am i cooked for uni?

1

essentially i do alevel art and psychology as well as WJEC criminology. I want to do psychology at uni, preferably a high tarrif one as id like to go into research afterwards and with how competitive psychology is im afraid i wont get a job in the feild i want. im predicted A*AA however the A is in psychology and im not sure if ill even get that as i get B sometimes A in mocks. i have done things outside of psychology for psychology: lectures, pathway program, 2 summer schools and an research work placement. but i feel like with my subjects it will be hard. barely any unis accept WJEC nvm my only other alevel being an arts. im stressed out and im scared. i don't know if when applying should i apply to unis that do ABB? i am from the nort east so i normally meet 1/2 WP criteria but im not confident ill get a contexual offer. Is there anything i can do now to increase my chances or is it too late?

I am thinking of doing a epq in a psyc topic too

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 1

Scotland Yard

Universities Forum Helper

20

Original post

by central-dispense

essentially i do alevel art and psychology as well as WJEC criminology. I want to do psychology at uni, preferably a high tarrif one as id like to go into research afterwards and with how competitive psychology is im afraid i wont get a job in the feild i want. im predicted A*AA however the A is in psychology and im not sure if ill even get that as i get B sometimes A in mocks. i have done things outside of psychology for psychology: lectures, pathway program, 2 summer schools and an research work placement. but i feel like with my subjects it will be hard. barely any unis accept WJEC nvm my only other alevel being an arts. im stressed out and im scared. i don't know if when applying should i apply to unis that do ABB? i am from the nort east so i normally meet 1/2 WP criteria but im not confident ill get a contexual offer. Is there anything i can do now to increase my chances or is it too late?
I am thinking of doing a epq in a psyc topic too

Taking a third A-Level, preferably a science, would be ideal but I appreciate that you probably can't do that anymore. You've got good experience, certainly more than most, but you're limited in where you can apply by that WJEC, so make sure to apply to universities that accept it!

When it comes to applying and entry requirements, the rule of thumb usually is to apply to 1 or 2 aspirational choices (so, if you're not confident in achieving your predicted grades, then that'd be A*AA or above unis), 2 or 3 realistic choices (universities with entry requirements that you're confident that you'll get, so maybe this means some AAB-ABB unis), plus one "safe" option (with entry requirements below what you expect you'll get).

Also, I wouldn't do an EPQ. It's unlikely to add that much to your application and it will distract you from your other studies, making it more likely for you to underperform in those.

Good luck!

Reply 2

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

Original post

by central-dispense

essentially i do alevel art and psychology as well as WJEC criminology. I want to do psychology at uni, preferably a high tarrif one as id like to go into research afterwards and with how competitive psychology is im afraid i wont get a job in the feild i want. im predicted A*AA however the A is in psychology and im not sure if ill even get that as i get B sometimes A in mocks. i have done things outside of psychology for psychology: lectures, pathway program, 2 summer schools and an research work placement. but i feel like with my subjects it will be hard. barely any unis accept WJEC nvm my only other alevel being an arts. im stressed out and im scared. i don't know if when applying should i apply to unis that do ABB? i am from the nort east so i normally meet 1/2 WP criteria but im not confident ill get a contexual offer. Is there anything i can do now to increase my chances or is it too late?

I am thinking of doing a epq in a psyc topic too

No, you're not cooked. Like any university applicant, you just need to ensure that your qualifications, subjects, and grades are likely to be accepted by the universities to which you apply. You say you're from the North East, so let's look at Newcastle University.

Although this page shows that for September 2025 entry they were looking for AAA grades, this one shows that for September 2026 entry (which you'll presumably be targeting) they're only looking for AAB. If you meet their contextual criteria, this will be BBB. That same page says that need "One science A Level is required, two are preferred." They include Psychology as a science, so you tick that box. Now, your WJEC Level 3 Applied Diploma in Criminology might be a problem, as they don't specifically say that they accept it. But (unlike some other unis) they don't say that they don't accept it either. So you should contact their admissions team and ask. (They can't possibly list every single qualification they accept - there are just too many of them - so for the less common ones, like your WJEC qualification, you'll need to ask.)

Unfortunately, there is not a list of universities / courses which will accept your WJEC Level 3 Applied Diploma, so you'll need to check the web site of each of your target universities. If they don't mention it, you'll need to ask.

am i cooked for uni?

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