I've been following the results day thread this year and have noticed so many people worried about the possibility of missing out on both their firm and insurance, so I thought I'd share my story to give you a bit of hope
I left school with very average GCSEs - A*A*A*AABCCCD. Don't always believe that an average set of GCSEs means you are doomed to fail at university admission - I never had a problem with my D in Chemistry when I was applying for humanity courses with A*s in humanity subjects.
I chose English Literature, English Language, History and Media Studies for my A levels, which the intention of having Media Studies as an easy AS. I originally got AACC respectively, with 100% in two English units, and after a Media re-mark, it went up to AABC. I was hoping to get AAAB, and again considered my results to be average. I decided to resit my summer History exam, as I had only got a D grade, in contrast to my A in January, in order to bump up my grade to a B.
For the 2013 cycle, I applied for English Literature and Language at Keble College, Oxford; English Literature and Language at King's College London; English at Queen Mary, University of London; English and American Literature at University of Kent, and English Literature at University of Westminster. I got offers for all except Oxford. I did have to sit the ELAT beforehand, which I got 79% for, and still like to think of that as an achievement.
I firmed King's, who were asking for AAA, and insured QMUL, who were asking for AAB. I had a look on Which?Uni, and found out only 26% of applicants got onto my King's course - you DO NOT need a string of As and A* right through from GCSE to A2 in order to gain entry to a top course at a top university.
I came to sit my History resit, but due to being concussed from an accident, a few days prior, I only improved by one mark. I needed to get about 94% in my History exam in the summer in order to get an A, and I knew that History was my weakest subject; I accepted I would probably end up at my insurance choice, but I never gave up believing that I could pull off a miracle. I had battled against a lot of personal circumstances and abuse during my time at college, and was determined not to let that get me down.
Results day came, and Track went live at 7:30am. King's had rejected me, and Queen Mary still hadn't made up their mind. I took this to mean I had achieved less than AAB, and QMUL were still making a decision as to whether to accept me or not. I went to get my results, and realised how much of a toll my circumstances had taken - I had ended up with BBC in English Literature, English Language and History respectively, having been predicted A*A*A. I honestly didn't know what to do. I had been top of the class in both of my English classes, and was totally unprepared for such an event.
I called Queen Mary and explained to them that once again, I had gotten 100% in two English units, and discussed some things from my Personal Statement. However, they were adamant I needed an A in English in order to study there. I even set them teacher references and samples of my work, but they suggested I just apply next year. Instead, they offered me Comparative Literature. I initially accepted, terrified at the idea of a gap year and not going to university, but realised the course just wasn't for me, and I dropped out after a week. This cost me £2,250 - don't go to university for the sake of it. It's a waste of time, money and effort. Take a step back, think about it, and act rationally.
So I was on a gap year. I hurried around looking for a job and managed to get one working for UK Parliament. I then embarked on a six month political campaign for the local elections, and also travelled to Scotland, Belgium, France and Germany. Whilst I was keeping myself busy, I came to the realisation that my interest in English extended beyond Literature, and that I wanted to apply for Linguistics. This was probably the best thing I could have got out of my gap year. I knew from the beginning I wanted to reapply to university, and registered at my college as a private candidate (which meant I didn't actually have to attend college) to resit my History coursework, and my English Literature and English Language exams. My teachers had enough faith in me to keep my predictions the same.
The UCAS deadline came around, and I'd been told by numerous sources I'd have no chance at a top university. I ignored them. I applied to UCL, King's and QMUL for two courses, and got offers from all of them, with one of the QMUL courses being an unconditional for Linguistics.
I firmed my unconditional and am ecstatic to be heading off to a fantastic Russell Group university in September. I am hoping for better results this year, and have been told that if my results increase to AAB, I might even be able to switch to English Literature and Linguistics on results day - my absolute perfect course. However, even if my results remain the same, I couldn't be happier with my university or my course, and am so happy I decided not to go to university in an act of desperation.
I hope this makes people feel a bit better. I just want everybody to remember not to panic and make mistakes you'll regret later on, and remember that fifteen A*s aren't the only way to get into top universities.
VERY best of luck everyone