University of Birmingham 2015 Applications FAQ + Chat Thread + Offers

I may end up dong a PhD at Birmingham, not clever enough for UCL at this level .

Don't panic, I do History

Why would your predicted grades drop?
Well the entry requirement is AAA-AAB, so your predicted grades still fit into the entry requirement. It depends also what you got at AS level. If you got high AS grades they might give you an AAB offer because they want you to come to the university. They could also potentially give you an unconditional offer. Chances are they will give you an offer though if your personal statement is good so don't panic!

Factors that are involved in deciding will be AS grades, predicted grades, subjects that you take (relevance more than toughness I'd say.) Personal statement is really important, possibly the most important thing.

Offers don't 'go' as such. The university always give a lot more offers than they have places because a lot of people will choose to go somewhere else and a lot of people will miss the grades. So if you're worthy of an offer they will give you one regardless of how late you apply

I got A*BB in my A Levels, which is technically less than AAB, and they still took me

You're Hollywood Hogan brother, you got the strength and calibre to make it big brother, aim high brother, don't settle for second or even 100th best brother.


Train/Study hard

Say your prayers

Eat your Vitamins and then go for it brother!

Thank you! I like tennis courts and Elgar but is it annoyingly far from the uni? I don't wanna be ages away, but I want somewhere nice! But like you said, I won't stress, probably end up anywhere

I'm already at UCL for a part time masters. A PhD at UCL is extremely oversubscribed with applications worldwide.

Perhaps but if you don't try you won't know brother. Aim high brother and not just UCL brother, try the UK and US brother.

Thanks for the response.

I'm considering asking for my grade A prediction in English moved to grade B because I'll have to work very hard for it. Along with resitting a content Heavy AS module in History, i'm not 100% confident in getting AAA.

My other A level is philosophy, so none of my subjects are completely irrelevant and soft. However my GCSEs are particularly poor, and i got a D at AS. So i'm really conflicted.

I can't decide whether my personal statement is good. I focus too much on the extra reading around the subjects i studied AS (which to be fair is considerable) and other areas in the modern period, and not enough about wider reading in the medieval period etc. I think i did an excellent job at showing historiographical awareness though.

Agh i'm just so uncertain about everything atm

You'll love wherever you end up I wouldn't say it was annoyingly far away, just now I live near in a shared house I couldn't go back to being a 20 minute walk away. The temptation not to go to lectures is just very high if it's cold, raining and you live 20 minutes away!

Yeah, I wanna be close YA see. Oakley seems nice, what's a duplex room tho? Ahahahah sorry about the questions. I think Id be happy anywhere, just get on with it. But I've heard some places are louder than others so

Duplex just means that you share a toilet and bathroom with one other person I think Ask as many as you want! Yeah that's the right attitude Everywhere has their upsides and downsides I think, but all round they all work out pretty equal. I lived right above the bar last year so that got pretty annoying but you could deal with it!

Do you find in Bham that students migrate to the best people for friendship etc? Like they sometimes avoid those on their block if they don't see a fit instantly? I saw that at Nottingham, especially as the halls were connected so that everyone could move more freely with making friends. The campus was also very open.

Random question but do we get free hoodies from the uni?


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Ha, no, I wish

Do all the guys chase the fit women?

Ha, no, I wish

Erm..to a normal extent? haha

Honestly, if I was you I definitely wouldn't ask for your predicted grade lowered. If you go in there with AAA predicted grades, they'll probably give you either an unconditional offer or and AAB offer anyway because they'd want you. Whereas if you went in with an AAB offer they'd be much less likely to give you an unconditional offer and more likely to give you an AAA offer because they'd want to push you.

Regardless of any of that, loads and loads of people get in who've missed their offer anyway!

Your personal statement sounds good from what you've said. Wider reading doesn't need to be in every area, otherwise they'd have no reason to teach you! Showing wider reading in areas you're interested in is great but no need to push it. Just make sure you talk about why you want to study history and why you're passionate about it, they don't like it if you just talk about how much reading you've done and show off etc.

Thanks for the advice, you've been very reassuring.

I don't expect you to do this, but i'm still fairly nervous about my PS since my history teachers haven't looked at the most up to date drafts of it. Could i pm you it and ask very a general opinion? I'm sorry; i know that's above and beyond, but i want it to be decent because my GCSEs aren't good.

Thanks anyway.

I can guarantee that the people saying that didn't/don't have one. My brother is there at the moment and noone in his flat had an unconditional ( apart from him!). What horror stories have you heard as I have heard only good things.