any more questions feel free to PM me.
Reply 36
hi everyone, I'm in year 13 and applying next year with my grades. i'm doing rs (phil of rel and jewish scriptures), math and biology for a level and want to do theology and religious studies next year and focus mainly on biblical text study and the study of other religions, not so much philosophy. Im applying to Cambridge, Nottingham, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. anyone else similar?
Reply 37
Original post by ileng1
hi everyone, I'm in year 13 and applying next year with my grades. i'm doing rs (phil of rel and jewish scriptures), math and biology for a level and want to do theology and religious studies next year and focus mainly on biblical text study and the study of other religions, not so much philosophy. Im applying to Cambridge, Nottingham, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. anyone else similar?


so youre applying to start in september 2013? im also looking at birmingham, manchester and leeds.
Reply 38
Original post by mg2012
so youre applying to start in september 2013? im also looking at birmingham, manchester and leeds.


yeah, for september 2013. i've actually decided since posting my original post on changing leeds to bristol. bristol is such a good course, and you get to choose a module from a different subject, take a look!
Original post by ileng1
yeah, for september 2013. i've actually decided since posting my original post on changing leeds to bristol. bristol is such a good course, and you get to choose a module from a different subject, take a look!


Leeds is also a bit of a rubbish city :')

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