The impact of my GCSE's on applying to uni

Hi! I study at a top selective state school and my gcses in comparison are essentially below average so contextualised pretty weak. I want to apply to study Biological Sciences or Bio Med and i have GCSE's of 9888887776 the 6 being in history and the three 7s in art music and physics none of these subjects ones i am looking to pursue. I've been thinking of applying to cambridge for natural sciences or imperial for one of their biology courses but i'm highly concerned my GCSE's will bring me down and am wondering if i should even risk applying. For my alevels im currently studying Bio Chem Maths and am aiming for atleast A*A*A. For PS context i've got my own scientific blog up, i'm doing the cabridge bio challenge planning on doing the cambridge chemistry challenge and ofcourse wider reading. I also volunteer to help tutor kids as part of a programme and am seeking lab work experiences hopefully with some applications to opportunities opening soon. I'd appreciate any advice regarding my GCSE's and if theres anything more i should do to strength my PS.
Thanks! :smile:

Hi there,

Those are some great GCSEs well done! As said above, most courses have a minimum requirement of a 4 in Maths and a 4 in English (which you clearly have). Some Universities / some courses have higher maths/english requirements but these are clearly stated in the entry requirements, and some have other subject requirements for GCSE, including maybe biology or chemistry at a 6 for a medical-related degree (just an example).

I have had a look at the entry requirements for Cambridge for Natural Sciences and here is what they state for GCSE requirements:
"Colleges may require you to achieve A*/7 in Chemistry and/or another science or mathematics subject."

Based on this, and your GCSE grades, I don't think there's any chance of your grades affecting your admission to the University! Don't put yourself down - focus on your A-levels and extra curriculars and I wish you the best of luck!

Jorja (LJMU Student Rep)

Reply 2

stilllearning123

16

Original post by user2802

Hi! I study at a top selective state school and my gcses in comparison are essentially below average so contextualised pretty weak. I want to apply to study Biological Sciences or Bio Med and i have GCSE's of 9888887776 the 6 being in history and the three 7s in art music and physics none of these subjects ones i am looking to pursue. I've been thinking of applying to cambridge for natural sciences or imperial for one of their biology courses but i'm highly concerned my GCSE's will bring me down and am wondering if i should even risk applying. For my alevels im currently studying Bio Chem Maths and am aiming for atleast A*A*A. For PS context i've got my own scientific blog up, i'm doing the cabridge bio challenge planning on doing the cambridge chemistry challenge and ofcourse wider reading. I also volunteer to help tutor kids as part of a programme and am seeking lab work experiences hopefully with some applications to opportunities opening soon. I'd appreciate any advice regarding my GCSE's and if theres anything more i should do to strength my PS.
Thanks! :smile:

Shouldn't be too hard to get an offer from a top uni, excluding maybe Cambridge because I think you need all 8/9s to even be considered and Oxford as well, both look at how well your school has preformed compared to you then make a decision, so maybe look at other unis.
Best of luck!

Reply 3

Scotney

20

They are two choices out of 5.A good admissions test will help.Start looking at past papers for Cambridge.

Original post by user2802

Hi! I study at a top selective state school and my gcses in comparison are essentially below average so contextualised pretty weak. I want to apply to study Biological Sciences or Bio Med and i have GCSE's of 9888887776 the 6 being in history and the three 7s in art music and physics none of these subjects ones i am looking to pursue. I've been thinking of applying to cambridge for natural sciences or imperial for one of their biology courses but i'm highly concerned my GCSE's will bring me down and am wondering if i should even risk applying. For my alevels im currently studying Bio Chem Maths and am aiming for atleast A*A*A. For PS context i've got my own scientific blog up, i'm doing the cabridge bio challenge planning on doing the cambridge chemistry challenge and ofcourse wider reading. I also volunteer to help tutor kids as part of a programme and am seeking lab work experiences hopefully with some applications to opportunities opening soon. I'd appreciate any advice regarding my GCSE's and if theres anything more i should do to strength my PS.
Thanks! :smile:

Hi

Well done on some really great GCSE scores, these will put you in a great position for future study.

I would look at the entry criteria for your chosen courses and then review the GCSE grades that are required by them. As the majority of the time, you will find that most universities are only looking for at least a grade 4 in English and Maths.

In terms of providing more depth to your personal statement, some of the suggestions you have made sound great. They will help you to show great insight within your application as to why you want to study your chosen course.

I hope this helps,

Matt
Wrexham Uni Reps

Reply 5

user2802

OP

2

Original post by LJMUStudentReps

Hi there,
Those are some great GCSEs well done! As said above, most courses have a minimum requirement of a 4 in Maths and a 4 in English (which you clearly have). Some Universities / some courses have higher maths/english requirements but these are clearly stated in the entry requirements, and some have other subject requirements for GCSE, including maybe biology or chemistry at a 6 for a medical-related degree (just an example).
I have had a look at the entry requirements for Cambridge for Natural Sciences and here is what they state for GCSE requirements:
"Colleges may require you to achieve A*/7 in Chemistry and/or another science or mathematics subject."
Based on this, and your GCSE grades, I don't think there's any chance of your grades affecting your admission to the University! Don't put yourself down - focus on your A-levels and extra curriculars and I wish you the best of luck!
Jorja (LJMU Student Rep)

Hi Jorja,
Thank you so much for your advice i really appreciate it! This has definitely given me a bit more confidence to not give up with applying to certain universities 🙂 Hope you have a good week!

Reply 6

user2802

OP

2

Original post by stilllearning123

Shouldn't be too hard to get an offer from a top uni, excluding maybe Cambridge because I think you need all 8/9s to even be considered and Oxford as well, both look at how well your school has preformed compared to you then make a decision, so maybe look at other unis.
Best of luck!

Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it :-)

Reply 7

user2802

OP

2

Hi Matt. Thanks, i really appreciate your response! I'll be sure to take a more in depth look :-)

The impact of my GCSE's on applying to uni

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