Shall I reapply to Oxbridge/LSE and give up Bristol in the hope to get into IB?

Do you know why do you want to go into IB?

Thanks to your grades, reapplying is a good option for you, but I wouldn't recommend committing to a degree just because you like the job prospects that come with it upon graduation...

I think it'd be risky, given how competitive Oxbridge & LSE are and like you said, regardless of whether you get in or not, you're gonna have a whole year out... Only you can decide whether or not it's worth it. Bristol for Econ is hardly a bad course that's gonna downgrade your prospects.

It depends on why & how much you wanna go into IB, IMO.

BTW Oxford is pretty anal about GCSEs and LSE are *rumoured* to be as well. Cambridge like UMS.

Economics is definitely the course for me no doubt about it. And researching IB, it seems like its great (with some obvious downsides, hours ,etc). Like you said it would be risky as I dont know whether I'd like it or not, but its best to keep the opportunity there.

Yea i just thought having got my a level results gcses cant really hold me back, i may be wrong

Have you tried getting some work experience to see if you'd really like IB?

What were your GCSEs like?

its near impossible. for front office anyway.

put it this way i beat what i got at a level than gcse

its near impossible. for front office anyway.

put it this way i beat what i got at a level than gcse

Edit: title says reapply, but i did not apply in the first place

Right-o.... But you should still try and get some kind of insight, whatever it is, into the profession before making big decisions that are influenced by your desired career prospects.

If I'm hearing you correctly I think Oxford would be out of reach, simply because Oxford have a fetish for GCSEs. Then if we're talking about the places that are more prestigious than Bristol for Econ, there's only really Warwick and LSE. And LSE are quite snobby about GCSEs as well, I think.

And although Warwick is supposedly "better" for the course, I don't think there'd be a great disparity between Warwick & Bristol to employers.

Did you go to a school that had bad GCSE results?

And although Warwick is supposedly "better" for the course, I don't think there'd be a great disparity between Warwick & Bristol to employers.

xxx

I have not great GCSE's, got 4 A's at AS. Didn't bother applying to Oxbridge/LSE as thought I wouldn't stand a chance. Got a place at Bristol to study Economics. Then got 3 A*s and an A at A2 in the summer.

I'm looking to go into IB, but I have heard the people who get the interviews/assessment centres for the internships/jobs are nearly all Oxbridge/LSE/Imperial. Obviously I dont know for sure if its what i want to do (it would be foolish to say so with no work experience).

Overall, would it be worth applying to oxbridge/LSE on the basis of getting into IB. Bearing in mind; I may not get a place, have a year of doing nothing (if i can't find some work to do abroad, travelling,etc)

Also I have been told by 2 people very high up in the field, that they would reapply.

Thoughts?

Edit: title says reapply, but i did not apply in the first place

Cant' speak for all industries, but certainly within banking the gap between Warwick and Bristol is quite large. Warwick gets far more people into the industry year on year than Bristol does. If you search for spring/summer university stats on this forum, you can find data confirming this. Bristol is still a great uni though and one of the most targeted unis outside the Top 6, so your chances are still pretty good.




Surely you're going to reapply while at Bristol so if you dont get anything at least you still have a place at a uni, as opposed to not going to uni this year and then potentially having no uni place at all come September 2013?

Apply to Cambridge. With A*A*A*A you've got an interview fo'sure. LSE and Warwick are 50/50 considering your GCSEs same with UCL.

I would re-apply, a year with no stress is underrated.

First up, I am biased, I study at Bristol

Second, I would really question whether you should re-apply solely based on LSE/Oxbridge rep for IB. Bristol is not #1 for IBs, but it is certainly quite heavily targeted, and well respected. All of the major firms are on campus at some point, and as the president of the biggest finance society, I can tell you plenty of Bristol graduates get 'front office' internships and jobs (I hate the terminology). GS, MS, JPM etc have all made offers to Bristol students this year.

If you use society sponsorship or 'IB budget' on campus as a proxy, Bristol is certainly on an upward trend, we have a higher number and level of investment from world class IBs than ever before. PM me if you want the full stats breakdown.

Third, I wouldn't always trust all the 'stats' you hear about on TSR...especially as regards successful applications/internships. Hardly a reliable source of data for comparison.

There is a gap between Warwick and Bristol, it is by no means huge (nor 'quite large' imo). In IB terms Warwick is higher no doubt, but shouldn't you base your university choice on a more holistic set of characteristics, rather than just league tables or prestige?

It would make sense for you to take your Bristol offer and then reapply (if you really wanted to) with the security of already having a Uni place.

I had offers from Warwick and Bristol with the same A level grades as you and I chose Bristol (albeit for Law), got the internship and got a full time offer from a leading US firm in IBD.

I got rejected from LSE today.. and i got offers from Uni of Nottingham, Birmingham Manchester and Sheffield.. should I reapply Next year for Warwick or Lse again?.. the reason for rejection was my As results which were AAAc