Computer science university choices

UCL might be a bit tough as I've heard of ppl getting rejected w 4A*s w further maths, but the rest are possible but not at all guaranteed, especially for such a competitive course like CS. Have a look at Nottingham as well they're quite good for CS apparently.

UCL is just an 'aspirational' choice but the rest I think are quite "aspirational" LOL

Yeah haha I think you should apply to all given ur predicted 3A*s but make sure to have at least 1 safe where you wouldn't mind going

But the thing is, I mean my personal statement won't be great especially that I don't have much experience in coding, I can code but just at a beginner level, even that's an overstatement. I understand that it's mostly maths but I think it's still a good way to show interest. And not to mention how crazy computer science is nowadays...

UCL might be a bit tough as I've heard of ppl getting rejected w 4A*s w further maths, but the rest are possible but not at all guaranteed, especially for such a competitive course like CS. Have a look at Nottingham as well they're quite good for CS apparently.

Hi, I'm a 1st year JMC student at Imperial and so can give you some advice on this... the lack of coding should not be a problem for getting in so don't worry too much about it, me and quite a few others here at Imperial doing both JMC and Computing also had little or no experience with coding but we still got in. However what will be a problem, especially for the top unis, will be the lack of further maths. Getting into UCL for computer science without further maths is going to be very unlikely. The other unis you mentioned you may have more of a chance but I would be sure to check their websites and what they say. You could base your personal statement on the areas of maths that link to computer science (research some topics!) to show interest. The lack of coding will only mean you may have to work harder than others when you first start your computer science course but other than that it shouldn't be a problem with getting in. Good luck

Even if I make up for the lack of further maths in other areas? Like self study some modules myself, maths contests etc? Because reason I didn't take further maths is that my school does NOT offer it so I thought since it's beyond my control the unis will be more lenient

Yeah haha I think you should apply to all given ur predicted 3A*s but make sure to have at least 1 safe where you wouldn't mind going

Edinburgh is very strong and a good option. UCL and Bristol are both good departments I gather (I think Bristol is probably the stronger of the two). KCL is pretty average - you could probably find better alternatives (e.g. Southampton, Birmingham, Manchester which are all quite strong in the area, especially Southampton, but aren't as focused on FM as e.g. Warwick or Imperial).

Not having a background in coding isn't an issue, CS degrees teach that from scratch and assume no prior knowledge of it. Note however a CS degree is not a degree in programming (especially "top" courses like Edinburgh) and may be a relatively small part of the degree.

Regarding the lack of FM, as long as your academic reference explains that your school doesn't offer it you should not, in principle, be disadvantaged by that in admissions. You may want to consider Imperial and/or Warwick as a result (that said, it might be a bit harder getting started in the course without that background).

But if i'm not mistaken, imperial want STEP even if it's post offer that's still a problem especially that i'm international so typically for internationals (From what I heard) the STEP requirements are quite high. Also reason I went for KCL I thought it wasn't too bad and not very competitive so I might stand a chance of getting an offer? That was my logic. What i'm worried about most is that I won't get any offers...

What would you say is a safe option?

STEP is normally always taken after you are given an offer (the STEP papers occur after the A-level exams). Not sure how STEP requirements are set at Imperial though so can't really comment further. If it's a concern though then you needn't consider it - Warwick might be a good alternative as a very strong option in that case.

I guess as a backup choice KCL is OK, personally I think something like Southampton would be better as a backup it's a stronger department, has the same (if memory serves) entry criteria as KCL, and doesn't have people applying "just because it's in London" which would inflate the competition ratios. The fees might be lower without that "London uni" premium too, for what it's worth (plus it's actually reasonable in terms of accessing London - just over an hour/an hour and a half from Southampton by train depending which one you get, and it's a direct train journey).

I think it's unlikely you'll end up with no offers - whether you achieve your offers is another question, but it's pretty uncommon for people not to get at least one or two offers unless a) they only apply to unis where their predicted grades are lower than the standard entry criteria or b) for courses like medicine/dentistry where the competition ratios are just so high and with so few places available.

STEP is normally always taken after you are given an offer (the STEP papers occur after the A-level exams). Not sure how STEP requirements are set at Imperial though so can't really comment further. If it's a concern though then you needn't consider it - Warwick might be a good alternative as a very strong option in that case.

I guess as a backup choice KCL is OK, personally I think something like Southampton would be better as a backup it's a stronger department, has the same (if memory serves) entry criteria as KCL, and doesn't have people applying "just because it's in London" which would inflate the competition ratios. The fees might be lower without that "London uni" premium too, for what it's worth (plus it's actually reasonable in terms of accessing London - just over an hour/an hour and a half from Southampton by train depending which one you get, and it's a direct train journey).

I think it's unlikely you'll end up with no offers - whether you achieve your offers is another question, but it's pretty uncommon for people not to get at least one or two offers unless a) they only apply to unis where their predicted grades are lower than the standard entry criteria or b) for courses like medicine/dentistry where the competition ratios are just so high and with so few places available.

Ok I see, I will seriously consider Southampton, and that's comforting to hear however if i'm not mistaken hasn't cs in recent years become as competitive as medicine? Or it gets very close? That's what I hear, but it was over the internet. Idk much about what it's like in the UK.

Also what about Maths + cs/AI+CS? Would I have a better chance at that?

Maybe certain CS courses at certain unis are more competitive than medicine there - it is at Camrbidge at least, although Cambridge is fairly averagely competitive for medicine - however medicine has external government imposed quotas on the number of students that can be taken on, which CS does not. Unis can take as many CS students as they can cram onto campus.

Also for CS, being an international student may be in your favour as you pay international fees...for medicine it would work the other way because there are even fewer international medical student places available for each medical school. For international students applying to the UK specifically I imagine medicine is the single most competitive option due to the fact most medical schools only have a handful of international places available in their quotas.



Without A-level Further Maths, even given your school doesn't offer it, I think it's a much bigger stretch. Also bear in mind degree level maths is very different to A-level Maths (and the kinds of maths you'd do in a CS degree) so you should make sure you really know what you would be getting yourself in there form. If you aren't really interested in proving that some idk, ring is commutative or something, then it may not really be what you are looking for. Degree level maths is usually very abstract (even the "applied" topics are necessarily abstract to a point) and usually very proof based! Not really the same kind of "problem solving" maths you might be used to.

Ok I see, I will seriously consider Southampton, and that's comforting to hear however if i'm not mistaken hasn't cs in recent years become as competitive as medicine? Or it gets very close? That's what I hear, but it was over the internet. Idk much about what it's like in the UK.