Can I do IR at St Andrews?

Original post by LadyBunion

are these AS levels?

Nope, they're Highers.

Original post by srm4

It will be difficult since you don't meet the requirements. Usually if you take part in the Sutton Trust you can send them a pre-application form which has your info on it and then they'll give you some advice and speak to the admissions tutors for you. Have you done that?

Reply 3

Original post by Ecosse_14

Nope, they're Highers.

It will be difficult since you don't meet the requirements. Usually if you take part in the Sutton Trust you can send them a pre-application form which has your info on it and then they'll give you some advice and speak to the admissions tutors for you. Have you done that?

Yeah, I'm sending the form tomorrow but I was just wondering if anyone had any advice from experience or such :smile:

Reply 4

Archie2006

"the Sutton Trust...[will] speak to the admissions tutors for you". What are you talking about? There are no "admissions tutors" for IR at St Andrews. There is an Admissions Officer and the idea that the Sutton Trust "[will] speak to" this Officer is, frankly, laughable. Currently IR at St Andrews is MASSIVELY over-subscribed and the initial cut is made immediately - AND ONLY - on the grades an applicant has. No amount of special pleading or the Sutton Trust getting involved (whatever.....) can change this basic fact.

Reply 5

Original post by Archie2006

When I said admissions tutor, I was referring to the member(s) of staff in the IR department responsible for undergrad admissions. Whether their job title is admissions officer or whatever, isn't massively important. And yes, the member of staff who works for the university and runs the Sutton Trust summer school can and most likely will speak to the admissions officers throughout the university departments for advice to give the applicant.

Reply 6

The real problem is that IR is crazy oversubscribed and they are likely to cut anyone who doesn't at least make the grade requirements and many will be applying with 5A's. You say you want a conditional offer, are you retaking some highers? or are you doing advanced highers? I do not believe st andrews likes retakes but it would be worth talking to admissions about it. I would also phone and ask how likely they are to look at your whole application if you don't meet the grade requirements (I assume you have no extenuating circumstances).

I took out the bit advising you to take french/spanish as I have been told in a comment beloe that you need the entrance requirements to take any IR modules I'm sorry if I confused you :frown:

I do have a friend who applied for spanish and changed to IR and he used his spanish application to circumvent the stiff competition. It's a sneaky thing to do but it's allowed as you could have genuinely changed your mind after getting here. I can only assume he had the correct entrance requirements for both but thought his PS worked better for Spanish.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 7

Tasha1986

Original post by monkyvirus

Only if he already met the grade requirements for IR in the first place. It's no good applying for another subject holding AAAB, and planning to take IR from first year and switch because if you don't have AAAA you won't be allowed to take it as a third subject at all.

Reply 8

Original post by Tasha1986

oh crap, apologies to the OP I had no idea that was the case :frown:

I was allowed on an IR module in 1st year but I had AAAAA so my advisor never mentioned anything about grade requirements to do modules

Reply 9

Archie2006

Original post by Ecosse_14

And yes, the member of staff who works for the university and runs the Sutton Trust summer school can and most likely will speak to the admissions officers throughout the university departments for advice to give the applicant.

That's not what you said first off. You stated that "they'll give you some advice and speak to the admissions tutors for you". No they won't. The Sutton Trust people do NOT "speak to the admissions tutors for you". Seriously, there are THOUSANDS of people applying to IR. If the Sutton Trust was to try and "speak to the admissions tutors for you" they would only annoy the admissions officer and alienate your chances, not enhance them! Think about it: how many people do you reckon who are applying have unbelievable, life-or-death, special talents and circumstances that means they simply have to be admitted into IR? 100%? As I said earlier, the minimum grades is the first cut and no sob story, special pleading, fantasising and pontificating on The Student Room or whatever can get over that basic fact.

Reply 10

Original post by Archie2006

Any reply I put here is basically going to repeat my past post. Sutton Trust kids fill in a pre-app form and send it to the organiser, the organiser then speaks to the admissions officers throughout the university and then advise the students on their application. The organiser is an employee of the university, and runs the STSS. At no point did I say 'oh, they will convince the admissions officer to accept you even though you don't meet the grades so your fine'.

Anyway, I'm not going to derail this thread :smile:

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Reply 11

I've just found out that the entry requirements for IR have been lowered to AAAB, so I definitely will be applying to the course now that I have the entry requirements.

Thanks for all the advice :biggrin:

Reply 12

Original post by srm4

that's great :smile:

good luck!

Reply 13

Original post by srm4

Ooo, interesting! :biggrin:

Reply 14

Archie2006

Original post by srm4

I've just found out that the entry requirements for IR have been lowered to AAAB

Bull****. From St Andrews IR webpage today: [h="3"]Entry Requirements for UK/EU students:[/h]Each year the University receives many more applications for a degree in International Relations than there are places. Access to 1000-level modules in International Relations is restricted. Only first-year undergraduate students from the Faculties of Arts and Divinity meeting are allowed to take them. In addition to meeting the Faculty Entrance Requirements outlined on pages 52-85, if you wish to study the 1000-level modules in International Relations at St Andrews, the minimum grades are shown below:

SQA Highers: AAAA
GCE A-Levels: AAA
International Baccalaureate Points: 38

In addition, I e-mailed the Head of School of IR and asked him direct. He denied any lowering of entry grades. So why do people post lies here which may actually give others false hopes and also, huge disappointments?

Reply 15

Original post by Archie2006

Bull****. From St Andrews IR webpage today: Entry Requirements for UK/EU students:

Each year the University receives many more applications for a degree in International Relations than there are places. Access to 1000-level modules in International Relations is restricted. Only first-year undergraduate students from the Faculties of Arts and Divinity meeting are allowed to take them. In addition to meeting the Faculty Entrance Requirements outlined on pages 52-85, if you wish to study the 1000-level modules in International Relations at St Andrews, the minimum grades are shown below:

SQA Highers: AAAA
GCE A-Levels: AAA
International Baccalaureate Points: 38

In addition, I e-mailed the Head of School of IR and asked him direct. He denied any lowering of entry grades. So why do people post lies here which may actually give others false hopes and also, huge disappointments?

Honestly, I think you are taking this too far. The entry requirements for the IR course starting in 2014 are AAAB according to this http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/courses/route/UAHFIRLSIRL/year/2014-5

If that information is wrong, then ok, but that does not justify what you have been saying. I am not "post(ing) lies here which may actually give others false hopes and also, huge disappointments", I'm just trying to find out what courses I can apply to.

Reply 16

Original post by srm4

I just went and checked and it said AAAB but then when I redid the search it had changed to AAAA

I have no idea what's going on. I would e-mail admissions and say the entrance requirements listed keep changing and you want to know what it is officially.

Reply 17

Original post by monkyvirus

That says entry reqs for 2013/14, whereas the 2014/15 prospectus says AAAB :dontknow:

Reply 18

Original post by Ecosse_14

That says entry reqs for 2013/14, whereas the 2014/15 prospectus says AAAB :dontknow:

Ugh it seems a little ridiculous that the main search for courses gives old requirements especially as the IR website gives the same, presumably outdated, requirements. :angry:

I would still e-mail admissions OP even if it's just to tell them that there seems to be outdated grade requirements listed online

I just sent a quick e-mail to admissions pointing out the confusion and hopefully they'll sort it :smile:

Reply 19