are olympiads good for university applications ( bio, chem, psych)

5

hey, I am in year 12 and am currently taking; biology, chemistry and, psychology a level. I am really enjoying them, and for my term grade averages last term I got; A*, A, A, A, B. I am thinking about things I could do to make my uni applications better (this is not the sole reason I am considering olympiads, I am interested in my subjects, however I think they would help for unis). my question is, do universities actually care if I have done an olympiad? they seem like a lot of effort and before partaking in one I would like to know if it would be worth it. if I hear a lot of no's I may do it anyway but I thought it would be worth knowing. has anyone done them and been asked about it in interviews? I have heard it helps she your passion for the subject too. I was mainly thinking about the psychology one, however my chemistry teacher has spoken to me about the chemistry one anyways, please let me know (if you can) if olympiads are worth doing and if you enjoyed/ learnt a lot from them! (btw I want to study neuroscience at uni) thank youuuuu!!

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 1

McGinger

20

do universities actually care if I have done an olympiad

Essentially, no, it isn't going to make any significant difference to your UCAS application or your offer chances. Its a bit like a swimming badge - nice that you did it, but it doesn't tell the Uni anything about you as an individual, or your suitability for a degree course. Do it if you want to, but don't expect it to open any extra doors for you.

Reply 2

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

18

Original post

by postitnote123

hey, I am in year 12 and am currently taking; biology, chemistry and, psychology a level. I am really enjoying them, and for my term grade averages last term I got; A*, A, A, A, B. I am thinking about things I could do to make my uni applications better (this is not the sole reason I am considering olympiads, I am interested in my subjects, however I think they would help for unis). my question is, do universities actually care if I have done an olympiad? they seem like a lot of effort and before partaking in one I would like to know if it would be worth it. if I hear a lot of no's I may do it anyway but I thought it would be worth knowing. has anyone done them and been asked about it in interviews? I have heard it helps she your passion for the subject too. I was mainly thinking about the psychology one, however my chemistry teacher has spoken to me about the chemistry one anyways, please let me know (if you can) if olympiads are worth doing and if you enjoyed/ learnt a lot from them! (btw I want to study neuroscience at uni) thank youuuuu!!

Hey @postitnote123 I hope you are well! This is a great question which you are asking for the right reasons, so also great! So what I will say is, to say universities do care about Olympiads would be incomplete. They care but it depends on which uni you are applying to, how well you do and how you talk about it. They are never required, but for competitive courses like neuroscience, they can be a strong super curricular if used properly.

Is it worth the effort?
Olympiads are worth it if:

•

you enjoy being challenged

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you’re curious even when it’s hard

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you’re okay with not doing perfectly

They are NOT worth it if:

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you’re doing them purely to “look good”

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they would significantly harm your grades

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they would cause stress or burnout

Grades are more important than Olympiads. Always.

My honest opinion is that perhaps do one Olympiad (Chemistry) and use it as a learning experience. Definitely mention it but in a way that highlights the skills you have learnt from it and how they would help with your degree.

I really hope this was helpful 🙂

Ru
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are olympiads good for university applications ( bio, chem, psych)

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