Not sure I want to go anymore

Results were terrible so I got rejected by my firm choice but my insurance took me in. Firm was Brunel and insurance was London Arts, both for games design. I don't really feel like I'm ready to go and of I want to go. I want to retake my A2s and try for a better Uni next year. Is it possible to reject my placement? How? And what do I need to do about my student finance?

Reply 1

oxymoronic

Original post by Unwantedcookie

Hey,

I'm sorry that you didn't get as good grades as you were hoping to achieve. It sounds like you've had a difficult 24 hours.

You can definitely reject your insurance choice. You just need to contact them and tell them that you no longer want to go there. It's likely that they will ask you to send an email if you phone them as they will want it in writing, so just do that from the outset. Don't worry if it takes a couple of days at this time of year. You just need to explain to the university that you'd like to be released and you no longer want to go there.

Then you need to contact student finance and let them know that you will not be going to university at all this year. It's really important that you do this as if they end up thinking that you are at uni this year it could cause problems with your funding later on down the line even if you do not actually claim any funding.

Then within all of this you need to speak to your school about resitting your exams, and begin to think about your gap year. There are lots of guides on TSR about applying to uni in your gap year - it's really not that difficult, and likewise, you can also apply to student finance yourself quite easily.

Good luck :smile:

Reply 2

Unwantedcookie

Original post by oxymoronic

Thank you for the information! was really helpful :smile:

Reply 3

tomsmith2014

You can either reject that place, retake a few A levels and try again next year. But if you are already into Uni I suggest going. Read up on a few things about Uni and you can see whether you're excited and cannot wait to go, or even more nervous - then I suggest having a rethink.

I was really worried but now i'm excited (i got terrible grades but my firm choice still wants me?) I'll just try harder at Uni.

Good luck

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 4

oxymoronic

Original post by Unwantedcookie

Thank you for the information! was really helpful :smile:

I hope it works out for you - there's nothing wrong with changing your mind as long as you do it in the right way!

Reply 5

Unwantedcookie

Original post by tomsmith2014

I'm more for retaking since I don't think the course I've chosen is the smartest either, it's something I want to do but it seems too direct. Plus I kinda want to take a gap year sort of. :smile:

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 6

Meeka96

I am going to london arts with A*A*B ... and this are much better grades that they asked for. You just need to feel that certain uni is a right place for you to be. Don't worry about the prestige , after all the university is just the beginning.
Good luck : )

Reply 7

Unwantedcookie

Original post by Meeka96

Wow that's amazing :colondollar:

That's another thing, I don't think I should go to Uni with my grades, they're pretty horrible. It's kind of embarrassing knowing we both got offered a place but your grades are 10x better. I just want to try and get better grades.

Reply 8

Meeka96

Original post by Unwantedcookie

Wow that's amazing :colondollar:

Oh no , don't worry! After all you know who you are , what you want to achieve and there is nothing standing on your way right now. You got into uni...that's it now you are in the same position as everyone else who got in. You will get experience and you can be far better than those with straight A.... How do you think someone will be advantaged from an A in history when it comes to game design, if you are passionate about the subject , just go for it!
We all have doubts , my teachers were advising me to do something else at better uni , but sometimes you just feel that you are making the right decision! Just think about it , whether this is something what you love and what you want to do in future ? And clearly you don't like A levels , come on and you want to put yourself through that again ? :biggrin:

Reply 9

hickland

Don't worry too much about your grades being 'embarrassing' for the place! I've been through my undergrad and I can tell you, it's actually much easier in comparison to A-Levels. At A-Level, you're studying so many subjects, there's a lot of pressure -- uni you're doing one subject that you like and have chosen and can nurture a deep understanding for. Out of my uni friends, we've found that the people who did awful at A-Levels are still really consistently getting Firsts at university -- it's such a different environment, I don't think A-Levels are a good measure of how well you'll do at uni. So long as you work hard and enjoy your subject, you can succeed there.

Anyway if you want a hopeful story... I didn't get the A-Level grades I needed for *any* of my universities. I got B, B, C, E -- but the E was in Biology, which I needed a C in even for my insurance choice. In the end, I took a year out, did some soul searching, and ended up applying for a different course. I finished undergrad with a First, and just graduated from my MA with Distinction! On my A-Level results day I felt so down, like I was and would be the worst student ever, but at uni I actually enjoyed myself and did a lot better. Also my (now) wife, got B, C, C, D at A-Level and she now has a good MSc.

So I think you should think about why you don't want to go now. Did you like your insurance uni when you looked around? You can change your course in Year 1 if you really hate it. If so, maybe a better move would be to defer your entry instead of withdrawing. That way, you can still withdraw next year if you want, but the place will still be there for you if you change your mind about that. Bear in mind you might have to pay your college for fees, if you want to retake. It's worth checking with them about that -- mine wouldn't let me retake just the Biology course, I would have had to do a full-time, 3 subject schedule for 2 years and pay for it! Your college might be different though.

It's really natural to feel unsure when it comes down to it. I remember even on the day I moved to uni and my parents dropped me off, I was thinking "am I doing the right thing??!" but it was just nerves, really.