have i made a mistake with the unis ive applied to?

hi, id like some cold hard advice on whether or not i've made a mistake in my applications.
i am applying to studying computer science at :
- Cambridge
- Imperial
- Manchester
- Derby
- Nottingham Trent
i am predicted A*A*A*A*A* in : computer science, maths, physics, chemistry + further maths
i self taught further maths to as and achieved an A.
i got 8.7 in the TMUA.
my super curriculars are a month of w/e at a software company, one published researched paper, top in school award + gold award at bebras, received a letter of completion for COMPOS, completed a MOOC for maths in astrophysics ? iirc, and went to the spc summer school !!!
my gcse grades, are poor, and i don't have any context to them.
for reference : in science [ bio, chem, phy ] i got : 787
maths : 7
eng lit : 7
eng lang : 5
comp sci - 6
the rest are between 6-7
i have received interviews, but i'm really looking for some honest opinions from strangers who don't know me

Reply 1

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Anonymous

hi, id like some cold hard advice on whether or not i've made a mistake in my applications.
i am applying to studying computer science at :
- Cambridge
- Imperial
- Manchester
- Derby
- Nottingham Trent
i am predicted A*A*A*A*A* in : computer science, maths, physics, chemistry + further maths
i self taught further maths to as and achieved an A.
i got 8.7 in the TMUA.
my super curriculars are a month of w/e at a software company, one published researched paper, top in school award + gold award at bebras, received a letter of completion for COMPOS, completed a MOOC for maths in astrophysics ? iirc, and went to the spc summer school !!!
my gcse grades, are poor, and i don't have any context to them.
for reference : in science [ bio, chem, phy ] i got : 787
maths : 7
eng lit : 7
eng lang : 5
comp sci - 6
the rest are between 6-7
i have received interviews, but i'm really looking for some honest opinions from strangers who don't know me

i'm not sure if relevant, but to add onto this, i am going to be self teaching the second year of a level maths, and will be able to join the further maths a level class this year, so the alevel wont be fully self taught. i wasn't allowed to join further maths in y12 due to my poor grade.

Reply 2

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

It's unclear exactly what mistake you're talking about, although I think your "safety" unis are far more safe than they need to be and you could apply to stronger courses than at Derby and NTU and still have a good chance of getting an offer that is lower than Cambridge/Imperial/Manchester.

Don't see any issue with applying to those three in the first place though, seems perfectly reasonable and in line with your predicted grades and achievements. Clearly if you've got interview invites, the universities in question agree too :smile:

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by artful_lounger

It's unclear exactly what mistake you're talking about, although I think your "safety" unis are far more safe than they need to be and you could apply to stronger courses than at Derby and NTU and still have a good chance of getting an offer that is lower than Cambridge/Imperial/Manchester.
Don't see any issue with applying to those three in the first place though, seems perfectly reasonable and in line with your predicted grades and achievements. Clearly if you've got interview invites, the universities in question agree too :smile:

my gcse grades cause a lot of anxiety for me, and i worry that i let myself down so greatly when i was 15 because of my indifference towards education !!! thank you for your reassurance, and as for my safeties, they were only picked due to their proximity towards my house, and again more anxiety about being rejected :hugs:

Reply 4

seymourrr

5

If you miss out on your top unis and actually do achieve all A*s then you can almost certainly do "better" than your safety unis from clearing, and a lot better with a gap year. I wouldn't worry.

Reply 5

seymourrr

5

And 8.7 in TMUA is incredibly high and will stand out far more than your GCSEs as a mark of your current ability.

Reply 6

carrie.eyre21104

1

Original post by Anonymous

hi, id like some cold hard advice on whether or not i've made a mistake in my applications.
i am applying to studying computer science at :
- Cambridge
- Imperial
- Manchester
- Derby
- Nottingham Trent
i am predicted A*A*A*A*A* in : computer science, maths, physics, chemistry + further maths
i self taught further maths to as and achieved an A.
i got 8.7 in the TMUA.
my super curriculars are a month of w/e at a software company, one published researched paper, top in school award + gold award at bebras, received a letter of completion for COMPOS, completed a MOOC for maths in astrophysics ? iirc, and went to the spc summer school !!!
my gcse grades, are poor, and i don't have any context to them.
for reference : in science [ bio, chem, phy ] i got : 787
maths : 7
eng lit : 7
eng lang : 5
comp sci - 6
the rest are between 6-7
i have received interviews, but i'm really looking for some honest opinions from strangers who don't know me

Your predicted grades are excellent and your TMUA score is stellar. Your choices seem entirely appropriate to me.

Reply 7

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

21

You wouldn’t have gotten interviews if your GCSE’s were a dealbreaker.

As above, I agree that your safety choices are too low but that’s done now.

Reply 8

rfit

7

i agree your safety choices are too low. I would have picked Southampton/ Birmingham/Sheffield as safety ones. But its done now. If you dont get offers from the first three you should take a gap year or get a place through clearing

Reply 9

Pinkslime

6

Which college is your Cambridge interview from ?
I think you have a very good chance, as your predicted grades and TMUA are very impressive

have i made a mistake with the unis ive applied to?

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