Unique situation?

I went Leeds today and the woman said I "would have no problems getting an offer" with my grades/predictions ha. Feel much more confident now so think I'm gonna go for 2/3 A*AA 1/2 AAA and AAB

That looks a very solid and sensible plan, so glad it's helped your confidence too


Sorry, I mean if they're compared to 10 A*s by admissions tutors. I was really happy at the time!

Yeah if you're comparing yourself to people with insane grades because that's the cohort you mix with all the time it can distort your view

I am exceptionally bright, I just have a horrific work ethic. It's also a maturity thing, so factors people can't see when you're 10 haha. Honestly feel quite guilty because there's people out there who have to work much harder than I do to attain the same grades, but I've turned it around now anyway.

Don't feel guilty about the grafters because if working is what comes naturally to them they WILL become the succeeders and they're exactly what the employers are after. They usually end up with great CVs.

Yeah I decided it's silly - Bristol and Bath are great unis pretty much top outside Oxbridge/LSE/Warwick/UCL so worth a choice.

I think I have a negative view because I'm up North, so most people go uni here, and all the stories are mental from Leeds/Nottingham etc. so I want that too Probably going to apply to Bristol though the course looks great!

Going and visiting a place and seeing how you feel at least before making it your firm or insurance is pretty important imho. Likelihood is that all the depts. you consider will be great but how you feel really does make a difference. For example my son visited Bath because of the dept. reputation and although he felt there was actually nothing wrong with the place as such he thought the campus felt claustrophobic, the city of Bath itself not to his liking and the general atmosphere at the uni not to his taste either. Bath is a good place by his own admission just not for him and so he felt he'd be less likely to thrive there. This was compared to other places of similar standing where he felt the atmosphere was great

I've just added some highlighted bits in your quote

Thanks! At the end of the day, I think Nottingham, Bristol, Bath, Leeds and Glasgow seem realistic as at least 1/3 A*AA and Leeds & Glasgow and I'll be happy. As for seeing them, don't unis do last-minute open days to students who get offers?

Yes, once you get offers you get invited to post offer visits. Going on these visits is not compulsory but I'd strongly recommend it especially for the places that are likely to be your firm and insurance. The uni cannot retract it's offer unless you lied on your application or you slap the Vice Chancellor with a wet fish or the like.

The post offer visit often involves more detailed tours of the department maybe interviews with staff (again they cannot retract their offer at this point unless lies or the wet fish come into play). Sometimes it involves more detailed tours of typical accommodation and other facilities like the union and library. Basically similar to the general open day but more detail. My younger son actually changed his mind on his firm choice after a post offer visit last year from where he was "definitely" going to go to somewhere he'd previously only considered a UCAS filler.