Are these uni choices okay?

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by ohauh

I have UCAS predicted A*A*A*A and am applying to these unis:
Cambridge (Maths with physics A*A*A
UCL (maths with mathematical physics A*A*A
Durham (natural sciences(joint honors maths and physics A*AA
Bath (Maths with physics and a year in industry or a year abroad A*AA
York (Maths and Physics AAA-AAB

are these uni choices okay or are they a bit high up? cuz cambridge are obviously really high up and although Durham is A*AA for natural sciences but maths and physics courses on their own are both A*A*A and UCL is really high requirment as well

so im kind of considering doing birmingham theoratical physics and applied maths instead of durham but i dont really like the birmingham city tho i do like the course slightly better.

The York requirements seem to be AAB rather than AAA-AAB, but with the AA in maths and physics. Assuming that your predictions for those subjects are both A*, that seems like a sensible insurance choice if you want to play it safe.

Reply 4

swanseajack1

19

Original post by ohauh

I have UCAS predicted A*A*A*A and am applying to these unis:
Cambridge (Maths with physics A*A*A
UCL (maths with mathematical physics A*A*A
Durham (natural sciences(joint honors maths and physics A*AA
Bath (Maths with physics and a year in industry or a year abroad A*AA
York (Maths and Physics AAA-AAB

are these uni choices okay or are they a bit high up? cuz cambridge are obviously really high up and although Durham is A*AA for natural sciences but maths and physics courses on their own are both A*A*A and UCL is really high requirment as well

so im kind of considering doing birmingham theoratical physics and applied maths instead of durham but i dont really like the birmingham city tho i do like the course slightly better.

If you dont like Birmingham why. If it is because it is big and busy then UCL will be worse for you

Reply 5

artful_lounger

Original post by ohauh

I have UCAS predicted A*A*A*A and am applying to these unis:
Cambridge (Maths with physics A*A*A
UCL (maths with mathematical physics A*A*A
Durham (natural sciences(joint honors maths and physics A*AA
Bath (Maths with physics and a year in industry or a year abroad A*AA
York (Maths and Physics AAA-AAB

are these uni choices okay or are they a bit high up? cuz cambridge are obviously really high up and although Durham is A*AA for natural sciences but maths and physics courses on their own are both A*A*A and UCL is really high requirment as well

so im kind of considering doing birmingham theoratical physics and applied maths instead of durham but i dont really like the birmingham city tho i do like the course slightly better.

They're fine, you could probably honestly swap one of the lower entry criteria courses for a higher one and just have one "backup" course (e.g. Bath). Are you more interested in maths or physics? If you're more interested in maths, you may also want to consider Warwick. If you're more interested in physics I'd recommend considering Edinburgh as an option as well. Bristol would be a good option to consider for either/both too! :smile:

Imperial is also realistically better for both maths and physics than UCL (and has plenty of mathematical/theoretical physics options in the physics degree as I understand it).

Also bear in mind, a maths with physics degree is quite a different prospect to a maths and physics degree! The former is a degree in maths, with some more physics oriented options or actual physics courses preselected for you. The latter you will be much more half and half between the two (with some overlap in mathematical methods used on both sides). So the actual content of what you study between the two will be rather different - notably also you probably will have much fewer if any lab based content in the former compared to the latter (and yes, even theoretical physicists need to know how the experimental method works and have experience in it - otherwise the theories are pointless if they can't be empirically evaluated by experiment!).

Worth keeping in mind also that maths at degree level is very different to maths at A-level, so be sure you know what you're getting into. Doing a single honours physics degree wouldn't mean you are "dropping" maths - you'd still be doing mathematical methods modules (similar to the A-level Maths/FM content you are familiar with) in at least the first two years, and using that mathematical material in all your modules throughout the course. The artificial divide between the sciences and maths at A-level doesn't exist at degree level, where they are truly completely connected.

Reply 6

OP

Original post by Lancaster Student Ambassador

Hi there,

Most people do tend to have a couple more safe choices as a back up plan/ their insurance choice but it is up to you. If there is no other universities you feel you would be happy at then I would encourage you just to pick those. Also, if you did end up dropping a grade and missing entry requirements there is always clearing as an option so you would still be able go university.

In terms of Birmingham, what is it that you dislike about it? If it is something like how busy it is then in later years you will be able to live further out where it is quieter. I found that the opinion I have of Lancaster changed as I made friends because they found ways to make it more enjoyable and counter any negative aspects.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

- Amy (Lancaster Student Ambassador) :smile:

Personally I think it's the city and the reputation doesn't really give me great vibes also i guess it's too late to change now ihave already submitted my ucas application today(our school's internal ddl is today)
so when about did you get your offers from unis also did you have any interview?Because from what i've done research most unis dont really give out much interviews but also heard that they do so i'm a bit confused.

Reply 7

OP

Original post by swanseajack1

If you dont like Birmingham why. If it is because it is big and busy then UCL will be worse for you

I think I'm not the biggest fan of the city. I'm mostly applying for UCL under the peer pressure from my parents since i live in london therefore dont want to go to uni in london and live at home but my parents are forcing me to apply for UCL and/or Imperial as they have really high international rankings(they didn't go to uni in the UK and they are not really familiar with uk education system and unis so they see qs ranking very importantly(there's no point of arguing with them i have tried), so yeh UCL is basically heavily influenced by them.

Reply 8

OP

Original post by artful_lounger

They're fine, you could probably honestly swap one of the lower entry criteria courses for a higher one and just have one "backup" course (e.g. Bath). Are you more interested in maths or physics? If you're more interested in maths, you may also want to consider Warwick. If you're more interested in physics I'd recommend considering Edinburgh as an option as well. Bristol would be a good option to consider for either/both too! :smile:

Imperial is also realistically better for both maths and physics than UCL (and has plenty of mathematical/theoretical physics options in the physics degree as I understand it).

Also bear in mind, a maths with physics degree is quite a different prospect to a maths and physics degree! The former is a degree in maths, with some more physics oriented options or actual physics courses preselected for you. The latter you will be much more half and half between the two (with some overlap in mathematical methods used on both sides). So the actual content of what you study between the two will be rather different - notably also you probably will have much fewer if any lab based content in the former compared to the latter (and yes, even theoretical physicists need to know how the experimental method works and have experience in it - otherwise the theories are pointless if they can't be empirically evaluated by experiment!).

Worth keeping in mind also that maths at degree level is very different to maths at A-level, so be sure you know what you're getting into. Doing a single honours physics degree wouldn't mean you are "dropping" maths - you'd still be doing mathematical methods modules (similar to the A-level Maths/FM content you are familiar with) in at least the first two years, and using that mathematical material in all your modules throughout the course. The artificial divide between the sciences and maths at A-level doesn't exist at degree level, where they are truly completely connected.

I quite enjoy both but for physics I enjoy the theoretical part more and not so much of the lab work(mainly the report part) which is why I'm mainly applying for maths with physics. And for Imperial and UCL, I don't really want to go to uni in london because then I'll have to live at home so I'm only applying forone of them and I think I enjoyed the atomosphere at UCL more after visiting the open days

Reply 9

Ghostlady

Original post by ohauh

Personally I think it's the city and the reputation doesn't really give me great vibes also i guess it's too late to change now ihave already submitted my ucas application today(our school's internal ddl is today)
so when about did you get your offers from unis also did you have any interview?Because from what i've done research most unis dont really give out much interviews but also heard that they do so i'm a bit confused.

Its very early for a schools deadline, don't they give you the chance to visit any September open days to make sure you feel right about a place?
My daughter applied to York physics and astrophysics, she had to had an interview. She also had interviews at Oxford and Lancaster. York is a great uni and a lovely city. The physics dept is really good, and she also liked the library there.

Reply 10

ageshallnot

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by ohauh

Personally I think it's the city and the reputation doesn't really give me great vibes also i guess it's too late to change now ihave already submitted my ucas application today(our school's internal ddl is today)
so when about did you get your offers from unis also did you have any interview?Because from what i've done research most unis dont really give out much interviews but also heard that they do so i'm a bit confused.

Did you realise that you don't have to submit all 5 choices at the same time? You could have held some back while you made up your mind.

Reply 11

artful_lounger

Original post by ohauh

I quite enjoy both but for physics I enjoy the theoretical part more and not so much of the lab work(mainly the report part) which is why I'm mainly applying for maths with physics. And for Imperial and UCL, I don't really want to go to uni in london because then I'll have to live at home so I'm only applying forone of them and I think I enjoyed the atomosphere at UCL more after visiting the open days

Worth noting the process if writing lab reports is to prepare you fir writing scientific academic papers eventually. So if you want to go into a academia (e.g. a PhD) ally in any subject, to some extent you're going to be doing that - you cant usually just submit a sheet of somved mathematical problems at that point! So something to bear in mind if that was an avenue you wanted to eventually explore. Also outside if that writing structured reports is a useful transferable skill for moving into industry generally. You may need yo manage your expectations in that regard a little, and also consider if that's the only concern you have with the alternative, if it may be worth considering physics courses as a result!

also important to bear in mind a lot of thr work you will do in a physics degree is submitting problem sheets of mathematical problems you've solved anyway, you'll just also have some labwork in parallel to that which may involve writing a lab report for.

Hi there,

Well done on such high predicted grades. Wishing you the best of luck to achieve them!

These are excellent university choices, with your predicted they seem to be okay with perhaps york being an insurance in the case that your grades are not met. As long as you feel confident about your ability then it is fine to have higher boundaries for univerisity however, if you are worried about this then maybe picking another university with some lower boundaries could be good just to stay on the safe side.

Make sure you know exactly what you're applying for in each course. They're all slightly different and you'll want to be careful in your personal statement and/or interview to know that.

Good luck with applying!
- Sophie (uni of Bath)

Reply 13

OP

Original post by ageshallnot

Did you realise that you don't have to submit all 5 choices at the same time? You could have held some back while you made up your mind.

oh really i didn’t know that, how do you do that? Do you just apply less than five and add choices later?

Reply 14

ageshallnot