This discussion is now closed.
Check out other Related discussions
- Politics a level
- Help with sociology
- Dissertation Chapters
- English lit and lang tips
- Argument with gf over looks vs personality debate
- EPQ title on F1
- Termination of position on university course
- Psychology A-LEVEL Wider Reading Recommendations!
- gcse english lit: macbeth/j&h/aic themes
- Should Britain abolish the monarchy?
- Terrified of Undergrad Diss
- Drug Driving Conviction and being able to study nursing?
- My struggles
- Advice needed about indirect controlling from parents
- moving out or staying at home for university ??!!
- Can I push to 2:1 ?
- Massively behind on UG history thesis
- University Admissions Tutoring
- Interpretation Paper for the Holocaust, Cambridge A Level History
- can i just fail epq?
Massive argument
Right i need to breif you on the background.
Me and my cousin, both go to Grammar Schools. Hes very intelligent, a LOT more than I am. And hes a year younger. Im in year 11, hes in 10. His school is very academic, where as mine is a more relax and 'rough' grammar school, [its what people would say is a 'peoples school'.]. Where as my cousins school has an entrance exam [which i failed], and its full of posh people and is very much...to the rich...Or those who are highly intellligent. Ie. Money tallks.
We are always arguing about which school is best, etc. I applied for 6th form at his school, and i got in, [5 got in, our of 70 applicants] and i turned it down. Not to spite him, but because i dont like it. My school do Drama, also i am very heavily involved with my school. Im on all the school "commities, Ie. school council,. charitist committee, Prom committee, etc,. etc. And i apsire to be head boy. And so forth. Also, i do acting, and im a proffesional youth actor. He thinks im wasting my life and it will never get me anywhere. He snorts at my options for A-level [Sociology, RE, Politics + History], his school are totally academic. They would never think of doing anything contemporary. They have only just agreed to take on board IT, which i think is rediculous. Anyway, getting to my point. We were arguing about University places. And what its best to do...Totally academic a-levels like he would do. Or a middle broad like me. But, its highly unlikly you get someone who can do Biology, history, maths and IT. Or somet like so.
He was going on about academic is all what matters, and i diagreed saying , people need more. They need broaden ****, they need experience. Not just 345 squared + 6756756 to the square root of 34.
I said, a University will be extremeply impressed if you have English, Maths, Physics, French. Or Chemistry, Physics, Biology or Maths. But that isnt just what they ask for, is it? Thats what i was saying. I said you'll need to say that you have done stuff like Millenium Volunteers, Drama, sports clubs. I was saying people just with qualifications will be ignored over people, who are all rounders. And his argument is Academic is the best, nothing can disagree. It will get you everywhere, but i completely disagree.
Am i right or his he? Or are we both right/wrong?
Me and my cousin, both go to Grammar Schools. Hes very intelligent, a LOT more than I am. And hes a year younger. Im in year 11, hes in 10. His school is very academic, where as mine is a more relax and 'rough' grammar school, [its what people would say is a 'peoples school'.]. Where as my cousins school has an entrance exam [which i failed], and its full of posh people and is very much...to the rich...Or those who are highly intellligent. Ie. Money tallks.
We are always arguing about which school is best, etc. I applied for 6th form at his school, and i got in, [5 got in, our of 70 applicants] and i turned it down. Not to spite him, but because i dont like it. My school do Drama, also i am very heavily involved with my school. Im on all the school "commities, Ie. school council,. charitist committee, Prom committee, etc,. etc. And i apsire to be head boy. And so forth. Also, i do acting, and im a proffesional youth actor. He thinks im wasting my life and it will never get me anywhere. He snorts at my options for A-level [Sociology, RE, Politics + History], his school are totally academic. They would never think of doing anything contemporary. They have only just agreed to take on board IT, which i think is rediculous. Anyway, getting to my point. We were arguing about University places. And what its best to do...Totally academic a-levels like he would do. Or a middle broad like me. But, its highly unlikly you get someone who can do Biology, history, maths and IT. Or somet like so.
He was going on about academic is all what matters, and i diagreed saying , people need more. They need broaden ****, they need experience. Not just 345 squared + 6756756 to the square root of 34.
I said, a University will be extremeply impressed if you have English, Maths, Physics, French. Or Chemistry, Physics, Biology or Maths. But that isnt just what they ask for, is it? Thats what i was saying. I said you'll need to say that you have done stuff like Millenium Volunteers, Drama, sports clubs. I was saying people just with qualifications will be ignored over people, who are all rounders. And his argument is Academic is the best, nothing can disagree. It will get you everywhere, but i completely disagree.
Am i right or his he? Or are we both right/wrong?
Scroll to see replies
For less popular universities and courses, they'll probably take pretty much anyone.
For more popular universities and courses, in my opinion, they'll take the best - people who are not just academic but who have other qualities as well, as you said - that's why the Personal Statement on your UCAS application is so important - it's all very well listing your subjects and grades, but the PS allows the universities to select the really good from the average.
For more popular universities and courses, in my opinion, they'll take the best - people who are not just academic but who have other qualities as well, as you said - that's why the Personal Statement on your UCAS application is so important - it's all very well listing your subjects and grades, but the PS allows the universities to select the really good from the average.
umm... in the end of it i think they would take an acedemic over a well rounder...
if there are 2 identical people, then they would lean over more to a well rounder i think..
but in the case of someone being smarter and someone just being able to do more stuff eg sports... well id say academics.. (but i think that for very competitive courses like medicine and law etc)
tell him he needs to broaden his horizons and not have such an ignorant view or he wont get as far as some people..
oh and also throw in that the 50 most richest people, majority had little extra education ._.
if there are 2 identical people, then they would lean over more to a well rounder i think..
but in the case of someone being smarter and someone just being able to do more stuff eg sports... well id say academics.. (but i think that for very competitive courses like medicine and law etc)
tell him he needs to broaden his horizons and not have such an ignorant view or he wont get as far as some people..
oh and also throw in that the 50 most richest people, majority had little extra education ._.
academic subjects would be favourable. decent universities may look down upon your choices.
I'm afraid I think your cousins view is more spot-on than yours. I would like to say otherwise, but in 10 years you're not going to want "prom committee member" on your CV. The truth is, if you're aiming for a good university, being well-rounded won't get you anywhere if you don't have the academic skills to back it up. Whereas being a math genius with no social skills isn't as much of a stigma as you might think. This isn't to say that you should take physics if you hate it, but keep in mind that your career aspirations might not match your interests or skills and you may need to re-evaluate.
My sister went your school (assuming its the one with the indirect Morrissey link) I think I know you won't want to say which school it is, but I have a pretty good idea which one it must be. She got accepted on all the courses she applied to including Manchester, Warrick and York so I wouldn't worry.
That school is still amazing for the area, it does much better than any other none private school in the area (the whole of Manchester rather than just Trafford).
That school is still amazing for the area, it does much better than any other none private school in the area (the whole of Manchester rather than just Trafford).
Academic people are what Universities look for, its just the way things are.
I would say that if you are looking for a career in Drama or contemporary arts then go ahead with your choices, if you want a career in engineering/physics/chemistry then the universities will favour his more maths/science based choices.
At the end of the day, Universities are desperate for students and as long as you meet their minimum requirements and are interested in taking a course at their University then you will be accepted.
Both of you are right to answer your question, but it depends on what you want to do with your life. Academic subjects are favoured more for academic careers and arts subjects for art careers.
Hope this helps.
Cal
I would say that if you are looking for a career in Drama or contemporary arts then go ahead with your choices, if you want a career in engineering/physics/chemistry then the universities will favour his more maths/science based choices.
At the end of the day, Universities are desperate for students and as long as you meet their minimum requirements and are interested in taking a course at their University then you will be accepted.
Both of you are right to answer your question, but it depends on what you want to do with your life. Academic subjects are favoured more for academic careers and arts subjects for art careers.
Hope this helps.
Cal
AT82
My sister went your school (assuming its the one with the indirect Morrissey link) I think I know you won't want to say which school it is, but I have a pretty good idea which one it must be. She got accepted on all the courses she applied to including Manchester, Warrick and York so I wouldn't worry.
That school is still amazing for the area, it does much better than any other none private school in the area (the whole of Manchester rather than just Trafford).
That school is still amazing for the area, it does much better than any other none private school in the area (the whole of Manchester rather than just Trafford).
I go to Stretford Grammar and he goes to Altrincham Grammar, hnope that helps your thoughts.
Thanks for the comments. I understand what you're saying.
A 'massive argument' and nobody PMd me to alert me?! 
Grades are all important, but extracurricular activities are becoming increasingly valued by universities, who strive to choose not just inteeligent students, but well-rounded ones.
Dont expect to apply to a competitive university or course and get an offer without a useful, relevant complement of extracurricular activities...
Grades are all important, but extracurricular activities are becoming increasingly valued by universities, who strive to choose not just inteeligent students, but well-rounded ones.
Dont expect to apply to a competitive university or course and get an offer without a useful, relevant complement of extracurricular activities...
exis i too go to a Grammar School, but we are in between both of your schools, we had an entrance exam btw, we work hard and play hard too. i would however agree more with you.
At the end of the day yes academics are important, but when youv'e got 47lines to fill on you UCAS PS it wont take more than two to say i got 10A*'s at GCSE, 4A's at AS. You need extracurricular stuff and especialy if you wanna apply to a popular course you need to show an active interest in the subject, with regards to his school just starting IT, some kids are gonna come out of that school hugely disadvantaged when they havent got as much as a GCSE telling a potential employer they know how to use a computer. My school is in top five schools in Birmingham, yet we are an old school, but have modern teaching methods we offer 19A-level choices including Drama, RE,Philosophy,Psychology as well as Maths,Bio,Chem,Eng etc...
Good n ya for sticking to your guns, and like you said earlier about you not choosin the school because they dont do Drama, you could have easily have settled, but you have a plan, you know what you want to do, and you say your an external actor too, so youve already started on that road (and from personal experience of the same thing, dont know how long youve been doing it, but let me warn you, while your still at school just remember that, dont get too wrapped up , not just yet anyway,trust me) keep on that road. Your cousin doesnt seem to know what he wants to do yet, and you can be the bigger person by saying that you appreciate his views but you do not support him in them and leave it at that.
Yes you say he may be more intelligent but has he got the social skills needed for the real world etc., you dont seem to be jealous in any aspect of him which is a good thing.
P.S hope you get WAY better than the results you want, but if your like me it's gonna be hard to get better than the straight A*'s you want lol!
(that was a bit long weren't it)
At the end of the day yes academics are important, but when youv'e got 47lines to fill on you UCAS PS it wont take more than two to say i got 10A*'s at GCSE, 4A's at AS. You need extracurricular stuff and especialy if you wanna apply to a popular course you need to show an active interest in the subject, with regards to his school just starting IT, some kids are gonna come out of that school hugely disadvantaged when they havent got as much as a GCSE telling a potential employer they know how to use a computer. My school is in top five schools in Birmingham, yet we are an old school, but have modern teaching methods we offer 19A-level choices including Drama, RE,Philosophy,Psychology as well as Maths,Bio,Chem,Eng etc...
Good n ya for sticking to your guns, and like you said earlier about you not choosin the school because they dont do Drama, you could have easily have settled, but you have a plan, you know what you want to do, and you say your an external actor too, so youve already started on that road (and from personal experience of the same thing, dont know how long youve been doing it, but let me warn you, while your still at school just remember that, dont get too wrapped up , not just yet anyway,trust me) keep on that road. Your cousin doesnt seem to know what he wants to do yet, and you can be the bigger person by saying that you appreciate his views but you do not support him in them and leave it at that.
Yes you say he may be more intelligent but has he got the social skills needed for the real world etc., you dont seem to be jealous in any aspect of him which is a good thing.
P.S hope you get WAY better than the results you want, but if your like me it's gonna be hard to get better than the straight A*'s you want lol!
(that was a bit long weren't it)
You need the academic foundations else your not going to get into the best universities but yes you need a little extra to get in, but not much in my UCAS application I didn't mention anything social apart from a small sentence about what I do in my spare time, they don't care it's irrelivent your applying to a academic institution so they want academic qualities.
I honestly think it depends on what course you're going for. Obviously a Maths/Science based course is going to look for the academic side of things, but subjects like Occupational Therapy and other health courses may look equally at both experience and qualifications. All the universities I've seen have pressed the importance of experience.
eXis
I go to Stretford Grammar and he goes to Altrincham Grammar, hnope that helps your thoughts.
Thanks for the comments. I understand what you're saying.
Thanks for the comments. I understand what you're saying.
haha thought so, (Morrissey is from Stretford btw) Kings Road to be exact.
Even Stretford Grammar is still one of the best schools in the country, I really really wouldn't worry about it. If you went to Ducie like me then you might have somthing to worry about.
My sister got 480 UCAS points (4 A's at A2) which is enough for Oxbridge.
Though I don't know any Stetford Grammar students which have gone to Oxbridge there must be some.
Extra curricular is good. But not if your work suffers. The main thing needed for university is a passion for your subject. The more traditional, academic subjects are viewed as better. Decent universities do not see General Studies as a real A level, for example.
From looking at some people in Cambridge, academia is preferred over any form of social skills...
From looking at some people in Cambridge, academia is preferred over any form of social skills...
Though I don't know any Stetford Grammar students which have gone to Oxbridge there must be some.
i left sgs last year...i know one person in my year got an oxbridge offer, i assume he's there. also at least one in the year above, possibly 2/3 so there is a steady few
plenty of others got high results, 2 of my friends got 4 a's with mixtures of traditional/modern a levels
i know my year's a level results put sgs behind only the 2 alty's and loreto grammar in trafford, not bad considering the image of being worse than sale/urmston
Yep I had never really understood its reputation, I know Stretford is not the poshest area but its certainly not a bad area and the surounding areas are pretty good (if we don't count Moss Side). Its also a lovely located at the back of Turn Moss (I love the Mersey Valley) but I guess that dosn't make it a good/bad school.
If you want to see a bad school take a look at Ducie only 11% leave with 5 A-Cs at GCSE compared to SG's 98%
.
If you want to see a bad school take a look at Ducie only 11% leave with 5 A-Cs at GCSE compared to SG's 98%
.Related discussions
- Politics a level
- Help with sociology
- Dissertation Chapters
- English lit and lang tips
- Argument with gf over looks vs personality debate
- EPQ title on F1
- Termination of position on university course
- Psychology A-LEVEL Wider Reading Recommendations!
- gcse english lit: macbeth/j&h/aic themes
- Should Britain abolish the monarchy?
- Terrified of Undergrad Diss
- Drug Driving Conviction and being able to study nursing?
- My struggles
- Advice needed about indirect controlling from parents
- moving out or staying at home for university ??!!
- Can I push to 2:1 ?
- Massively behind on UG history thesis
- University Admissions Tutoring
- Interpretation Paper for the Holocaust, Cambridge A Level History
- can i just fail epq?
Latest
Trending
Last reply 3 days ago
Capgemini Accelerate Graduate Programme 2025Last reply 1 month ago
Vodafone HR Graduate Scheme Virtual assessment centreLast reply 1 month ago
I'm convinced I'm not going to get a job at this point.
