Will my gcse grades and my alevel choices hold me back when applying to uni?

Will my gcse grades of 8887666654, with an eight in maths and physics, and my choice of alevels (maths and physics) along with a cambridge extended certificate in engineering, be sufficient for admission to a prestigious university like Imperial for engineering? I've heard that straight nines are often expected, and I'm concerned that they wont recognise my certificate despite it being the equivalent to an alevel. And that even if I were to get A*A*D* it wont be enough. Thanks.

Reply 1

Rory_A

3

Original post by Anonymous #1

Will my gcse grades of 8887666654, with an eight in maths and physics, and my choice of alevels (maths and physics) along with a cambridge extended certificate in engineering, be sufficient for admission to a prestigious university like Imperial for engineering? I've heard that straight nines are often expected, and I'm concerned that they wont recognise my certificate despite it being the equivalent to an alevel. And that even if I were to get A*A*D* it wont be enough. Thanks.

You also have to consider your extra/super curricular activities, if those are strong, then that will make up for your GCSEs

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Rory_A

You also have to consider your extra/super curricular activities, if those are strong, then that will make up for your GCSEs

Thanks for the reply! Considering your advice, could you share any insight into which extra/super curricular activities are highly valued? I want to ensure I focus on those that will strengthen my application. Thanks again.

Reply 3

Rory_A

3

Original post by Anonymous #1

Thanks for the reply! Considering your advice, could you share any insight into which extra/super curricular activities are highly valued? I want to ensure I focus on those that will strengthen my application. Thanks again.

I’m not too sure about engineering, and some activities are age dependent, but if you are year 11 or 12, PROMYS may be a good idea- it is a summer school, but very good for uni apps. I can tell you that reading books is important no matter the subject

Reply 4

vnayak

16

Original post by Rory_A

I’m not too sure about engineering, and some activities are age dependent, but if you are year 11 or 12, PROMYS may be a good idea- it is a summer school, but very good for uni apps. I can tell you that reading books is important no matter the subject

I didn't read a single book but I still got an offer for CS lol.

Reply 5

vnayak

16

Original post by Anonymous #1

Will my gcse grades of 8887666654, with an eight in maths and physics, and my choice of alevels (maths and physics) along with a cambridge extended certificate in engineering, be sufficient for admission to a prestigious university like Imperial for engineering? I've heard that straight nines are often expected, and I'm concerned that they wont recognise my certificate despite it being the equivalent to an alevel. And that even if I were to get A*A*D* it wont be enough. Thanks.

OK, so you are right in thinking that Imperial wants good grades (and so do all universities for that matter) but they don't expect all 9s. For most engineering courses (if not all), you have an admissions test and an interview to go with it so if you show your academic ability there, then you should be OK. I agree with @Rory_A in that you need to do as many impressive supercurricular activities as you can.

If you get top A level predictions, then I don't see why you can't get in. For any Engineering course, Maths is pretty much a given (even if they don't require it, I seriously recommend it) and for Imperial and other top institutions, it would be worthwhile considering Further Maths because I hear that some questions require you to understand Further Maths. So you can either teach yourself or pursue the qualification through school.

For Engineering, practical things are really good (and that goes for any STEM course). For instance, one of my friends who has an offer for General Engineering re-designed the entire school car park in order to ease the flow of traffic on a morning and it really worked. He designed a plan, which was then implemented and people were able to avoid rushes and jams. In my case (I applied for CS), I did an industry-standard project that is being implemented for an independent end-client which approached the company.

I would also recommend trying to do well in the next Physics Olympiad or UKMT Maths Challenge to showcase your mathematical ability (if you haven't done well in them already). Other than that, I would just read some books (but don't overload), maybe some personal projects to gain exposure (maybe like a Raspberry Pi because that has strong engineering links, particularly with the hardware element, and you can make it do cool stuff with the Arduino programming language, which will prepare you well for what's to come at university). Maybe do some online courses?

Reply 6

Nathanielle_

7

Just do not do not more, than you can handle. 🙂 Good grades and serious commitment are important in the long run. And then it depends a bit of the type of engineering, what extra curriculars are best. Also for yourself. It is allways good to show consistency, but allowed to change your mind. And yes, Engineering is math heavy, so that helps a lot, and saves time in the degree, which is quite theoretical.

Reply 7

Anonymous #2

Also, if you are going to do 4 A levels, or 4 qualifications of any sort, whatever happens, DON'T DO AN EPQ FOR IMPERIAL. It is simply useless and when I asked the admissions tutors about whether I need to do an EPQ, I got the most unconvincing "it will help your application" I've ever heard.

Reply 8

Rory_A

3

Original post by vnayak

I didn't read a single book but I still got an offer for CS lol.

You prob had a very good personal statement and good grades

Reply 9

vnayak

16

Original post by Rory_A

You prob had a very good personal statement and good grades

I had good grades (5 A* predictions at A level in Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry, Computer Science and EPQ and 9999999988 grades at GCSE) but I don't think my personal statement was that good compared to the ones I've seen online and some other people's. They have far better achievements and things to talk about, which I just don't have. I feel as though I got in through pure luck honestly - easy admissions test, relatively straightforward interview.

Reply 10

Nathanielle_

7

Original post by vnayak

I had good grades (5 A* predictions at A level in Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry, Computer Science and EPQ and 9999999988 grades at GCSE) but I don't think my personal statement was that good compared to the ones I've seen online and some other people's. They have far better achievements and things to talk about, which I just don't have. I feel as though I got in through pure luck honestly - easy admissions test, relatively straightforward interview.

You always find someone better, straight A* predictions is good enough. And generally speaking, not overloading yourself and concentrating yourself on doing really good in what you actually need to do really good in is also an important skill to have.

Will my gcse grades and my alevel choices hold me back when applying to uni?

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