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help - a levels + university

So i just finished year 11 and got 5x9,2x8,7,6 and i picked A level politics, history and english lit
1) - does anyone know if these a levels would get me into a good university
2) - does anyone know how difficult it is to get to cambridge and study the human social and political sciences course
3) - does anyone recommend a good course for university that gives you a lot of career options
4) - are these a levels hard... does anyone have any tips
5) - is an epq worth it... can you do an essay for it?

Reply 1

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by user1787

1) That would depend on what you wanted to study at university. Medicine? No. Computer Science? No. Most humanities subjects? Yes.

2) To gain a place on any Cambridge course is tough. For HSPS they ask for A*AA, but say that (in pre-pandemic years: 2017, 2018 and 2019) 71% of successful applicants achieved at least A*A*A. For 2022 entry there were 9 applicants for every place, and you have to assume that the vast majority of those were predicted A*AA or above. (Note that some Colleges require applicants for this course to take a written assessment if shortlisted for interview, and that applicants at all colleges are required to submit two pieces of written work prior to interview.)

3) The best course is the one you enjoy, and your learn more, gain confidence and perform well.

4) They are all very essay-heavy. If that's your thing, then you should be fine.

5) People's opinions differ on the value of an EPQ. Personally, I think there's value if your A levels are very maths- or science-based, as it demonstrates your ability to write 5,000 (ish) words. If you're doing essay-based subjects already, I'm not sure there's much value from an academic perspective. Some unis will lower their grade requirements slightly (i.e. by one grade) for some courses if you get an A/A* in your EPQ. But the effort you'd need to put into the EPQ to get the requirements dropped by one grade might be better spent studying and getting your A levels up one grade instead. And that would be of value for all unis.