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Posted by Aurelian Spodarec
Aurelian Spodarec
7,369 Points

University With lower grades then they want but with experience and that stuff, how it works'/?

Hello,

So my question is , if i don't get grades they want . e.g. they want English B and maths B so other GCSE that add up to 5 and are above B.

My question is , if i make an app , and i show they that i learned it alone with be site such as treehouse and i show they my project same as website layout . Will be this a big bonus?

Could they take me just coz i learned how to program in obj-c apps for apple and website layout ? ( i didn't actually learned it , I'm learning but in two years I'm sure i will be a good level with it. ) My challenge is that i have two years , and i should have my grades on B*5 .

But what i got is like

BTEC Distinction* Polish = A English = ( well an E) Maths = C Graphic Design = ( in progress) italian = ( maybe , if i manage to find the test )

So to get to uni where there is needed like 5 B will it be possible if i show them what i didi and tell them my life as how it involved and all that stuff if i make an app or website and it will be fairly successful or even that i touch my self how to code alone this touch language ? i don't know if it tough or not . Its really complex at the moment .

4 Answers

chrisp
chrisp
13,686 Points
chrisp
chrisp
13,686 Points

Hi Aurelian,

It really depends on the university you're interested in and what their regulations and policies are like and as the degree program you are wanting to apply to.

if your university applications requires a work portfolio (with sample of your apps and dev) that matches your competency and study of interest to the admission application it can help, but it is not a certain, because they will look other requirements, criteria, and overall.

Again university policy and regulation are different for each university and also university departments have their own criteria when admitting students.

But there may be some bonus though. For example:

Assuming maybe development is something you are interested in and perhaps pursuing a Science degree, say computer science.

If you present your dev project portfolio with innovated samples of your work together with a very solid letter of intent and study of interest, that may have a strong impact to the university and department committee. A bonus.

If you have development experience with solid fundamental of development, it is definitely a bonus when you are admitted into the degree program, having these knowledge will be a breeze for you in some classes. Another bonus.

Once you graduate with your CS degree with a spectacular portfolio that you combine all your time-lapse project throughout your academic career that may also be bonus for job hunting, graduate school, research, business, etc...

Overall, if you have great grades along with experience, strong work sample, and well preparing yourself for the university you are aiming for can only help..

I hope this helpful, all the best on your journey :).

Aurelian Spodarec
Aurelian Spodarec
7,369 Points

Thank you for your answer :) really appreciate it.

A quick question

So it depends from the university how they see mine work and my grades? So lets say for example i need to get BBBBB and i have grades like CE(BTEC Ax5) polish A and graphics this year but still BTEC, and if i do an app , i get a good understanding etc.. i show them my work , this mean its a good bosun witch can make my grades sort of boost ?

Another example e.g. i need AAAAA* to get to uni but i only got like BBBBB. I did an app, the app was successful and its on top best apps in apple store. I go to TV etc.. This mean i would have great chance to get to uni with grades BBBBB where i need AAAAA* ? u think?

bdw im not saying i will go to TV etc.. just an example

chrisp
chrisp
13,686 Points
chrisp
chrisp
13,686 Points

You're very welcome! Well, I do hope you can go on TV. that would be very cool :).

I am not sure if I can answer this question and I am very unfamiliar with non-US university system.

But OK, how about this? Let's define that the university requirement is an AAAAA and you have a BBBBB. Now this all hypothetically speaking,

But you'd apply for this university for the BS degree in software engineering. You're below the requirement in grades, but you have:

1, Solid portfolio with web apps samples,

  1. Couple very cool iPhone apps
  2. Your CV includes development experience voluntary or job.
  3. Above average entrance exam test scores.
  4. A well written letter of intent with concise study of interest.
  5. Lets throw in 2 good letters of recommendation.

The university will look at all those thing, and you may have a good chance as a candidate So, it is not impossible to get into a university or scholarship even with lower grades.

Now if this is a very prestigious university or the top university in country, maybe that probability is much lower.

Now Aurelian, let's say by the end of the next 2 years you developed a breakthrough algorithm or something that solved a unique problem in this world and introduce new knowledge or break through innovation. Than my friend, the tables have turned and University might be chasing you, where they will be asking whats the chance of you attending their university :D?

Aim for the highest and best of luck!

Aurelian Spodarec
Aurelian Spodarec
7,369 Points

Thank you :D

It seem a lot of work i mean a lot of work , I'm not even sure if i gonna have enough time because I'm not sure when i need to apply to the university if its next year then well, i don't have , or i don't think i would have enough time to show them what i could do in the next 9 months . Ill ask my coach too about this but i guess the answer will be quite simple like always :/ but hey, i need to ask , he may be different , what i remember what Steve Jobs said , something like that " people never ask questions, you need to ask them" that actually had me thinking more than i could do and well , i began asking about everything and it helps , same as he said some story about he wanted to have something from a man same ill ask somebody and tell them what i want to alive for well , adobe master collection as its too expensive for me to afford photoshop , illustrator etc.. even if ill buy them for 2.5k . Cracked version .. I'm not into it really and it doesnt work on me anymore .

The university I want to apply are in top 20 in UK. One i I'm interested is on top 19 and somewhere 14 . Plus the uni on top 14 has three subjects that are rated the best in the UK on top1 .

Although I'm looking about what student says about the university really so i may change my maind too and see other uni . Im looking at the highest student notes as i think its very important because e.g. in college its really bad how teachers are up with student I'm the way of e.g. teaching but not properly or not getting their self respect if sm1 over talks them if that makes sense , in a good way though .

There was a boy Nick D'alonsio that did a new algorithm and he goes to Oxford now as he chooed there . Although he started when he was 12 years on Xcode in 2008 , perfect time though . And when he was 16 , yahoo spotted him etc.. the story began plus he had around 4 years experience in effects or graphics etc... experience , quite basics or average as they said but still thats a step .

Although he did a big think and went to one of the best uni , I'm aiming to do the same but lets face is it I'm not got soo much time as he did . So ill hope to be good in app industry and ill see how it goes ill think i will have to learn JavaScript for my webpage as i think doing a portfolio on a webpage as it would look nice plus show my skill of web and do there all my applying as same as on paper .

But thats a lot of work , i hope i can keep with it up and don't get my head somewhere else .

I hope i didn't write it too messy : p i need to improve on it swell, see i have a lot of work to do on my english .

Aurelian Spodarec
Aurelian Spodarec
7,369 Points

Here is the ranking , they actually swap on the left on 2015 and on 2014 is their current .

http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings

So what i got it

Polish: A Italian: ( maybe i will do it but it would be around B-A-A*) English: E ( at the moment E but it will be C) Maths: C ( hope i could improve on B ) BTEC level 2 Distinction* ( some it ) Graphics/Print Media: ( I hope for Distinction BTEC)

So these are my grades , other are well some D's .. like from religion i think.

chrisp
chrisp
13,686 Points
chrisp
chrisp
13,686 Points

Hi Aurelian

I think you're on good track. Yes, I agree, keep asking questions and keep questioning. Questions are very important and really it brought us to where we are today, as we've seen in innovation

Of course, there is still a lot of work to do and I think this will always be so. But instead of looking at 'overall' of the overwhelming so much work to do.

I think it would be a little more helpful to 'break it down' and focus on what can be done now. Surprising, you can do more than you think in one year :). Its like loops with i++; and it adds up!

I think progressing through it step by step seem helpful. Like development right? You don't just build something, you do it lines by lines , function by function, bits by bits, and after focusing on it, it becomes an app,

Don't believe me? Check out the JQuery Basic and thats is like first thing Andrew stresses on. Break it down and plan it out :). Thank you treehouse and Andrew!

If you are really wanting to go into development than you can do fine without Adobe CS. You can do plenty with a text editor and compiler. There also plenty of text editor for development out there and IDE that are free. Not to mention open source software. Here are few favorites.

http://www.vim.org/download.php http://www.aptana.com https://netbeans.org

For free alternative to adobe photoshop or illustrator http://www.gimp.org https://inkscape.org/en/

Best of luck with your grades. Definitely aim to improve your english and math. I am terrible at math to. As learned it, I think it really help me improve my logic and programming. As for English it helps with accessing rich resources and when I want to learn something or when i am stuck.

Well, I am sure you you'll do well. Keep at it.

Aurelian Spodarec
Aurelian Spodarec
7,369 Points

Thank you very much for your time and effort to write all this .

Yes, true . I should break it steps by steps , I'm overthinking it . If you say so , in one year can be done a lot , well than can't wait :D It seem quite long way and hard to learn it but i guess its the " 20 day challenge " where you have to got throw the deep and then its down the heel . Although i would say it depends on the days .

I try learning thinks what i want , but its a bit hard in obj-c , its not like HTML/CSS where you would find every single answer and explanation on the internet . What i have in maid is to do , to learn do things and use touch motion so like fruit ninja has it . Just adding skill by skill . Like the loop :D

Mine problem is that to get ether grades in Maths , i would have need knowledge , but i can't do maths at college coz its full class and other people waiting too... ( just why , how bad this organisation or whatever can be , if the table swere set up normally .. ) and so i would have find a way to learn what i need for the exam and to pass or to even do the exam , i would need to probably pay . I don't know how much i would say from 20 to 150 pounds.

As my english , uh my final grade will be C. Im good with english in the way i understand everything etc.. its just my grammar and speaking , and maybe some spelling mistakes i shouldn't make .

Ill check them out , the think is that I'm learning how to use illustrator and photoshop at college and you know , too much is good and better but sometimes its just too much . Like learning 5 different programming languages per day 1h each. Same here its like just mind blowing in my case coz of the new stuff and the way how it work against and just grr xd

I do believe you , i did actually go there because I was curious but couldn't find it . At least i know jQuery and CSS are sort of the same ? :D i did use it but i may get confuse of what can it do and not . JS and jQ is confusing about speaking ; p

chrisp
chrisp
13,686 Points
chrisp
chrisp
13,686 Points

Hi Aurelian,

Sure, and thank you for acknowledging that. I appreciate it :).

CSS and JQuery I think is different from another and not so similar. Unlike CSS, a cascading stylesheet using stylesheet language to describe the looks and formatting of a document.

JQuery is another one of the many JavaScript Libraries. Jquery are collections of pre-written code that helps simplify scripting compared to core javascript.

I just begun learning JQuery recently and also trying to be more proficient with JavaScript. No where near an expert and still have a long way to go. But that is something I am focusing for now.

Like you, I am also trying to pick and learn other things to :), including on improving my math skills. I guess we are on a similar path. All the best.

Aurelian Spodarec
Aurelian Spodarec
7,369 Points

I hope a year, year and half, will be enough .

My English had improved . As somebody told me that . But I still need maths . Good im in college now. I hope I can find someone , a teacher , that I can tell him about uni . It may seem that I have long time but in reality , when it comes close , the time woudnt be sufficient to do whats needed to ill prepare my self now :) its better now than later .

I tell you how it goes.

Good look you too :)

bdw I don't know if I mentioned it , but to me grades aren't really important but the knowledge . The reason I want go to like top universities , in top 20 actually because they have good ratings from students like I mentioned . I don't need somebody to guide me to learn lol , everything is on internet but not everything can be done on the internet as a lot of skills that can be gained in university that will help in real life. I think going to university is , or maybe , great because you meet people , and these people , some of them or most of them, take things seriousy if you know what I mean e.g. business . Its also different story there . At least I hope .

uh its messed up I think ; p