eek two weeks to decide; help!

basically my school is ******ed and makes us fill out our UCAS app. early so that they can process it all and get it ready over the holidays. sadly, this means i have about two weeks to decide where the hell i'm going to apply for psychology !

i took psychology, sociology, philosophy, english lang & critical thinking for AS. i reckon i've got a D in sociology (don't ask) which i've now dropped and in the rest of my 'real' subjects i'm predicted AAA - ABB, dependent on my AS results in august.

a rough list/some ideas i've come up with so far are..

1) UCL (my 'there's no way in hell it'll happen' choice)
2) Sussex (my 'cosy heartfelt/back up if it all goes wrong' choice)
3) Cardiff (my 'if i want to do a placement year' choice)
4) Southampton (my 'other south coast but better rep' choice)
5) Notts/Sheffield/Exeter

so.. a) am i shooting too high? and b) how does this sound?

the only one i'm dead set on applying to is sussex for personal reasons; the rest are all subject to change/influence.

i had a quick self-guided nose around UCL today and it was creepy but i'm putting that down to the weather/the emptiness/the oldness. i've seen sussex (and liked it) and i'm visiting soton tomorrow.

i guess, really, i've got a toss up between notts and sheffield; both of which i haven't seen.

please someone help ! i'm going insane here :eek:

Reply 1

white_mercury

have you checked out the online good university guides? the times has one and so does the guardian. see their websites for more details

Reply 2

anna_spanner89

have you tried PUSH????

www.push.co.uk

really good guide on uni's etc

for psychology Manchester is really good as is leeds, birmingham etc...as for notts vs sheffield, GO for nottingham, cannot reccomend it enough, gorgeous campus

its v.unfair of your school too send off applications so soon, i wasn't aware you could even send it off now actually...?????? especially since you dont know your as-level results

Reply 3

misswilliams

anna_spanner89

have you tried PUSH????

www.push.co.uk

really good guide on uni's etc

i agree Push are excellent, honest advice and GOOD advice. by the way i love your username, i just came back from seeing TRS woo. :love:

Bryce.

Reply 4

mipmapped

I had offers from Durham, UCL and Leeds and chose Sussex.

I have no regrets whatsoever.

Reply 5

mollymustard

I think your choices sound really good actually. You've got a good mix of ones that are hard to get into, and those which will provide a good back up.
I know people who have applied to similar places with much poorer grades and they have been fine!

Out of your last few Unis you have listed as a possibility, I think you should seriously consider Sheffield. I went there on a visit day and have absolutely loved it ever since. Infact, I don't know anyone who has visited who hasnt ended up applying. I've also heard the Psychology at the department is quite intimate, and not too tricky to get an offer from.

Reply 6

GodspeedGehenna

I don't really understand how you are expected to complete your UCAS without knowing your AS results or predicted grades.

Anyway, UCL, Cardiff and Nottingham are generally AAA or possibly AAB requirements for Psychology as its a highly oversubscribed course. I was predicted AAA and had a personal statement that was used as a model for the year below and I was flat out rejected by Nottingham.

You also need to consider your GCSE Maths grade, as they will expect you to have atleast a B.

Why do you have to send your UCAS off so early? Isn't the deadline in mid January? I don't understand how they can expect you to make your choices when you don't know your AS grades.

EDIT: You should also consider your plans for a BSc in Psychology. Are you wanting to pursue a career in the subject? If so, a placement year would be massively useful.

Reply 7

highlifescenery

ahh thankyou all for all of your replies :smile:

to answer some questions-

yeah, i know it's REALLY early but school like to get us to fill in the form so that they can process it over the holidays. obviously they don't get sent until the actual starting application date, but they want it all done by then, if that makes sense? it's ridiculous that we can't have our AS grades to base our decisions on, but that's why we've been strongly advised to choose a mix/pay attention to our indicative/predicted grades. after results day, we can change our forms i think if things have gone radically wrong, but if not then they just send them straight off.

also, i've already spent HOURS on push (which is great) and checked out both the times and guardian guides. they were useful but i'm still stuck ! godd, i sound like such a geek but yeah, thankyou for recommending them anyway !

oh and thanks for the info about notts/sheffield; i really want to visit both but don't think i'll have the oppurtunity till september ! i saw soton. today and i kinda liked it but.. there was something missing. anyway, i'm rambling now so.. cheers :smile:

Reply 8

La Trampa

About psychology at notts, although they ask for AAB/ABB, you'll find they'll let you in even though you don't get those grades. obviously every application is assess individually, but i know people who got far less than the grades asked for and they still got in.
ps the notts campus is great, everyone loves it! :smile: