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HELP!! Applying to different courses at competitive unis

I want to apply to history and politics joint honours at oxford, LSE and Edinburgh but no other unis that I’m interested in do it so I was thinking of going for politics and international relations at Bristol and bath. Is this a bad idea as my personal statement will have loads of history on it and I may seem uncommitted to the course but there’s no point going to a uni I don’t like. For context, I don’t really care which of the degrees as they both seem super interesting and oxford is my number one choice. Thank you for any help :smile:)
I don't know if you already know this but at Durham you can do CHSS, and I think History and Politics is a possible combination
Original post by XanaXoid
I don't know if you already know this but at Durham you can do CHSS, and I think History and Politics is a possible combination

too small and close to home for me sadly
Original post by larasmith323
too small and close to home for me sadly

Ok no worries. I just asked because many people don't know about it? So have you already looked all the unis that offers the joint degree?
Original post by XanaXoid
Ok no worries. I just asked because many people don't know about it? So have you already looked all the unis that offers the joint degree?

Yeah not many unis offer it cos history and politics are fairly similar and it’s quite a new degree. There are barely any unis I want to go to with the degree which is a shame but there’s no point applying somewhere I wouldn’t want to go I guess?
In my opinion the course is more important than the location. So for example, if you really like History and Politics I would apply only for it even if you don't like the uni for the size/location. I'm not an expert in History or Politics but on ucas I found quite a few unis that offer the course.
KCL and the degree is liberal arts
Manchester Politics and modern history (don't know if you want history in general or only modern history is fine)
Nottingham History and Politics
Also I didn't write about unis in small towns because it's not your cup of tea, right?
Let me know what you think
Original post by XanaXoid
In my opinion the course is more important than the location. So for example, if you really like History and Politics I would apply only for it even if you don't like the uni for the size/location. I'm not an expert in History or Politics but on ucas I found quite a few unis that offer the course.
KCL and the degree is liberal arts
Manchester Politics and modern history (don't know if you want history in general or only modern history is fine)
Nottingham History and Politics
Also I didn't write about unis in small towns because it's not your cup of tea, right?
Let me know what you think

Thank you so much for your help I really appreciate it, looking at courses and modules can be so confusing. I love the look of Kings and had looked at their politics and international relations degree but for liberal arts doing a foreign language is necessary for first year
Original post by larasmith323
Thank you so much for your help I really appreciate it, looking at courses and modules can be so confusing. I love the look of Kings and had looked at their politics and international relations degree but for liberal arts doing a foreign language is necessary for first year

Yeah I noticed it when I was writing... being totally honest doing only 1 module of a language is a complete waste of time, especially if you have to start at a beginner level. Unfortunately kings doesn't offer italian, my mother language, but in general form what I have seen in other unis the beginer level should be quite easy
Original post by XanaXoid
Yeah I noticed it when I was writing... being totally honest doing only 1 module of a language is a complete waste of time, especially if you have to start at a beginner level. Unfortunately kings doesn't offer italian, my mother language, but in general form what I have seen in other unis the beginer level should be quite easy

Okay so do you think if I apply for Edinburgh, LSE and Oxford for history and politics, Kings for liberal arts to study history and politics and then either Bristol or Bath for Politics and international relations (probably bath because that would be my safety) then would that be okay?? I've just emailed the schools liaisons officers for Bristol and Bath to ask for more advice. For reference my UCAS grades are A*A*A* with an A* in an EPQ and I have two politics internships this summer. I've also tried to do quite a lot of extra stuff on modern history. And I agree about the languages! I guess one module in first year doesn't really matter and its always good to learn a language?
Original post by larasmith323
Okay so do you think if I apply for Edinburgh, LSE and Oxford for history and politics, Kings for liberal arts to study history and politics and then either Bristol or Bath for Politics and international relations (probably bath because that would be my safety) then would that be okay?? I've just emailed the schools liaisons officers for Bristol and Bath to ask for more advice. For reference my UCAS grades are A*A*A* with an A* in an EPQ and I have two politics internships this summer. I've also tried to do quite a lot of extra stuff on modern history. And I agree about the languages! I guess one module in first year doesn't really matter and its always good to learn a language?

Have you looked at this option: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/flexible/exeter/
Original post by larasmith323
Okay so do you think if I apply for Edinburgh, LSE and Oxford for history and politics, Kings for liberal arts to study history and politics and then either Bristol or Bath for Politics and international relations (probably bath because that would be my safety) then would that be okay?? I've just emailed the schools liaisons officers for Bristol and Bath to ask for more advice. For reference my UCAS grades are A*A*A* with an A* in an EPQ and I have two politics internships this summer. I've also tried to do quite a lot of extra stuff on modern history. And I agree about the languages! I guess one module in first year doesn't really matter and its always good to learn a language?

Yeah learning a language is always a great idea but having only 1 core modules is not enough to learn it properly. Your grades are amazing! If you think you could enjoy politics and int relations go for it. Honestly idk about the offer rates for your degree so you can check online so you can be a bit more sure on receiving an offer
Original post by larasmith323
I want to apply to history and politics joint honours at oxford, LSE and Edinburgh but no other unis that I’m interested in do it so I was thinking of going for politics and international relations at Bristol and bath. Is this a bad idea as my personal statement will have loads of history on it and I may seem uncommitted to the course but there’s no point going to a uni I don’t like. For context, I don’t really care which of the degrees as they both seem super interesting and oxford is my number one choice. Thank you for any help :smile:)


Hi, I actually did the combined history and politics course at LSE, and also applied to Oxford, Nottingham, Liverpool and Warwick. Bit of advice, do NOT apply to different courses at different unis. My advisor at sixth form said the exact thing to me, that unis would notice quickly that you're mentioning things not related to their course in your PS, and not give you a place since you aren't that committed to the course. LSE wasn't bad in terms of the joint course, Oxford is... different, and I advise to seriously think of your choices about going there. Liverpool and Warwick honestly had some amazing module options and sometimes I regret not accepting to somewhere else.

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