How is my UCAS application?
I am an American planning to study in the UK for forensic psychology/psychology. I applied to Manchester, Chester, Winchester, Kent, and Nottingham Trent. I have a 4.0 (couldn't include it in UCAS application because I haven't graduated yet) and am valedictorian in a class of about 260. I will graduate hs with an AA in social science at a basic college (took 6 psychology courses and 1 criminal justice class). I have a 32 ACT for both times I took it (only a 6 in writing the first time and 8 the second time though) and 1380 SAT. My APs are Biology (score of 5) and Literature (score of 4) and I will take the AP French exam. I took 4 honours classes. My Across the Pond advisor thinks I have a great portfolio, but I disagree. Assuming my personal statement is plain and boring but without major errors such as cliché statements or grammar problems, what would you say are my chances of getting into university in the UK? Did I choose poorly on universities?
(edited 7 months ago)
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Hey! Your grades are great! Definitely email and speak to the admission team of the universities you’ve applied to as they can tell you what they personally require. If you have an interview, do your best obviously, but at the end ask the questions of what they want in a potential future student of theirs 
Original post by McGinger
So, you didnt check with each Uni to find out what their US entry requirements were before you applied?
No, of course I did. I meet all of their requirements. But I feel like they will have better applicants, especially in the personal statement department.
why aren't you applying for a uni in America? I'm just curious cos there's a lot of good unis there
also, Nottingham Trent is one of the worst unis in the UK. The students,lecturers and environment there aren't the best .so i hope you haven't put it as your first or second choice.
best to worst:
1) manchester
2)kent
3)Chester and Winchester(not much of a difference between them)
5)Nottingham trent
also, Nottingham Trent is one of the worst unis in the UK. The students,lecturers and environment there aren't the best .so i hope you haven't put it as your first or second choice.
best to worst:
1) manchester
2)kent
3)Chester and Winchester(not much of a difference between them)
5)Nottingham trent
(edited 7 months ago)
Original post by IO bear
why aren't you applying for a uni in America? I'm just curious cos there's a lot of good unis there
also, Nottingham Trent is one of the worst unis in the UK. The students,lecturers and environment there aren't the best .so i hope you haven't put it as your first or second choice.
best to worst:
1) manchester
2)kent
3)Chester and Winchester(not much of a difference between them)
5)Nottingham trent
also, Nottingham Trent is one of the worst unis in the UK. The students,lecturers and environment there aren't the best .so i hope you haven't put it as your first or second choice.
best to worst:
1) manchester
2)kent
3)Chester and Winchester(not much of a difference between them)
5)Nottingham trent
I'm looking to move out of America permanently, and I've decided England is where I want to go-culture, government, less fake food, etc. If I somehow got into Manchester or Kent I would only be able to go if I got a scholarship. I really want to go to Chester because they have a decent forensic psychology program (compared to their other programs), I think I'd like that city, and it is super cheap. I'd rather not go to Winchester and Nottingham Trent, they're at the bottom of my list.
Original post by Y.ali99
Hey! Your grades are great! Definitely email and speak to the admission team of the universities you’ve applied to as they can tell you what they personally require. If you have an interview, do your best obviously, but at the end ask the questions of what they want in a potential future student of theirs
Thanks!
Original post by Islee
I'm looking to move out of America permanently, and I've decided England is where I want to go-culture, government, less fake food, etc. If I somehow got into Manchester or Kent I would only be able to go if I got a scholarship. I really want to go to Chester because they have a decent forensic psychology program (compared to their other programs), I think I'd like that city, and it is super cheap. I'd rather not go to Winchester and Nottingham Trent, they're at the bottom of my list.
Just some warnings about Chester. I have just come back from there and didnt find it super cheap. Secondly on a visit to Liverpool I noticed some of their buildings on the way there in places not as nice as Chester. Check to ensure your course is actually being held in the main campus. Chester is a lovely small city with historic buildings but it isnt super cheap.
Original post by swanseajack1
Just some warnings about Chester. I have just come back from there and didnt find it super cheap. Secondly on a visit to Liverpool I noticed some of their buildings on the way there in places not as nice as Chester. Check to ensure your course is actually being held in the main campus. Chester is a lovely small city with historic buildings but it isnt super cheap.
I expect to get a scholarship, which will make my tuition 11450 pounds as opposed to 16000-28000 pounds. The accommodation was about 10 pounds per week cheaper than other accommodation I looked at, and my course is definitely in Chester. But I'm curious, what did you find more expensive? Did you attend uni there or just seen the city?
Original post by swanseajack1
Just some warnings about Chester. I have just come back from there and didnt find it super cheap. Secondly on a visit to Liverpool I noticed some of their buildings on the way there in places not as nice as Chester. Check to ensure your course is actually being held in the main campus. Chester is a lovely small city with historic buildings but it isnt super cheap.
Winchester has lower tuition as well, but I am dismissive of it because it doesn't seem as good as chester, at least for my program.
Original post by Islee
I expect to get a scholarship, which will make my tuition 11450 pounds as opposed to 16000-28000 pounds. The accommodation was about 10 pounds per week cheaper than other accommodation I looked at, and my course is definitely in Chester. But I'm curious, what did you find more expensive? Did you attend uni there or just seen the city?
I just went there for a holiday and things like meals in pubs appeared higher than I would expect locally in Swansea. I didnt want you thinking things are cheap there. They arent. It is a historic city and attracts tourists so is quite expensive. One day I went on the bus to Liverpool and I noticed there were University of Chester buildings in Birkenhead and I think Liverpool. Birkenhead is nothing like Chester so I though I would warn you in advance.
1839 to 2000
The original College building (still in use and now known as Old College) in 1843, a year after it opened
The university was founded as Chester Diocesan Training College in 1839 by a distinguished group of local leading figures in the Church of England, including future Prime Ministers William Ewart Gladstone and the 14th Earl of Derby.[9] It was the UK's first purpose-built teacher training college,[10] which makes it one of the longest established higher education institutions in the country.[10] In 1842, Gladstone opened the college's original buildings for its first intake of ten male student teachers on the Parkgate Road site, (just outside the City Walls), that the university occupies today.[11]
In 1921, Chester formally became an affiliated college of the University of Liverpool,[9] which meant that the University of Liverpool awarded Chester's qualifications and Chester's students were able to use Liverpool's facilities.
The institution was threatened with closure in the 1930s, but its future was secured by the Bishop of Chester in 1933.[12] From then on, the college continued to grow steadily. By the 1960s, as the UK was massively expanding its higher education capacity in reaction to the Robbins Report, the college was considered as a possible candidate for university status. These proposals, however, were not followed through.
The college continued to expand and women were first admitted in 1961. In 1963, the government renamed teacher training colleges to colleges of education, so Chester's name became Chester College of Education. In 1974, the number of courses was expanded beyond teacher education to include Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. To reflect its wider remit, the college was renamed Chester College of Higher Education.
In the early 1990s the School of Nursing and Midwifery (now the Faculty of Health and Social Care) was established.[9] The college also began to offer a Bachelor of Theology degree, HNDs and more postgraduate courses, such as master's degrees and PhDs.[9] It also embarked on a £10 million campus improvement programme. By 1996, Chester had earned the right to call itself University College Chester.[13][14] This name, however, was short-lived as the government changed the requirements for university colleges in 1999 to include only those that had their own degree-awarding powers. Thus, Chester had to drop the 'University College' tag and reverted to the title Chester College of Higher Education, though the more descriptive Chester, a College of the University of Liverpool was frequently used in publicity material.[10]
2000 to present
Parkgate Road Campus
The college expanded in 2002 through the acquisition of the higher education faculty and campus of Warrington Collegiate Institute.[9] (The further and adult education campuses of Warrington remained independent and was known as Warrington Collegiate, until in August 2017, when it merged with Mid Cheshire College.))
In 2003 Chester was granted its own degree-awarding powers, allowing it to be known as University College Chester once again.[10] Due to its long (and well-advertised) association with the University of Liverpool, Chester continued to award Liverpool degrees until the 2005 intake of students.[15]
In 2005, University College Chester was awarded full university status and became the University of Chester.[16] This was followed by the right to award its own research degrees in 2007, ending Chester's last validation arrangement with Liverpool.
Following the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, some of the university's research was declared to be of international quality, with a proportion of 'World Leading' research in History (15% of submitted research), English, Sports Studies, and Drama (each 5% of submitted research).[17][18][19]
In 2010, the Centre for Work Related Studies (CWRS) received a commendation by the UK quality body, for its radically flexible and high quality negotiated work based learning framework - enabling professionals to customise their own qualifications, 'learn through work', and enable rapid accreditation of commercial training provision. At the same time, the funding body showcased CWRS's flexible approach to accrediting workplace learning.[20][21]
Expansion
University of Chester, Marriss House (at left)
The university has expanded in recent years, buying buildings in Chester and constructing student accommodation at Parkgate Road Campus in 2013.[22] In 2013 the university took over the Shell Technology Centre in Thornton, in nearby Ince, creating the Thornton Science Park.[23] In 2014, Chancellor George Osborne opened the university's new Science Park in Thornton. The campus was used for a variety of science and engineering-based courses, and allows students to be involved in high-level research using the campus's industry-standard facilities gifted by Shell. In 2018 the local authority, taking account of guidance from the Health and Safety Executive, refused a retrospective planning application for continued use for educational purposes on safety grounds, due to the location close to Stanlow refinery.
In 2014, Loyd Grossman, who holds an honorary degree from the university, officially opened the North West Food Research Development (NoWFOOD) Centre.
Campuses
The University of Chester has six campuses and a University Centre in Shrewsbury. The 32-acre (130,000 m2) Parkgate Road Campus, Chester,[16] is located on Parkgate Road, just north of the City Walls. It has a mixture of Victorian buildings (such as Old College, left, which includes a chapel built by some of the original students in the 1840s) and modern buildings (such as the Students' Union). The Parkgate Road Campus also features a fitness centre, sports hall, swimming pool, science and language laboratories and bar.
University of Chester Riverside Campus.
Some departments are housed offsite at locations within walking distance of the main campus, for example, the Department of English is located in a Grade II-listed former Victorian vicarage, while the Law School is based at 67 Liverpool Road. The former County Hall, which is located in the city centre near the racecourse, houses the Faculty of Education and Children's Services and the Faculty of Health and Social Care and is known as the Riverside Campus. The university has also developed the Kingsway Campus in Newton with the addition of a three-storey teaching block, ground floor exhibition space and art gallery, learning resource centre and changing rooms. The site features a number of green innovations, such as ground source heating.
The university acquired a former Lloyds Bank corporate headquarters in Queen's Park, Handbridge, Chester in 2015. This houses the Faculty of Business and Management and the Chester Business School. The university has modernised the facilities in Bridge House and Churchill House to cater for 2,700 students.
In the autumn of 2015, the university opened a sister institution in the Guildhall and Rowley's House, Shrewsbury, Shropshire as part of a joint venture with Shropshire Council to establish University Centre Shrewsbury.
The university-owned student accommodation is primarily reserved for first year and overseas students. This consists of halls of residence and houses nearby.
The smaller Warrington campus originally hosted a camp for Canadian officers in World War II and is located in the Padgate area of Warrington. This campus includes the North West Media Centre, which has close ties to Granada Television, The Warrington School of Management, Social Sciences and Health and Social Care.[24] The Warrington Campus is also the training ground for the rugby league team The Warrington Wolves, and Warrington town was the host for the Rugby League World Cup 2013, with the Campus hosting the Samoan players. In 2022 two new buildings, Time Square and Remond House, were opened in Warrington Town Centre.[25]
The university also has a number of bases at NHS sites across Cheshire and the Wirral, and opened University Centre Birkenhead in September 2018.[26]
The original College building (still in use and now known as Old College) in 1843, a year after it opened
The university was founded as Chester Diocesan Training College in 1839 by a distinguished group of local leading figures in the Church of England, including future Prime Ministers William Ewart Gladstone and the 14th Earl of Derby.[9] It was the UK's first purpose-built teacher training college,[10] which makes it one of the longest established higher education institutions in the country.[10] In 1842, Gladstone opened the college's original buildings for its first intake of ten male student teachers on the Parkgate Road site, (just outside the City Walls), that the university occupies today.[11]
In 1921, Chester formally became an affiliated college of the University of Liverpool,[9] which meant that the University of Liverpool awarded Chester's qualifications and Chester's students were able to use Liverpool's facilities.
The institution was threatened with closure in the 1930s, but its future was secured by the Bishop of Chester in 1933.[12] From then on, the college continued to grow steadily. By the 1960s, as the UK was massively expanding its higher education capacity in reaction to the Robbins Report, the college was considered as a possible candidate for university status. These proposals, however, were not followed through.
The college continued to expand and women were first admitted in 1961. In 1963, the government renamed teacher training colleges to colleges of education, so Chester's name became Chester College of Education. In 1974, the number of courses was expanded beyond teacher education to include Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. To reflect its wider remit, the college was renamed Chester College of Higher Education.
In the early 1990s the School of Nursing and Midwifery (now the Faculty of Health and Social Care) was established.[9] The college also began to offer a Bachelor of Theology degree, HNDs and more postgraduate courses, such as master's degrees and PhDs.[9] It also embarked on a £10 million campus improvement programme. By 1996, Chester had earned the right to call itself University College Chester.[13][14] This name, however, was short-lived as the government changed the requirements for university colleges in 1999 to include only those that had their own degree-awarding powers. Thus, Chester had to drop the 'University College' tag and reverted to the title Chester College of Higher Education, though the more descriptive Chester, a College of the University of Liverpool was frequently used in publicity material.[10]
2000 to present
Parkgate Road Campus
The college expanded in 2002 through the acquisition of the higher education faculty and campus of Warrington Collegiate Institute.[9] (The further and adult education campuses of Warrington remained independent and was known as Warrington Collegiate, until in August 2017, when it merged with Mid Cheshire College.))
In 2003 Chester was granted its own degree-awarding powers, allowing it to be known as University College Chester once again.[10] Due to its long (and well-advertised) association with the University of Liverpool, Chester continued to award Liverpool degrees until the 2005 intake of students.[15]
In 2005, University College Chester was awarded full university status and became the University of Chester.[16] This was followed by the right to award its own research degrees in 2007, ending Chester's last validation arrangement with Liverpool.
Following the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, some of the university's research was declared to be of international quality, with a proportion of 'World Leading' research in History (15% of submitted research), English, Sports Studies, and Drama (each 5% of submitted research).[17][18][19]
In 2010, the Centre for Work Related Studies (CWRS) received a commendation by the UK quality body, for its radically flexible and high quality negotiated work based learning framework - enabling professionals to customise their own qualifications, 'learn through work', and enable rapid accreditation of commercial training provision. At the same time, the funding body showcased CWRS's flexible approach to accrediting workplace learning.[20][21]
Expansion
University of Chester, Marriss House (at left)
The university has expanded in recent years, buying buildings in Chester and constructing student accommodation at Parkgate Road Campus in 2013.[22] In 2013 the university took over the Shell Technology Centre in Thornton, in nearby Ince, creating the Thornton Science Park.[23] In 2014, Chancellor George Osborne opened the university's new Science Park in Thornton. The campus was used for a variety of science and engineering-based courses, and allows students to be involved in high-level research using the campus's industry-standard facilities gifted by Shell. In 2018 the local authority, taking account of guidance from the Health and Safety Executive, refused a retrospective planning application for continued use for educational purposes on safety grounds, due to the location close to Stanlow refinery.
In 2014, Loyd Grossman, who holds an honorary degree from the university, officially opened the North West Food Research Development (NoWFOOD) Centre.
Campuses
The University of Chester has six campuses and a University Centre in Shrewsbury. The 32-acre (130,000 m2) Parkgate Road Campus, Chester,[16] is located on Parkgate Road, just north of the City Walls. It has a mixture of Victorian buildings (such as Old College, left, which includes a chapel built by some of the original students in the 1840s) and modern buildings (such as the Students' Union). The Parkgate Road Campus also features a fitness centre, sports hall, swimming pool, science and language laboratories and bar.
University of Chester Riverside Campus.
Some departments are housed offsite at locations within walking distance of the main campus, for example, the Department of English is located in a Grade II-listed former Victorian vicarage, while the Law School is based at 67 Liverpool Road. The former County Hall, which is located in the city centre near the racecourse, houses the Faculty of Education and Children's Services and the Faculty of Health and Social Care and is known as the Riverside Campus. The university has also developed the Kingsway Campus in Newton with the addition of a three-storey teaching block, ground floor exhibition space and art gallery, learning resource centre and changing rooms. The site features a number of green innovations, such as ground source heating.
The university acquired a former Lloyds Bank corporate headquarters in Queen's Park, Handbridge, Chester in 2015. This houses the Faculty of Business and Management and the Chester Business School. The university has modernised the facilities in Bridge House and Churchill House to cater for 2,700 students.
In the autumn of 2015, the university opened a sister institution in the Guildhall and Rowley's House, Shrewsbury, Shropshire as part of a joint venture with Shropshire Council to establish University Centre Shrewsbury.
The university-owned student accommodation is primarily reserved for first year and overseas students. This consists of halls of residence and houses nearby.
The smaller Warrington campus originally hosted a camp for Canadian officers in World War II and is located in the Padgate area of Warrington. This campus includes the North West Media Centre, which has close ties to Granada Television, The Warrington School of Management, Social Sciences and Health and Social Care.[24] The Warrington Campus is also the training ground for the rugby league team The Warrington Wolves, and Warrington town was the host for the Rugby League World Cup 2013, with the Campus hosting the Samoan players. In 2022 two new buildings, Time Square and Remond House, were opened in Warrington Town Centre.[25]
The university also has a number of bases at NHS sites across Cheshire and the Wirral, and opened University Centre Birkenhead in September 2018.[26]
Original post by swanseajack1
I just went there for a holiday and things like meals in pubs appeared higher than I would expect locally in Swansea. I didnt want you thinking things are cheap there. They arent. It is a historic city and attracts tourists so is quite expensive. One day I went on the bus to Liverpool and I noticed there were University of Chester buildings in Birkenhead and I think Liverpool. Birkenhead is nothing like Chester so I though I would warn you in advance.
When I said Chester was cheap, I meant the University of Chester, meaning tuition fees for international students like me and uni accommodation. I don't expect to ever go out to eat because I never have, I always just get food from the grocery store and cook it myself. I assume the food in the stores are also expensive, but wouldn't the tuition make up for it? I guess I should look into costs of cabbage asap.
Thanks for informing me about that, I didn't look too much into food, just course fees and accommodation. But yeah, I hope the cheaper tuition will make up for the more expensive food.
Why specifically do forensic psychology at this point? You'll need to do further study to become a forensic psych and this degree won't necessarily give you any benefit, whereas a placement year would (dunno if that is affected by being an international applicant). These specific degrees do limit your choices to mostly unis that aren't highly ranked
Original post by Interrobang
Why specifically do forensic psychology at this point? You'll need to do further study to become a forensic psych and this degree won't necessarily give you any benefit, whereas a placement year would (dunno if that is affected by being an international applicant). These specific degrees do limit your choices to mostly unis that aren't highly ranked
I don't want to go to a uni that is highly ranked, but I did apply for psychology at Manchester. I am certain I want to be a forensic psychologist, and I want to jump into courses specific to my profession. I know it is impatient of me, but I'd rather start at forensic psychology asap. My question was just asking whether I was good enough for the colleges I picked, not whether they were good enough for me.
Original post by Islee
I don't want to go to a uni that is highly ranked, but I did apply for psychology at Manchester. I am certain I want to be a forensic psychologist, and I want to jump into courses specific to my profession. I know it is impatient of me, but I'd rather start at forensic psychology asap. My question was just asking whether I was good enough for the colleges I picked, not whether they were good enough for me.
Doing one of those courses isn't likely to make it any quicker for you to become a forensic psychologist, like I said. You will still need to do an MSc plus 2 years of supervised practice or a doctorate (which includes the supervised practice). Check the requirements for those courses first around being an international student
Original post by Interrobang
Doing one of those courses isn't likely to make it any quicker for you to become a forensic psychologist, like I said. You will still need to do an MSc plus 2 years of supervised practice or a doctorate (which includes the supervised practice). Check the requirements for those courses first around being an international student
I know, I just like the coursework for that course better. I'm not trying to make my education faster.
Original post by Islee
I am an American planning to study in the UK for forensic psychology/psychology. I applied to Manchester, Chester, Winchester, Kent, and Nottingham Trent. I have a 4.0 (couldn't include it in UCAS application because I haven't graduated yet) and am valedictorian in a class of about 260. I will graduate hs with an AA in social science at a basic college (took 6 psychology courses and 1 criminal justice class). I have a 32 ACT for both times I took it (only a 6 in writing the first time and 8 the second time though) and 1380 SAT. My APs are Biology (score of 5) and Literature (score of 4) and I will take the AP French exam. I took 4 honours classes. My Across the Pond advisor thinks I have a great portfolio, but I disagree. Assuming my personal statement is plain and boring but without major errors such as cliché statements or grammar problems, what would you say are my chances of getting into university in the UK? Did I choose poorly on universities?
Honestly if you're a valedictorian who also did your associates concurrently with your HS diploma, I think some of those unis might be...not quite the level of challenge you would be looking for, perhaps. They are perfectly fine in of themsleves but outside of a limited number of AP classes (which may be a potential issue) I would have thought you could realistically be considering Oxford/Cambridge, LSE, UCL, KCL, Edinburgh, Bath, etc. Granted I can understand you may not wish to study in London, and also granted that some of those unis psychology courses may not align with your interests as much (Oxbridge/UCL/KCL are certainly very neuroscience oriented), but I would expect you should be a reasonable consideration for unis of similar academic profile.
Worth noting in the UK, most students doing psychology aim to do a British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited degree, as this is a requirement to progress to professional psychology roles and the associated graduate courses for those (e.g. masters degrees in forensic psychology that qualfiy you to work as a forensic psychologist in the UK, the DClinPsy to qualify as a clinical psychologist, etc). As a result, the course content tends to be often relatively similar for the most part because a lot of the classes are specified by the BPS and have to be included to have that accreditation. In a related manner, as forensic psychology is something you can only qualify in the UK to do by doing an accredited masters after an accredited undergraduate degree, it's less often something you start out doing at undergrad.
My point being basically, you can and probably should look at just "plain" psychology courses (and see what kinds of forensic psychology related optional modules they offer) as well as ones that are specifically called "forensic psychology". Also if you are wanting to qualify in order to work in that profession in the UK you need to be aiming for a BPS accredited degree, so make sure to look for that. Although also because the emphasis is just on ensuring you have appropriately accredited degrees, the "brand name" of the university you study at doesn't really matter. However I do get the impression you take on quite challenging academic course loads when available so I do feel that perhaps you could look at some unis with particularly rigorous programmes.
Note if you've already submitted your UCAS application, I believe there is a two week "cooling off period" where you can potentially contact UCAS to make changes.
(edited 7 months ago)
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