u/West-Dimension9057

PLEASE HELP ME, I BEG AND HAVEN'T BEEN SLEEPING FOR WEEKS BECAUSE OF THIS. Edinburgh is currently my top university choice as an Australian student for Ancient History and Archaeology. I am absolutely devastated my predicted is lower than the minimum ATAR requirement, because maths and physics have killed my desirability as an exceeding humanities student. I will be applying with my final grades. I truly love ancient history with all my heart, and I believe my Personal Statement will be great. It isn't impossible for me to reach the minimum requirement, but my final exams literally begin on Tuesday and my Dean also knows it would be incredibly difficult. Whilst reaching the posted threshold would be hard, my final grades will (hopefully) not be too far off. Perhaps I should also note that the IB requirement converted to ATAR is significantly lower, and very close to my predicted!

I discussed this with a UK based university consultant, and they told me that applications are gonna be considered in order of 1. reaching the minimum mark 2. personal statement/other. I am actually going to rage if I am not even considered, considering the weakness in my academic grades was not my fault:

I got diagnosed with ADHD literally 2 weeks ago-- 3 weeks before my final exams. I'm not sure how many people are familiar with the Australian system, but 50% of my marks in every subject have already been assessed, and the final 50% is taken from the exam marks (that begin next week). I've experienced severe undiagnosed task paralysis the entire year, and I haven't been able to trial medications effectively with 7 days until they begin. I have also missed out on rightful assessment provisions. Therefore, I have been severely disadvantaged in my final year of school due to this, and I know my final grade will not be validly calculated. My issue is that unlike every Australian uni, Edinburgh (says it) doesn't provide any leniency for this. I have reached out twice, and their response summarised:

• Applicants are generally still expected to meet, or be predicted to meet, the minimum entry requirements before being considered under this policy
• Any concessions are case by case and not guaranteed
• A disclosed disability is not used in the academic admissions decision; applicants are assessed against the same course selection criteria as everyone else
• Disability information is considered separately after selection to arrange any necessary adjustments
• The University generally expects schools and exam boards to assess how personal circumstances affected academic performance and recommend appropriate accommodations
• In some cases, applicants who already hold an offer and very narrowly miss their conditions may still be accepted

I will be including my issues in my reference (i'm allowed to tell her what to write regarding this), and get my careers advisor to email the relevant admissions office by the application deadline for even more awareness at the schools end.

I am also unsure if I may be slightly benefited as an international student as:

1. My application will be submitted to UCAS on December 18 with my final grades, significantly earlier than most other students. Historically, a few students from my school have received Edinburgh offers before January (although all but 1 were IB students).
2. Paying (SO) much more

My only optimism comes from the fact that this is supposedly a nicher course. In 2025, Archaeology had 49% offer rate overall and 85% for internatonals, and History 66% overall and 89% for internationals. However, I would (tragically) assume that all of them have met the minimum. The 2026 clearing was still open for international students until clearing closed. If I were to be rejected initially, is it worth reapplying in clearing? (Although by then I should have really should have committed to my second choice as an international, which is Liverpool and I would still be happy there).

How likely is it that I could be considered (and maybe accepted)?

Please give me motivation to lock the hell in, or not get my hopes up. For over two months, I have been so incredibly anxious and consequently procrastinating because of this instead of studying (which I've been told by 2 professionals is due to the ADHD, how lovely).

Thank you kindly 💗

(I spent 4 days procrastinating to get enough k*rma for this)

was playing this goat on shuffle at full volume in my 2007 mini for my friends, and now it’s crackling and sounds like a radio that can’t find a station. not even bass heavy songs, even the treble is cooked. now everything, from enya to voices on the radio, sounds like a 2slimey song.

lucky me.

Like this applies in general, however specifically I am applying for Ancient History and Archaeology. The thing is, I just DONT KNOW when I began to love it! All of my good examples for the statement, like essays/trips/school, are too recent as well, particularly when I am trying to convey I have loved it my whole life.

Thanks

(For the niche historians, I was thinking I could start with something "Parallel to the birth of Athenian Democracy that did not require a sudden 'flash of inspiration' to form, my love for Ancient History has been present my entire life and grown exponentially" --> however, I don't really wanna talk about Ancient Athenian Democracy (that I've been learning in History Extension at school) in my personal statement so this might stick out when I list & explain all of the other historical periods/personalities/civilisations in my PS)

i will be studying in the uk from September next year as an aussie. i’m looking around edinburgh, liverpool, kent, reading, manchester, durham areas.

my plans for some side cash (my parents will be supporting necessities) would be to utilise my skills from home:

1. violin tutoring. i have played violin for 12 years, currently completing my Certificate of Performance with Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) which is the threshold for teaching in australia, and have teaching experience (of very beginner children) through my teacher of 11 years. is there demand for private violin teachers there? i would likely go to peoples houses and assist young kids.

2. netball referring. i have umpired for the past 4 years for another high school, and i have a senior badge (ik means nothing to you lot but it’s a credibility that allows me to mentor younger umpires as well). i make really good cash on the side from this, although it is restricted to weekends of course (as that’s when games take place) does the uk have the same sport/netball culture where high schools and clubs allow for netball umpires? if so, how common even is the sport? i would also love to coach a team, and at my high school, past students or uni students in the area come back and coached our school teams 3 times a week (including Saturday game). i know they make bank doing this, but i have no idea if this is even a thing in the uk.

please let me know if these are even gonna possible— perhaps some areas have more demand then others, or maybe private schools don’t have mandatory sport like us which creates the demand and interest for netball. it would put my skills to use as i really enjoy both!

a lot of questions recently are about this (and i’m curious too).

just in general tho- say u get slightly below average in all your subjects after trials but then get 80+ in all your finals.

and specifically can you still come back with STEM (maths advanced & physics)?

Hello all! I am an Australian student aspiring to study ancient history & archaeology in the UK next year.

So far, the best universities course wise have been Edinburgh (my first preference currently), Liverpool, Reading, Kent, and York. Durham, UCL, and Manchester also have great courses, but I am concerned about reaching the entry requirements.

I don't know how familiar you all are with the Australian system, but I may be 2-3 points off Edinburgh's threshold, which is super unfortunate as it is the same mark required for all Australian students, no matter the course. Even if I reach the required 92, how high would I be expected to achieve to even compete for the course? It is said to be Edinburgh's course with the highest acceptance rate, but who knows...

Is it like this at all of the unis I stated above where I would need to be at the stated mark or much higher? Every single uni has a lower IB entry equivalent then the HSC conversion that the uni puts up (it's hard to explain, but most courses are 38 IB which is a 89 ATAR when you convert it objectively, but then say the uni's page is much higher stating 92 ATAR as minimum), which already puts me at a disadvantage I believe, but I am quite unfamiliar with how it all works and so is my school.

(For reference I will likely have a 90-91+ ATAR, but it will highly unlikely be above 94)

Thank you all!

Hello all! I am an Australian student aspiring to study ancient history & archaeology in the UK next year.

So far, the best universities course wise have been Edinburgh (my first preference currently), Liverpool, Reading, Kent, and York. Durham, UCL, and Manchester also have great courses, but I am concerned about reaching the entry requirements.

I don't know how familiar you all are with the Australian system, but I may be 2-3 points off Edinburgh's threshold, which is super unfortunate as it is the same mark required for all Australian students, no matter the course. Even if I reach the required 92, how high would I be expected to achieve to even compete for the course? It is said to be Edinburgh's course with the highest acceptance rate, but who knows...

Is it like this at all of the unis I stated above where I would need to be at the stated mark or much higher? Every single uni has a lower IB entry equivalent then the HSC conversion that the uni puts up (it's hard to explain, but most courses are 38 IB which is a 89 ATAR when you convert it objectively, but then say the uni's page is much higher stating 92 ATAR as minimum), which already puts me at a disadvantage I believe, but I am quite unfamiliar with how it all works and so is my school.

(For reference I will likely have a 90-91+ ATAR, but it will highly unlikely be above 94)

Thank you all!

i take advanced maths (regretfully?), but i’m in year 12 so obviously can’t drop it now. i initially wanted to go into physics so i obviously needed calculus, but now i have changed back to my passions in humanities and don’t need my physics or maths for the future— except i need an atar over 92.

yes i take mostly humanities and english extension 2, so how the hell do i motivate myself to study maths! i am so behind too which makes the subject very off putting— atleast physics is kind of interesting and has some theory/short answer questions so i’m willing to spend time on it.

my brain doesn’t comprehend it— i should have honestly just dropped maths completely, but at least advanced is definitely more interesting than standard (but that’s not hard).

how can i make myself learn a year of content in 30 days before trials when i hate the subject?! my teacher is awesome too 😔

hello all!

i am from australia and currently applying for uk universities for a ba/bsc in archaeology and ancient history. i love ancient so much and believe that archaeology would be enjoyable for me, as well as being outside the purely academic field of history.

i always wanted to study in the uk— even when i previously wanted to do a different degree (my family can afford), but luckily i’ve found that it is an awesome option for archaeology as the whole of Australasia is pretty poor for the sites and history i have always admired (lacking in quantity of sites i like and education in history). i am pretty set on my 5 course choices by ensuring that the undergraduate courses provide subjects outside of greece and rome (quite hard to find but it’s worth it for me as im looking for a variety).

of course i will have a better understanding of the field after completing my undergraduate, and i know i dont know much about uni now, but i want to do a masters too— from what ive learnt about archeology you really need one to compete for a job and be qualified, and id definelty be down to study more ancient history and archeological practice!

unfortunately its such a niche field, especially in aus, so its hard to get an idea about how to career works. i dont want to have a desk job, or atleast early career, and heritage doesn’t appeal me. i want to be a field archaeologist, but i know jobs are scarce. i would love to work in europe, egypt, or mesoamerica/south america in the future, but being from australia, i dont know how plausible this is. most likely i will complete the degree in uk regardless and figure it out from there, since most advice i have gotten so far is if you love something youll make it work, but im stumped.

i love to travel very much, and i love my history, but i dont know if archaeologists move around a lot or just spend years on one area (my dream would be studying in a variety of areas rather then constricted to one location). then im also concerned about job prospects of course— i love egypt, pompeii, some greek sites, but its so competitive and as an australian citizen i know it would be hard. i also do not speak any other languages.

im sorry, i know this is very repetitive, but i just dont know WHERE to start when approaching the future.

does anyone have any similar experiences or advice??

thank you all.

very very serious post. please provide unhinged study tips— i have tried everything and i have no excuse to do bad in school/not study: i don’t do anything else with my life currently so i can do work, i have no external distractions from parents or commitments— i just need to desperately lock in for the next 150 days and then im done forever and can be happy i haven’t wasted my time.

i have tried study a*plications— even one that charges you if you use your phone during the focus time, and whilst it’s useful, my problem is getting myself motivated enough to use it.

i have set screen time limits— yet somehow i still have 16+ hours a day on my phone.

i go to different environments— i’ve got a few favourite libraries, but most of the time i leave within 5 hours, or i just scroll on my phone there or have a 3 hour lunch break there.

i think about all of the girls in other countries who do not have the privilege to study, and here my spoiled rich ahh is, unable to do work with no excuse.

i just don’t know what to do. i know what i want to do in uni, i know what grades i need (they’re achievable if i can do the work now!!), i have motivation, i just CANNOT BE BOTHERED to study and i don’t even know why— i feel terrible after i spend my daily average of 13 hours on my phone but i cannot stop.

please get me out of this loop. HOW do i make myself study— i have all the materials and all of the time to be topping all my subjects, i just can’t bring myself to do it for some reason.

thank you all, i hope others have this same frustration :(

hello all! thank you for reading.

hsc subjects i’m currently ranked:

ancient history: 4/9 (top 5 we are all about 1 mark apart, average of 89% but i’m very strong and usually perform 93%+)

english advanced: 10/73 (i am 1 mark off rank 3, below 30 is poor performing)

english extension 1: 10/11 (not sure how this cohort performs— i’m not bad at english i just put no time into extension 1 but i believe i could come back, average is 66%)

english extension 2: 7/7 (i don’t believe ranks count for this but my average is 76%, my major work is probably average)

history extension: 2/11 (weak cohort but top 3 strong i believe)

maths advanced: 16/23 (including extension 1, my average is 70%, hoping for band 5)

physics: 5/14 (weak sub 10, im poor in this subject and average is 72%, hoping for band 5)

thank you all— i’m really hoping to grind very hard in trials as a good predicted will save my life for international offers.

(my school gave me a predicted 92 before my extension 2 mark dropped— not sure how accurate that was.)

hello all!

i am attending a concert, and i am wondering about where there is all day parking available. i am open to both free and paid options.

i will be in the park early- can arrive from 6am and would leave around 12am i presume.
it must be within walking distance of accor/qudos- i would say 30 min walk max is fine.

i have already looked at so many online suggestions, however the 3 different paid websites i have looked at dont provide more than max 5-8 hours!!

since i will be arriving so early, are there any local streets that provide all day? and if not where are the paid options- i am really struggling to find all day options!

thank you very much

hello all!

i am attending a concert, and i am wondering about where there is all day parking available. i am open to both free and paid options.

i will be in the park early- can arrive from 6am and would leave around 12am i presume.
it must be within walking distance of accor/qudos- i would say 30 min walk max is fine.

i have already looked at so many online suggestions, however the 3 different paid websites i have looked at dont provide more than max 5-8 hours!!

since i will be arriving so early, are there any local streets that provide all day? and if not where are the paid options- i am really struggling to find all day options!

thank you very much