Like many, I received my A-Level results this Thursday, and have started the preparations for moving away to University in late September. I obtained grade A in Physics, B in Maths and C in Chemistry, as well as a pass in the Advanced Welsh Bacc.
I’m currently waiting for the results of appealing my maths result, I was five out of six hundred marks away from the A grade, which cost me my place at Birmingham University. For the moment at least, my intention is to study the same course (Physics, three years) in Cardiff University, who were my insurance choice.
I’m really happy with my results, hoping that I can bring the B back up to an A, which is what I ultimately wanted – A in Physics and A in Maths, are excellent foundations for my studying at degree level.
I’m on a train on my way to Cardiff writing this, staying with a friend and I’ll hopefully be able to go and look for work and such while I’m there 
Having now received all of my offers from Universities, I’ve made my final choices and submitted them to UCAS.
Assuming I achieve the grades, I will be studying at Birmingham University on the F300 Physics Bsc course.
If I don’t, I’ll be studying at Cardiff, on the same course. (Assuming I get some basic grades).
As I posted before, I looked around both Uni’s and they were both amazing – both places I’d be more than happy to spend my three years on that degree, so whatever happens I think I’m well set. Even better, I don’t need to deal with UCAS at *all* (I think) until August, when my results come out. 
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I went and visited the Physics department at Birmingham University yesterday – I was at Cardiff last week and those two make up my firm choice and fallback, ready for when I ship off to university in September.
I really enjoyed my time at Birmingham, I like the facilities, the department, and I got along well with the staff that I spoke too.
As Birmingham is also the higher ranked university; and the one with the higher grade requirements, it is pretty likely now that it’s going to be my first choice (firm) with Cardiff being my fallback.
That means that in as little as 8 months; I could be studying in Birmingham – a prospect I’m quite looking forward to.
The Birmingham Physics department I would definitely recommend considering, when thinking about a UK Physics degree (as would I the Cardiff department), their research grade is very high, and looking around their labs and such; there is a huge amount of equipment available for research projects (and some of the things first years were doing looked fascinating).
