Which universities should I apply to?

July 23, 2019

• Advice for Parents
• / University and Higher Education

UCAS allows each student to apply to five different universities (except for Medical students, or those applying for different courses such as Art Foundation). However, how do you know which ones could be the right fit for you? There are several things to consider when making your decision.

Firstly, make sure that you have a good idea of which course you wish to pursue. Remember that each university has different strengths. For example, Bath is one of the best ranked universities for courses such as Psychology and Marketing, however Glasgow is currently one of the best for Dentistry.

It is also important to consider what sort of offer you would realistically be able to attain. For example, to study history at Cambridge, you would usually need to attain A*AA in your A-Level subjects, but other universities such as Kings College London require AAA. Offers are often case dependent, and some students may receive lower offers. If grades are a concern, that does not mean that you should only apply to universities offering lower grades. Perhaps choose 2 that would be more easily attainable, 1 as a ‘back-up’ if your results are worse than expected, and 2 that are slightly above what you expect of yourself, that may encourage you to push yourself.

However, one important thing to note is that not all universities offer all courses. Some may not offer your desired course at all, or they may offer a slight variation of it. For example, PPE is offered at Oxford, but not at Cambridge. Courses such as Veterinary Medicine are only offered at 9 universities in the UK. Note also that certain universities will have a preference for certain A-Level subjects, and this is often course-dependent.

You may also be wondering where you feel you would have the best time, in terms of joining societies, and having an enjoyable social life. Perhaps one of the best ways to do this is to go and visit some of the universities that you are applying to. Most universities offer open-days, however if you miss these it is often possible to phone up the university and ask to come and visit a certain department.

At Kings Tutors we offer private tuition, both in person and online to help you with the process of applying to university. We can offer advice in choosing your A-Level subjects, as well as helping you with your personal statement.

Reference

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=Psychology [accessed 13/09/2018]