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Missed my offer dunno what to do

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Original post by PQ
Is there a reason that you're so focused on London universities (given that you're from Wales...)? You'll have many more options with ABD (plus a* in welsh bacc) if you'd consider studying chemistry in other UK cities.


It’s mainly the location to be honest. I like the atmosphere in London and would like to be somewhere a bit more lively. I’ve just always wanted to move to London for a bit but not permanently so uni seemed like the perfect opportunity to do that. I also prefer city universities as opposed to campus, but there are a few campus ones I’d consider (such as Swansea and Warwick).
Original post by swanseajack1
Having seen your grades you will almost certainly get into Swansea and I suspect the London ones. I suspect Warwick wont accept you because I think they dont accept Welsh Bac. Have a look around at other places. Bath might be worth looking at or possibly Nottingham or Manchester. I think it is highly unlikely you are going to get into Imperial or UCL.

Are bath and Manchester in clearing often?
What do you think my chances would be at Imperial and UCL if I reapplied as a resit applicant? I’m not sure if it’s worth a go but I did contact them and they said resit applicants would be considered
(edited 4 years ago)
Only they can tell you but I doubt Imperial in particular and maybe UCL would accept you with resits. The problem is the likes of Imperial, Durham and Warwick dont accept Welsh Bac and I am not sure if Kings do. You need to look into places that do and from memory the likes of Bristol, Bath, Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester do as well as Cardiff and Swansea. I cant specifically comment whether universities will be in Clearing but last year 17 of 24 Russell Groups had some courses in clearing so it is very likely some of these universities will be in clearing.@ageshallnot can you check your list and advise whether Bath, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham have been in clearing for 2017.
Original post by Annonymous0932
Are bath and Manchester in clearing often?
What do you think my chances would be at Imperial and UCL if I reapplied as a resit applicant? I’m not sure if it’s worth a go

Bristol Cardiff and Kings were in clearing in 2018 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education-and-careers/0/russell-group-universities-clearing-2018/
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by swanseajack1
Only they can tell you but I doubt Imperial in particular and maybe UCL would accept you with resits. The problem is the likes of Imperial, Durham and Warwick dont accept Welsh Bac and I am not sure if Kings do. You need to look into places that do and from memory the likes of Bristol, Bath, Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester do as well as Cardiff and Swansea. I cant specifically comment whether universities will be in Clearing but last year 17 of 24 Russell Groups had some courses in clearing so it is very likely some of these universities will be in clearing.@ageshallnot can you check your list and advise whether Bath, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham have been in clearing for 2017.

Bristol Cardiff and Kings were in clearing in 2018 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education-and-careers/0/russell-group-universities-clearing-2018/


Thank you very much! :smile:
I have asked both imperial and ucl admissions they both said they will consider resit applicants but I’m not sure if I’ll have a good enough chance to consider taking a gap year for it
That is my view as well but if you dont get accepted there I am sure there will be acceptable universities in clearing as long as they accept the Welsh bac. There are likely to be many really good universities in clearing who will accept you with AAB or C. Ageshallnot has the physical clearing lists for back years so will be able to give you more information on the universities in clearing for 2017.
Original post by Annonymous0932
Thank you very much! :smile:
I have asked both imperial and ucl admissions they both said they will consider resit applicants but I’m not sure if I’ll have a good enough chance to consider taking a gap year for it
Original post by Annonymous0932
It’s mainly the location to be honest. I like the atmosphere in London and would like to be somewhere a bit more lively. I’ve just always wanted to move to London for a bit but not permanently so uni seemed like the perfect opportunity to do that. I also prefer city universities as opposed to campus, but there are a few campus ones I’d consider (such as Swansea and Warwick).


Hi there,

I think it's likely that we will have some availability in Chemistry and related courses in Clearing, so if needed please do take a look. To save yourself a headache come results day, you may wish to register your interest with us now so that we can keep you informed of the situation as things develop. A big benefit we're able to offer this year is that if you complete the registration process now, should you then take that through to a Clearing application and then a place with us, you will be guaranteed accommodation with us should you want it if you register by August 14th.

With that aside, while I'd recommend doing the above I do hope things go as hoped on results day for you! I'm the type of person to make contingency plans that often aren't needed, but it gives me some peace of mind in the meantime. Hopefully it can do the same for you, and you can enjoy the long summer :smile:

Jamie
Reply 26
It happens mate...exam conditions are extremely stressful. I'm sorry for what has happened. Keep your head up! It's certainly a lot of pressure.
Original post by Annonymous0932
Thank you. And I completely agree I find that being pessimistic just helps you to prepare for the worst. I applied for chemistry, I have thought about resitting and reapplying to my university if worse comes to worse however I don’t know if I want to take a year out, be a year behind, go through the whole personal statement and A level exam situation again. But then again I don’t think clearing and picking a university last minute could suit me. So I’m a bit stuck really, my insurance and firm are pretty much the same grades which was stupid of me. I felt prepared for exams but the actual exam week, I just flopped unfortunately. I’ve looked into foundation courses but I think in my case they are for students with the right grades in the wrong subjects, clearing seems to be my best bet I just hope there’s some decent courses in there.
Reply 27
I don't know much about Chemistry but in Medicine gap year reapplicants usually have much more experience than first time applicants. Try to make your personal statement stronger by doing more research work. Give it your best shot.
Original post by Annonymous0932
Will it not? Because I’m quite worried if I resit, it will be looked down upon even if the application is technically still considered (especially by imperial which is quite competitive and I was surprised they said they accepted resit grades).

Aren’t they more likely to just give the offer to someone who will most likely achieve the grades first time around?

I don’t really know anyone who has repeated a year and re applied which is why I’m a bit unsure.
Original post by Annonymous0932
My current situation: I was predicted A*A*AA (which is what I applied with to study Chemistry)
My firm university is imperial college London: A*AA and my insurance is University College London: AAA.
My subjects are welsh baccalaureate, chemistry, maths and physics. UCL accept welsh bacc however imperial do not which is why I’m certain I have missed imperials offer because I don’t feel as if I will have achieved an A in physics or maths.

Now UCL, there is some hope but I still think I missed my offer. I think will have achieved something close to: A*ABD (A* in welsh bacc, possibly an A* in chemistry if not an A, I’m expecting a B in maths but a C wouldn’t surprise me, and physics I think a D is generous it could very well be a U).

My best case scenario is A*A*B and being accepted by UCL (even though I will have missed my offer). However if I get a D in physics I think they will reject me as welsh bacc isn’t really a proper A level so someone else having eg A*A*B (in say maths, chem, physics) would probably be prioritised over me having A*A*BD in welsh bacc, chemistry, maths, physics.

Now say I miss both offers, I’m not sure how good my grades will be for courses in clearing (I have got my eye on Warwick, King’s college London, Swansea and Queen Mary, id prefer London but I don’t know if any of these universities will be in clearing and don’t really expect them to be).

I have already contacted my firm and insurance both of whom have said they accept resit applicants. But I’m a bit wary of resitting, wouldn’t this weaken my application? Also I haven’t done anything that could be put on my personal statement throughout the whole of year 13. And I’m not sure what my predicted grades will be if I do badly on results day, or how universities will look at a D grade on physics in my first attempt.

I’m not really sure where to go from here.

Just to let you know, resitting will not weaken your application, in my experience. Resat A-levels, applied to high ranked unis and received five offers, two unconditional. It isn't as bad as you fear, if it happens. If a uni says that are ok with resitters, believe them.
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by death07/08/17
Just to let you know, resitting will not weaken your application, in my experience. Resat A-levels, applied to high ranked unis and received five offers, two unconditional. It isn't as bad as you fear, if it happens.


Ah I see thanks for this! Can I ask what course this was for? Did you re-apply to the same unis or different ones And did you have to explain your resits or anything at all? I don’t really know much about how resits and reapplying works so I was a bit skeptical about it.
Original post by Anagh
I don't know much about Chemistry but in Medicine gap year reapplicants usually have much more experience than first time applicants. Try to make your personal statement stronger by doing more research work. Give it your best shot.

Thanks I’m gonna try my best to gain more work experience relevant to chemistry!
Original post by Annonymous0932
Ah I see thanks for this! Can I ask what course this was for? Did you re-apply to the same unis or different ones And did you have to explain your resits or anything at all? I don’t really know much about how resits and reapplying works so I was a bit skeptical about it.

Ok, so mine was a resit of year 12 before continuing to year 13. I applied for English and applied to some of the same and some different unis that I had begun to apply for the first time. Different course, but that is irrelevant. I didn't explain my resits, I put the information on UCAS honestly and my referee may have mentioned it but I'm not actually sure. I was eligible for a scholarship/unconditional scheme at one uni because they looked at my predicted grades, reference and personal statement, rather than focusing on something I was resitting anyway. If you aren't applying for Oxbridge, medicine, etc. or LSE, most unis are ok with it. I'm happy to explain more on pm, if needed :-)
The problem is its Imperial and UCL that is being applied to and Imperial in particular will have many top applicants like Oxbridge. I agree for most universities it wont matter but for the likes of Oxbridge, Imperial and Durham it probably will.
Original post by death07/08/17
Ok, so mine was a resit of year 12 before continuing to year 13. I applied for English and applied to some of the same and some different unis that I had begun to apply for the first time. Different course, but that is irrelevant. I didn't explain my resits, I put the information on UCAS honestly and my referee may have mentioned it but I'm not actually sure. I was eligible for a scholarship/unconditional scheme at one uni because they looked at my predicted grades, reference and personal statement, rather than focusing on something I was resitting anyway. If you aren't applying for Oxbridge, medicine, etc. or LSE, most unis are ok with it. I'm happy to explain more on pm, if needed :-)
Original post by swanseajack1
The problem is its Imperial and UCL that is being applied to and Imperial in particular will have many top applicants like Oxbridge. I agree for most universities it wont matter but for the likes of Oxbridge, Imperial and Durham it probably will.

Do you think UCL will be more likely to offer a place to resit applicants?
Probably more likely to than Imperial. There is also the issue they accept Welsh Bac when Imperial dont so might accept you with A*AB whereas with Imperial they are looking at ABD. Your best option will be to look around for universities that will be in clearing that accept Welsh Bac and if you get rejected by ICL and UCL then you will be ready to proceed to find another option. Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester and Nottingham are all worth looking into if you want the big city environment and places like Bath, Southampton and Swansea are smaller cities with campus universities. A lot depends where in Wales you live and whether you think Cardiff, Swansea, Bath and Bristol are too close.
see my pm
If a university physically states that they accept students who resit, believe them. No point scaring someone through misinformation if they have been told, by the uni, that they aren't going to be rejected based on that. The university is the only one that can say no and, if they haven't, then that's that.

Original post by swanseajack1
Probably more likely to than Imperial. There is also the issue they accept Welsh Bac when Imperial dont so might accept you with A*AB whereas with Imperial they are looking at ABD. Your best option will be to look around for universities that will be in clearing that accept Welsh Bac and if you get rejected by ICL and UCL then you will be ready to proceed to find another option. Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester and Nottingham are all worth looking into if you want the big city environment and places like Bath, Southampton and Swansea are smaller cities with campus universities. A lot depends where in Wales you live and whether you think Cardiff, Swansea, Bath and Bristol are too close.
(edited 4 years ago)
Can I make an observation? If you are stressing so much now then maybe aiming for really high pressure unis like UCL and Imperial isn’t right for you anyway? From a career perspective a degree from any RG will be just as good, and with less pressure and less academic competitors you are more likely to achieve a higher grade?
Original post by scorpiorules
Can I make an observation? If you are stressing so much now then maybe aiming for really high pressure unis like UCL and Imperial isn’t right for you anyway? From a career perspective a degree from any RG will be just as good, and with less pressure and less academic competitors you are more likely to achieve a higher grade?


Hmm that is an interesting point of view. I’ve always been aiming for those two universities, imperial in particular so it is hard not be stressed as I would like to finally achieve that goal I guess. But maybe if I do get rejected it’s for the best, who knows.
Original post by swanseajack1
see my pm


[ltr]Thank you! I had a look and registered my interest with Swansea clearing [/ltr]

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