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Getting into finance with low A levels? Help?

Hi,

I'm going to be studying an integrated masters chemistry degree with a placement year abroad at cardiff university. My A level grades are pretty bad. I obtained BBC in biology, politics and chemistry respectively. I believe I was under predicted for chemistry definitely but because I've already secured a place at Cardiff, I don't see the point of resiting. I'm not completely set yet but I'm thinking about going into finance in the future, I'm still doing more research about it but I heard that to get into finance, the uni that you're going to and the A level results you have are really important. I have an extra B in A level chinese that I have done in year9 , so it should benefit me a little in terms of UCAS points? Will my A level grades really drag me down? Any tips on successfully getting a job in finance? Ofc I'll try my very best to obtain the highest degree possible since I do regret not putting 100% effort in my A levels even though I knew I had the potential. Thank you
cardiff isn't a high tier university, chemistry is a normal degree and your A level grades are what you realise so you don't have anything over most other applicants. being predicted a first (so that you can write that on your application) is helpful but, again, not overwhelmingly so

ucas points or extra qualifications are rarely important on a job application

it'll all come down to the kind of experience you can get and the way you come across in the application (interviews, tests)
Reply 2
Original post by HoldThisL
cardiff isn't a high tier university, chemistry is a normal degree and your A level grades are what you realise so you don't have anything over most other applicants. being predicted a first (so that you can write that on your application) is helpful but, again, not overwhelmingly so

ucas points or extra qualifications are rarely important on a job application

it'll all come down to the kind of experience you can get and the way you come across in the application (interviews, tests)


Is Cardiff not considered a high tier university? I've always heard only good stuff about Cardiff and the fact that it's a russell group as well, does that not stand out a bit more? I know placements and internships in finance are really hard to obtain but I'll look into them more in the near future. Wjat would you recommend ne to do? I heard resits grades are generally not looked at because its the first grades you get that matters 😭😭😭
Original post by waiman01
Is Cardiff not considered a high tier university? I've always heard only good stuff about Cardiff and the fact that it's a russell group as well, does that not stand out a bit more? I know placements and internships in finance are really hard to obtain but I'll look into them more in the near future. Wjat would you recommend ne to do? I heard resits grades are generally not looked at because its the first grades you get that matters 😭😭😭

cardiff is upper-middle, if we split it into 4 easy categories. you can cut the cake anyway you like but there's always cambridge, imperial etc which are better

you can apply for a job with resit grades without there being an option to disclose the fact they are resits but that's not necessarily helpful. resits won't get you to where you want to be either because they are just one thing out of many parts of a job application
Reply 4
Original post by HoldThisL
cardiff is upper-middle, if we split it into 4 easy categories. you can cut the cake anyway you like but there's always cambridge, imperial etc which are better

you can apply for a job with resit grades without there being an option to disclose the fact they are resits but that's not necessarily helpful. resits won't get you to where you want to be either because they are just one thing out of many parts of a job application


i see... do you suggest me to look into other jobs other than finance then? I havn't even started my course yet but I want to be prepared and het ahead of the game first and finance is a possibility since chemistry degrees can pretty much get you into any field. Any advice?
Original post by waiman01
i see... do you suggest me to look into other jobs other than finance then? I havn't even started my course yet but I want to be prepared and het ahead of the game first and finance is a possibility since chemistry degrees can pretty much get you into any field. Any advice?

well do you actually want to work in finance or do you just want to work in finance because, essentially, it sounds cool involves cool stuff and pays well? because unless you can, of your own accord, start forging a pathway of relevant personal projects, work experience and networking, its probably the latter
Reply 6
Original post by HoldThisL
well do you actually want to work in finance or do you just want to work in finance because, essentially, it sounds cool involves cool stuff and pays well? because unless you can, of your own accord, start forging a pathway of relevant personal projects, work experience and networking, its probably the latter


To be honest, at the moment I just want to enjoy my course because I prefer chemistry over any other subjects and I just want to keep my options open with the degree. I'm planning on of course do more resesrch on what part of finance I'm interesting in while finding work experience, internships or placement in that field. Just worried that my academics and uni would hold me back.when I REALLY come to find a job.
Reply 7
Original post by HoldThisL
cardiff isn't a high tier university, chemistry is a normal degree and your A level grades are what you realise so you don't have anything over most other applicants. being predicted a first (so that you can write that on your application) is helpful but, again, not overwhelmingly so

ucas points or extra qualifications are rarely important on a job application

it'll all come down to the kind of experience you can get and the way you come across in the application (interviews, tests)

Cardiff it a russel group mate, if thats not 'high tier' than i don't know what is
Reply 8
Original post by bellanh
Cardiff it a russel group mate, if thats not 'high tier' than i don't know what is


any advice? I'm trynna gather as much ad possible😭😭😭
Reply 9
Original post by waiman01
any advice? I'm trynna gather as much ad possible😭😭😭

Hey! I am off to Cardiff uni this year to study Psycholgy (my grades were a* a* A C) and my insurance was Manchester uni. I chose Cardiff uni as the loaction is so prefect its a city uni but its not too big and overwhelming and also its a russel group uni. At the end of the day its about your happiness and work ethic. Your grades (which are great anyway) won't hold you back! yeah maybe some top top places may look at your grades but do you really want to work somewhere which bases their job application on your alevel grades you took when u were 17. Honeslty just enjoy your time at uni and get career advice once your at uni! congrats on ur offer at cardiff!
Reply 10
Original post by bellanh
Hey! I am off to Cardiff uni this year to study Psycholgy (my grades were a* a* A C) and my insurance was Manchester uni. I chose Cardiff uni as the loaction is so prefect its a city uni but its not too big and overwhelming and also its a russel group uni. At the end of the day its about your happiness and work ethic. Your grades (which are great anyway) won't hold you back! yeah maybe some top top places may look at your grades but do you really want to work somewhere which bases their job application on your alevel grades you took when u were 17. Honeslty just enjoy your time at uni and get career advice once your at uni! congrats on ur offer at cardiff!


ah i see thank you! I'll probs seek the careers advisers when the time comes since I want to be prepared for the future as much as possible. I didn't realise how important A level grades are when it comes to employment.
Original post by bellanh
Cardiff it a russel group mate, if thats not 'high tier' than i don't know what is


Russell Group status means nothing in terms of prestige, it's literally just a label unlike Ivy Leagues in America which are all actually prestigious. Cardiff Uni is one of the lowest of the Russell Groups and generally has some of the lowest entry requirements and is near the bottom in the worldwide rankings (in comparison to other Russell Group Unis).

So no, it isn't considered 'high tier' by any means at all relative to other Russell Group unis. For some employers, the uni status won't matter anyway. So I think just try to get the 1st and work experience which is all you can do right now in this circumstance and hopefully employers will be willing to budge with the A-Level requirement.
Original post by bellanh
Cardiff it a russel group mate, if thats not 'high tier' than i don't know what is


it's not high tier. high tier is oxbridge, imperial, lse and any of ucl/durham/st andrews/warwick depending on who you talk to
Original post by waiman01
Hi,

I'm going to be studying an integrated masters chemistry degree with a placement year abroad at cardiff university. My A level grades are pretty bad. I obtained BBC in biology, politics and chemistry respectively. I believe I was under predicted for chemistry definitely but because I've already secured a place at Cardiff, I don't see the point of resiting. I'm not completely set yet but I'm thinking about going into finance in the future, I'm still doing more research about it but I heard that to get into finance, the uni that you're going to and the A level results you have are really important. I have an extra B in A level chinese that I have done in year9 , so it should benefit me a little in terms of UCAS points? Will my A level grades really drag me down? Any tips on successfully getting a job in finance? Ofc I'll try my very best to obtain the highest degree possible since I do regret not putting 100% effort in my A levels even though I knew I had the potential. Thank you


The A-Level Chinese won’t be counted in terms of UCAS points, as I assume you’re partly native, and it wasn’t taken between the ages of 17-18, most unis won’t count it as one of your A-Levels.
Reply 14
Original post by sakura_23
The A-Level Chinese won’t be counted in terms of UCAS points, as I assume you’re partly native, and it wasn’t taken between the ages of 17-18, most unis won’t count it as one of your A-Levels.


I did it when I was in year 9 so during 2014 ish? and yeah I'm native but I am much better at english than chinese since english was my first language. I basically had to learn from 0 but I didn't know the age in which you took your A levels mattered cuz i paid for it as well😭 thinking it would be useful
Reply 15
Original post by cheerIeader
Russell Group status means nothing in terms of prestige, it's literally just a label unlike Ivy Leagues in America which are all actually prestigious. Cardiff Uni is one of the lowest of the Russell Groups and generally has some of the lowest entry requirements and is near the bottom in the worldwide rankings (in comparison to other Russell Group Unis).

So no, it isn't considered 'high tier' by any means at all relative to other Russell Group unis. For some employers, the uni status won't matter anyway. So I think just try to get the 1st and work experience which is all you can do right now in this circumstance and hopefully employers will be willing to budge with the A-Level requirement.


Cardiff is still a well respected uni right? I've never heard anything bad about it until this thread ngl making the uni seem less respected than it js.
Original post by waiman01
I did it when I was in year 9 so during 2014 ish? and yeah I'm native but I am much better at english than chinese since english was my first language. I basically had to learn from 0 but I didn't know the age in which you took your A levels mattered cuz i paid for it as well😭 thinking it would be useful


I did my GCSE in Year 6 and it won’t count. Chinese is actually my 3rd language, and my Chinese father wasn’t educated, so I actually self learnt it as well! Sad it doesn’t matter but I can kind of understand why... doesn’t really demonstrate the same skills that another A-Level does.
Reply 17
Original post by sakura_23
I did my GCSE in Year 6 and it won’t count. Chinese is actually my 3rd language, and my Chinese father wasn’t educated, so I actually self learnt it as well! Sad it doesn’t matter but I can kind of understand why... doesn’t really demonstrate the same skills that another A-Level does.


That's a bit annoying since my parents paid for all GCSE and A level chinese for no reason😭 Are you going uni? which one? and do you have any advice on me going into finance with these a level grades?
Cardiff is a perfectly great university. Don’t let other people in this thread obsessed with rankings let u suggest otherwise😂 mad how distorted some people’s thinking are
Original post by waiman01
Cardiff is still a well respected uni right? I've never heard anything bad about it until this thread ngl making the uni seem less respected than it js.

It's a good uni for sure. In terms of campus etc it's gorgeous and I'm sure it is respectable but it really isn't considered 'top-tier' or perhaps respectable enough to impress employers at higher up firms.

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