University applications gone wrong and not sure what to do! Please help!

Hey TSR-ers, I need some advice.

Ok so firstly I'll explain my circumstances. Last year (June 2009) I was due to take my final A-level exams and leave school...until I broke both my arms and my wrists in a freak bike accident a week before they were due to start. Effectively this meant I couldn't take them as both writing and typing were completely out of the question.

Therefore I was with left with the option of doing my exams in January and June of this year (old specification, and which I am doing). I worked marjorly hard over the summer to make sure I could get my predictions moved up slightly, giving me a greater chance of a successful UCAS 2010 cycle...which I did, and my teachers and HoDs saw it perfectly acceptable to predict me AAA on the back of work done over the summer, the U6th year, and final mock papers leading up to exams.

I applied to Oxford, UCL, King's, Nottingham and Queen Mary, as well as Yale, Brown and Columbia in the US and the University of British Columbia in Canada (Vancouver). I was rejected from all but Nottingham, QMUL, and have yet to hear back from UBC.

Basically I am really stuck as to what to do. Effectively I have lost all of my top choices and I'm really not sure about Nottingham and Queen Mary. After giving it some though, I am really not sure I would be happy at either of those places...I loved the idea of Kings in particular so it was very disappointing to get rejected from them.

Do I risk taking another year out, re-apply to the above places (providing I have AAA in the bag) and the US aswell, or should I just go to Nottingham and risk being unhappy once I get there?

I feel in such a panic! This year has gone completely wrong and I do not know what to do :frown:

Does anybody have any [helpful] opinions/advice? Anyone been in a similar situation? What would you do if you were in my situation?

Thanks loads! (and sorry for long post...)

Reply 1

hypocriticaljap

Why couldn't you do your exams with an amenuensis?
Take a year out, see if there is something wrong with your personal statement
English Lit is one of the most competitive courses out there and you really have to be special to get in where you want to go.

Reply 2

Wanischa

Don't go to a uni that you don't want to go but can you really afford to take another year out?

Bust a move.

Have you been to either Nottingham or Queen Mary to visit them? They both have very good English departments. It has been so hard this year for everyone to even get one offer for English Lit at a competitive university. It could be worse next year!

Reply 5

tHEsTRANGEoNE

Take a year out, do something that would help your application and then reapply. Easy.

At the same time you could work to get some cash to spend at uni :wink:

Reply 6

orca92

Why did you apply to two unis that you didnt want to go to when your a resit student (in affect)?
I mean, im not surprised to be honest that you got rejected from oxford, kings and UCL; english lit isn't a subject that gets like 2 decent applications for every place, its really competitive and as a resit student you have a massive negative against you. I realise that this isn't helpful as its all in the past and you cant change that.

So, to be helpful; if you havent visited Nottingham and Queen Marys then go; if you have, then go again. If you really cant stand them then the best thing to do would be to reapply; but even if you get the AAA in the bag for next time, the entry requirements are going up. UCL said at interview this year that they will be moving biological sciences up to AAA/AAA* for next year, from AAA/AAB/ABB this year, and thats a really uncompetitive science course. So you may find yourself in the same position next year having delayed uni for 2 years longer than most and got nowhere really. Obviously it depends on how bad your AS levels and PS were; if you got CCC then an AAA prediction looks quite suspect; so once you have the AAA then you'll have a much better chance.

But i would personally choose between Nottingham and Queen Marys.