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Reply 660
Original post by Hemzo
Yeah, a few of my friends were telling me how boring Biology was, but atleast you've got pretty strong academic subjects and yeah! Till August we'll see. Atleast now I've got some time to chill out on my guitar and play some PS3! :biggrin:

What uni's you planning to get into mate? Do you know your 5 or you still unsure?


They are definitely right, it's mind numbing. Can't wait to get rid of it. I've literally been doing nothing for the last week, feels soooo good. It's all about the Xbox though :wink:

Not sure about getting in to (I'm not a very optimistic person :tongue:) But I'm thinking of applying to Cambridge, UCL, Warwick, Bath and Nottingham (grades permitting). Also considering a gap year where I'll do further maths A2 and then reapply with more chance of getting in to the top ones. Just going to wait and see how it goes I guess!

What are your plans then? :smile:
Reply 661
Original post by tateco
They are definitely right, it's mind numbing. Can't wait to get rid of it. I've literally been doing nothing for the last week, feels soooo good. It's all about the Xbox though :wink:

Not sure about getting in to (I'm not a very optimistic person :tongue:) But I'm thinking of applying to Cambridge, UCL, Warwick, Bath and Nottingham (grades permitting). Also considering a gap year where I'll do further maths A2 and then reapply with more chance of getting in to the top ones. Just going to wait and see how it goes I guess!

What are your plans then? :smile:


Xbox < PS3 :tongue:
Just going to wait for LA Noire to go down in price before I buy it, looks like a great game!

Strong choices, all are pretty good if you're able to get into them. I'm hoping to try and get atleast one A* from my A2 subjects. I'm thinking of picking Warwick, Bath, Nottingham, Durham and probably Exeter/Manchester/Southampton. Rather play it safe with 2 top uni's, 2 middle and one low. Hopefully my PS stands out though! You thinking of going to any of the open days?
Reply 662
Original post by Hemzo
Xbox < PS3 :tongue:
Just going to wait for LA Noire to go down in price before I buy it, looks like a great game!

Strong choices, all are pretty good if you're able to get into them. I'm hoping to try and get atleast one A* from my A2 subjects. I'm thinking of picking Warwick, Bath, Nottingham, Durham and probably Exeter/Manchester/Southampton. Rather play it safe with 2 top uni's, 2 middle and one low. Hopefully my PS stands out though! You thinking of going to any of the open days?


It looks like a bit too much detection and nothing else :L Will probably end up getting it though :tongue:

Yeah it's quite a risky set, but with the possibility of a gap year I can afford to be more risky. I also adopt the thought that I should only apply to places that I actually want to be at (will be happy at), and don't want to sell myself short. And at the end of the day you only end up going to one so may as well aim high and it's not like you can firm all five uni's or get rewards for getting all five offers back (other than feeling satisfied).

They are very good choices. I was considering Durham but it's just a bit too far away for me. York is supposed to be really good as well.

I'm going to the Cambridge open day, I've also applied to the one at Nottingham and Bath. Not sure whether I'll go to them or whether to book any others but we'll see! What about you?
Reply 663
Original post by tateco
It looks like a bit too much detection and nothing else :L Will probably end up getting it though :tongue:

Yeah it's quite a risky set, but with the possibility of a gap year I can afford to be more risky. I also adopt the thought that I should only apply to places that I actually want to be at (will be happy at), and don't want to sell myself short. And at the end of the day you only end up going to one so may as well aim high and it's not like you can firm all five uni's or get rewards for getting all five offers back (other than feeling satisfied).

They are very good choices. I was considering Durham but it's just a bit too far away for me. York is supposed to be really good as well.

I'm going to the Cambridge open day, I've also applied to the one at Nottingham and Bath. Not sure whether I'll go to them or whether to book any others but we'll see! What about you?


I see what you mean, I mean at the end of the day you're going to be studying there for 3 years, so yeah, you'll have to enjoy being there. I'm not really welcoming the thought of going on a gap year, but many people that have done so have went on to attend top uni's so it's a possibility. And I forgot to mention that I'm also going to pick up Further Maths AS next year. Does your college/sixth form only let you do it if you have a good overall grade in Maths?

Yeah, from London to Durham, it's a huge distance, but I think I might check the uni out first and then make my decision, plus it's a pretty small town, but we'll see what happens. Yeah, York's pretty good too, but I've heard people slate it around TSR, so I'm not really too sure.

Might be attending the Bath and Nottingham ones, probably going to attend most of my open days next year though. For some I have no idea how I'm going to get there in time for the start and how to get there :tongue:
Reply 664
Original post by Hemzo
I see what you mean, I mean at the end of the day you're going to be studying there for 3 years, so yeah, you'll have to enjoy being there. I'm not really welcoming the thought of going on a gap year, but many people that have done so have went on to attend top uni's so it's a possibility. And I forgot to mention that I'm also going to pick up Further Maths AS next year. Does your college/sixth form only let you do it if you have a good overall grade in Maths?

Yeah, from London to Durham, it's a huge distance, but I think I might check the uni out first and then make my decision, plus it's a pretty small town, but we'll see what happens. Yeah, York's pretty good too, but I've heard people slate it around TSR, so I'm not really too sure.

Might be attending the Bath and Nottingham ones, probably going to attend most of my open days next year though. For some I have no idea how I'm going to get there in time for the start and how to get there :tongue:


We have to get 85%+ average in all modules (I'm aiming for 95%+) and it has to fit in with our time table. Although if it doesn't fit I'm going to self teach anyway. This might be hard work but it will be impressive on the PS so it's a win win either way. What about your school?

Some people don't mind the distance, but I don't really want to be too far up north so I'm applying to universities which are within about 3 hours drive and less on the train (from home).

I think I might go to more of the September open days after I have done my research. The logistics of organising getting to and from the open days are a nightmare!
Reply 665
Original post by tateco
We have to get 85%+ average in all modules (I'm aiming for 95%+) and it has to fit in with our time table. Although if it doesn't fit I'm going to self teach anyway. This might be hard work but it will be impressive on the PS so it's a win win either way. What about your school?

Some people don't mind the distance, but I don't really want to be too far up north so I'm applying to universities which are within about 3 hours drive and less on the train (from home).

I think I might go to more of the September open days after I have done my research. The logistics of organising getting to and from the open days are a nightmare!


Pretty much the same as your yours, you need a strong A overall in order to takeup Further Maths.

Yeah, 2-3 hours is the maximum I reckon aswell. I don't really want to apply to uni's in London except UCL, so I might swap Durham for that. Though a nice change of scene would be pretty nice.

That they are! Especially if they're 2 hours drive away and transport is a big issue :tongue:
Original post by Hemzo

2-3 hours is the maximum I reckon aswell.
:tongue:


Original post by tateco
I don't really want to be too far up north so I'm applying to universities which are within about 3 hours drive and less on the train (from home).


I'm applying to ones which are 1.5 hours away direct by train.... oh, and Edinburgh :tongue: (but I guess that's only an hour away by plane, hehe)
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 667
Original post by thegenius31416
I'm applying to ones which are 1.5 hours away direct by train.... oh, and Edinburgh :tongue: (but I guess that's only an hour away by plane, hehe)


If only I lived close to Scotland! St.Andrews and Edinburgh are really good uni's! Which ones you looking to go for mate?
Original post by Hemzo
If only I lived close to Scotland! St.Andrews and Edinburgh are really good uni's! Which ones you looking to go for mate?


Warwick, Bristol and Exeter (as well as Edinburgh) - all offer a year in Germany basically.

You wish you lived close to Scotland? I'd rather live IN Scotland! Free university would suit me very nicely :rolleyes:
Reply 669
Original post by thegenius31416
I'm applying to ones which are 1.5 hours away direct by train.... oh, and Edinburgh :tongue: (but I guess that's only an hour away by plane, hehe)


Aha, I'd actually rather 1 hour by plane than 4 hours by car! Especially for when it's a university as good as Edinburgh.

Do you like having a limit to the number of universities you can apply to or would you prefer a wider choice? Because on one hand it makes the choice easy and on the other hand you have less choice...
Original post by tateco
Aha, I'd actually rather 1 hour by plane than 4 hours by car! Especially for when it's a university as good as Edinburgh.

Do you like having a limit to the number of universities you can apply to or would you prefer a wider choice? Because on one hand it makes the choice easy and on the other hand you have less choice...


Referring to the 'with study abroad' thing? That's a very interesting question!:rolleyes:

Well, I've gone through every detail about all the Unis in the top 20 for Economics :cool: so I've made sure to do my research and see if any other universities offer stuff which would change my mind. It would of course be great if Cambridge, LSE, UCL etc did a year in Germany but they don't and there's not a lot I can do about that.

I've found 3 Universities that I would be over the moon to get a single offer from (that's Warwick, Bristol and Edinburgh; Exeter doesn't have quite the same feel to me but I'd still be happy to go there). I don't really have a 5th choice, I might just pick Nottingham but I don't know if I'd go there since I don't want to do 33% German (language = good, cultural modules = interesting but waste of time). I could just pick LSE and see if I could have got in :wink:

I think the main problem though is how competitive my ideal choices are. Warwick is a top 5 and has a lot of very good applicants, Bristol has a small department and a high applicant to place ratio (although this is somewhat negated by fact I'm applying for a less competitive variation of the course), and Edinburgh does have a bias towards those living in/near Scotland :s-smilie:

Fingers crossed anyway that I get at least one offer from them :biggrin:

(and fingers crossed you get 5 :tongue:)
Reply 671
Original post by thegenius31416
Referring to the 'with study abroad' thing? That's a very interesting question!:rolleyes:

Well, I've gone through every detail about all the Unis in the top 20 for Economics :cool: so I've made sure to do my research and see if any other universities offer stuff which would change my mind. It would of course be great if Cambridge, LSE, UCL etc did a year in Germany but they don't and there's not a lot I can do about that.

I've found 3 Universities that I would be over the moon to get a single offer from (that's Warwick, Bristol and Edinburgh; Exeter doesn't have quite the same feel to me but I'd still be happy to go there). I don't really have a 5th choice, I might just pick Nottingham but I don't know if I'd go there since I don't want to do 33% German (language = good, cultural modules = interesting but waste of time). I could just pick LSE and see if I could have got in :wink:

I think the main problem though is how competitive my ideal choices are. Warwick is a top 5 and has a lot of very good applicants, Bristol has a small department and a high applicant to place ratio (although this is somewhat negated by fact I'm applying for a less competitive variation of the course), and Edinburgh does have a bias towards those living in/near Scotland :s-smilie:

Fingers crossed anyway that I get at least one offer from them :biggrin:

(and fingers crossed you get 5 :tongue:)


Seems like you have it all planned out! That's certainly the way you want to play it (be happy to go to any of the universities you get an offer from). It's great that you have German to go with it. I'm actually interested in financial economics mainly (not because I want a career in finance, just because it's where my interests lie). But Bristol is the only high calibre university that offers a Economics and Finance course. It's not really the same problem for me as it is for you, as I can simply choose all my optional modules geared towards financial economics to make sure I get to do what I enjoy. I understand that most universities allow you to learn a language alongside your degree but that's not the same as a year of study in the country.

You should definitely just stick to where you want to go instead of applying randomly, if you did get an offer from LSE you might be too tempted to accept it and end up regretting your decision.

I'm sure you'll definitely get most if not all of your offers back, your GCSEs, subject choices and grades are flawless so I see no reason why not. I also assume that the courses you're applying for are slightly less competitive than straight economics? (correct me if I'm wrong).

I definitely won't get all five offers :tongue: I'd be happy with an offer from one of Cambridge, UCL or Warwick and content with one from Bath and Nottingham. Although I'd be reluctant to accept from Bath or Nottingham (that's even if I get an offer from them :tongue:) and will be very likely to have a gap year if it comes to that!
Reply 672
I'm thinking of reapplying in this cycle having already achieved my A-Levels. They are as follows:

Maths A*
Economics A*
RS A

I have an offer from Bristol, but am unsure if it would be worth reapplying and trying for a top 5 with these grades. What do you guys reckon?
Reply 673
Original post by Ideal.
I'm thinking of reapplying in this cycle having already achieved my A-Levels. They are as follows:

Maths A*
Economics A*
RS A

I have an offer from Bristol, but am unsure if it would be worth reapplying and trying for a top 5 with these grades. What do you guys reckon?


What are your GCSEs like?
What was your fourth AS?

You are lacking further maths but you will meet the entrance requirements of all 5 of the top universities so it might be worth a shot. A bit of a risk though I suppose?
Reply 674
Original post by thegenius31416
Warwick, Bristol and Exeter (as well as Edinburgh) - all offer a year in Germany basically.

You wish you lived close to Scotland? I'd rather live IN Scotland! Free university would suit me very nicely :rolleyes:


Heard Scotland isn't a nice place on certain nights :tongue:
Original post by Ideal.
I'm thinking of reapplying in this cycle having already achieved my A-Levels. They are as follows:

Maths A*
Economics A*
RS A

I have an offer from Bristol, but am unsure if it would be worth reapplying and trying for a top 5 with these grades. What do you guys reckon?


If those are the only A-levels you have, I wouldn't bother. Nothing wrong with Bristol.
Reply 676
My GCSE's were 6A* 5A but I had exenuating circumstances for them, as a parent died during them. My fourth AS was histroy.
Reply 677
Original post by Ideal.
My GCSE's were 6A* 5A but I had exenuating circumstances for them, as a parent died during them. My fourth AS was histroy.


They're still very good GCSEs (I'm sorry to hear that).

You might have a chance at the top 5, it's just going to be a risk you will have to decide on. Bristol (as many people have said) is a good university, but also one with a seemingly unusual admissions process, so even if you reapplied to Bristol (along with four of the top 5) then you can certainly not guarantee an offer and might end up with nothing at all...
Financial Economics sounds good and I know it's different to boring old finance, don't worry :wink:

Original post by tateco
I understand that most universities allow you to learn a language alongside your degree but that's not the same as a year of study in the country.


Yes, I was considering just doing language modules but I really want a year there and it's an opportunity not to pass up (Erasmus). Especially considering that tuition fees are going so high now, a free year of tuition is something I'll take :smile: Also, I'll need to live in the country if I wish to gain any level of fluency.

Original post by tateco
You should definitely just stick to where you want to go instead of applying randomly, if you did get an offer from LSE you might be too tempted to accept it and end up regretting your decision.


That's why I don't want to apply for Cambridge. What do you reckon then? Thames Valley University or should I aim high and go for London Met? :biggrin:

Original post by tateco
I also assume that the courses you're applying for are slightly less competitive than straight economics? (correct me if I'm wrong).


Unfortunately, you're wrong :tongue: I'll be applying for straight Economics at Edinburgh and Warwick because you apply for the Erasmus scheme once you get there (and if I don't get on it there, I'll be kicking and screaming, haha, but I don't think it's incredibly competitive (in comparison to exchanges to the USA and such) as not a lot of people speak a foreign language.

At Bristol it should help my chances definitely, as that variant of the course is a lot less competitive. They've removed the ratios (Applicants:Offers) from the website now but it used to be 88:15 for Economics with a year abroad compared to 1200:70 or something like that. I don't think it would make a difference to Exeter but that should be relatively easy to get an offer from (at least, according to TAELT and the fact everyone at my school gets an offer from there year on year).
Original post by Hemzo
Heard Scotland isn't a nice place on certain nights :tongue:


I think Edinburgh is a very nice place, it's Glasgow you're thinking of :tongue: