It is possibly worse. Although the media really hype up Oxford and Cambridge as if they're the only unis in Britain. Honest question... have you heard of any of these unis: UCL, Imperial, Warwick, Bristol, Durham, LSE, Bath, St. Andrews, King's College London? Just out of interest.

I don't know. I asked her if she likes hugs and she said I was being a pervert. How the heck is that being perverted? Maybe she really wants to wait... I certainly don't, I don't fancy getting nothing for the next 12 years.

I am surprised you have never heard of UCL (University College London) or Imperial College. Imperial especially as they are considered to be the best behind Oxbridge. But I am not going to Imperial because I think they are also too elitist and the STEM environment is a bit depressing in my opinion. They might be the best but there is a reason they have the lowest student satisfaction of all the top unis.

I think Rhona seems to be the most down to earth of all of them... adriana and Hannah have been talking about me a lot though, too.

I don't think I can ask both Hannah and adriana out. I have to pick one. They are best friends, it seems that whenever I tell one something, the other knows about it within 5 minutes.

bob bundy wrote:

hi zetafunc,

Sorry about Cambridge, but you're right;  you can do extremely well at other places too.

Obviouly you are attracted by a university's reputation but consider other things as well.

Halls of residence, the tutorial system, the social life, other facilities etc etc are all worth a thought.

I dropped Southampton as my first choice even though it was highly rated back in 1968.  Why?  Because the ring road runs straight through the campus and the halls are a bus ride away.

Went to Nottingham instead where the halls and lecture theatres are all on one parkland site.  Never a single regret about that and I spent a happy 4 years there.

One of my sons went to Warwick and found the pressure very intimidating.  We were alarmed by how little support they gave him when he needed it.  My daughter went to Durham and had a great time.  If you go to UCL you will be in the heart of London for another 3 years.  Do you like that?  Or would you rather see some countryside too?

Bob

I like UCL because you are not constantly under pressure to work like you are at Imperial or Cambridge. It is also only a 20 minute bus ride away from where I live. I think halls of residence can halt one's maturity, particularly because at somewhere like Cambridge you don't really have to learn to cook for yourself or learn how to budget, etc. whereas if I went to UCL, I'd be living in my own accommodation and be pretty independent. Even though Imperial is what everyone recommends to me, I just don't like them; the rooms feel boring and claustrophobic, and the staff don't seem nice at all. I think I am more of a city person; I can appreciate the countryside, but there are lots of places in London I like to go to as well. And the added benefit is that if anything goes wrong, my family will not be far away, and that kind of support for the next 3 years is re-assuring for me.

bob bundy wrote:

Sounds like you've got it sorted then.  How many points do they want?  Does that still happen; I'm a bit out of touch?

Bob

Some unis still offer UCAS points, but none of my choices do; the reason it doesn't happen anymore is because they just make alternative offers instead. For example, if a uni made an offer of 360 UCAS points, that could be met like this:

AAA, or
A*AB

But frequently people did this:

A*A*D, where they basically forgot about the third A-level.

So usually unis now make two alternative offers, like either AAA or A*AB.

UCL's typical offer requirement is either A*A*A or A*AA + 1 in any STEP paper. However, I did my A2s a year early and achieved A*A*A, so they made me an unconditional offer.

bob bundy wrote:

Excellent!  I knew you had taken some As already but I hadn't realised you had 3 A* grades.  That's fantastic, well done.  You certainly deserved it after all the hours you put in studying!   Cambridge must be mad to turn you down.  What were they thinking of?! 

So go to UCL and have a great time. 

Bob

Thanks! The reason was because of these three results:

D1: 85
D2: 76
M4: 32

They wanted consistent UMS across the board and just ignored the rest of my scores/application. My teacher said that if I really wanted to, I could take a gap year and re-apply if I achieved something like SS in STEP II and III, but I'd have to work really hard for that, it is so difficult and I'm not sure I could do that... an S in STEP is just crazy, I think I can get it in STEP I (I've been getting that in my mocks!) but it happens rarely for me in STEP III mocks. I have only got it once.

I hope I enjoy it at UCL... and besides, I think the most important thing is just getting a first-class degree from the uni. Even if I went to Cambridge, a third-class degree would not be good enough regardless of the prestige the name carries.

Yes, but about what? Is she still putting mathematicians down?

What is wrong with that? Sounds like a compliment. You have two possible replies, both of them good.

What did you say?

Hmmmm, I think I would have used a little more right there...

Two ways to accept a compliment, both confuse women.

1) Pretend false modesty, it does not matter how false, she will shower more compliments on you trying to convince you that she is right and you are not. Meanwhile she is self hypnotizing herself into believing the kaboobly doo.

2) Be a colossal jerk, they love it. Say something like, "Oh, I know that." Say it very matter of fact like. She will think, Oh what a together guy, what a man!

See you can not lose.

I got a reply from adriana too.

"I'm so tempted to reapply next year for Natural Sciences so I could do Maths and Physics but I'm hesitant because my maths will worsen. I have to take STEP for Warwick, only STEP 1, but depending on how preparation goes, I may take the other two papers.

Thanks for the spreadsheet btw "