Which uni for psychology with A * A A year 12 results

[Rainydaysgetmedown]

DD has just got A * A A for her year 12 exams and wants to apply for psychology. Wasn’t expecting this so I think she will probably have a realistic chance of applying most places. Any suggestions: she doesn’t want any London uni’s, Leeds or Nottingham. I can’t see her in somewhere like Exeter. Don’t think GCSE’s are good enough for oxbridge, all 7’s, and not currently doing maths or biology A level. She’s keen on Bristol or Liverpool and that’s about as far as we have got.

Has she thought about Bath? It has an excellent reputation for Psychology or does she prefer a city Uni?

Birmingham? I've heard it's good for Psychology. My dd had the same predictions in year 12 (and that's what she got in the end) and had offers from Nottingham, Southampton, Manchester and York. She didn't apply to Birmingham as it's our home town.

PS she also applied to Bath and still hadn't had an offer by April, so she pulled out. I think A*/A/A may be a bit low for Bath?!

Forgot to mention, this was also for Psychology -my daughter is now at Nottingham.

Just to say, when I asked an admissions person at Oxford about GCSE results, he said that they really did not matter. However that might just have been his department or him trying to reassure me!

York?
we visited when DD was considering Psych and a couple of her friends are going to do it there

Also I did a placement year as part of my psychology degree. I found it incredibly useful and it helped me decide on my path after my degree. Not sure if this is still an option but worth considering to help make the decision.

There are so many pathways with a psychology degree. Having an idea of which direction she wants to go in might give her more idea of which course best suits her future plans.

Lots were moaning with 3A* predicted they were rejected for Psychology at the top unis, last year and this, they also had all 9’s at GCSE.

At open days ask what grades they accepted this year and how many places are available as it’s not one of the ones that won’t let u defer.

I don't have a Psychology degree but I used to work as admin for a postgraduate course taken by many Psychology graduates as a stepping stone to a career in psychology. It's important to check that the degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society. The university department should be very clear in the prospectus which degree programmes are accredited and which modules/module combinations will be required. Some joint honours degrees won't cover enough of the core psychology content to get the graduate Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the BPS or whatever it's called now. This matters if the graduate wants to keep the option open of becoming a chartered psychologist, which will involve postgraduate study. (I gather that most psychology graduates end up doing something else, but at the point of starting their undergrad course most would want to keep as many options open as possible.)

Many of the students we took had done a four-year degree with a one-year placement, usually the third year. This seemed to be a big plus point. Anyone wanting to get onto a postgraduate course in Psychology is likely to be required to have some relevant work or volunteering experience. A placement is a good structured way of getting both experience and a referee who knows what's needed in a professional reference. Also a very good way of deciding if you actually want to stay in Psychology.

York or Lancaster

Oxford didn't contextualise TAG gcses but generally they do when taken under exams circumstances. It is at Cambridge where they matter less.

However OP may not be aware that just meeting minimum entry criteria for places may not be enough for a course as popular as psychology at competitive unis

No but we will look at it good idea

Interesting. She’s not Oxford material o don’t think

Great advice thanks

Thanks. Am def aware there are no guarantees of offers

I know she doesn't want London but UCL is pretty much the best UG psych course. Birmingham, York, Bath would be my next three choices.

Glasgow also excellent

@Rainydaysgetmedown we went for an open day at Oxford and it was incredibly helpful. DS1 is finding the open days help him decide if he likes the feel of the place and whether or not he wants a campus university etc. He has ASD and found Oxford as a city overwhelming.

She should read some course descriptions.

My dd is reading Psychology at Birmingham but she also liked the sound of the courses at others like Warwick and Exeter.

It’s just too far. She doesn’t want to go to Scotland whjxh is a shame

Thanks so much. London is definitely not an option

I assume you have consulted https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/psychology ?

What is it about Leeds and Nottingham that she doesn't like? And what is it about Bristol and Liverpool that she does?

My daughter did psychology at Exeter but she also really liked Birmingham and found it very tough to choose between them.

DD has firmed a place at Liverpool for psychology this year. They have asked for biology A level.

Psychology is incredibly competitive and while those are great predictions, not having Maths or Biology may be problematic - what is she doing? Some previous suggestions may well not accept an applicant without those subjects.