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A-Levels: Didn't do as well as you hoped?

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Original post by Donut The Muskie
Thanks, it is regarding my friend, she has ABBB (maths, chem, physics, bio) but I think she can do better than warwick for chemistry.

Which "better than Warwick" unis were you thinking of, that are in Clearing for Chemistry and that will accept ABB? (They'll almost certainly ignore the fourth A level.)
Original post by DataVenia
Which "better than Warwick" unis were you thinking of, that are in Clearing for Chemistry and that will accept ABB? (They'll almost certainly ignore the fourth A level.)

I think she is pretty set on warwick now after talking to her.
By better than 'warwick', I mean unis that would be easier in difficulty for the degree (getting 2:1 or better), possibly cheaper living costs + fees, easier transportation from aylesbury, and better reputation within chemistry, for career progression to applying for a masters in chemical engineering.

The other ones I looked at were exeter, brum, sheffield and loughboro, was not sure if they would be better choices as I have heard the chem course at ww is not the easiest out of the lot.

Just to be clear I am not some person who obsesses over rankings and reputation, but taking into consideration of my friend, she is quite scared of being laughed at by her family relatives, so preferably I would like to get her somewhere, where she can easily launch her career into chemical engineering. Warwick is more of a finance and business place.
Original post by Donut The Muskie
By better than 'warwick', I mean unis that would be easier in difficulty for the degree (getting 2:1 or better), possibly cheaper living costs + fees, easier transportation from aylesbury, and better reputation within chemistry, for career progression to applying for a masters in chemical engineering.

Thank you for the clarification. Obviously what's "better" for one person isn't necessarily "better" for another. For what it's worth, I'd say Warwick is probably top 20 for Chemistry, although it doesn't have that same engineering background that some other unis have.

Original post by Donut The Muskie
The other ones I looked at were exeter, brum, sheffield and loughboro, was not sure if they would be better choices as I have heard the chem course at ww is not the easiest out of the lot.

From that list, Loughborough is the only one with Clearing spaces still available for Chemistry. Would Loughborough better meet the criteria you've listed above? (Easier degree, cheaper living costs, easier transportation from aylesbury, and better reputation for Chemistry.)

Original post by Donut The Muskie
Just to be clear I am not some person who obsesses over rankings and reputation, but taking into consideration of my friend, she is quite scared of being laughed at by her family relatives, so preferably I would like to get her somewhere, where she can easily launch her career into chemical engineering. Warwick is more of a finance and business place.

Warwick certainly has a strong reputation in Finance and Business, but it's probably on a par with Loughborough for Chemistry, I'd have thought.

I genuinely don't get the "laughed at by her family" comment. I find it inconceivable that family members would laugh at someone for having secured a place to study Chemistry at Warwick. That the fact that she seems to think that they might is quite sad.

Given that you say, "she is pretty set on warwick now", I'd have thought that the correct approach would be to try to help her feel good about that decision, and perhaps give her some "ammunition" if she gets any grief from her family.

That might be finding some fact and figures which reinforce it being a good place to study Chemistry, or finding anecdotal evidence of people who've studied Chemistry there and gone into to great things, or whatever.

It's good that you're looking out for her. :smile:
Original post by DataVenia
Thank you for the clarification. Obviously what's "better" for one person isn't necessarily "better" for another. For what it's worth, I'd say Warwick is probably top 20 for Chemistry, although it doesn't have that same engineering background that some other unis have.
From that list, Loughborough is the only one with Clearing spaces still available for Chemistry. Would Loughborough better meet the criteria you've listed above? (Easier degree, cheaper living costs, easier transportation from aylesbury, and better reputation for Chemistry.)
Warwick certainly has a strong reputation in Finance and Business, but it's probably on a par with Loughborough for Chemistry, I'd have thought.
I genuinely don't get the "laughed at by her family" comment. I find it inconceivable that family members would laugh at someone for having secured a place to study Chemistry at Warwick. That the fact that she seems to think that they might is quite sad.
Given that you say, "she is pretty set on warwick now", I'd have thought that the correct approach would be to try to help her feel good about that decision, and perhaps give her some "ammunition" if she gets any grief from her family.
That might be finding some fact and figures which reinforce it being a good place to study Chemistry, or finding anecdotal evidence of people who've studied Chemistry there and gone into to great things, or whatever.
It's good that you're looking out for her. :smile:

The only reason why I have been trying to find a different uni for her is because she wants to do chemistry A levels on top of 1st year of uni and reapply, which I do not think is the best idea, considering she has A*A (bio and maths) BB (chem physics), which would easily land her russel + imperial etc. maybe even oxbridge level unis with extenuating on a reapplication with A* in chemistry predicted. I did get her grades wrong, so apologies on that. Which would be a waste of £18k since she was initially planning on ditching Warwick after 1st year anyways. I think she has changed her mind about it though, Warwick is a great uni and russel too, so it would not be hindering a masters application really and she was looking for a place close to home. The only consideration left was that it may have not been the easiest transfer to chemical engineering as Warwick is after all stronger on the finance and business side.
Original post by Donut The Muskie
The only reason why I have been trying to find a different uni for her is because she wants to do chemistry A levels on top of 1st year of uni and reapply, which I do not think is the best idea, considering she has A*A (bio and maths) BB (chem physics), which would easily land her russel + imperial etc. maybe even oxbridge level unis with extenuating on a reapplication with A* in chemistry predicted. I did get her grades wrong, so apologies on that. Which would be a waste of £18k since she was initially planning on ditching Warwick after 1st year anyways. I think she has changed her mind about it though, Warwick is a great uni and russel too, so it would not be hindering a masters application really and she was looking for a place close to home. The only consideration left was that it may have not been the easiest transfer to chemical engineering as Warwick is after all stronger on the finance and business side.

I agree that retaking an A level (or multiple A levels) during her first year at uni would not be wise. There's a real risk of her spreading herself too thinly and compromising her grades in both.

For what you've written, it's sounds like she wasn't initially keen on Warwick, but is now getting used to the idea. As you say, "Warwick is a great uni and russel too, so it would not be hindering a masters application really".

I don't see an issue moving to Chemical Engineering myself. As I said above, Warwick is still probably a top 20 uni for Chemistry.

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