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Did i choose the wrong GCSE options for my college and university life?

Hi guys,

So last year (Year 9) i was fairly immature, it begun in year 7 and I didn't really care about school. But lately, it's kicked in, I understand that I need to do well now that I'm'm in Year 10 and need to push to get my targeted A* grades. When i leave school i want to go to a highly respected college and study:
Computer Science (Software Engineering if available at said college)
Maths
Physics
Spanish(Half year subject).

I then want to go onto a Russell Group University and study Software Engineering. i was planning on UCL (Hence why i have Spanish as a subject for college A-Levels.) but i fear that they may look at my GCSE options and deny me.
These are my current GCSE Subjects:
Maths(Current: C Grade but aiming for A*)
Science (Current: C Grade also aiming for an A*)
Computer Science (Current: A Grade aiming for A*)
History (Current: B Grade aiming for A*)
Photography(Current: A grade, I completely hate this subject)
Music(Current: A grade, I also hate this subject)

I fear that Photography and Music will interfere with my university choice. Will my GCSE's matter, or do they only count for university? If i get A* A-Levels in college will they look pass this? Are my current GCSE grades bad? I feel like I'm not as smart as a couple of my friends, which puts me down. Please can you answer these questions and let me know if the above subjects will affect my uni choice and subject. Thanks.
Reply 1
well i am a current year 13 student who is going to study Software Engineering at Lancaster University, and i must have been exactly the same in high school. i couldn't really be bothered with it, didn't get good GCSE grades at all, i got grades C's B's and only 2 A* being physics and ICT. Im currently studying creative media, product Design, Business studies and ICT all targeted at A*/Distinction*. I feared that when applying for Universities i would get turned down because of my GCSE grades but i got offers from all of them. I got offers from Lancaster, Liverpool University, Sheffield University, Manchester Met, and UCLAN. To be honest, the main key is getting good A level grades, writing a great personal statement and doing a lot of extra curricular activities. However, I would say try your very best when doing GCSE's because they do count! for example, if you had the exact same A level grades as another student wanting to go to the same university and he/she had better GCSE's the odds of you getting picked over them would be minimal. Just bare that in mind! It doesnt matter what subjects you pick for GCSE, but make sure you pick the right A levels! Hope this has helped :smile:
I wouldn't worry. Your choices are fine - my only query would be that you haven't listed English, and English GCSE is usually required for pretty much everything. Beyond requiring decent grades in the core subjects like English, Maths and Science, it's rare for universities to look at GCSEs as a deciding factor (I think I heard Cambridge does, but they're in a minority). Your A level grades and choices matter, choices you made at the age of 13/14 matter a lot less. Pretty much everyone is immature in year 9, and university admissions departments are smart enough to realise this. Your current grades aren't bad, but could be better (which you're obviously aware of, given that you're aiming for A*s), particularly if you want to get into a highly competitive college for your A levels, as I expect highly competitive colleges like top grades.

I'd suggest checking whether UCL offers software engineering as an undergraduate course, as I couldn't find a page for it when I went to check entry requirements, but that's about it. Otherwise, just check the entry requirements pages for the courses you're interested in. As a guide, this is what UCL wants for Computer Science.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 3
Sorry, i have a B in English, forgot to add that :biggrin:
With good grades in gcse mathsscienceenglish you'll be able to choose whichever A levels you want. It is these A levels that will open doors to uni.

Enjoy your subjects, work for those high grades and you'll be fine :smile:

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