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AIBU?

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Top Unis - am I missing something?

734 replies

OnTheRoll · 04/11/2024 07:48

DD is in Year 13, predicted 3 A, already has an A from a language A Level she did last year, and 11 GCSEs all 8/9. Got a great work experience in her chosen field, lots of academic reading, etc., etc. Has been working very hard and aiming for a top uni.

The problem is, it seems that unless she gets into Oxbridge, there isn't a suitable option for her?

We are in SE so decided not to go for Durham/Edinburg as the travel is just too much, 5+ hours, and she would not be able to come home more than once a term. She would very much prefer a campus experience rather than a city uni which rules out LSE/UCL in London.

There are of course great options like Warwick, Bristol, Bath, Exeter. We visited and DD loved them and so did I.

But I cannot help thinking that if she were to go to one of those unis she didn't really need to spend that much time working, studying and sacrificing her free time. Does it make sense? Entry requirements in those unis in her subject are all quite lower than her current and predicted grades.

Would appreciate some perspective.

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3WildOnes · 04/11/2024 07:54

Durham and Edinburgh are heaving with students from London and the SE. LSE is full to the brim with over ambitious teenagers. She has options- she just doesn't like them and that's fine. Warwick would need top grades for maths/CompSci courses.

XxSideshowAuntSallyx · 04/11/2024 07:54

My brother got a place at Cambridge,he turned it down and went to University of Manchester instead. He said it felt better. He's doing very well for himself.

OnTheRoll · 04/11/2024 07:54

ApriCat · 04/11/2024 07:53

I think it's very subject-dependent. If she's aiming for MFL, say, or Theology, then a full hand of A stars is overkill (though useful to have on her CV later). If it's something more like Computer Science, then all the A stars in the world can still see a student rejected from several universities.

She is applying for Politics

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pinkroses79 · 04/11/2024 07:54

Saying the only option is Oxbridge is setting her up for huge potential disappointment. There are plenty of options, but my son went to one of the unis you mentioned and it was almost 5 hours away. It wasn’t a problem. He didn’t come home during term time, but he seemed fine and had a great social life. Terms are not that long.

ThePure · 04/11/2024 07:53

It is an odd post

Obviously there is not going to be a uni to meet every single persons exact requirements!

She'll either get into Oxbridge or she'll be one of the brightest people at one of the other unis and either way she'll do very well in life which is surely more important than A level results or which exact uni she attends

OnTheRoll · 04/11/2024 07:53

Thanks for replying. I am not moaning and I did list some great unis. But I think you will agree that they are not top ones and you don't need 4 A Stars to get into those.

She is just wondering why did she need to push herself so much if that's her options.

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ApriCat · 04/11/2024 07:53

I think it's very subject-dependent. If she's aiming for MFL, say, or Theology, then a full hand of A stars is overkill (though useful to have on her CV later). If it's something more like Computer Science, then all the A stars in the world can still see a student rejected from several universities.

TeenToTwenties · 04/11/2024 07:50

Surely this is like moaning there isn't a super selective grammar in every town?
There are plenty of options, you are just dismissing them all.

OnTheRoll · 04/11/2024 07:50

The post converted formatting, what I meant is DD predicted 3 A Stars .
And she already has a language A Level A Star.

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