Can I get into uni with A*AC, advice needed please

Hi all,
I'm an intl student and I took CIE A Levels last O/N. I scored the following: Eng Lang (A*), Econ (A) and History (C). I'm going to apply to Politics and IR.

I'm truly devastated because I worked so hard on them esp history (I didn't have a teacher throughout so I had to self study it alongside econ), and all my AS Level scores were high A's so I thought I would get AAA or even AAB at least, thereby meeting entry requirements for most univs. I understand that I screwed up for history but im so depressed and dont know what I should do.

The univs I would like to apply to are:
- UCL (AAA)
- Warwick (AAA)
- Bristol (AAA)
(Other two unis undecided)

I know these are selective univs but I still want to apply because they're the only ones with big scholarships (and I would need to have one to afford studying in the UK) and I really do like the course structures. I have safeties-ish schools for other countries but I just want to shoot my shot for these but realistically speaking, should I? Idk if this is true but if you don't meet the entry requirements, I heard that you get an auto-reject as well so... :frown:

I want to ask if and how small of a chance I might have in these and would appreciate any advice. For context, I got all A*s in my 8 IGCSEs, I am still working on my PS (yes, I am severely running late due to a tough home situation) and I also want to know if my extenuating circumstances (family circunstances, country's political situation, mental health issues) could lessen the poor impression of the C grade. Warwick and Bristol also offer a separate extenuating circumstances form so I am hoping to fill it out as well.

Please give a word of advice if you can! Very obviously, I am not well-versed w UCAS or the app process so if I am getting anything wrong, please correct me. Many thanks.

Reply 1

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

21

And just to check, you are not retaking History this year?

Assuming not, Warwick and UCL are decidedly risky given the subject and general uni competiveness. However, if you have options in your home country then I personally think it's worth a shot. After all, you are only risking a relatively small application fee and the time it takes you to submit the application. The mitigating circumstance form is definitely worth sending as well.

Sizeable scholarships are uncommon in the UK, (especially for internationals), but without knowing more about your profile and what the scholarship is looking for I can only really say that offers + scholarships are not likely in my experience, (I work in admissions).

Reply 2

petitemangue

OP

3

Original post by Admit-One

And just to check, you are not retaking History this year?

Assuming not, Warwick and UCL are decidedly risky given the subject and general uni competiveness. However, if you have options in your home country then I personally think it's worth a shot. After all, you are only risking a relatively small application fee and the time it takes you to submit the application. The mitigating circumstance form is definitely worth sending as well.

Sizeable scholarships are uncommon in the UK, (especially for internationals), but without knowing more about your profile and what the scholarship is looking for I can only really say that offers + scholarships are not likely in my experience, (I work in admissions).

Yes, retaking History is not a possible option for me.

In your experience, would you know anyone who has gotten into these two univs with a C when the standard offer is an AAA? The contextual offer for all the three univs are ABB by the way, sorry I forgot to add that in. Does that make my chances a bit better or is it still pretty much unchanged?

Likewise, could you let me know how much univs would consider the extenuating circumstances form for a C grade, bearing in mind the other two are A's and above? I don't know where to find info on how much these forms are taken seriously.

Would you know anything about Bristol as well? It's less competitive than the former two. And yeah the scholarships are unlikely but I know a few people who had received them so I wanted to try it out (e.g. Warwick and UCL's Global Undergrad Partial/Full Scholarship.) Thank you!

Reply 3

petitemangue

OP

3

Original post by Admit-One

And just to check, you are not retaking History this year?

Assuming not, Warwick and UCL are decidedly risky given the subject and general uni competiveness. However, if you have options in your home country then I personally think it's worth a shot. After all, you are only risking a relatively small application fee and the time it takes you to submit the application. The mitigating circumstance form is definitely worth sending as well.

Sizeable scholarships are uncommon in the UK, (especially for internationals), but without knowing more about your profile and what the scholarship is looking for I can only really say that offers + scholarships are not likely in my experience, (I work in admissions).

Could you please reply 😭😭😭

Reply 4

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by petitemangue

Could you please reply 😭😭😭

Please have patience, I do reply on TSR alongside a full time job and other committments. I've replied to your other questions in the other thread.

Original post by petitemangue

In your experience, would you know anyone who has gotten into these two univs with a C when the standard offer is an AAA?

Not for this specific course, but yes, unis in general absolutely do sometimes accept students with a lower grade in a third subject.

Original post by petitemangue

The contextual offer for all the three univs are ABB by the way, sorry I forgot to add that in. Does that make my chances a bit better or is it still pretty much unchanged?

Unchanged if you are not eligible for a contextual offer (which you almost certainly won't be as an international student).

Likewise, could you let me know how much univs would consider the extenuating circumstances form for a C grade, bearing in mind the other two are A's and above? I don't know where to find info on how much these forms are taken seriously.

I can't tell you how much, (and they would probably take it more into account when looking at predictions than achieved grades), but yes they will read it and take it into account.

Original post by petitemangue

Would you know anything about Bristol as well? It's less competitive than the former two. And yeah the scholarships are unlikely but I know a few people who had received them so I wanted to try it out (e.g. Warwick and UCL's Global Undergrad Partial/Full Scholarship.) Thank you!

I don't know anything about Bristol other than broadly it is less competitive than the other two.

Reply 5

petitemangue

OP

3

Original post by Admit-One

Please have patience, I do reply on TSR alongside a full time job and other committments. I've replied to your other questions in the other thread.

Not for this specific course, but yes, unis in general absolutely do sometimes accept students with a lower grade in a third subject.

Unchanged if you are not eligible for a contextual offer (which you almost certainly won't be as an international student).

I can't tell you how much, (and they would probably take it more into account when looking at predictions than achieved grades), but yes they will read it and take it into account.

I don't know anything about Bristol other than broadly it is less competitive than the other two.

Thank you so much for the info! I apologize if I came across as pushy, it really was not my intention. I was just worried cause the UCAS deadline is approaching and I had 0 idea of how things worked.

Can I get into uni with A*AC, advice needed please

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you