The Student Room Group

EPQ??

Hey all,
I am in year 12 and do four a levels (politics, french, history and psychology). I sit as exams next May/June time and have the ability to drop one subject at the end of yr 12 (this is probably going to be french where it is standing atm lol)
Just wondering, do you think it is worth doing the EPQ. I want to do law at, preferably, a Russell Group university and I was wondering doing it would give me any sort of advantage towards this application. I could potentially plan my week around it but I don’t want it to be a massive burden on myself especially going into as level exams and furthermore along the line.
I don’t know how stressful would it be either but I guess not as much as if I had to take the EPQ in year 13!

Thanks everyone and as much help would be appreciated.
Reply 1
Hi I'm in yr13 and did an epq last year. I would say because you're applying to a Russel group uni it would definitely be a pro to talk about in your personal statement but it's a LOT of work. I ended up not submitting mine after putting loads of effort in and honestly I regret not dropping it earlier. It definitely helps you though and some universities even lower their entry requirements if you get a specific grade in the epq (usually B or above).
Hope that helped 😊
Reply 2
Original post by 4lys3a
Hey all,
I am in year 12 and do four a levels (politics, french, history and psychology). I sit as exams next May/June time and have the ability to drop one subject at the end of yr 12 (this is probably going to be french where it is standing atm lol)
Just wondering, do you think it is worth doing the EPQ. I want to do law at, preferably, a Russell Group university and I was wondering doing it would give me any sort of advantage towards this application. I could potentially plan my week around it but I don’t want it to be a massive burden on myself especially going into as level exams and furthermore along the line.
I don’t know how stressful would it be either but I guess not as much as if I had to take the EPQ in year 13!

Thanks everyone and as much help would be appreciated.

It’s definitely something to consider doing but for a lot of unis I’ve been researching and visiting, it really doesn’t help all that much. I’ve done the EPQ and all the unis I want to go to have said it only really matters if you are basically even with another applicant and they have to chose between you!

Best advice would be to check with the university/universities you want to apply for, they are all slightly different so some will value it more than others. It is a lot of work tho so bare that in mind!!
(edited 1 year ago)
Reply 3
Original post by Kt_123
It’s definitely something to consider doing but for a lot of unis I’ve been researching and visiting, it really doesn’t help all that much. I’ve done the EPQ and all the unis I want to go to have said it only really matters if you are basically even with another applicant and they have to chose between you!

Best advice would be to check with the university/universities you want to apply for, they are all slightly different so some will value it more than others. It is a lot of work tho so bare that in mind!!

oh okay, thank you so much!!! i just dropped it due to looking at the workload i have now and decided i wouldn’t have been able to manage it with the EPQ on top. what things should i do now to strengthen my application for law to make me stand out??
Reply 4
Original post by 4lys3a
Original post by Kt_123
It’s definitely something to consider doing but for a lot of unis I’ve been researching and visiting, it really doesn’t help all that much. I’ve done the EPQ and all the unis I want to go to have said it only really matters if you are basically even with another applicant and they have to chose between you!

Best advice would be to check with the university/universities you want to apply for, they are all slightly different so some will value it more than others. It is a lot of work tho so bare that in mind!!

oh okay, thank you so much!!! i just dropped it due to looking at the workload i have now and decided i wouldn’t have been able to manage it with the EPQ on top. what things should i do now to strengthen my application for law to make me stand out??


Hiya, I’m afraid I don’t know much about law specifically but to strengthen your personal statement, it looks really good if you can say you have done some activities outside of school which are related to law. Maybe there is a book you have or could read, or a podcast/video you have listened to! As an example, I’m looking to do computer science at uni so I mentioned personal coding projects!

Anything you can include which shows the university that you are passionate about the subject and that you are willing to work hard will help massively.

I hope this helps somewhat, sorry I couldn’t be more specific! :smile:

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