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Should I apply to 5 AAA unis??

Or is that totally mad? For history. I'm pretty set on Oxford, LSE, UCL, Bristol and need one more, maybe King's/York/Exeter or I could do a lower one eg Queen Mary/UEA? (but would rather go to the others if you get me). If I got AAB/A*AB/A*A*B, do you reckon Bristol would take me if it was my insurance??
Thanks :smile:

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your approach is fine, work hard, get three grade As. Why not apply to five top places!

if you got AAB, certainly Exeter would be negotiable - and if you waited for mid-August 2020 clearing/adjustment with AAB, could choose Leeds, Sheff, Manch and basically everything at York

your strategy seems flawless
Original post by xxxooo
Or is that totally mad? For history. I'm pretty set on Oxford, LSE, UCL, Bristol and need one more, maybe King's/York/Exeter or I could do a lower one eg Queen Mary/UEA? (but would rather go to the others if you get me). If I got AAB/A*AB/A*A*B, do you reckon Bristol would take me if it was my insurance??
Thanks :smile:

If you think it likely that you could get a B, I would have an insurance choice that you know will accept a B. Otherwise you could end up in Clearing - not the end of the world but best avoided if possible
Reply 3
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Em.-.
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If going to a top university is important to you then you should maximise your chances of being accepted to one and use 5 choices on them. However if you think there’s a chance something could go wrong, then maybe swap out one as insurance? Unless you think you’d be able to negotiate after just missing the requirements.
Reply 4
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xxxooo
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Original post by LuigiMario
your approach is fine, work hard, get three grade As. Why not apply to five top places!

if you got AAB, certainly Exeter would be negotiable - and if you waited for mid-August 2020 clearing/adjustment with AAB, could choose Leeds, Sheff, Manch and basically everything at York

your strategy seems flawless

Thank you - that's what I'm thinking. I'm pretty sure I can get aaa it's just if something went wrong like markers who think my work's B-grade (I do 3 subjective essay subjects) etc, but yeh if I did get aab, as you say, I'd probs find something good through clearing like those unis mentioned.
Reply 5
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Original post by harrysbar
If you think it likely that you could get a B, I would have an insurance choice that you know will accept a B. Otherwise you could end up in Clearing - not the end of the world but best avoided if possible

You're probably right, I think I can get aaa but can't be sure aha, yesss idk about clearing ik it's not the best scenario but I'd rather scrape acceptance into an aaa uni like Bristol as insurance if I slipped my grades (and they had me which I get they might not) then be forced to go to an aab/abb uni bc it's my insurance when I'd rather have gone to somewhere like York through clearing, but maybe this plan is madness :/. Thanks for your advice tho :smile:
Reply 6
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xxxooo
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Original post by Emiluu
If going to a top university is important to you then you should maximise your chances of being accepted to one and use 5 choices on them. However if you think there’s a chance something could go wrong, then maybe swap out one as insurance? Unless you think you’d be able to negotiate after just missing the requirements.

Yesss this is the debate I'm having. I'll be sad if I put down an aab/abb uni in my 5 and don't get many offers when I could've put another aaa one down which might've had me, but at the same time a bit of security might be a good idea...thanks tho
Nobody can really advise you as it boils down to how much risk you want to take. Whilst universities might accept you with a dropped grade you cannot guarantee that. It boils down to do you want to take an insurance offer that guarantees you a place and avoids the stress of clearing or would you prefer that risk. My concern is you seem worried about getting AAA. Most people applying to the universities that you are applying wouldnt be concerned about that and it makes me wonder whether you will get offers from those universities. I would personally look at somewhere like Lancaster as my 5th choice.
Reply 8
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xxxooo
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Original post by swanseajack1
Nobody can really advise you as it boils down to how much risk you want to take. Whilst universities might accept you with a dropped grade you cannot guarantee that. It boils down to do you want to take an insurance offer that guarantees you a place and avoids the stress of clearing or would you prefer that risk. My concern is you seem worried about getting AAA. Most people applying to the universities that you are applying wouldnt be concerned about that and it makes me wonder whether you will get offers from those universities. I would personally look at somewhere like Lancaster as my 5th choice.

Thanks for your advice, you're right. I need to have that debate with myself and come to an answer lol. It's the safety of a lower insurance v possible better uni but possible major results day stress. Yes, Lancaster's a good option, although I'd like to go a bit further than that (I live in the northwest) and I'm not sure about being in a small place. But somewhere like that could be good.
Original post by xxxooo
Thanks for your advice, you're right. I need to have that debate with myself and come to an answer lol. It's the safety of a lower insurance v possible better uni but possible major results day stress. Yes, Lancaster's a good option, although I'd like to go a bit further than that (I live in the northwest) and I'm not sure about being in a small place. But somewhere like that could be good.

If you want to go further how would Exeter's Penryn campus suit you. It might be a long way and not near a major city but you would get a lower offer. It is 4 miles from Falmouth which is a really nice seaside town. The question is whether it is too far and too quiet. Worth looking into as an insurance offer.
If your looking for somewhere with really good nightlife somewhere away from where you live look at Cardiff University. Lower grades so good insurance with a lot going on and an excellent shopping area.
Original post by xxxooo
Or is that totally mad? For history. I'm pretty set on Oxford, LSE, UCL, Bristol and need one more, maybe King's/York/Exeter or I could do a lower one eg Queen Mary/UEA? (but would rather go to the others if you get me). If I got AAB/A*AB/A*A*B, do you reckon Bristol would take me if it was my insurance??
Thanks :smile:

Personally I am inclined to the go hard or go home approach but if one of your five is a slightly lesser uni you have until March to decide what to choose as your insurance. If all is going well pick your two favourites if not the insurance comes into play.
This is the easy choice. Just wait until you have to reduce to two...
I agree with what @Scotney said about you not having to decide now. I would personally pick one safer choice now and decide after I have received my offers and completed a few more months of Year 13 which ones I want to Firm/Insure. You don't need to go as far down as ABB unis - you could also consider AAB unis like Sheffield, Southampton and Birmingham. Cardiff is also a good shout I believe due to it being a good uni in a great little city.

I agree with what others have said about it being likely that Exeter would show more flexibility than your top 4 choices. However, a word of warning is that certainly for Law, last summer they were giving students who had slipped a grade revised offers at their Penryn campus instead.
Reply 14
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xxxooo
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Original post by swanseajack1
If you want to go further how would Exeter's Penryn campus suit you. It might be a long way and not near a major city but you would get a lower offer. It is 4 miles from Falmouth which is a really nice seaside town. The question is whether it is too far and too quiet. Worth looking into as an insurance offer.

Thank you, but I'm 100% a city person and I think Cornwall would be way too remote for me, but deffo somewhere like that thanks.
Reply 15
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xxxooo
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Original post by Scotney
Personally I am inclined to the go hard or go home approach but if one of your five is a slightly lesser uni you have until March to decide what to choose as your insurance. If all is going well pick your two favourites if not the insurance comes into play.


Ok yeh, I think I might go with that approach too, thanks!!
Reply 16
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xxxooo
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Original post by DrSocSciences
This is the easy choice. Just wait until you have to reduce to two...

ikik :/
Reply 17
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xxxooo
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Original post by harrysbar
I agree with what @Scotney said about you not having to decide now. I would personally pick one safer choice now and decide after I have received my offers and completed a few more months of Year 13 which ones I want to Firm/Insure. You don't need to go as far down as ABB unis - you could also consider AAB unis like Sheffield, Southampton and Birmingham. Cardiff is also a good shout I believe due to it being a good uni in a great little city.

I agree with what others have said about it being likely that Exeter would show more flexibility than your top 4 choices. However, a word of warning is that certainly for Law, last summer they were giving students who had slipped a grade revised offers at their Penryn campus instead.

Yess you're right about aab unis, I'll consider Birmingham/Southampton and ooo interesting about Penryn being lower grades but I don't think I could hack being somewhere that rural/quiet! Thank youuu :smile:
Original post by xxxooo
Yess you're right about aab unis, I'll consider Birmingham/Southampton and ooo interesting about Penryn being lower grades but I don't think I could hack being somewhere that rural/quiet! Thank youuu :smile:

You're welcome and yes, I wanted to warn you about Penryn being offered to people who slip just one grade because it is quieter even than Exeter, so not for everyone
The usual advice is to spread your choices across different grade requirements.

Many applicants are too optimistic about their abilities, especially with the absence of AS grades to mollify that optimism, and there is substantial evidence that schools over-predict at the top-end. For this reason you are advised to include at least one lower grade choice. You will need an Insurance choice; if both your Firm and Insurance have the same grade requirements and you miss those grades, you will have no Uni place at all in August.

This is more sensible :
* 1 'risky' choice - just above your predicted grades
* 2 or 3 - at your predicted grades
* 1 or 2 - below your predicted grade


TSR's How to Avoid 5 Rejections here : https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/university/apply/how-to-avoid-getting-five-university-rejections

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