[ThatGuyCalledMo]

I feel like I'm pumping one of these threads out for every little question I have: sorry if there's some sort of limit or I'm doing something wrong.

Anyway, I have a 34 in IB and was wondering how far I can venture in terms of entry requirements. What I mean is, I can obviously apply to unis that offer 34 or lower but how far can I go the other way?

For example, I've taken an interest in St. Andrews but their typical offer for Philosophy seems to be 35. Would there still be a possibility of being considered? If so, how far can I move from 34 (I'm guessing it's about 3 or 4 points?)

Thanks

[aeyurttaser13]

you can't be sure unless u email the university and ask for urself, as each university might differ. it would depend on the competition and also on the popularity of the courses and not just the university.

[Juno]

You have 5 choices. It's up to you how to use them, but a good spread would be 1 or 2 higher, 1 or 2 the same as your points, and 1 or 2 wanting lower. You need to want to go to all of them, so don't just pick based on points, though.

I would suggest that 3 or 4 points is probably a bit much to be aiming for, and that 1 or 2 might be more realistic. However, if you have a look around TSR (or even the wider internet) you might find people saying what IB scores they were accepted to unis with - if a lot of people say they were rejected from one uni for not getting the IB scores it's probably not a good idea to apply there.

If you're still unsure you could try emailing the unis to ask. They're unlikely to say they'll definitely accept you, but are more likely to say if you have no chance. Even if they just say they don't know you've not lost anything by asking.