Applying to a university: 'Can I get in with these grades?!'

Hello,
I will be appying for medicine this october! i have been very disappounted with my AS grades, i did bio, chem, physics nd math! i got 2 As nd 2Bs i got Bs in math and chemistry and A in bio and physics but i am dropping physics at AS its too hard for me i will be very grateful to you if you could tell me what you think about me grades? are they good enough for medicine at manchester, liverpool and these type unis?

International students are often offered more places in terms of the numbers who apply, so you could stand a good chance of getting in.
International students different largely from UK-based ones in terms of where they apply, but generally, you may have to check with the university.
What do you require grade wise from the universit, what is your course and which university do you intend to apply to?

i have been offered a foundation course that leads into biomed, but im not sure if i should take the course or just resit instead.

Great post btw!, i was wondering if its possible to get into uni with 1 A grade a level?, really only ever wanted to study tourism and i have realised that i would like to progress my learning through uni is it possible?

I'm still doing GCSEs, and I'm starting Year 11 on Wednesday {the 5th}. I'm predicted A* in all three sciences, maths, geography, Latin, and french, merits in ICT {full course}, and my English predicted grade fluctuates between a B and an A {I did well in controlled assessments but I'm likely going to do terribly on the exams}.

I want to study medicine at university, and the only universities I like are Oxbridge. This is the problem. I know I'll never get in. Never. But I want to go to a good university with a good reputation, not just any old university that others go to. Realistically though, I know I'll end up anywhere other than Oxbridge. At A Level, I plan to do chemistry, biology, physics, and maths {also maybe French}, and then drop physics for A2. I think I could do well, and I haven't seen the curriculum yet, but I'd hope to get at least AAAA in AS.

Realistically, what universities would taken on someone with those sorts of grades, bearing in mind I've not actually taken my AS Levels yet? I think I'm being a university snob.

I had a conversation via email with an admissions tutor at the University of Nottingham and he told me outright that "Universities do not look at AS grades when making a decision" - Kind of put my mind at ease

Edit - Of course this does not apply for every course at every university but made me happy

When I am on TSR, I scour the UCAS threads and always come across the same
E.g.

CCC > BBB
BBC > AAB

BUT: It is possible for BBC for example to become AAA, but the more drastic the change in grades, the less likely it is to happen. E.g. CCC will probably not become AAA unless there are mitigating circumstances etc.

Hello,
I will be appying for medicine this october! i have been very disappounted with my AS grades, i did bio, chem, physics nd math! i got 2 As nd 2Bs i got Bs in math and chemistry and A in bio and physics but i am dropping physics at AS its too hard for me i will be very grateful to you if you could tell me what you think about me grades? are they good enough for medicine at manchester, liverpool and these type unis?

I got ABBC in Eng Lit, History, Philosophy and Economics respectively. I'm dropping Econ. Can I still apply to Unis that ask for AAA eg. UCL, King's, Warwick, Durham? As in will they consider me or disregard me bc my grades are too low? My predictions will probably be AAA or higher.

I will be applying to Saint Andrews Social Science Foundation and they do not seem to have any note requirement.The only thing they say we ask " good grades" in their requirement section for grades.They also put a lot emphasis to their course structure which they explain their extra curriculars and I already did many that is considered eminent from my teachers and everybody who looks to my cv.Recommendations and personal statement are both credited as eminent/impressive while the grading seems to be quite not answered.


I also sent a message to them and what they did was just copying their text and sent to me.What I really wonder is that do i stand i chance when they see improvement in my grades but average grades the other years,good recommendations (from faculty members to school teachers),good extra curriculars(research about psychology up to pre-college program to member of the national chorus) and a with a good personal statement ?
Thanks

thank you very much for your help, i hope i get into medicine then even with AABB at AS then because i really worked hard to get 7A*s and then missed As by few ums at AS! i would be very grateful to you if anyone could send me there Personal Statements, it would mean a lot to me, i just need to read them and check mine with them thanks for the help before i love you all

What to expect when applying to a university:

When I am on TSR, I scour the UCAS threads and always come across the same question. 'Can I get into this university with this grades' or 'Will CCC at AS get me into an AAA university?!' Also, I am often personal messaged with queries regarding grades and personally, had trouble understanding what was required grade wise at AS. So, in an attempt to try and help resolve this AS-A2 query, I have started this thread.

For moderators: If a moderator finds it more appropriate to combine it with another, please do, I just created a separate one to allow for people with specific issues to be able to go through this thread rather than trawl through pages of a mass thread, and to allow them to specifically ask questions to other users who may be able to answer their questions specific to the topic.


So, for all you AS people, or A2 people concerned with their grades, here's a guide based on TSR users knowledge, and experience with university applications. Please note that it may not be accurate for all university applications, and should be used only as a guide.


What universities want:

When it comes to university applications, a common problem with students, are that they fail to meet the 'requirements' for their chosen course at AS. E.g. A student wanting to study Law may require AAA, but only obtains BBB. IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD IF YOU DO NOT OBTAIN IT!

Universities are looking for various things in their applications:

- A good personal statement
- Possible work experience
- An interest in the area e.g. books you've read, particular areas that you are interested in.

(You can find the extent of things they care for in other TSR threads)

But, in terms of grades:

Generally, universities will base their decision on these various factors, alongside your predicted grades.
Predicted grades refer to the grades your teachers expect you to attain by the end of A2.

So, take this example.

Person X who we shall call "X" for short, is studying Maths, Sociology, History and Geography, and is applying for a Law degree at a university. The university requires AAA, but X fails to attain AAA at AS, instead, attaining BBBC. X decides to drop History, which they attained a B in. So, they are applying for an AAA course with BBC as their AS grades. Their teachers know they were capable of AAA, except in Sociology, where X got a C. They have thus been predicted AAB. But, X works extra hard in Sociology and proves to their teacher that they are capable of an A by applying to resit and submitting extra work. X's teacher changes their predicted grade to an A, making their predicted grades AAA.

So, X is now able to rest assured that their high (AS grades) and predicted grades will contribute to their application.

Obviously, it still means you require good grades at AS, or grades similar to the ones you need for A2. You will not be able to attain EEE, and be predicted AAA, because ultimately, it will look fishy. This may be subject to exceptions e.g. mitigating circumstances, and this page is meant as a guide, so please speak to career advisors etc for more advice, or teachers.

As previously said, it will be based on more than this, but this is information that may be useful to students.

Be aware though, the above is subject to the teacher. As a result of this, your teachers may have a different way of approaching this. Personally, I had a teacher who was adamant not to change my grade. It meant that I worked extra hard to secure a change. His judgement stayed the same however, so I took 4 subjects to A2 and did it that way (predicted AAAB), despite planning to drop one of the predicted As. The best way to do it however, and overcome the issue is to prove you are capable of the grade. Generally, I hear the rule of thumb is 1 grade above your AS mark.

E.g.

CCC > BBB
BBC > AAB

BUT: It is possible for BBC for example to become AAA, but the more drastic the change in grades, the less likely it is to happen. E.g. CCC will probably not become AAA unless there are mitigating circumstances etc.




If anybody has more information that can be added to this thread, please quote me and I will reply asap, and update this post. Also, please, feel free to quote me with any questions, but please do not personal message me, as it is better to keep the query on the page for people with similar issues, and also, I do not always read all of my messages, but I do reply to all quotes.


Please note that this should be used as a guide. This may not apply to specific courses, especially competitive ones and higher standard universities e.g. Oxbridge.

Thanks, this was really helpful.

I got BBCC for history, English,biology and chemistry. I'm dropping chemistry which I got a C in and I want to apply for history at London Unis.
Most of the universities with the courses I like have an entry requirement of AAB and at the moment I feel like my teachers won't predict me that, so I'm not really sure if I should bother applying for history at all.

This is probably an obvious question and you touched on it in your original post, but if I am not predicted the entry requirements for a university e.g AAB but I am instead predicted ABB, does that mean I have *no* chance of receiving an offer?

Thank you.

It depends really. Some universities will consider you, some won't. UCL for example may be quite strict. It can be based on other factors e.g. personal statements etc, but generally, the requirements are the requirements.
If I were you, I'd either focus on being predicted AAB (by showing teachers your capability and effort) - generally people are predicted a grade above wh
at they attain, so you should be ok. If not, you should consider universities near London, or perhaps redbrick universities, as they are of a high standard, and are definitely worth applying to.

Thanks for the advice (:

Yeah, don't worry I wasn't planning on applying to universities as great as UCL-I was really hoping to apply to RHUL or SOAS which want AAB

Okay.Would you have any tips for persuading teachers to bump up your predicted grades?Ha.
I work hard and my mocks are generally good, but for some reason I think I will just be predicted my AS results-BBC and then I have no chance really.

I'm deffo applying in/or near London and I'm fortunate to have such a choice of universities.I've just got my heart set on certain uni courses... which have the highest entry requirements.Typical!