[Peregrinum]

(Original post by tpowertj)
Well will it look like I did my A levels over 3 years which alot of universities don't like? And do I need to justify why I didn't take it in the first place in my ps, because I don't have a reason

If you think it'll look like that then set it straight in your PS or the reference and problem's solved. And I don't think you need to justify your decision to take it later, it's not relevant. I have no information regarding that decision on yours, just like the admissions people, and I think I'm pretty right in assuming you took it because a friend or teacher thought you should/you thought you might like it/the school requires an extra AS/you or someone else thought it might help with one of your A-levels, etc. Whatever the reason was, it's not going to add anything useful to your PS, it's only going to waste space. Your PS isn't for making excuses for why you didn't do something, it's for including the things that you did do, the things that are relevant and matter to you and the admissions people. They're not going to care about the fact that you took it as an extra under some peer pressure or because you were required to (or whatever the reason was), they want to know what it is about chemistry that's making you take a year out to complete the A-level and study the subject in university. That is what you have to be able to explain to them.

[minacolada]

Hoping to apply to UCL, Warwick, Southampton and to be honest not sure about the rest but have booked lots of open days. It's made complicated by the fact that I am a "mature student" (actually will only be 21, but just) and have a family so will have to look into jobs for my partner who will have just finished her degree, schools and accommodation.

In AS I got 4As (two of which are over 95% grade wise) but I did Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Philosophy. I didn't intend on wanting to do Chemistry when I started the course. Do you think it would be advisable to drop Bio/Philosophy and take up AS Maths (if my college lets me)? None of the unis I've considered applying for need Maths - and Warwick says Maths or Physics - but I know Maths students may be looked upon more favourably, but I'm also wondering if carrying on 4 subjects solidly looks better? I know Southampton makes allowances for mature students but I don't want to take the chance.

Also if I don't take Maths will I struggle with Chemistry at a higher level? I was told I would struggle with Physics A Level without it but have encountered no problems so far!

[PatrickD]

Minocolada, when I read your post I actually thought I was reading about myself! I also took Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Philosophy (RS) at AS Level and achieved high As in all (as well as a 99% A in General Studies :P). I too wasn't sure of doing Chemistry when I started Sixth Form so didn't take maths but am regretting it a little now. Oxbridge, Durham and Bristol are out but I really like Nottingham and York actually.

Like you, I'm considering taking up AS Maths (purely to help myself later on rather than to apply for the above unis) but haven't made a full decision yet. I'm leaning more towards not taking it as I don't think it will be that beneficial and I'd rather focusing on getting As/A*s next year (even though I don't really need that high grades :P)

There's some really useful maths stuff on the RSC website under Discover Maths For Chemists which links chemistry concepts to maths and vice versa. I advise you take a look!

[teakay]

I'm looking to apply to oxford durham imperial UCL, and the grades i got for lower sixth were A* in maths, 96% average, A in economics - 99% and A in english - 90% but I mucked up my chemistry and got one mark off an A which i am getting a remark but i'm just a bit worried that having a (at best) very low A in chemistry is going to really affect my application?

My predicttions should be A* maths which i already have, A* further maths, A for chemistry and A/A* for english. I'm dropping economics. Say if my chemistry didn't go up but i got predicted an overall A would that be alright?

[minacolada]

(Original post by PatrickD)
Minocolada, when I read your post I actually thought I was reading about myself! I also took Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Philosophy (RS) at AS Level and achieved high As in all (as well as a 99% A in General Studies :P). I too wasn't sure of doing Chemistry when I started Sixth Form so didn't take maths but am regretting it a little now. Oxbridge, Durham and Bristol are out but I really like Nottingham and York actually.

Like you, I'm considering taking up AS Maths (purely to help myself later on rather than to apply for the above unis) but haven't made a full decision yet. I'm leaning more towards not taking it as I don't think it will be that beneficial and I'd rather focusing on getting As/A*s next year (even though I don't really need that high grades :P)

There's some really useful maths stuff on the RSC website under Discover Maths For Chemists which links chemistry concepts to maths and vice versa. I advise you take a look!

Thank you, I'll take a look now. A friend of mine is doing Chemistry at UCL and didn't do Maths and has assured me they catch up the non-maths students with an intensive course; not sure if this is the norm but it makes me feel better!

[?!master?!mini?!]

Alright so results day is over and I got A*AB in Maths Mech, Chem, Bio respectively.

Going to apply to ICL, UCL, Warwick.

need to ring up ICL and UCL though and ask if they would accept me if i have achieved A*AB or if i have to retake that B and if it would put me at a disadvantage.

Any advice on where else to apply?

[Witty Username]

(Original post by minacolada)
Hoping to apply to UCL, Warwick, Southampton and to be honest not sure about the rest but have booked lots of open days. It's made complicated by the fact that I am a "mature student" (actually will only be 21, but just) and have a family so will have to look into jobs for my partner who will have just finished her degree, schools and accommodation.

In AS I got 4As (two of which are over 95% grade wise) but I did Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Philosophy. I didn't intend on wanting to do Chemistry when I started the course. Do you think it would be advisable to drop Bio/Philosophy and take up AS Maths (if my college lets me)? None of the unis I've considered applying for need Maths - and Warwick says Maths or Physics - but I know Maths students may be looked upon more favourably, but I'm also wondering if carrying on 4 subjects solidly looks better? I know Southampton makes allowances for mature students but I don't want to take the chance.

Also if I don't take Maths will I struggle with Chemistry at a higher level? I was told I would struggle with Physics A Level without it but have encountered no problems so far!

I'm just going into my second year and I didn't do maths! As far as I remember every university I applied to ran a module for those who hadn't done maths A-Level (trust me, you won't be alone!) to get everyone up to the same standard. As long as you can cope with learning maths fairly quickly, you should be okay

[minacolada]

(Original post by Witty Username)
I'm just going into my second year and I didn't do maths! As far as I remember every university I applied to ran a module for those who hadn't done maths A-Level (trust me, you won't be alone!) to get everyone up to the same standard. As long as you can cope with learning maths fairly quickly, you should be okay

Brilliant, thank you!

[DoDoBeDo]

Ah! People of a like mind - I seem to be the only girl at my school in 6 years who has decided to do pure chemistry. Needless to say my teachers are delighted!

I'm thinking I'm going to apply to UEA, Strathclyde, Nottingham, Loughborough and one from St Andrews, York, Durham, Heriot Watt and Glasgow.

But before that, I need to resit my 50% module. Royally screwed it up because it was nearly all green chemistry - and though I can wrap my head around it, apparently I wasn't very good at answering goodness knows how many questions on it.

I'm also reading WCRH. Only a few pages in though. & I may have to invest in that Physics for Chemists book - I am absolutely awful at any form of physics. =\ [I taught year 8's wrong. I'm that awful at it]

I can see myself spending a lot of time in here.

[PatrickD]

I've heard a lot about WCRH but I've seen plenty of people saying they understood very little of it. I might wait until we've done a bit more A2 work before getting it.

I'm struggling to write my personal statment but hopefully the unis will look on my grades as more important and make me an offer without reading it too much Seriously though, I know it's still pretty important so need to get cracking!

Just trying to forget about Cambridge though I do have a plan, however. I want to do an MChem/MSci in Biological/Medicinal Chemistry (with a Year in Industry) at York or Nottingham and hopefully get a first class degree. Having done that I'd love to do the Cambridge PhD training Programme in Chemical Biology and Molceular Medicine. This actually looks perfect for the sort of thing I want to do so I'm determined to at least apply for it. Bit of a long shot but, hey, I'm ambitious!

[Salliana23]

(Original post by minacolada)
Hoping to apply to UCL, Warwick, Southampton and to be honest not sure about the rest but have booked lots of open days. It's made complicated by the fact that I am a "mature student" (actually will only be 21, but just) and have a family so will have to look into jobs for my partner who will have just finished her degree, schools and accommodation.

In AS I got 4As (two of which are over 95% grade wise) but I did Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Philosophy. I didn't intend on wanting to do Chemistry when I started the course. Do you think it would be advisable to drop Bio/Philosophy and take up AS Maths (if my college lets me)? None of the unis I've considered applying for need Maths - and Warwick says Maths or Physics - but I know Maths students may be looked upon more favourably, but I'm also wondering if carrying on 4 subjects solidly looks better? I know Southampton makes allowances for mature students but I don't want to take the chance.

Also if I don't take Maths will I struggle with Chemistry at a higher level? I was told I would struggle with Physics A Level without it but have encountered no problems so far!

Like you said, there are plenty of universities that you can apply to without AS/A level maths. I'd do AS anyway though, as you will have a first year maths course and it will be easier once you've had some practice with AS maths.

It doesn't matter if you do 3 A2s or 4 so don't worry about that at all! I'd drop Philosophy rather than Biology as some universities (e.g. York) like it if you do two sciences as well as Chemistry.

[graceymander]

Hey!

I too am an aspiring chemist, hoping to apply for Chemistry at Oxford and Bath and then chemistry with a year in Italy at Bristol, Durham and maybe York or Warwick.
I had a query about the course with a year in Italy as I was talking to a couple of admissions tutors at an RSC event and they said that these courses are generally really small, so would it be more advantageous to apply for straight Chemistry at these places or if they decided that I wasn't suitable for the 'with a year in Italy' part would they consider me anyway for straight Chemistry?
I mean I'd absolutely love to study in Italy and learn more Italian alongside the degree but it's not a requirement as I would be perfectly happy studying straight Chemistry as well! Thanks and hello haha!

At GCSE I got 9A*s, 3As and 1B then at AS I got:
Chemistry - A (94%), Maths - A (97%), Physics - A (84%), Italian - A (88%) and I'm carrying them all on to A2

[Nymthae]

(Original post by graceymander)
Hey!

I too am an aspiring chemist, hoping to apply for Chemistry at Oxford and Bath and then chemistry with a year in Italy at Bristol, Durham and maybe York or Warwick.
I had a query about the course with a year in Italy as I was talking to a couple of admissions tutors at an RSC event and they said that these courses are generally really small, so would it be more advantageous to apply for straight Chemistry at these places or if they decided that I wasn't suitable for the 'with a year in Italy' part would they consider me anyway for straight Chemistry?
I mean I'd absolutely love to study in Italy and learn more Italian alongside the degree but it's not a requirement as I would be perfectly happy studying straight Chemistry as well! Thanks and hello haha!

At GCSE I got 9A*s, 3As and 1B then at AS I got:
Chemistry - A (94%), Maths - A (97%), Physics - A (84%), Italian - A (88%) and I'm carrying them all on to A2

From what i'm aware, you'd still be a number in the department of Chemistry and they don't have a restricted X places for the study in Europe [Italy] courses, just Y places for all Chemistry courses, divided how they like between pure Chemistry and the study abroad/industry placements - i'm not entirely sure on that though. I think few tend to apply for them anyway, with the language requirement.

I initially applied for a Chemistry with study in Europe but then I decided to drop Spanish after AS. I spoke to them at the interview and they said it's not advised to do it without taking the language. I asked if they would bounce me back the offer on UCAS for a straight MChem instead, and they did.

You can normally do language modules as your electives (particularly first year) anyway, so you can do some Italian that way! Or not even in your degree. I think that's what i'm going to do this year.

I expect they'd be happy to offer you a place for the Italian one anyway, but yeah I think they'd probably give you an offer for straight Chemistry if they decided it wasn't suitable for one reason or another.

[graceymander]

(Original post by Nymthae)
From what i'm aware, you'd still be a number in the department of Chemistry and they don't have a restricted X places for the study in Europe [Italy] courses, just Y places for all Chemistry courses, divided how they like between pure Chemistry and the study abroad/industry placements - i'm not entirely sure on that though. I think few tend to apply for them anyway, with the language requirement.

I initially applied for a Chemistry with study in Europe but then I decided to drop Spanish after AS. I spoke to them at the interview and they said it's not advised to do it without taking the language. I asked if they would bounce me back the offer on UCAS for a straight MChem instead, and they did.

You can normally do language modules as your electives (particularly first year) anyway, so you can do some Italian that way! Or not even in your degree. I think that's what i'm going to do this year.

I expect they'd be happy to offer you a place for the Italian one anyway, but yeah I think they'd probably give you an offer for straight Chemistry if they decided it wasn't suitable for one reason or another.

Ah I see, I thought the applications would be jam-packed full of people who wanted to go abroad but I guess languages are hardly the most popular subjects.
Hm, now a roadblock is thrown up as to whether or not I should actually apply for the courses, although most courses say that you can switch from the abroad courses to straight Chemistry if you change your mind perhaps studying some Italian as an elective would be a better idea... I feel my crippling indecisiveness will kick in now!
Thanks for your advice, I definitely feel more confident about applying - I think I just need to let my thoughts stew for a while! Much appreciated! Do you know how much Spanish you will do alongside the chemistry this year? (and where are you studying, may I ask?)

[overninethousand]

hello, i will be applying for chemistry as well this year
my AS grades were Chemistry - A, Maths - A, Physics - A and Biology - B
I am dropping biology this year
I am hoping to apply to Oxford, Imperial, St. Andrew's, Warwick and Edinburgh

I would like to ask a question about interviews at oxford if i could
if i am interviewed at a college and there are 17 other interviewees but only 6 get offers (not hypothetically including me), would the other 12 still be considered by the other colleges? thanks !

[PatrickD]

(Original post by overninethousand)
I would like to ask a question about interviews at oxford if i could
if i am interviewed at a college and there are 17 other interviewees but only 6 get offers (not hypothetically including me), would the other 12 still be considered by the other colleges? thanks !

I don't have any personal experience (still doing A Levels like you) but I know Oxford has a pooling system by which you may be interviewed by another college as they may be interested in offering you a place if the first college doesn't. There is some TSR information about the Oxbridge interview process here.

EDIT: Also, not sure how you got an A in Maths; 17 - 6 = 11

[overninethousand]

great thx, well i just hope i get in now :P

also

17 other applicants + me ( ) = 18
18 - 6 = 12

[PatrickD]

No problem, and good luck!

Ah, I see! I thought you meant you were including yourself in the 17 but excluding yourself from the 6 ie. you hadn't been offered a place so were in the other 12 (or 11 as it would be). Fair enough, then

[he3]

Hello,

I am also applying this year to chemistry. Currently I have picked out 3 universities: Edinburgh, Nottingham and Manchester. Can't make my mind about my 4th and 5th choices. Possibly Bath, Sheffield or Leeds

[Caprisun!]

Gah. I sound so whiney even thinking about this but it's been worrying me for months. Does anyone else ever wonder if they're actually smart enough to do a degree in chemistry? It's supposed to be one of the hardest degrees you can do and even a Bsc/Mchem doesn't seem enough to have a shot at getting into research, you need a PhD for that from what I've seen and I highly doubt I'm capable of getting one. I love chemistry and science in general but I don't want to graduate and find out my only options are teaching or becoming a lab tech.