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Bad A-levels, 1st class undergrad - postgrad options ?

Evening All,

Just looking for some assurance more than anything, as I've done things a bit differently to the norm ...

So, I did badly in my A levels (BDD - Geography, Biology and Maths), no excuse I just had some problems at home and stopped caring about work, completely my bad decisions. It was a blip in an otherwise good academic record (GCSEs - 7 A*, 6 A, 1 B). Whilst i did get accepted into university i decided not go and got a full time job.

Whilst working full time, i have also done a distance learning undergraduate degree in Chemistry which I am due to completely next year - if all goes to plan, I should be able to achieve a 1st. I have also been promoted twice during this time.

I am thinking I want to start a postgraduate degree in Business/Management (looking at multiple variants of these) as this relates to my work experience, is something I am interested in and can really help further my career. The main universities i am looking at are University of Liverpool and University of Edinburgh. I also wanted to apply for some "reach" schools - likely LBS, Warwick and LSE.

Do you think I have a shot at any of these schools or am I being naive ? I have hardly any extra-curriculars anymore, simply because I don't have the time (40-50 hours work + 30-40 hours uni work per week), is this going to be an issue ?

Many thanks in advance.
Elle

Reply 1

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

Original post by ElleJaye

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The majority of PG courses don't look at A levels. You can apply wherever. (Cambridge masters and PhD With BDE!)

Reply 2

QHF

Original post by ElleJaye

I am thinking I want to start a postgraduate degree in Business/Management (looking at multiple variants of these) as this relates to my work experience, is something I am interested in and can really help further my career. The main universities i am looking at are University of Liverpool and University of Edinburgh. I also wanted to apply for some "reach" schools - likely LBS, Warwick and LSE.

Do you think I have a shot at any of these schools or am I being naive ? I have hardly any extra-curriculars anymore, simply because I don't have the time (40-50 hours work + 30-40 hours uni work per week), is this going to be an issue?

Just going to second 3PD's reply here: go for it. It's not uncommon to not even bother listing A-levels in postgraduate applications. I don't have A-levels nearly good enough to be considered for admission at the university where I teach. There will be other factors of course, so I can't guarantee that your applications will be successful, but definitely give it a shot, including 'reach' options. Pitch based on your proven ability to achieve strong academic results while also working highly effectively in a business/management environment—show them that they should give you the chance to combine those two things and do more academic work related to the employment experience you've had. Good luck!