am i being too ambitious w my choices

3

im predicted BBB and will be applying w contextual to these unis: durham, warwick, southampton, lboro & bristol. im doing politics and ir.
im just unsure whether im being too ambitious w durham, warwick & bristol
and be honest too PLEAAASEEE,, for durham i meet the contextual requirements but im one grade lower for bristol and warwick

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 1

ageshallnot

21

Original post

by yujiminz

im predicted BBB and will be applying w contextual to these unis: durham, warwick, southampton, lboro & bristol. im doing politics and ir.
im just unsure whether im being too ambitious w durham, warwick & bristol
and be honest too PLEAAASEEE,, for durham i meet the contextual requirements but im one grade lower for bristol and warwick

Why not apply with 3-4 of those initially and hold the others back to see whether you get offers or rejections? Perhaps just choose one of Bristol/Warwick at first.

Reply 2

McGinger

20

The usual advice for your 5 UCAS choices is :

•

1 choice just above your predicted grades - one grade and not in a vital subject.

•

3 choices at your predicted grades - these are you most likely offers.

•

1 choice well below your predicted grades as your potential Insurance choice.

So, one of your competitive ABB (Contextual) choices could be your 'risky choice. You may get an offer, but be prepared for No. Loughborough wont be as competitive as the likes of Bristol and Warwick, so it may be worth having this as a second risky choice if your other choices are safer. Look at less competitive Unis such as York, Sussex, Reading, Liverpool etc for your other choices.

Reply 3

notmozzarElla

2

It’s definitely worth a try to apply to at least one aspirational choice. At my sixth form, the advice were given is to apply to one aspirational, two or three realistic choices, and one or two backups (depending on how many realistic ones you applied for.) so, say youre predicted ABB, you might apply to one AAA, three ABB, and one BBC. So, for me personally, I’d say 100% go for it with Durham if you meet the requirements- I would pick one out of Warwick and Bristol to apply for. HOWEVER, that is just what I would do and what would be right for ME, not necessarily for you. If your personal statement is strong and you feel like you can go for it then do!! It’s always worth a try :smile:

good luck! I’m also a pol & ir applicant, praying for us both rn haha.

Reply 4

yujiminz

OP

3

Original post

by notmozzarElla

It’s definitely worth a try to apply to at least one aspirational choice. At my sixth form, the advice were given is to apply to one aspirational, two or three realistic choices, and one or two backups (depending on how many realistic ones you applied for.) so, say youre predicted ABB, you might apply to one AAA, three ABB, and one BBC. So, for me personally, I’d say 100% go for it with Durham if you meet the requirements- I would pick one out of Warwick and Bristol to apply for. HOWEVER, that is just what I would do and what would be right for ME, not necessarily for you. If your personal statement is strong and you feel like you can go for it then do!! It’s always worth a try :smile:

good luck! I’m also a pol & ir applicant, praying for us both rn haha.

thank you so much for the advice 🙂 u gave me hope cus i wanted to apply to at least one top uni !! tysm again and good luck to you too

Reply 5

yujiminz

OP

3

Original post

by ageshallnot

Why not apply with 3-4 of those initially and hold the others back to see whether you get offers or rejections? Perhaps just choose one of Bristol/Warwick at first.

thank u for the advice ill consider it

Reply 6

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

16

Original post

by yujiminz

im predicted BBB and will be applying w contextual to these unis: durham, warwick, southampton, lboro & bristol. im doing politics and ir.
im just unsure whether im being too ambitious w durham, warwick & bristol
and be honest too PLEAAASEEE,, for durham i meet the contextual requirements but im one grade lower for bristol and warwick

Hi, it's great that you are thinking of applying to the University of Southampton! A contextual offer at Southampton would mean your grade requirements would be BBC, lower than your predicted grades which is great! You can read more about this here. Southampton is a lovely university with a green and spacious campus, and lots of facilities and opportunities available.

It might be a good idea to prioritize which of these universities you would most like to go to, through open days visits and reading about the course, then applying to one or two aspirational choices. Meeting the contextual offer for Durham is a good sign, and aspirational choices (one or two grades higher than your predicted grades) are important. However, I would also recommend having a 'safety' option, with a university with lower entry requirements than what you have predicted.

Let me know if you have any questions about the application process, or studying at Southampton.
Rachel (UoS student rep)

am i being too ambitious w my choices

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