Do i have a chance of getting into top universities at this rate?

Original post by Brandon.1219

Your correct in some ways, I don't have experience, but I have knowledge, I have done my own research, If people seek advice, I want to help as in a way I'm in the same boat as them, I want to share the knowledge I have, I am also doing my AS Levels, so is the person seeking advice, well I have knowledge about the university I want to possibly attend, I have researched many subjects and entry requirements for varies universities, like I said I just want to give knowledge and advice in what I know, Brandon.

That's all very laudable. Just check your facts carefully.

Reply 44

swanseajack1

Original post by bobbybrown12

I made a mistake, i was meant to write AS levels not a Levels and the grades i have at the moments are the grades i have atm in the first 2 months of studying AS levels

You are being misled by some on here. With a C in English Language and a D in Maths together with a few other Cs you will likely be rejected by all the top unis. GCSE grades do not mean automatic rejection but do give universities a very good idea of your capabilities. If someone had 5As and 4Bs they would not take a great deal of notice but with your grades and in particular your Maths and English grades it doesn't make impressive reading especially when courses are vastly oversubscribed and they are having to reject people. Law is very competitive as are all the leading unis and the others applying there will have far better results.
As far as A levels are concerned most leading unis will require AAA at A level and some A*AA. Many of the applicants will exceed these grades. If you have predicted grades of at least these it might be worth you trying 1 or maximum 2 of these if you are prepared for the likely rejection you will face. You also need to apply for at least 3 where you are likely to get in.
The choice is ultimately yours but you do need to go in with this with your eyes open as to what is likely to happen and ignore some of the comments made here.

Reply 45

Original post by swanseajack1

You are being misled by some on here. With a C in English Language and a D in Maths together with a few other Cs you will likely be rejected by all the top unis. GCSE grades do not mean automatic rejection but do give universities a very good idea of your capabilities. If someone had 5As and 4Bs they would not take a great deal of notice but with your grades and in particular your Maths and English grades it doesn't make impressive reading especially when courses are vastly oversubscribed and they are having to reject people. Law is very competitive as are all the leading unis and the others applying there will have far better results.
As far as A levels are concerned most leading unis will require AAA at A level and some A*AA. Many of the applicants will exceed these grades. If you have predicted grades of at least these it might be worth you trying 1 or maximum 2 of these if you are prepared for the likely rejection you will face. You also need to apply for at least 3 where you are likely to get in.
The choice is ultimately yours but you do need to go in with this with your eyes open as to what is likely to happen and ignore some of the comments made here.

Seconding all of this.

Reply 46

LiquidGold

Are you only doing 3 AS levels?

Reply 47

honestly

20

Original post by Saoirse:3

Retaking Maths is essential - you will need a C grade. The higher the better, but it's unlikely to make much difference regardless again a backdrop of GCSE results which are clearly below what these kind of institutions expect.

Getting As across your AS Levels would probably give you a chance. Cambridge however also look at your UMS scores - scraping A grades is considered poor there, you need to be looking at high 80s or 90s to reach interview.

A lot may depend on why you got those GCSE results. Did you go to a particularly bad school? Were there extenuating circumstances, such as illness or the death of a close relative? Did you genuinely try your best, revise for a couple of hours each day, allocate plenty of time to coursework, ask teachers for help etc and come out with these results? Or
were you frankly just lazy? If it's the first two they'll be considered less important. If it's the third, you'll do very well to achieve those AS grades, but unless you can get a very good reference they may well assume you were lazy since it seems unlikely. If it's the fourth, they're obviously not going to have much sympathy and very much question whether you're a good candidate for a degree that involves substantial amounts of independent study.

You don't have to put it on your CV, but employers may ask to see your certificates which would show you didn't pass Maths until a year later, as well as in all probability the original grade (unless you did no other subjects with the same exam board in that session). However, it DOES have to be declared when you apply to university.

The other question likely to be raised is why you're only taking three A-Levels?

Sensible advice :-)

Reply 48

Original post by Brandon.1219

Theres a high possibility you could get into a top university, most universities look at your A levels not your GCSE's, and no you wouldn't have to write that you re-sat maths. Hope this helps, Brandon.

Incorrect. As of 2013, many of the top unis do look at your GCSEs especially in Maths and Science due to the weak currency which has seen more applications from international students. Many international students have been rejected by top unis for law in this respect.

The competition is pretty tight especially for places in the top unis. Don't forget that unis can take as many international students as they want. The quotas were removed a few years ago. Since they pay upfront at the start of every academic year, international fee paying students are favoured.

OP is better off applying to the lower ranked RG unis like Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield for law. It's a much safer option. But all is not lost. If he insists on applying to the top unis and get rejections from all of them, he can always go into Clearing and then ring them up provided he has respectable A level results.

Another irritating thing is that the top unis have started giving out almost impossible offers to achieve even after they know full well of the average GCSEs and AS results of the applicants. IMHO these top unis should simply reject the application outright. So unless OP pulls up his socks the end seems bleak.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 49

Original post by Blur Ella

Incorrect. As of 2013, many of the top unis do look at your GCSEs especially in Maths and Science due to the weak currency which has seen more applications from international students. Many international students have been rejected by top unis for law in this respect.

The competition is pretty tight especially for places in the top unis. Don't forget that unis can take as many international students as they want. The quotas were removed a few years ago. Since they pay upfront at the start of every academic year, international fee paying students are favoured.

OP is better off applying to the lower ranked RG unis like Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield for law. It's a much safer option. But all is not lost. If he insists on applying to the top unis and get rejections from all of them, he can always go into Clearing and then ring them up provided he has respectable A level results.

Another irritating thing is that the top unis have started giving out almost impossible offers to achieve even after they know full well of the average GCSEs and AS results of the applicants. IMHO these top unis should simply reject the application outright. So unless OP pulls up his socks the end seems bleak.

This is not the case. The places for international students and home/EU students are completely separate, which is why you have to select your status on the Ucas search and why you will find that courses are closed to one category of applicant but open to the other during Extra and Clearing. While quotas have indeed been lifted, the pools do not cross over and a home student cannot take a place reserved for an international, nor vice versa.

Reply 50

Original post by Carnationlilyrose

This is not the case. The places for international students and home/EU students are completely separate, which is why you have to select your status on the Ucas search and why you will find that courses are closed to one category of applicant but open to the other during Extra and Clearing. While quotas have indeed been lifted, the pools do not cross over and a home student cannot take a place reserved for an international, nor vice versa.

Ok. which means that you are right and 3 renowned student agencies and the staff I spoke to from 2 unis are wrong then. Duly noted. thanks.

Reply 51

http://blog.universitiesuk.ac.uk/2012/07/06/internationalstudentsfacts/

Original post by Blur Ella

Ok. which means that you are right and 3 renowned student agencies and the staff I spoke to from 2 unis are wrong then. Duly noted. thanks.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 52

troubadour.

Original post by Blur Ella

The competition is pretty tight especially for places in the top unis. Don't forget that unis can take as many international students as they want. The quotas were removed a few years ago. Since they pay upfront at the start of every academic year, international fee paying students are favoured.

So do Home/EU students, as far as universities are concerned. Student Finance works kind of like a mortgage -- the university gets their money upfront from Student Finance. You then pay it back to them over a period of time, not to the universities. :tongue:

Reply 53

really?

http://www.bbc.com/news/education-26688018
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/lost-student-loans-worth-5bn-are-written-off-8969066.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10747315/Six-in-10-students-will-have-their-debts-written-off.html
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/13aefac0-fed4-11e4-84b2-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3s9J3ApHv

Original post by Hydeman

So do Home/EU students, as far as universities are concerned. Student Finance works kind of like a mortgage -- the university gets their money upfront from Student Finance. You then pay it back to them over a period of time, not to the universities. :tongue:

Reply 54

Saoirse:3

really?

http://www.bbc.com/news/education-26688018
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/lost-student-loans-worth-5bn-are-written-off-8969066.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10747315/Six-in-10-students-will-have-their-debts-written-off.html
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/13aefac0-fed4-11e4-84b2-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3s9J3ApHv

Original post by Blur Ella

Yes. At the start of each term, Student Finance England pays the fees to your university. You then repay the loans to SFE. If you never finish repaying them, it's SFE (in effect, the government) who loses out, not the university.

The advantage of international students for top unis in particular is that they can charge higher fees - but there's normally a quota to stop them taking all the places, and there's also a higher risk they'll drop out due to not being able to pay if for instance a family member who'd been funding them is made redundant.

Reply 55

Original post by Saoirse:3

Yes. At the start of each term, Student Finance England pays the fees to your university. You then repay the loans to SFE. If you never finish repaying them, it's SFE (in effect, the government) who loses out, not the university.

The advantage of international students for top unis in particular is that they can charge higher fees - but there's normally a quota to stop them taking all the places, and there's also a higher risk they'll drop out due to not being able to pay if for instance a family member who'd been funding them is made redundant.

our sharing of views only stand to benefit OP and others who may be in the same situation as him. I wish him well.

Reply 56

troubadour.