Do I have any chance to get into classics? (International students)
Hello there,
I want to apply to 5 of the following universities in 2018
- KCL
- UCL
- Birkbeck
- Edinburgh
- Royal Holloway
- Newcastle
- Glasgow
Although I still don't know what my choices for the application will
be, I know for sure I want to study Classics, and I would like to know
from you guys if you think I have any chance to receive an offer...
- I'm italian and I don't have any A-Level as it works a differently
in my country.
Minimum entry requirements for italian applicants are set at 85/100 for KCL,
Newcastle and RH, 90-91/100 for UCL and Edinburgh and Glasgow, 75/100 for Birkbeck.
The score of my final year exam was 98/100 so tecnically I do meet the minimum entry
requirements for all these universities.
However some universities indicate a TYPICAL OFFER which is 100/100 for both UCL
and Edinburgh, and I don't quite get the difference between the minimum entry
requirements and the typical requirements (?) so I don't know what to do!
- Also even though I want to study Classics I have never studied Greek or Latin before
and even though some uni like KCL offer alternative pathways for students that start
from zero in those subjects (even Oxford offers alternative pathways) others don't
even mention this possibility on their website (for example UCL and Edinburgh). Should
I abandon every hope and maybe aim low? ):
- On KCL website, for example, it says:
"As well as our formal entry requirements, we are looking for evidence of linguistic
aptitude, which could be demonstrated by your competence in a Modern Language, or a good
grade at Maths GCSE. Most important, however, is an informed enthusiasm for learning
languages, which could be demonstrated by taking an online course."
Now my grade in Maths was not that great ahah (6/10 which could be considered the equivalent
of C) but I definitely do have enthusiasm for learinig languages (In addition to the
required Cambridge English Exam for foreigners speakers in the last few years I took
some additional language qualifications such as the spanish DELE B1 and the french DELF B1
and I'll be taking the japanese JLPT N5 in December, which I could as well add on my UCAS
application when I send it in December)
- Another thing I'm extremely afraid of is that being a mature student (I will be 24 at the
start of my course) plus an international one might negatively affect my application
expecially considering that I finished school this year (due to economic reasons I had to quit
school at 16 yo and I went back to my studies two years ago).
- Also I could add to my application the jobs that I did in the meantime. However my working
experience isn't in any way related to the subject I want to study (mostly waitress, babysitter and sale
assistant jobs /: ) and, sadly, most of it was off-the-books and I'm quite scared that they
might want me to provide some proof such as paychecks or something.
Thanks to anyone that read through this long and messy papyrus ;_;
I KNOW some of my questions might sound weird or stupid but as a foreigner it is often not very
easy to understand how it works in other countries... please try to understand ;_;
Any advice will be very apreciated, and if there's any student with a similar story who got accepted and is currently studying
at one of these uni please share your experience with me ^_^ it would be extremely helpful!
Thanks a lot!
I want to apply to 5 of the following universities in 2018
- KCL
- UCL
- Birkbeck
- Edinburgh
- Royal Holloway
- Newcastle
- Glasgow
Although I still don't know what my choices for the application will
be, I know for sure I want to study Classics, and I would like to know
from you guys if you think I have any chance to receive an offer...
- I'm italian and I don't have any A-Level as it works a differently
in my country.
Minimum entry requirements for italian applicants are set at 85/100 for KCL,
Newcastle and RH, 90-91/100 for UCL and Edinburgh and Glasgow, 75/100 for Birkbeck.
The score of my final year exam was 98/100 so tecnically I do meet the minimum entry
requirements for all these universities.
However some universities indicate a TYPICAL OFFER which is 100/100 for both UCL
and Edinburgh, and I don't quite get the difference between the minimum entry
requirements and the typical requirements (?) so I don't know what to do!
- Also even though I want to study Classics I have never studied Greek or Latin before
and even though some uni like KCL offer alternative pathways for students that start
from zero in those subjects (even Oxford offers alternative pathways) others don't
even mention this possibility on their website (for example UCL and Edinburgh). Should
I abandon every hope and maybe aim low? ):
- On KCL website, for example, it says:
"As well as our formal entry requirements, we are looking for evidence of linguistic
aptitude, which could be demonstrated by your competence in a Modern Language, or a good
grade at Maths GCSE. Most important, however, is an informed enthusiasm for learning
languages, which could be demonstrated by taking an online course."
Now my grade in Maths was not that great ahah (6/10 which could be considered the equivalent
of C) but I definitely do have enthusiasm for learinig languages (In addition to the
required Cambridge English Exam for foreigners speakers in the last few years I took
some additional language qualifications such as the spanish DELE B1 and the french DELF B1
and I'll be taking the japanese JLPT N5 in December, which I could as well add on my UCAS
application when I send it in December)
- Another thing I'm extremely afraid of is that being a mature student (I will be 24 at the
start of my course) plus an international one might negatively affect my application
expecially considering that I finished school this year (due to economic reasons I had to quit
school at 16 yo and I went back to my studies two years ago).
- Also I could add to my application the jobs that I did in the meantime. However my working
experience isn't in any way related to the subject I want to study (mostly waitress, babysitter and sale
assistant jobs /: ) and, sadly, most of it was off-the-books and I'm quite scared that they
might want me to provide some proof such as paychecks or something.
Thanks to anyone that read through this long and messy papyrus ;_;
I KNOW some of my questions might sound weird or stupid but as a foreigner it is often not very
easy to understand how it works in other countries... please try to understand ;_;
Any advice will be very apreciated, and if there's any student with a similar story who got accepted and is currently studying
at one of these uni please share your experience with me ^_^ it would be extremely helpful!
Thanks a lot!
Original post
by ChiaraNihonHello there,
I want to apply to 5 of the following universities in 2018
- KCL
- UCL
- Birkbeck
- Edinburgh
- Royal Holloway
- Newcastle
- Glasgow
Although I still don't know what my choices for the application will
be, I know for sure I want to study Classics, and I would like to know
from you guys if you think I have any chance to receive an offer...
I want to apply to 5 of the following universities in 2018
- KCL
- UCL
- Birkbeck
- Edinburgh
- Royal Holloway
- Newcastle
- Glasgow
Although I still don't know what my choices for the application will
be, I know for sure I want to study Classics, and I would like to know
from you guys if you think I have any chance to receive an offer...
Hi Chiara,
It's great to hear that you're interested in studying Classics! In terms of the entry requirements, if you're unsure about these, most universities will allow you to ring up their admissions team to ask them about your grades. At Royal Holloway, our admissions number is +44 (0)1784 414944. You can also ask them about being a mature student, and how that may affect your personal statement, including work experience.
Have you checked out the additional modules we offer? On this page under the Course Structure tab you can see some of the optional modules which you're allowed to pick from to study on top of the core modules. These range from Beginners' Greek and Latin (so you don't need to have any experience in these), to Roman Archaeology to Introduction to Ancient Philosophy. Many of these topics don't require a huge amount of background knowledge, and allow you to tailor your learning to your interests and ambitions.
Royal Holloway prides itself on being a really international university. There's an Italian Society with our Students' Union, and students from all across the world. We aim to support international students as much as possible when coming over to study with us, and each region has their own Regional Manager. If you're interested in getting in touch with the Regional Manager for Italy, PM me and I can give you the contact details for them. We're also right next to Heathrow, which is ideal for international students looking to travel home during the holidays!
Please do let me know if you have any questions about studying Classics at Royal Holloway.
SummerReply 2
If you can write a decent Personal Statement and show your interest then I think you would stand a good chance if you meet the minimum grade requirements. You might have to take a closer look at language requirements, some of the universities don't offer Classics if you don't know at least Latin, but will instead offer Classical Civilisation or Classical Literature.
I would suggest looking at the various course structures and finding the ones that appeal to you the most. Also consider the university itself and the lifestyle (i.e. campus vs city) and the cost of living in the area. I don't think being a mature student will affect you and I usually suggest using the 5 options to make sure you have a safe option, a few ones you'd be happy at and should be able to get an offer and a few slightly risky options.
I would suggest looking at the various course structures and finding the ones that appeal to you the most. Also consider the university itself and the lifestyle (i.e. campus vs city) and the cost of living in the area. I don't think being a mature student will affect you and I usually suggest using the 5 options to make sure you have a safe option, a few ones you'd be happy at and should be able to get an offer and a few slightly risky options.
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