It is true that I wasn't expecting it to happen; if I was, it would make me quite arrogant. I'm not really that happy at getting the offer although that makes me sound whiny and perhaps I don't appreciate it as much as I should, although I had hoped to get rejected as it would make my decision easier for me and I wouldn't need to make this thread. I had been thinking of different scenarios and decided to make this thread for extra advice - I won't base my entire decision around the replies on this thread. I read a lot of threads about parents not letting people move out for uni / pressuring them not to and those threads had a lot of useful replies so I hoped for the same to come of this thread.
Thank you very much, you have been the most helpful.
My friends did talk with me about what I would do if I got an offer before now and a few of them said to do what would make me happy and others said they would accept the offer if they were in my position but they have been very supportive which is better than my parents who think that the decision is very easy.
I was thinking of that but there were a few drawbacks to this:
-I want to do as well as possible in my exams so there is a possibility of getting an A* in Further Maths if I try really hard. But I think my effort could be limited if I don't want to go to Cambridge and so I could not try hard enough and I could end up underperforming in my exams and doing worse than I would be happy with.
-If I get an A* in Further Maths, I can't reject Cambridge at that point I don't think and so won't have the choice of going to Warwick.
-If I put Warwick as my insurance then I'm not guaranteed accommodation and the commute is around three to four hours (not completely sure on bus service from train station to uni). So if I don't get accommodation, or it is one of the worse halls that could dampen my experiences which could have been avoided if I placed Warwick as my firm.
There probably is a small part because I'd like to make my own university decisions instead of my parents deciding for me as I did kind of ignore them telling me not to apply to Warwick because it is too far away and I also ignored them telling me to apply to Kent because it is local (although a university professor advised me not to apply there because their Chemistry department is quite new and Warwick's is better).
The main reasons I could want to go to Cambridge are:
-World leading and very high standard
-Natural sciences course is flexible
-Better job prospects
Neutral:
-At least you are allowed to walk on the grass and don't need to wear gowns to dinners in Churchill
The main reasons I don't want to go are:
-Minor things: Don't like the look of the buildings, the area or the countryside feel to it. I don't appreciate old buildings at all and very much prefer new modern ones (like Warwick's). I also didn't like the canteen when I visited. Also Saturday lectures.
-Unconfirmed: The kitchens don't have ovens. The information doesn't appear to be on their website, anyone know where I can find this out?
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The intense short terms with lots of hours in a small time (including Saturdays). I don't think that this will be helpful for me at all - I'm pretty sure that I will fall behind on the work as I won't be able to keep up and most of my free time will be in the holidays. I'm not sure if most people go home for the holidays but my own room would most likely be a much better working environment than at home but would most likely feel very burned out at the end of each term.Although I do agree with your last statement about regretting rejecting it over accepting it. I'm not sure if I should put potential happiness over quality of education, because I can't deny that Cambridge is consistently rated very highly and the fact that it is so well known will help me get a job. But then again, Warwick promote finding industry experience during undergraduate study more than Cambridge based on when I asked people there.