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Received all decisions, need advice please...

I just recieved the final decision i'd been waiting for and so I need to start thinking about what I'm going to do.

These are the unis/courses and the decisions I received:

Bath - MSci Mathematics and Physics - Offer
Durham - Msci Natural Sciences - Offer
Warwick - MPhys Mathematics and Physics - Offer
Cambridge - Natural Sciences - Rejected
Imperial - MSci Physics with Theoretical Physics - Rejected

My first choice was Cambridge, but changed to Imperial after i got rejected. Imperial was the last one I was waiting for a decision from, and i just received the rejection a few minutes ago so I don't know what to think atm.

I realised after my Cambridge rejection than I'd ideally like to study in London but it was too late to swap one of my choices for a second London uni (probably UCL if i had the choice) in case I didn't get an offer from Imperial.

I'm delighted to have offers from 3 other great unis but they just don't appeal to me, I don't like the campus feel of Bath and Warwick and I'm not keen on the Durham college i've been allocated.

In an ideal world I would just reapply next year but I'm already a year older than most applicants (have 3 a-levels and am spending this year studying further maths because I thought it would improve my chances but it's just turned out to be a waste of my year).

Should I just settle for one of the other universities (likely Warwick if I had to choose) or try again?

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Original post by Alex621
I just recieved the final decision i'd been waiting for and so I need to start thinking about what I'm going to do.

These are the unis/courses and the decisions I received:

Bath - MSci Mathematics and Physics - Offer
Durham - Msci Natural Sciences - Offer
Warwick - MPhys Mathematics and Physics - Offer
Cambridge - Natural Sciences - Rejected
Imperial - MSci Physics with Theoretical Physics - Rejected

My first choice was Cambridge, but changed to Imperial after i got rejected. Imperial was the last one I was waiting for a decision from, and i just received the rejection a few minutes ago so I don't know what to think atm.

I realised after my Cambridge rejection than I'd ideally like to study in London but it was too late to swap one of my choices for a second London uni (probably UCL if i had the choice) in case I didn't get an offer from Imperial.

I'm delighted to have offers from 3 other great unis but they just don't appeal to me, I don't like the campus feel of Bath and Warwick and I'm not keen on the Durham college i've been allocated.

In an ideal world I would just reapply next year but I'm already a year older than most applicants (have 3 a-levels and am spending this year studying further maths because I thought it would improve my chances but it's just turned out to be a waste of my year).

Should I just settle for one of the other universities (likely Warwick if I had to choose) or try again?


You ll be spending 4 years there so better to take a year out instead of settling for a university you aren't going to be happy at.
Reply 2
Original post by claireestelle
You ll be spending 4 years there so better to take a year out instead of settling for a university you aren't going to be happy at.


I'm just concerned that I will be 2 years older than the average person starting the course and there's no guarantee that i'll get offers the next time round from the unis i want to go to :/
Reply 3
What is your Durham college?

Could you send them an email and explain why you aren't suited to the allocated college, and why you're suited better to another college you like?

You could always reject all offers and use ucas extra to find other unis, or adjustment after receiving your further maths grade?
all 3 are great choices but if you don't want to go there your best option would be to withdraw your choices and apply through Extra for a London uni. Be aware firstly UCL might not have any spaces and secondly you could get turned down anyway. If you applied to Cambridge, Imperial next year you could still get turned down. The other option is to look and see if Kings or Queen Mary have available places through Extra. Check out the unis first to see if you are likely to get accepted before making a rash decision.
Reply 5
Original post by Alex621
I'm just concerned that I will be 2 years older than the average person starting the course and there's no guarantee that i'll get offers the next time round from the unis i want to go to :/


It's either that or feeling possible regret over where you've chosen to spend the next four years of your life. Why did you apply to these unis if you didn't like the feel of them?
Reply 6
Original post by Han-
What is your Durham college?

Could you send them an email and explain why you aren't suited to the allocated college, and why you're suited better to another college you like?

You could always reject all offers and use ucas extra to find other unis, or adjustment after receiving your further maths grade?

Van Mildert, I was going to try that but apparently unless it's for medical reasons it's impossible to change colleges... I might email them anyway to try.

Original post by swanseajack1
all 3 are great choices but if you don't want to go there your best option would be to withdraw your choices and apply through Extra for a London uni. Be aware firstly UCL might not have any spaces and secondly you could get turned down anyway. If you applied to Cambridge, Imperial next year you could still get turned down. The other option is to look and see if Kings or Queen Mary have available places through Extra. Check out the unis first to see if you are likely to get accepted before making a rash decision.

Thanks, I'm going to look into extra but I would probably only try it if I decided I was happy reapplying next year as I would have nothing to lose in that case!

Original post by Katarvi
It's either that or feeling possible regret over where you've chosen to spend the next four years of your life. Why did you apply to these unis if you didn't like the feel of them?

I initially only applied to Cambridge as the deadline approached quickly and I wasn't ready to decide on the others, and I ended up waiting until I recieved my decision from Cambridge to add my other choices, which only gave me a few days to decide. It was a stupid move, but it wasn't until a few weeks later that I really started to fall in love with the idea of studying in London. I pretty much picked them from looking at league tables.
Original post by Alex621
I'm just concerned that I will be 2 years older than the average person starting the course and there's no guarantee that i'll get offers the next time round from the unis i want to go to :/


2 years really isn't that bad :smile:
Reply 8
Are you sure you're set on studying in London? It might be nice to study somewhere a bit quieter. I wouldn't say 2 years is all that large a gap though to be honest, I'll be 26 when I start uni so I'm going to be quite a bit older than everyone else starting. If you're sure you're set on London then either try Extra or apply again next year I'd say. Maybe you could do some work experience or volunteering over the summer that might beef up your application for a possible Cambridge or Imperial entry? Worth a shot.
Reply 9
Original post by Katarvi
Are you sure you're set on studying in London? It might be nice to study somewhere a bit quieter. I wouldn't say 2 years is all that large a gap though to be honest, I'll be 26 when I start uni so I'm going to be quite a bit older than everyone else starting. If you're sure you're set on London then either try Extra or apply again next year I'd say. Maybe you could do some work experience or volunteering over the summer that might beef up your application for a possible Cambridge or Imperial entry? Worth a shot.


In all honesty i'm really not sure anymore. I think I need a few days to clear my mind so I can look at the situation again. I just come from a very quiet area and wanted to move to a place with loads of opportunities and a chance to come out of my shell and experience new things, but I know that I will get all of that wherever I end up going.

If I reapply I doubt I'll try Cambridge again, I found it all too stressful and I don't think there's much I could do to improve my chances. I'm just upset that I didn't apply to UCL this year. Thanks for your advice, I feel happier now than I did an hour ago.
Original post by Alex621
In all honesty i'm really not sure anymore. I think I need a few days to clear my mind so I can look at the situation again. I just come from a very quiet area and wanted to move to a place with loads of opportunities and a chance to come out of my shell and experience new things, but I know that I will get all of that wherever I end up going.

If I reapply I doubt I'll try Cambridge again, I found it all too stressful and I don't think there's much I could do to improve my chances. I'm just upset that I didn't apply to UCL this year. Thanks for your advice, I feel happier now than I did an hour ago.

You've got a fair bit of time so just mull it over for a bit, re-look at each unis websites and look around the nearby towns on Google Maps. If you're set on not waiting another year or attempting UCL through Extra you need to set your heart on one of your options and commit to it fully. You can't change what's been done so don't beat yourself up about it, focus on the achievement of having three offers for your degree, well done!

No problem! I wish you luck with your choice. :smile:
Extra shows Kings have this course available if your interested in London and Kings is right in the heart of the action. Other biggish cities shown include Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff. All cities with lots going on. For really nice campuses try Exeter or Swansea. Exeter is a small city with a very green hilly campus. Swansea is bigger than Exeter and the uni is right opposite the beach surrounded by a huge park. Swansea has a very lively nightlife area.
Reply 12
So just an idea, but it might be worth considering -

Why don't you firm your favourite out of the three (i.e. Warwick?) and when you get your results in the summer, you might be able to go through adjustment which enables you to get into other unis with space. If that doesn't work out then you can take a year out, and reapply - at least you've tried otherwise then!
Original post by swanseajack1
Extra shows Kings have this course available if your interested in London and Kings is right in the heart of the action. Other biggish cities shown include Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff. All cities with lots going on. For really nice campuses try Exeter or Swansea. Exeter is a small city with a very green hilly campus. Swansea is bigger than Exeter and the uni is right opposite the beach surrounded by a huge park. Swansea has a very lively nightlife area.

This

Plus Manchester is in Extra for physics.

If you're looking for a city environment there are lots of options in Extra.
Why not choose imperial as your firm choice and bath as your back up. They are two really good unis for science and engineering. Good luck!!
Reply 15
Original post by Rach.is.awesome
Why not choose imperial as your firm choice and bath as your back up. They are two really good unis for science and engineering. Good luck!!


OP was rejected by Imperial.

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Durham and Warwick aren't that bad
I'd of thought you'd jump at the Warwick offer regardless, amazing University.

I'd go with that, not much point taking another year out.
Reply 18
Original post by Alex621
I'm just concerned that I will be 2 years older than the average person starting the course and there's no guarantee that i'll get offers the next time round from the unis i want to go to :/

Don't worry about being older at all, so many of my coursemates (UCL compsci) are several years older and it's not even noticeable. No one cares about that either. It's definitely better to be happy with your university, and if you got an offer from Warwick then you'd get one from UCL for sure if you want London. In your position I personally would go for Warwick as it's an excellent course for maths.
Reapply imo. You are spending tens of thousands of £s so buy what you wnat and no regrets. You could get some decent work experience related to your course that would improve your reapplications.

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