University options for HisPol

Hi! I’m currently a Year 12 interested in studying History and Politics at university next year. My predicted currently is AAA and I do History, Politics and Art A-Level. I just did my mocks and should be getting them back next week. I’m predicted an A in History, an A in Art and an A in Politics (it should be an A* but my teachers refuse to bring it up for an unknown reason). My target grades my school set for me were BBB and my GCSE grades are 8877666665
Some unis I’m looking at currently are Cambridge (HisPol) - A*AA
- I like the course and the uni but currently don’t have the grades to apply and I’m slightly worried about my GCSE grades
KCL (History and International Relations) - AAA but I may qualify for a contextual offers
- I really like the course here and the uni, this is definitely one of my top options
Exeter (HisPol)- AAB but I may apply for a contextual offer
- I like the Exeter course and the option to do a year abroad and the placement
Warwick (HisPol) - AAA
- The course wasn’t as interesting as the other 3 but still pretty good and I like the uni
LSE (HisPol) - AAA
-I like the course but not too sure abt the BSc aspect of it but the uni is nice
(in that order of preference)
I had also looked at Manchester, Southampton and York but I wasn’t too sure abt them either. I’ve booked open days for KCL, Warwick, Exeter and Southampton so far.
I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice on personally statements/super curriculars or how they are finding HisPol or any of those unis or any general advice that would be greatly appreciated
Thanks for reading!

The fact that LSE is a BSc is irrelevant. However, your GCSEs might be an issue there because they want "several" at grades 7+ and 4 barely fits that description.

Go to Open Days. Listen to the subject / course presentations. Think about what you hear and ask questions.
Which courses actually interest you the most. What is the different structure of these courses - how many units are compulsory, what is available as an optional choice., in all years of each course.
All AAA /A*AA choices is risky. regardless of your grade expectations. A grade courses can be very picky about who they take - that's why they set the entry requirements so high. You need to establish for certain if you qualify for any Contextual offers or not so look on each Uni website and if in doubt, phone the Uni for help - don't guess.
Remember, its only Oxford/Cambridge that have the earlier closing date, and you do not have to add the other 'later' Uni choices at the same time. As long as you add them before the January deadline its fine - there is no advantage with applying any earlier. This would give you more time to think, and to see how Year 2 of A levels is going, and think more carefully about those other choices.

Hey, hope you don’t mind me jumping in! Just thought I’d share something that might be helpful if you (or anyone else reading this later) are thinking about applying for politics, IR, history or similar courses at uni.
I’m a second-year undergrad at Cambridge and currently the Vice President of the Cambridge Journal of Political Affairs (CJPA), a student-run journal here supported by the Department of POLIS.
We’ve just launched our second essay competition, open to students in Years 11–13 (or international equivalent) — a great opportunity to explore political ideas and strengthen your uni application.
🗓 Deadline: 31 May 2024, 12 noon 💻 Info & submission: https://cambridgepoliticalaffairs.co.uk/essay-competition Theme: Challenges to Governance — with prompts across political theory, IR, history, and more Word limit: 1,500 words
We’re also hoping to offer personal statement and interview guidance to winners — especially useful if you’re applying for something like HSPS, PPE, or IR.
No pressure at all, just thought I’d share in case it’s useful — and feel free to ask if you’ve got any Qs about it or Cambridge stuff in general!