[winningjojo]

(Original post by chr1stopher11)
I liked Royal Holloway too but I was put off by the location. If you are doing A-Levels and one of your A-Levels is Geography then they will ask for AAB. Here is the link:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/prospectus/unde...header_search/

I know that Hong Kong University (HKU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) are supposed to be quite good for Geography. Both teach in English.

Royal Holloway isn't that far out of London. I live close and personally i think its perfectly situated. max 30min by train to the heart of london with all the hustle and bustle the capital has but about the same distance from the tourist centre of windsor - summer work is easy to come by with Legoland not far away. Well connected but has the benefit of the quieter more relaxed atmosphere to escape the 'rat-run' a city can bring.

[chr1stopher11]

(Original post by winningjojo)
Royal Holloway isn't that far out of London. I live close and personally i think its perfectly situated. max 30min by train to the heart of london with all the hustle and bustle the capital has but about the same distance from the tourist centre of windsor - summer work is easy to come by with Legoland not far away. Well connected but has the benefit of the quieter more relaxed atmosphere to escape the 'rat-run' a city can bring.

RHUL is right on the edge of London whereas I wanted to be in the heart of it so that wasn't the best. Even if by train is only 30 minutes, which you wouldn't do everyday maybe not even every week, it doesn't beat, in my opinion, experiencing central London everyday. I haven't been to the area in which RHUL is located but I would imagine it would be pretty and reasonably quiet being located in a town beside Windsor so that's good but I really wanted to buzz and RHUL, being on the outskirts of London, didn't really do it for me.

[winningjojo]

(Original post by chr1stopher11)
RHUL is right on the edge of London whereas I wanted to be in the heart of it so that wasn't the best. Even if by train is only 30 minutes, which you wouldn't do everyday maybe not even every week, it doesn't beat, in my opinion, experiencing central London everyday. I haven't been to the area in which RHUL is located but I would imagine it would be pretty and reasonably quiet being located in a town beside Windsor so that's good but I really wanted to buzz and RHUL, being on the outskirts of London, didn't really do it for me.

Fair enough for me I couldn't live in the heart of london too busy all the time I love a visit but to come back to somewhere a bit quiet afterwards is what I'm looking for. UCL good for geog I believe in the heart of london

[winningjojo]

Although there is no denying that Oxford, LSE etc have outstanding departments. There are MANY fantastic courses elsewhere with lower requirements that still would be rewarding and and make you successful.

[RocknRap]

(Original post by winningjojo)
Although there is no denying that Oxford, LSE etc have outstanding departments. There are MANY fantastic courses elsewhere with lower requirements that still would be rewarding and and make you successful.

No course is going to 'make you successful' - it's up to you as an individual to do that. However doing a more demanding course at a top university may help you along the way to success more effectively than somewhere else

[winningjojo]

Yes i understand that its just in my opinion although the courses at the top unis are great I've found courses that perhaps have more interesting modules and my point really is that people shouldn't assume just because its Oxford its the best course for them and there's no saying the course is more demanding at Oxford just approached differently where in terms of geography i think geography should be very practical (bear in mind im a physical geographer) and therefore the courses at these 'top' unis don't always facilitate this as much as other unis with slightly lower requirements.

[KatyPiee]

Thanks everyone, this has been so useful for me!
BIrminghams offer has changed from ABB to AAB with an A in geography, so i'm working really hard to get that A! I've booked open days for Birmingham, Sheffield, Nottingham, Loughborough and Queen mary, are there any others I should consider?

[RocknRap]

(Original post by winningjojo)
Yes i understand that its just in my opinion although the courses at the top unis are great I've found courses that perhaps have more interesting modules and my point really is that people shouldn't assume just because its Oxford its the best course for them and there's no saying the course is more demanding at Oxford just approached differently where in terms of geography i think geography should be very practical (bear in mind im a physical geographer) and therefore the courses at these 'top' unis don't always facilitate this as much as other unis with slightly lower requirements.

You make a fair point in that some other courses may be more practical orientated and this would be more appealing to some (such as yourself). Though I'm sure the courses at the top departments have sufficient practical elements to them.

(Original post by KatyPiee)
Thanks everyone, this has been so useful for me!
BIrminghams offer has changed from ABB to AAB with an A in geography, so i'm working really hard to get that A! I've booked open days for Birmingham, Sheffield, Nottingham, Loughborough and Queen mary, are there any others I should consider?

So I'm guessing you've ruled out Oxbridge, UCL, LSE and Durham? What about Bristol, Exeter and Southampton?

[winningjojo]

Yeah I have. Love the Southampton course! Defo one of my top 5 unsure about Bristol and Exeter though but they have good departments none the less. Oxbridge etc. do have practical opportunities thats true just not as much as I would have liked (plus the fact that I won't be getting any A*)

[swbp]

(Original post by KatyPiee)
Thanks everyone, this has been so useful for me!
BIrminghams offer has changed from ABB to AAB with an A in geography, so i'm working really hard to get that A! I've booked open days for Birmingham, Sheffield, Nottingham, Loughborough and Queen mary, are there any others I should consider?

Some other good options are Royal Holloway, Aberystwyth, Sussex, Lancaster etc

[winningjojo]

(Original post by swbp)
Some other good options are Royal Holloway, Aberystwyth, Sussex, Lancaster etc

Royal Holloway course is great because you can take a general geography in year 1 and specialise later plus some good trips. Aberystwyth is great too just consider your in the middle of no where.
Look at Southampton! Depending on the geog course (just geog/geog&geology etc) grades ABB-AAB with an A in geog.

[KatyPiee]

I've looked at Aberystwyth too and that's definately and option, but a bit far for an open day? I'm from Lancaster at the moment so I don't really want to go to uni here too... Thanks!

[KatyPiee]

I've looked at Exeter too, which looks good but don't know if I'd be able to go to an open day. I don't want to go to Oxbridge or Durham, they ask for A*'s and stuff and I know I won't get that sadly..

[swbp]

(Original post by KatyPiee)
I've looked at Exeter too, which looks good but don't know if I'd be able to go to an open day. I don't want to go to Oxbridge or Durham, they ask for A*'s and stuff and I know I won't get that sadly..

I'm going to Sussex this year, who ask for AAB for geography. The school is well respected, especially in human geography, and the university/town are in a great location. The field trips are ace, for example Vietnam, Los Angeles, plus you can study for a term abraod in your 3rd year if you want to. Just an option to consider

[greenfly125]

(Original post by KatyPiee)
Thanks everyone, this has been so useful for me!
BIrminghams offer has changed from ABB to AAB with an A in geography, so i'm working really hard to get that A! I've booked open days for Birmingham, Sheffield, Nottingham, Loughborough and Queen mary, are there any others I should consider?

You should really consider Keele. It has an excellent Geography and Earth Sciences department, that is highly rated. It isn't as well known as Durham, Bristol, Oxbridge, LSE and UEA etc. But it sits in with them in the Guardian rankings. And I personally couldn't rate it highly enough.

It's entry grades make it a good insurance option.

[Hanshen]

(Original post by KatyPiee)
Thanks everyone, this has been so useful for me!
BIrminghams offer has changed from ABB to AAB with an A in geography, so i'm working really hard to get that A! I've booked open days for Birmingham, Sheffield, Nottingham, Loughborough and Queen mary, are there any others I should consider?

have you already done the Loughborough open day? I will probably be presenting, but if not and you want to go over anything give me a shout.

Actually, thinking about it they were ages ago. So probably irrelevant now.

[Hanshen]

Just as a word of advice to all of you. Don't rule out any university if you really want to go for it, a lot comes down to your application over the grades you obtain at a-level. A friend on my course got into UCL with BBC (actually turned it down, not sure why). I was accepted for Durham for example (again turned it down), and a close friend graduated in 04 from St Anne's Ox with Bs across the board (although his grandfather was a former patron of the college or something along those lines, thus one cannot rule out nepotism in that particular example). Anyway, point is, don't ever write yourself off. If you do the reading and if you really love the subject (and i mean have done some reading to at least first year) then I see no reason why you can't get into any university for Geography (within reason).

[KatyPiee]

What do people think or birkbeck as a uni?

[RocknRap]

(Original post by KatyPiee)
What do people think or birkbeck as a uni?

I wouldn't go there as a full time undergrad. You won't get the proper 'uni experience' - it caters primarily for part time students (with evening classes) and therefore doesn't have any halls of residence and the 'student life' is minimal...

[gl71994]

I'm likely to get ABC/AAC/ABB sort of thing, what unis shall I look at?
Currently looking at:
York
Cardiff
Royal Holloway
Exeter
Keele

If it helps I'm in Year 13 getting my A2 results in august so will be unconditional (although may retake a couple of modules in Jan).