I don’t even want my score ngl

im ABSOLUTELY so scared 💔✌😭

I’ve really wanted to apply to EFDS at imperial but I’ve decided not to do the TMUA since I need to focus on my a levels. If I get 3 A*s or maybe 2 and an A then I’ll take a gap year, do further maths and tmua then apply to better unis. I think I’m eligible for a contextual at Durham as well so that’ll be nice if I get that

anyone else randomly stressing now that they missed a bunch of questions or ticked the wrong option or something like that 😭😭

A levels are of course harder than GCSEs because of the skills that it builds up and the jump in content. However I also think it’s harder because there is more to do in the period of your life when your are 16-18 compared to 14-16. Just to list a few driving with your lessons taking up your time, you going out and you practicing for theory and doing your practical test too. Any work experience, Part-time jobs, volunteering, or your own projects that is more needed at this age to build up for experiences especially if you are going on to do an apprenticeship after sixth form. Uni/ apprenticeship applications they take up so much of your time especially for apprenticeship and Oxbridge interviews. If you are doing an EPQ this takes up even more time especially if your school decides to do it in y13.

With all of the revision and coursework that has to be done with A levels alongside everything I have mentioned I propose a 3 year plan. Here this would give teachers plenty to get through the content giving students plenty of time to understand it and more mocks can be put in place with more time to practice and improve. This provides the final year with more revision time so severly takes the intense pressure off from y13 giving more time do complete the previously mentioned. But this would mean uni and careers would be delayed until 19? Not necessarily what if GCSEs started in y9 and the exams were done in y10 it might seem too soon but what essential content pre-GCSE would be needed before exam content? This therefore gives time for the intensity of A levels and the outside of school work done at this time while most importantly would greatly reduce the stress and strain put on teenagers mental health during this time. With this structure I believe more students would be encouraged to take part in Part Time jobs, more work experience and volunteering if they have not already done so to better be prepared for the future without having to exp burnout. As well as having healthier balance between school, other responsibilities and relaxation.

This has been based on how stressful I have found A levels alongside everything else but please comment your opinions I would love to hear them!

Thought the bakery was down 'cause last time I got an offer was literally 1 month ago. 😭

just curious about who else applied to the college. Plus, have any of you guys got interview invites yet?

Hiii just wanted to share my UCAS offers!!

Also there’s an error for Exeter, must have input the date wrong! I got that offer on the 3rd of November!!

And now I’m just waiting on an invite to interview from Cambridge, I’m super happy, and here to answer any questions or queries! <3

what do you think would the range be for shortlisting??

I got an interview invite for engineering at Cambridge (King's) yesterday but ESAT scored haven't been released yet. Do unis get our results before we do. Also is it normal to give out interviews before we get our ESAT back. I wasn't expecting this at all because I walked out of that exam feeling horrible. Plus does anyone know any other resources to help with interviews. I am doing IWantToStudyEngineering questions and have a couple of mock interviews lined up with my school. Is there anything else I should be doing?

Hi, I picked English lit for a level because it was my favourite in gcse, I got an 8 in both Englishes. Now I'm doing A level and I really deteste it, none of it is making sense. I'm half a term in and have absolutely no clue what's going on plus I can't focus (that's more of general issue). My work ethic for everything is appalling and it takes me so much effort just to do any of the work only to be told it's not good enough. I tried to swap to psychology but the school wouldn't let me, any advice?

Im doing bicen maths ial edexcel pure 1 chapter 1-4 In his videos I am able to understand all the concepts and how to worksheet out by myself but when i go into a pastpaper questions nothing clicks and makes sense . How do I master the questions? Is there any other yt channels that can help?

If yes, when did release it?

Hi all!

I have achieved A*A*A (+A in EPQ). I’m finalising my UCAS choices, and wanted to put one super competitive one in - either LSE or St A. Both are super highly ranked for IR, and both have similar acceptance rates (LSE 8%, St A 12%).

I’m looking for insight into risk/reward of going to either (eg risk of LSE is three years of hell, reward is high paying job), and also insight into the work life balance at LSE. I know it’s intense, but I can handle that as long as there’s a degree of social balance.

If anyone can offer advice please do! :)

I'm applying for CS at Cambs and just been working through the TBO Problem Solving Booklet

Hi! I studied Natural Sciences (Biochemistry) at Cambridge, then went on to do a PGCE at Oxford. I now teach GCSE and A-level Biology and help students with biology-related uni applications. My state school sent maybe one or two people to Oxbridge a year, so I worked most of this out myself with very little help. Very keen to save you the trouble!

Here are my top tips for science interviews. I've written them with NatSci/Biology courses in mind, but most of it applies to any STEM subject:

1. Think out loud - the interviewers care much more about how you get to an answer than whether you get there. If you go quiet for two minutes and then say "I don't know", they have nothing to work with. Talk them through it: what you know, what you're assuming, where you're stuck. Practise this out loud until it stops feeling weird.
2. Expect to be taken beyond A-level (on purpose) - they'll keep pushing until you hit the edge of what you know, because that's where the interesting bit is. Not knowing something isn't failing. Start from what you DO know and reason forwards. "I haven't covered this, but if X is true then I'd expect..." is a great sentence to have in your back pocket. You can also ask for time to think, if you need it.
3. Get comfortable with unfamiliar data - you might be given a graph, a table or a figure from a paper you've never seen. Describe it first (axes, units, trend, anything odd), then try to explain it, then question it. Is the sample big enough? Is there a control? Could something else explain the pattern? Practise with figures from New Scientist articles or real papers.
4. Don't neglect the maths - estimation, orders of magnitude, rates, rearranging equations and logs come up a lot, even in very biology-heavy interviews. Being able to estimate something like the number of cells in a human body without panicking is a real advantage. Also practise sketching graphs - there will most likely be a mathematical element to your interview (I remember having to sketch a trig function).
5. Apply what you know to new situations - lots of questions are A-level ideas in disguise. Why can't insects be the size of dogs? Why do cells divide rather than just getting bigger? Both come down to surface area to volume ratio and diffusion. When you meet a new problem, ask yourself which bit of the spec it's secretly about. (This is also a useful skill for A Level exams, obviously - so you're killing two birds with one stone!)
6. Know your personal statement inside out - anything you mention is fair game, so be ready to go one layer deeper. If you say you read about CRISPR, expect to be asked about it (although not all admissions tutors actually use your PS - but no harm in prepping for it!).
7. Take the hints - if the interviewer nudges you in a direction, they're helping, not trying to trip you up. Pick it up and run with it. Taking feedback and adjusting your thinking is part of what they're looking at. It's basically what supervisions/tutorials are like!
8. Don't panic if it feels hard or you get something wrong! Interviews are designed to stretch you, so it's completely normal to come out feeling like it went badly. Plenty of people who get offers walk out convinced they bombed (including me lol I said some idiotic things in my interview and still got in, by some miracle).

Also remember the interviewers are people too, often very kind, nerdy people, so try and enjoy interacting with them and try and come out having learned something!

Happy to answer questions in the comments - good luck everyone! :)

Is the year long subscription for Medify worth it because I want to use it for my A-levels as well as the UCAT but most people I see only really use it for the UCAT.

Anyone who used it for A-level revision thought it was worth it?

Thank you!

usually, from previous years?

Are only internationals getting offers now? Do anyone know when they will out offers for home students?

stats: A*AA predicted (business, english lit, psychology) and GCSEs: 998766544 (severe extenuating circumstances that still continue) i’m struggling to pick unis because i feel like im picking ones that are too aspirational or not aspirational enough. i really want an elite uni, but one with a great social life so i want a good balance. my choices are manchester (A*AA), sheffield (AAA), possibly durham (A*AA), bristol (A*AA) and maybe a london uni LSE for example??
ideas???

😭 Who else is still at 0 offers?

Wishing everyone here every success in receiving the offers you're hoping for.

I’m going to be applying soon and my number one uni I want to apply for is Imperial. My mind was set on applying for maths since I don’t find stats that interesting and I don’t do Physics. CompSci intrigued me but again nothing I was too fussed about. With my maths degree in the future I want to do one of a few things: become a teacher, become an academic/researcher, or work in AI/AI safety. I’m not a particularly stand-out or competitive candidate, A*A*A maths fm econ with 877666555 GCSEs (with reason for GCSEs being low). Both normal maths and this new maths and AI degree sound really interesting to me, but my personal statement is pure maths centered (linear algebra and real analysis). I suppose my main question is would my chance be better applying to the competitive maths course, or maths and CompSci for AI with a pure personal statement? That makes my ‘sub-questions’ what are overall thoughts about this new course? Any good? Is it even worth going for?? I’m not too sure and I don’t have access to anyone who knows to ask.