How should I pick my UCAS Universities

Daisy._.7777

I'm aiming for at least AAA for my predicted grades, being predicted ABB/BBB in my first mocks in Y12. So, I'm hoping I'm on track for that!

The universities I'm interested in are:

Oxford History BA - AAA
UCL History BA - AAA
University of York - AAA
Queen's University Belfast - ABB

But, I have a few questions:

Should I pick another ABB or BBB for my last choice?
Is applying for three AAA universities a bad idea?
Would it be a bad idea to pick all Russel Group Universities, and if so should my last choice be a non-Russel Group uni?

I know I'm in Y12, I just like to be prepared and have plans A,B,C etc- ready
Also, there are other unis I'm interested in with lower entry requirements than AAA, so I'm prepared if my predicted grades are lower, but ideally I'm hoping they are lol.

Reply 1

Wired_1800

Original post by Daisy._.7777

I'm aiming for at least AAA for my predicted grades, being predicted ABB/BBB in my first mocks in Y12. So, I'm hoping I'm on track for that!
The universities I'm interested in are:
Oxford History BA - AAA
UCL History BA - AAA
University of York - AAA
Queen's University Belfast - ABB
But, I have a few questions:
Should I pick another ABB or BBB for my last choice?
Is applying for three AAA universities a bad idea?
Would it be a bad idea to pick all Russel Group Universities, and if so should my last choice be a non-Russel Group uni?
I know I'm in Y12, I just like to be prepared and have plans A,B,C etc- ready
Also, there are other unis I'm interested in with lower entry requirements than AAA, so I'm prepared if my predicted grades are lower, but ideally I'm hoping they are lol.

The general advice is 2 stretch unis, 2 match unis and 1 ‘safety’ uni according to your academic profile.

The stretch unis are the ones that would be ambitious for you to enter with your grades. In your case, that would be Oxbridge, UCL etc.

The match unis would be those that match your grades and you have a decent and reasonable chance of receiving an offer like York, Manchester etc.

The safety uni would be one that you are very confident of receiving an offer and usually below your academic grades.

The suggested approach to applications is to start with 3 in September and hold on to the other 2 depending on your offers by December/Jan. For example, you can apply to Oxford, UCL and Manchester by September/October. Hopefully you receive offers by Jan, which would determine your approach to your other options. If no offers, you can adapt your approach and consider other unis in Jan.

Reply 2

Daisy._.7777

Original post by Wired_1800

The general advice is 2 stretch unis, 2 match unis and 1 ‘safety’ uni according to your academic profile.
The stretch unis are the ones that would be ambitious for you to enter with your grades. In your case, that would be Oxbridge, UCL etc.
The match unis would be those that match your grades and you have a decent and reasonable chance of receiving an offer like York, Manchester etc.
The safety uni would be one that you are very confident of receiving an offer and usually below your academic grades.
The suggested approach to applications is to start with 3 in September and hold on to the other 2 depending on your offers by December/Jan. For example, you can apply to Oxford, UCL and Manchester by September/October. Hopefully you receive offers by Jan, which would determine your approach to your other options. If no offers, you can adapt your approach and consider other unis in Jan.

That makes sense, thank you!

Reply 3

University of York

Official Rep

Original post by Daisy._.7777

I'm aiming for at least AAA for my predicted grades, being predicted ABB/BBB in my first mocks in Y12. So, I'm hoping I'm on track for that!
The universities I'm interested in are:
Oxford History BA - AAA
UCL History BA - AAA
University of York - AAA
Queen's University Belfast - ABB
But, I have a few questions:
Should I pick another ABB or BBB for my last choice?
Is applying for three AAA universities a bad idea?
Would it be a bad idea to pick all Russel Group Universities, and if so should my last choice be a non-Russel Group uni?
I know I'm in Y12, I just like to be prepared and have plans A,B,C etc- ready
Also, there are other unis I'm interested in with lower entry requirements than AAA, so I'm prepared if my predicted grades are lower, but ideally I'm hoping they are lol.

Hi!

It's great to hear that you are interested in studying at York! Do drop us a message if you have any questions around your course or student life here 🙂