Am I good enough?

Liverpool are an RG and tend to give out offers to those with grades similar to yours, and I've heard they sometimes look past a miss of the grade requirements(ABB) you should have a look

I hadn't even considered Liverpool! It actually looks quite nice, I think I'll look more into it, thanks!!

I'd rather have them too high than too low. It's quite common to predict one grade above what's achieved at AS - considering I worked at about half my ability last year, I think the C/B is the only unreasonable one I've got there.

An A* should only be predicted if you achieved >90% at AS, and even then you should be careful because A2 is harder than AS. Usually, predicted grades are the same as AS grades, unless you had extenuating circumstances in year 12. Almost everyone says/thinks they could have worked harder...

I don't know whether to go for it or not! But I guess there's no harm in punching above your weight with one choice, especially if there's other ones to fall back on... eh, the worst that can happen is a rejection and an admissions tutor laughing pitifully at me, might as well go for it!

I hadn't even considered Liverpool! It actually looks quite nice, I think I'll look more into it, thanks!!

Yeah, I see your point. I understand how it can seem a bit far-fetched. But English has always been my strongest subject - to justify my A* prediction: I got straight A*s in every Literature and Language module (but one ) during GCSE and 98 UMS in one of the AS exams. I'm going to resit the weaker one (I only skimmed the book for it last time... sincerely regret that now) and while that may hinder my chances slightly, I'm still going to work my arse off for it. Saying you should have worked harder is one thing, actually doing something to change is another.

GCSE=/=AS/A2 though. I know I would have bombed AS English of any kind but still got A*s in all the modules. You could always take a gap year and re-apply if you're really not happy with the lower uni choices. Best of luck either way

Yeah I know, it's not really relevant but I put it in there to show that I'm kind of competent at least. And yeah, someone else suggested that too but I just want to go to uni ASAP - I guess it's always an option if I completely muck up A2 though. Thanks

I achieved ABDE in my AS levels (English Lit & Lang, Geography, Biology, Chemistry) - hardly spectacular, but that was to be expected. I didn't revise properly, slacked off a bit, treated them like GCSEs... all the usual excuses.

Dropped the E and am also planning to do some resits. My predicted grades are currently A*AC, but I'm in the process of trying to convince my Bio teacher to change it to a B (not going very well so far ). I'm working so much harder than I did last year, though, and I know I'm improving.

I'd like to apply to UCL, KCL, Royal Holloway, Bristol and Nottingham to study Geography. Highest requirement is AAA (UCL) and lowest is ABB (RHUL). My college isn't very high achieving so I suppose that gives me a slight advantage, but my PS isn't really a standout - it just does the job and shows my enthusiasm (I hope).

Please be brutally honest here - am I being too ambitious? I'm mostly drawn to RHUL at the moment, but of course UCL would be a dream (not expecting an offer but I thought I'd try my luck). Is there anyone here who's got into any of these with similar AS grades/predictions? My application's going off next week so this is my last chance to make any changes to my choices.

Thanks!

I know what you mean about getting to uni ASAP haha. But it's seriously something to consider. A friend of mine (super intelligent guy) had to take a gap year because of illness in his last exams, and he has to resit his modules. One year isn't that long at all, especially if you get a job or something.

If you like RHUL then why not make that your top university, then go for some less ambitious universities. There's no point in applying for UCL tbh... or Bristol as they're really fussy with grades from what I've heard.
Also surely no university will take a D to B prediction seriously?? Remember that just because you're predicted something, doesn't mean you'll get it. Don't underestimate the difficulty of resitting at the same time as all your other exams.

If you like RHUL then why not make that your top university, then go for some less ambitious universities. There's no point in applying for UCL tbh... or Bristol as they're really fussy with grades from what I've heard.
Also surely no university will take a D to B prediction seriously?? Remember that just because you're predicted something, doesn't mean you'll get it. Don't underestimate the difficulty of resitting at the same time as all your other exams.

Anything is possible mate
There's a guy I know who got into Oxford with 2 A's B and a C

I've actually thought about that, it's just I've just heard so many people say "I really regret not applying to..." I mean, I have almost zero chances of them even considering me, but I don't want to be left wondering if maybe I could have got the AAB offer. May as well get rejected and be done with it

But yeah, I'm scrapping Bristol and going to replace it with a lower university just in case. And the D to B does sound absolutely ludicrous but it can happen! Granted, it's rare, but not impossible. I'm only resitting the coursework (which REALLY dragged my grade down) which is done in class and the first exam, which is the shorter of the two, so it's not completely overwhelming. I'm fairly confident about this now but let's see how I am when June comes around

How the hell did he do that? He must have had an incredible PS, and done like 9029348894 extracurricular activities...

Cheers to everyone for the reality check. I'd have looked a right idiot if I'd have applied without asking this first

I think I'll keep KCL (AAB), Royal Holloway (ABB) and Nottingham (AAB). And UCL's website actually says AAA-AAB, but I'm guessing the chances of getting an offer with the latter are quite low. Never really liked it that much anyway, I think I wanted to apply just because of its reputation. When I went to one of their talks at a University of London open day it seemed a bit full-on and extremely hardworking - I get that, but I want to have fun at uni too!

I guess I'll have to get rid of this obsession with RG unis and start looking at some courses with BBB requirements. Thanks again to everyone

If you like RHUL then why not make that your top university, then go for some less ambitious universities. There's no point in applying for UCL tbh... or Bristol as they're really fussy with grades from what I've heard.
Also surely no university will take a D to B prediction seriously?? Remember that just because you're predicted something, doesn't mean you'll get it. Don't underestimate the difficulty of resitting at the same time as all your other exams.

And the D to B does sound absolutely ludicrous but it can happen! Granted, it's rare, but not impossible. I'm only resitting the coursework (which REALLY dragged my grade down) which is done in class and the first exam, which is the shorter of the two, so it's not completely overwhelming. I'm fairly confident about this now but let's see how I am when June comes around

Wow that sucks, but yeah I guess it's not that long. Thing is, if you're spending it waiting for the next year to come around it sounds like it'd drag on forever But at least it's a chance to earn some money and generally chill out a bit, a break from A levels/exams is always a good thing haha

Have you looked at what you need to go from a D to a B? The latter requires an average of 70 over AS/A2, so if you got e.g. 55 at AS and don't improve, you would need 85 at A2. If you can get that example up to, say, 62 with resits then you 'only' need 78 at A2. Assess the chances of similar scenarios coldly, as if you were advising someone else rather than considering yourself.



There is nothing wrong with a gap year if used constructively. However, given your admitted tendency to laziness I'd be worried about the tone of what you wrote here. if you want or have to take a gap year then your PS should make a point of mentioning all the Geography-related things you are doing; it should not give the impression that you are merely 'chilling out'.