Successful history applicants to durham

For anyone with a Durham history offer… Can I ask when you submitted your UCAS form, how long Durham took to reply and what your GCSE / A Level grades were? I’m a Y12 student thinking about applying to Durham for history but I’m not sure if my grades are good enough…

Hiya, you can check this spreadsheet for all the offer-holders and their grades. There are no formal GCSE requirements for History, so I'd say focus on your A-levels, personal statement and references when making the application. You can't change your GCSEs now anyway, so if your predicted grades can meet the entry requirements for history (A*AA), I'd say it's worth applying. I also always recommend applying to 2 aspirational unis (that you may or may not meet the grades for), 2 that you're more likely to meet the grades for, and 1 that you definitely will meet the grades for. So maybe Durham can be an aspirational choice!

You can also talk to current History students here and ask any questions related to the course or their experience. I'm also here to help you with any questions, although I can only give general answers related to student life at Durham since I'm not a History student

-Himieka

so helpful - thank you so much! I got 6 A*s and As and 5 Bs (I'm a welsh student) at GCSE, A*s were in History, English, RS which is what I'm taking for A Level as well so I'm hoping I'm in with a chance! Really great to see the spreadsheet, I guess one more general question about Durham applications I have that you might be able to help with is - do Durham hold off on applicants that apply to Oxbridge based on the fact that they apply early and then get their offers in January? I really want to do to Durham so I'm actually thinking of not applying to Oxbridge and submitting my UCAS shortly after the Oxbridge deadline, in November, I'm just wondering if that means I might get a response from Durham more quickly? (I've hear of people having to wait months and months).

Hi, I'm a Welsh student in year 13, hopefully going to study history at Durham in September. I applied before the Oxbridge deadline but to neither Oxford or Cambridge - Durham is my dream uni. I don't really think it matters but the earlier you get your application in the better. I heard back just before Christmas and Durham was the last uni to get back to me. However I had a guaranteed offer due to a summer school I went on. Durham has been very slow so the earlier you get it in the better. Applying before the Oxbridge deadline will not affect your chances, many students at Durham will have applied to Oxbridge as they are usually the top three unis for history. I'd also advice checking your post idea because you might be eligible for a reduced offer which will help you out a lot. Depends where you live in Wales! Good luck with As exams and uni application! See how these ones go and they will help you get a better idea of what unis you might be able to get the grades for next year! Good luck, hopefully both of us will get to Durham!

This is so helpful thank you so much! Out of interest what other unis did you apply to? I don't think I'm eligible for an adjusted offer but am the first in my family to go to uni so hoping that's taken into consideration! Thanks again and good luck with your A levels!

No worries, its nice to see other people from Wales applying!
I applied for history at:
Durham (firm)
Nottingham (insurance)
York
Exeter
Warwick

I was lucky enough to get offers for all five of my unis. Other than Durham (where my offer is AAB) all 4 others were ABB. I think its also worth mentioning (as you won't find many people who give Welsh specific advice) that Durham doesn't accept a Welsh Baccalaureate grade in exchange for one of the others, but all four other unis did in my case - I'm assuming you are studying through WJEC! All five require an A in history.
My grades are lower in all five unis I believe so I'm sorry if that's unhelpful to you, but otherwise the advice is fairly similar. If you do want to check just search 'contextual offer for (your uni)'. There are websites online which can check what category your postcode falls into. I'm sure you know if you're eligible or not but sometimes the conditions can be attending a state school and being the first in your family so its worth double checking for everywhere you apply! Grades are obviously a major factor in applications but please do not underestimate the power of the personal statement. Its so worth the effort because it can make or break an offer when you are competing against students with very similar grades to you. I know its time consuming and often difficult to write but it will be worth it in the end! Make the most of the support your school offers you in this!

I hope that covers everything but if you have any other questions I'm happy to answer them as best I can!