Does being a private candidate affect uni applications?

Does being a private candidate affect uni admissions? For context I am an international student who is planning to resit my a levels to apply for top unis like LSE, Imperial and UCL. Since I have already done my a levels before I would rather self study but I was told by my parents that doing so it would put myself at a disadvantage as I don’t have the support of a college and my application would seem less favourable? I would greatly appreciate it if anyone who has resat privately and managed to get into a good uni to share their experiences or just any help is welcomed. I also wanna know my chances of getting into one of those 3 unis as a resit student as I heard they may not like people who resat.

Reply 1

hibyehereforasec

10

Original post by yeetskeet

Does being a private candidate affect uni admissions? For context I am an international student who is planning to resit my a levels to apply for top unis like LSE, Imperial and UCL. Since I have already done my a levels before I would rather self study but I was told by my parents that doing so it would put myself at a disadvantage as I don’t have the support of a college and my application would seem less favourable? I would greatly appreciate it if anyone who has resat privately and managed to get into a good uni to share their experiences or just any help is welcomed. I also wanna know my chances of getting into one of those 3 unis as a resit student as I heard they may not like people who resat.

I actually am in the same boat, i'm doing my a levels privately too and was wondering the same if it would affect Uni applications, but logically I've thought about it this way: If i get brill results ie As or A stars, wouldn't it be even more impressive to have attained them without the support of a college? Wouldn't it emulate my own dedication and conviction for the subjects thus perhaps making my application almost stronger? Someone correct me if my thought process is wrong because its not too late i can still say yes to my college offer...

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 2

emilyalexandria

9

Original post by yeetskeet

Does being a private candidate affect uni admissions? For context I am an international student who is planning to resit my a levels to apply for top unis like LSE, Imperial and UCL. Since I have already done my a levels before I would rather self study but I was told by my parents that doing so it would put myself at a disadvantage as I don’t have the support of a college and my application would seem less favourable? I would greatly appreciate it if anyone who has resat privately and managed to get into a good uni to share their experiences or just any help is welcomed. I also wanna know my chances of getting into one of those 3 unis as a resit student as I heard they may not like people who resat.

You might be disadvantaged as a private candidate if you can't get a good academic reference. This can be quite important for top unis like LSE, especially if they don't have entrance tests or interviews. That doesn't make it impossible though, as you could get a reference from your old school or a private tutor. Retaking your A levels can make your grades less impressive, as you had more time to study and more opportunities than most applicants to succeed. That doesn't mean your application is doomed or anything though, just make sure the rest of it really stands out. Getting As and A*s is still a massive achievement.

Original post by hibyehereforasec

I actually am in the same boat, i'm doing my a levels privately too and was wondering the same if it would affect Uni applications, but logically I've thought about it this way: If i get brill results ie As or A stars, wouldn't it be even more impressive to have attained them without the support of a college? Wouldn't it emulate my own dedication and conviction for the subjects thus perhaps making my application almost stronger? Someone correct me if my thought process is wrong because its not too late i can still say yes to my college offer...

If you completely self-teach your A levels and get As and A*s, then yes, universities would probably be impressed. That takes a lot of commitment and aptitude. If you had lots of private tutors etc, then it's not really that remarkable, though. Self-teaching for a retake is quite different, as you still had as much education as everyone else. You had more opportunities than the average applicant, not less.

Does being a private candidate affect uni applications?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you