Which six?

Congrats with getting 4As!!!!! I remember you saying a while ago that you'd fallen ill and didn't think you were going to be able to take your exams so congratulations with doing so well despite it!

Thanks, that's really sweet! For being ill I got the Aegrotat award which helped and UCL agreed to take me way after the normal application cycle so I could stay in London, so it all worked out for the best!

This sounds silly but with uni's you should go for the one that you feel really wants you and puts the effort in. As soon as I went to Oxford and had a disastorous interview I realized it wasn't right for me compared to UCL where they lowered my offer, I had a long, brilliant interview and they agreed to take me late. Go for the uni which wants you and makes the effort (whether it's an early offer, 'feelilng' on a great, well organized open day, a comfortable interview etc) because it means that your right for them and they've specifically chosen you! That's more important than prestige or any other factor. It's worked out that way for a lot of my friends and they're now very happy with their uni choice. Good luck everyone for '07!

Hi!

I understand what you mean by "lower" universities; it's a concept I find difficult to explain to people without belittling other institutions so I think you did a great job of conveying what you mean!

My general attitude is that I shan't go to a university "worse" than Swansea. This basically means that I'm only prepared to pay the extra costs involved with going to university away from home if, in the end, it's going to be worth it academically, socially and financially. Obviously, Durham, Oxford and Warwick all have much stronger reputations than Swansea and I'd say that Manchester most likely does too. I'm not sure of the standing of Aberystwyth in comparison but it's fair to say that it's International Politics Department is probably superior to Swansea's (and, indeed, many other universities' departments). I'd be happy at Swansea because I feel I'd get a good education for a relatively low cost. However, I don't think I could honestly say the same if I went to a comparable university located somewhere else in the country. My perception of the reputation of Swansea University is the base mark, in a way, to whether I feel it is worth applying to others. I just see absolutely no point into getting into a mountain of debt if you're not going to get very much more out of it! (Of course, there are many arguments to be made about the social experience of going to university -- hence the reason I'm likely going to apply for Politics and American Studies at Swansea in order to guarantee a year abroad or else pursue a ERASMUS year.)