Best uni for politics and international relations, think my dc is going to exceed what’s needed for York or Nottingham

[Mouseinthehouseeattingcheese]

so entry requirements for York Nottingham Southampton
abb
following on from getting a good epq result

predicted grades have been aaa

bur course work and mocks been coming in at a stars
so I wouldn’t be suprised if this dc achieves 3 a stars

so what unis should we be looking at to upgrade to during clearing if this is a the case

dc not interested in Warwick or oxbridge

so would places like Edinburgh, Leeds etc have places in clearing or will they all be full already ?
what else is worth looking at through clearing ?
any other unis this dc should be looking at during clearing time ?

Bath is very concrete block on the campus itself. DS much preferred Southampton.

You are in a great position OP - good offers that you are confident of meeting. Please try and put this out of your head and celebrate!

Bath ....my daughter did the exact degree. Had a fabulous time. Everyone did a years placement, now works and lives in london

I did International Relations at Aberystwyth and it was brilliant.

https://digital.ucas.com/coursedisplay/courses/3d689ef0-e92f-44f7-9dd4-9bdc4efa9652?academicYearId=2024

It was a very long time ago but the course was amazing and it's a brilliant place to be a student. I grew up near London so it felt like really moving away too, which is what I wanted, something different.

St Andrews. Has a strong international reputation in International Relations. Has a strong overall reputation in the UK. Being ranked above Oxbridge in multiple newspapers over the past 5 years.

op, places with high grade requirements are quite likely to allow a slip of a grade to a previously offered candidate (especially one who has made them firm) rather than go into clearing, especially as clearing is more widely used by those who have missed their grades than those who have exceeded, so going into clearing hoping to find someone with a-stars rather than accepting a candidate predicted a stars who achieved a is quite a risk!

Which is why I think the U.K. system isn’t that good, a post results application process would be so much better and fairer
just like in the rest of Europe

Yes, I do agree with that
it can be hard not to over think such a huge descion in life, but all the offers are good solid choices

How many unis did you all go to visit? Perhaps, I just feel a bit bad we didn’t see more

Nothing to stop them having a gap year and reapplying post results.
This may not apply to your dc but increasingly as dcs are turning 18 with less real world life experience than previous generations had at that age, students are benefiting from the extra maturity a gap year provides.

Ah here we go 🙄

What’s wrong with that?

(I too would quite like a post results application as then it’s more about doing your best and then applying to the right set of places, but it’s not something I feel hugely strongly about )

None.

A year out is not a bad shout. Ds can work for a year, save some money and apply with grades in hand and visit some of the unis he didn't get chance to thisbyear before deciding. Grades in hand applications are much simpler, because offers are usually faster and unconditional.

But there will be plenty of kids who go to university with higher grades than required. Uni is about so much more than studying. You need a place that feels right, so campus vs city, rural vs urban, big on sports (or even specific sports), year out opportunities, study abroad semesters, year in industry etc etc. Also cost. Some uni accommodation is expensive! I mean none is cheap cheap but there's quite the spectrum.

If he needs more time to decide, he needs more time. And plenty of uni starters aren't fresh out of college/school/sixth form.

The campus experience can still be had, and a lot live in halls still. Even if they came from nearby.

Last year was an odd year for clearing. My course was in clearing for the first time ever and I don’t expect it to be in clearing again this year. That was a story I heard repeated around the country across a range of subjects.

York as a city personally.
Nottingham more gritty but better nightlife.
Notts cost us around £130-£140 per week private accommodation. York is £200 going up to £210 next year!!

Why here we go ?

Yes I agree with all of this. But I remember at that age a year feels like a lifetime
plus worried about losing the momentum
but I agree it’s about the whole package not just the education

I think you'll find students who've achieved 3 A stars and 3 Bs much of a muchness really. A Levels don't necessarily reflect core ability. Dd's (contextual) offer from Nottingham was ABB, she got Astar AA and has found the course (not Politics) really hard! But she's doing better now (in 3rd year, out of 4). So, a course that accepts ABB won't necessarily be a walk in the park!

Mine is also at Bath doing Politics & IR, Bath often comes up in the top 10 lists for everything from student life, to sport and employability. Unlikely to be in clearing though.

DD currently there doing IR.

Seems very happy.

Like everyone else on the thread, puzzling over "upgrading" from York and Nottingham.

This is so right - Nottingham a really well regarded uni with good employability rates and an excellent place to be a student.

I love York I went to Uni there and visit around once a month for work.
DD looked at the Uni but some of the accommodation was a bit grotty and the general rental market is very limited and pricy post Y1 Halls
DD is now at Notts and love sit, The Campus is fantastic and accommodation is nice and newer and nicer than some bits of York
There is a lot of Student Accommodation in the City and Uni areas too and its much cheaper then York