Are my university choices unrealistic for my grades?

I'm surprised at some of your rejections. Did you find the reasons? Do you have the required GCSE grades?

thanks for your response, i didnt look into them much but was also surprised considering i had the suitable grades, i can only assume that i had applied far later than most other applicants, i do remember having problems with ucas on the final day of submission, i do vaguely remember reading 'no subject relevance' or 'no relevance material' on one of my declined letters. my gcses were average, lowest was a grade 4 in mathematics, i really had a troubled few years, my gcse grades were not a result of my potential for sure, i did grade a 7 in english and 5s in sciences, hmm

Hello guys, firstly i would like to say i apologise for asking the cliché 'am i good enough?!?'question. My intentions aren't to check my eligibility specifically but to rather discuss possibilities and take on advice from people who know way more about this than me.

Important background information; I recently graduated college with a Distinction* / D*D*D* across the board in a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport Science & Physical Activity(i believe it calculates around 168 UCAS tariff points or whatever). I had applied for a few universities last year through UCAS but decided that i wasn't ready to make such decision at this time in my life, perhaps regretfully and postponed myself for a gap year to earn some supporting income.

My desiring courses to study would be Psycholgy BSc C800 or Psychology MSci C810 or something or similar relativity such as "Psychology with Behavioural Sciences".

Now i know it is peculiar that a person who started a sports course is looking to study a predominately scientific related study such as psychology, but there is a lot of contextual problems in my personal life that led me to make such a secondary based college study.

I moved out of my hometown and lived away from family in kinship and as a young footballer, i was accepted into a high profile football academy. As i figured my life together i slowly started go realise what i wanted to study, time passes, people change, blah blah blah. I am curious to know whether i should write about this transcending change in my personal statement but im doubtful there is any purpose material that any university will acknowledge.

Regardless, last year i obviously made applications in psychology and a few sport science inclusions and was made offers too. My offers and responses were a bit strange i guess;

University of Nottingham(Sports and Excersise Science): Declined
University of Exeter(Sports and Excersise Science): Declined
University of Portsmouth(Sports and Excersise Psychology): Conditional offer
University of Durham(Psychology and Anthropology): Conditional offer
University of Durham(Behavioural Science): Conditional offer

Surprisingly i was made an offer by Durham on both of my choices, considering the rankings of Durham and how well respected their psychology department is. The offers also came with contextual offers (assuming they mustve seen in my application that my area had a low progression rate to university or that i was in care) which was surprising too.

So undoubtedly, i do NOT have the qualifications to go to a top tier univeristy but i would love to push the boundaries and really throw myself out there given that Durham had recognised something in my application.

These are the universities and courses i almost dream of getting an offer from, i have looked at the entry requirements and contextual requirements but i would love to get some realistic introspective advice from someone who knows the admission system better than myself. Would this be a realistic choice range.

Kings College, London: Psychology BSc
Royal Holloway, London: Psychology MSci
UCL, Psychology: BSc or MSci
Durham, Psychology: BSc

I know most of these are far stretched considerations but i would love to know the boundaries before i even consider wasting a slot getting rejected inevitability lol. The considerations of BTEC even at UCL, Cambridge & Oxford are also seemingly impossible, i previously read a statistic that no BTEC graduate had ever been offered a place in any of the top 3 uk universities.

Thank you for taking the time to read this lmao, i look forward to any input or advice

... but definitely try for Durham and KCL

Hello guys, firstly i would like to say i apologise for asking the cliché 'am i good enough?!?'question. My intentions aren't to check my eligibility specifically but to rather discuss possibilities and take on advice from people who know way more about this than me.

Important background information; I recently graduated college with a Distinction* / D*D*D* across the board in a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport Science & Physical Activity(i believe it calculates around 168 UCAS tariff points or whatever). I had applied for a few universities last year through UCAS but decided that i wasn't ready to make such decision at this time in my life, perhaps regretfully and postponed myself for a gap year to earn some supporting income.

My desiring courses to study would be Psycholgy BSc C800 or Psychology MSci C810 or something or similar relativity such as "Psychology with Behavioural Sciences".

Now i know it is peculiar that a person who started a sports course is looking to study a predominately scientific related study such as psychology, but there is a lot of contextual problems in my personal life that led me to make such a secondary based college study.

I moved out of my hometown and lived away from family in kinship and as a young footballer, i was accepted into a high profile football academy. As i figured my life together i slowly started go realise what i wanted to study, time passes, people change, blah blah blah. I am curious to know whether i should write about this transcending change in my personal statement but im doubtful there is any purpose material that any university will acknowledge.

Regardless, last year i obviously made applications in psychology and a few sport science inclusions and was made offers too. My offers and responses were a bit strange i guess;

University of Nottingham(Sports and Excersise Science): Declined
University of Exeter(Sports and Excersise Science): Declined
University of Portsmouth(Sports and Excersise Psychology): Conditional offer
University of Durham(Psychology and Anthropology): Conditional offer
University of Durham(Behavioural Science): Conditional offer

Surprisingly i was made an offer by Durham on both of my choices, considering the rankings of Durham and how well respected their psychology department is. The offers also came with contextual offers (assuming they mustve seen in my application that my area had a low progression rate to university or that i was in care) which was surprising too.

So undoubtedly, i do NOT have the qualifications to go to a top tier univeristy but i would love to push the boundaries and really throw myself out there given that Durham had recognised something in my application.

These are the universities and courses i almost dream of getting an offer from, i have looked at the entry requirements and contextual requirements but i would love to get some realistic introspective advice from someone who knows the admission system better than myself. Would this be a realistic choice range.

Kings College, London: Psychology BSc
Royal Holloway, London: Psychology MSci
UCL, Psychology: BSc or MSci
Durham, Psychology: BSc

I know most of these are far stretched considerations but i would love to know the boundaries before i even consider wasting a slot getting rejected inevitability lol. The considerations of BTEC even at UCL, Cambridge & Oxford are also seemingly impossible, i previously read a statistic that no BTEC graduate had ever been offered a place in any of the top 3 uk universities.

Thank you for taking the time to read this lmao, i look forward to any input or advice

the problem is OP is likely to be automatically rejected based on maths GCSE grade. This is a way bigger issue than having BTECs and subjects choices at BTEC. Its also way easier to solve (but might mean delaying applying by a year) .

I'd include another "safety" option just in case as your situation is definitely unusual and you don't have the classically required background/grades - but definitely try for Durham and KCL (personally, I know UCL can be very nit-picky and particular with applicant's subjects and grades so I'd probably pass on that if I were you - they readily reject people who even surpass their requirements, which from my understanding you don't really).

Oxbridge are getting really good at recruiting people with disadvantages in education, but they usually do this through the form of contextual offers and foundation years, instead of accepting BTECs. Universities are ranked by entry standards and having BTEC’s commonly accepted could skew averages and encourage more BTEC applicants, which could essentially derail Oxbridge’s image. This is perhaps a bit far fetched but I say you’ve already achieved something amazing with Durham. Why give it up? Many aspiring Oxonians with stellar grades get rejected and end up their each year. What makes you want more, prestige? education? Other?

thank you for the input, i do love the concept of Durham but i think its the location that is makes it a really hard decision. Given the basis that i could study below top tier, would you be able to advise any universities similar to Durham or KCL etc, in regards to what it can offer and the rankings too, thank you, have a nice day

i took a preview at the entry requirements page at KCL, interestly enough GCSE requirements were literally out of view on my browser, thank you for the mention. you mentioned the idea of perhaps retaking my maths gcse, but also delaying by a year. do you know anything about the possibility of retaking my gcse mathematics privately? what are the fees and what are the test dates etc, i definitely would consider retaking maths alone, given that it gives me a better opportunity to go to kings, (my preferred choice). but of course theres a familiarity of not even having the relevant course qualifications, i would only be considered individually. Is there any leniency at all to bypassing on students who didnt do well on gcses given that recognise notability from my personal statement or reference etc. im certain theres many others in my shoes seeking a chance at too education but needing a gcse level requirement a few years on lol

You'll be surprised by how flexible universities can get based on your personal statement.
I was far off from the entry requirements in my AS grades (year 12), but a good reference and personal statement got me into unis I didn't think I would get offers from.

I don't hear much about KCL/UCL students from BTEC backgrounds, but that might be to do with my subject degree.
But just wanted to let you know that an interesting personal statement and reference gets you pretty far than you would think!

There are loads of routes to sitting GCSE maths! One would be to borrow the textbooks from a library and get a load of practice. You also have to find an exam centre - best to google this although some people find a local school and pay them to attend as a private candidate.

Universities tend to treat GCSE requirements (unlike A level grades) as a pretty fixed thing. Might be some exceptions but I think that more that ongoing studies show the same level of attainment as opposed to recognising some difficulty the candidate had earlier in life. I wouldnt look at this as a negative (at least so far as GCSE maths is concerned). Its a good way to get up to speed - if you cant get a 6 or above taking the exam as an adult is psychology really the course for you? Might you find some future job also applies a GCSE filter?

i definitely like the idea of resetting gcse maths, my gcses were horrendous compared to my academic capacity for sure, my school selected me as a representative to present at cambridge and oxford a few times. The week before my GCSEs i broke both of my arms in an accident, i have a medical record to prove this, i was allocated a scribe but this REALLY affected my critical thinking, the scribe wrote way slower and was very intimidating, constantly scaring me down ahah, im not using this as an excuse for bad grades but it certainly affected them. For my last two exams (English Lit and IT) i broke my casts off and wrote myself in the exan hall with a broken wrist, in these exams i achieved straight 7s lol. perhaps with this contextual information they may offer me a conditional offer given that i resit maths and pass with a grade 6. This will be no problem for me, i was always achieving high in maths in the curriculum days. However. i do disagree with your point about considering that not having a relative grade is an uncertainty to studying another course, i don't believe theres many relative similarities between the practice of math and studying psychology, regardless, i really apprecaite your words and i will call the admissions team and find out whether i should take a resit of maths gcse, thanks

Would suggest you check psychology course content - there is a reason they ask for specific grades at GCSE and stronger universities require a maths or science A level. Lots of statistics in most psychology courses.

i understand the concept for sure, i know in the experimental phenomena there is a use of maths within statistical recording. regardless the courses im reading into at Durham and RHUL do not have heavy mention in a mathematical background. Regardless, i had always thought the model of gcse requirements was a basis to keep acceptance rates low and a strong record of high performing students. I am really interested in doing a PhD in Psychology, especially if i do a undergraduate masters, it will be more beneficial to go onto a research based career, as have a strong passion in the field of research. However, do post graduate admissions also consider GCSEs in consideration? i would only assume that it would be silly to ask for an key stage 4 exam result after an applicant has proven themselves at a level of higher education. Given that i can obtain a first class degree score, i will strongly consider an oxbridge postgraduate programme me for sure, thanks