Is it more important to have high grades or relevant subjects?

You do not meet the requirements - because they 'prefer Chemistry'.
And that means that regardless of grades, they will still prefer those with Chemistry.

It means they will make preferential offers to those who have taken Chemistry.

Basically, my dream university for marine biology says "BBB including Biology and at least one from Chemistry (preferred), Geography, Mathematics or Physics". Since I'm doing biology and geography, I'll meet the requirements - I hate the idea of doing chemistry, so that's off the table.
My options for the third A-level subject are physics or psychology.
I'd guess that, like most, I'd do better at psychology, and I'm quite interested in it. I prefer numbers to essay based questions (not to say I'm necessarily better at maths than English), but the concepts of physics could be too much for me to grasp.
I think, when alongside psychology, I'd have a better chance at possibly getting impressive grades (touch wood) across the subjects, thanks to being able to put more time into them. But is it more important to do something more desired even at the risk of only just reaching a B?

Hi there,
I would say check what the requirements are at multiply universities as they can vary from uni to uni. Even if you are set of a specific university it is always good to keep your options open. I would also say choose the subjects that you enjoy but also keeping in mind the qualifications you may need to become a marine biologist. It may be your dream to do marine biology at university but in a year or 2 you might change your mind either because it no longer interests your or even you have found a course you didn't realised existed and that interests you more.
It might also be worth mentioning that some universities are not too fussy on the exact grades that you get as long as you reach the UCAS points requirements. Also although they say that they would prefer chemistry that does not mean that they will defiantly choose someone who has done chemistry over you as it also depends on the grades you are predicted and as well as various other factors.
I hope this helps and good luck with your studies 😊
Katie - Student Ambassador

Thank you Katie - I'm getting ridiculously anxious over it all. I've desperately wanted to study marine biology for a while.
What's playing in my mind is do universities prioritise the relevancy of the subjects or predicted grades?
Do you think I should do psychology (which I'd enjoy more and probably do a lot better in as a result) or a subject listed by the university?
It's alright if you don't know, I suppose it varies.

Hello! I would suggest looking at other unis asw.. Which uni have you looked at to do marine biology?

Queen's University Belfast is my favourite - I've also looked at Liverpool, Newcastle and Aberdeen, which all accept geography as a second science. (Thanks for helping!)

Queen's University Belfast is my favourite - I've also looked at Liverpool, Newcastle and Aberdeen, which all accept geography as a second science. (Thanks for helping!)

If a university asks for a preferred subject and you dont have it you are first in the queue to be rejected irrespective of grades. Anybody with Chemistry will be considered first. If there are spare spaces they will look at others. Whether a university will have enough applicants with Chemistry nobody can tell. I suspect they think they will or they wouldnt have made it a preferred subject. If you specifically want to go to this particular university it would be advisable to take Chemistry but only you can decide on the risk.
However there will be other universities offering marine biology who probably wont have the same requirement.
It boils down to how much you want to go to Queens Belfast. If that is what you want you would be best advised to take the preferred subject.