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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Geography/Earth Sciences Degree

71 replies

starfleet · 16/02/2017 13:44

I'm trying to fish for info for DS. He has decided that he wants to do either a Geography/Earth Sciences/Geosciences degree at uni.

He is in Yr 12 and he has started looking at unis and registering interest for open days.

If you have DC's who are doing/have applied for this type of course what kind of typical offer did they receive and where do they study.

Uni's he is looking at:-
Manchester/Sheffield/Leeds/Newcastle/Durham/Liverpool/York

Any info would be most helpful. Ta.

OP posts:
titchy · 16/02/2017 13:59

Typical offer will be on the websites. IME most universities make applicants their standard offer. They may end up accepting one grade lower come results day, but offers are generally at the advertised level.

titchy · 16/02/2017 14:00

Geology more likely to take a dropped grade, or even two, than geography by the way...

Original poster
starfleet · 16/02/2017 14:10

Thanks titchy

DS has looked the standard offers and they are achievable for him if he carries on putting the effort in but he worries that if he missed by a grade he'd lose out on a place.

It's definitely Geography as his main choice but he's willing to look at the other two over Geology....

OP posts:
mummymeister · 16/02/2017 14:16

has he thought about a natural sciences degree? might be another one to look into.

hellsbells99 · 16/02/2017 14:49

My DD is at Leeds and has friends doing Geography - some are doing the BA and 1 doing the BSc. So different subjects are required at A level.

dreamingofsun · 16/02/2017 15:13

all russell group uni's offered DS ABB. that seemed to be standard for everywhere for geology, except for bristol. if he likes rocks, geology is a great subject - its a skill's shortage area and in some recent surveys i read that graduates are the top earners - above bankers etc. This year there are students at manchester who didn't quite get the grades....but who knows in future

stonecircle · 16/02/2017 15:42

I have a DS in the 2nd year of a geography degree. I think standard offers may have changed a little in the last year or two but, as Titchy says, they're on the websites. I

seem to remember earth sciences generally has a lower standard offer to geography.

Knowing which universities will be flexible come results day is not easy. DS's firm offer was AAA or Astar AB which he achieved but a friend who applied for the same course dropped one grade in one subject and they wouldn't take him.

DS didn't apply to any of the universities your DS is interested in but my DS also looked at RHUL which has a very impressive geog dept and they said at the offer holder day that they would be flexible.

I just wish universities would be more open about what they might take. DS3 has an offer of Astar,A,A at another university. Went to the offer holder day and everyone was told that, if they firm, the offer will reduce to AAB!

InformalRoman · 16/02/2017 15:57

What A levels is he doing? I would recommend maths and biology / physics / chemistry for Earth Sciences / Geosciences / Geology, depending on what specific course he is looking at (ie Environmental Science, Ecological Science, Oceanography, Geological Sciences etc).

For Earth Sciences courses you will need to carefully check out the modules - they usually cover a broader range of subjects than Geosciences / Geological Sciences / Geology but not always, for example Newcastle & Durham Earth Sci courses are basically Geol Sci courses, so don't pick a course like that if geochemistry is not your thing.

BA Geography would be more towards social sciences, BSc more towards sciences.

InformalRoman · 16/02/2017 16:09

Geologists can be good earners (if you have a degree from Imperial) but with the current oil downturn anyone looking to get into the oil industry is going to struggle - if that's your aim you'd be better off doing a degree in petroleum engineering or chemical engineering just now. Geologists in civil engineering aren't great earners either.

dreamingofsun · 16/02/2017 16:10

most uni's wanted 2 science subjects - that included geology, geography or the standard sciences. he got in fine with geology and geography and one other academic subject

jeanne16 · 16/02/2017 16:25

A friend's DD applied to Bristol to study Geography. They came back with an offer of Earth Sciences instead! Apparently it requires lower grades as it is less popular.

Millipedewithherfeetup · 16/02/2017 18:17

Dd doing a BA Geography degree at Russell Group, website was AAA i think, her offer was AAB, i really think it depends on how popular the course is and that will depend on the location etc, as well as the research depts within the uni.

SparklesandBangs · 16/02/2017 18:27

DC (grades AAA) - 4 applications 4RG - Geography 3 year degree and all as per the websites
Exeter/Bristol/Newcastle/Lancaster
Offered unconditional to firm UEA/Lancaster

MrsT2007 · 16/02/2017 18:40

Durham was AAB when I was there twenty years ago. It'll be A*AA I bet.

In terms of 'too' uni for geography it normally is Oxford, Durham, Cambridge (geography at Durham is v strong)

Birmingham is good too, Hull uni I personally didn't like at the time but it'll have changed loads since I last went there!

MiladyThesaurus · 16/02/2017 18:45

If I were going to do a BA geography degree, I'd apply to many, many universities for it before I considered applying to Cambridge.

Original poster
starfleet · 16/02/2017 19:02

Thank you all. This is why Mumsnet is great!

Milady - thanks for your message - I will reply when I'm at the computer rather than on my phone!

DS is taking Maths/Geography/Biology/Chemistry A levels but he is thinking of Chemistry next year as up to now his predicted grade isn't as high as the other subjects he is taking so maybe the more 'sciencey' degrees might not be the best choice for him.

He particularly likes the Human Geography side at the moment, however I think he may need to do a little more research....

The Geography BA at Durham standard offer is A*AA but BSc is AAA.

OP posts:
Original poster
starfleet · 16/02/2017 19:03

Dropping Chemistry!

OP posts:
ArriettyClock1 · 16/02/2017 19:07

My ds did chemistry, geography and biology A level.

His offers were all AAB for geography.

Cocolepew · 16/02/2017 19:12

My DD did geography, biology and ict.
She got into a russell group uni (Queens Belfast) .
They wanted bbb, she got in with bbc (c in ict).

homebythesea · 17/02/2017 12:58

DS doing Geog BA(so weighted towards Human geog - less requirement for science than BSc or related courses such as Geology, Environmental Sciences etc) currently.

Did Geog, RS and Politics A levels

Offers from Exeter (AAA), Birmingham (AAB), Nottingham (AAB), Southampton (AAB) and UEA (ABB)

He got AAB and is at Nottingham which incidentally his Geog teacher said was one of the best courses on offer in the country (don't know if that's true obvs!!)

MrsT2007 · 17/02/2017 15:08

Nottingham is good. Good place to be a student too.

Original poster
starfleet · 17/02/2017 18:53

DS has looked the course at Nottingham online today - might take York off his list and add this one!

You have all been extremely helpful. Thank you.

OP posts:
stonecircle · 17/02/2017 19:03

If your DS is going for Nottingham bear in mind that accommodation opens on 1 March and is allocated on a first come first served basis. We were there on Saturday and I get the impression accommodation isn't the same issue at Nottingham as it can be elsewhere. We were told that most people get their first choice.

But I've been telling DS to make his mind up if he's going to firm Nottingham so he can get his accommodation application in early! He's slightly put off though by the fact that he wants to self cater and be on campus, but all the accommodation on campus seems to be catered.

Millipedewithherfeetup · 17/02/2017 19:14

Just had a look on the league tables, nottingham has gone down this year, now 20th in uk for geography and earth sciences, will see if i can post a link.

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