<p>Actually, you can only apply to five universities through UCAS, and UCAS is the only way to apply. It was six up until this year, but they have just decided to limit it. They do not know if they are your first choice, and in fact, there is no attitude of showing a university that you favour them at all. As you only write one essay that is sent to all of your colleges, you can't write 'and Exeter is my first choice', as your other four options would most likely then reject you. Colleges don't keep track of 'demonstrated interest', and there really is no opportunity to highlight one university above the others, except with Oxbridge, as you also fill in another form with a little 'why did you apply?' box for thoe two. But again, saying 'and Oxford is my first choice and I would definitely attend if accepted' won't make any difference, as it's generally assumed that if you get in, you will attend, although obviously you don't have to do so. The only time when they know whether they are your first choice is after they have made their offers, where you accept one 'firm' offer, which you will attend if you get the grades, and one 'insurance' offer, which you'll attend if you don't.</p>
<p>And a word of advice regarding this 'first choice' business: don't apply before the Oxbridge deadline if you are not applying to Oxbridge. Certain universities (Bristol is one that has been known for it) often seem to reject highly qualified candidates who they think are applying to Oxbridge, as they want students who want to attend these just-below-Oxbridge-level schools, and not as a last resort. This may not be true in all cases, but it's better to be safe than sorry, right?</p>
<p>Also, regarding APs, you'll probably be given an offer based on three scores, and they most likely won't care about how you score on the others (beyond looking at ones you've already taken and seeing that you're a good student). For example, I'm taking five A levels, but I've received offers from universities of, say, AAB. As long as I get two As and a B within my five A levels, I'm accepted, even if my actual scores end up as AABEE. I'd assume it's the same with APs. And be careful with 'typical offers'. As atomicbomb said, these don't always reflect the level of the university. Edinburgh, for example, always gives offers of BBB, but if you're applying for a highly selective course like English Literature, you're highly unlikely to get an offer if you're not getting As. Occasionally, you might even get an offer of EE (I know a girl who got this from Cambridge. She got 5 As at A level). This doesn't mean the university is terrible and desperate for students. It simply means that they're desperate for you to attend their university, and so try to make themselves more appealing by giving you a less stressful exam period.</p>