Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Nottingham Uni?

Okay so I recently sat my final A-Level Chemistry and Biology exams (I took my complete Physics last October and got a B). The exams went pretty well and I'm hoping for an A* in bio, and at least an A in chemistry (I got a B in AS, so I'm not too sure I'll manage to scrape up enough marks to get an A*, even if the papers were really good)

I'm also currently 16 years old, I just turned 16 a few weeks ago. And I'm living in Pakistan at the moment but was born and raised in England. I should be going back this summer, too, which is when I'll start my work-experience.

Oh and also, my O-Level graders are below:
Physics: B
Maths: B
Urdu Second Language: C
Chemistry: A* (I had to resit it once, I originally got a B)
Biology: A*
English Language: A*
Pakistan Studies: A
Islamiat: A

Okay so I e-mailed Nottingham Uni a while back, asking them if I should take gap-years etc. and they said that as long as I had the required grades and work experience, I'd have no trouble getting in, no matter how much time I took off. I'm thinking about taking about 3 years off, to get a job, LOTS of work experience, and maybe even travel to Australia to get some work experience too! I'll also be working on a novel I'm writing up at the moment. But does anyone have any experience with taking so much time off of studying? Is it really beneficial? Should I take another A-Level subject during my time off?

Another thing, seeing as the veterinary facilities over here are not up to the standard, I have been rescuing cats and bringing them back to health. I've currently saved 2 cats from the edge of death without the help of a vet over here (I just took a little guidance from a rescue back in England) I only have proof/pictures of one of the cats though, I forgot to take before and after pictures of the first one :/ Is this something I should add into my CV or should I leave it out?

Another thing, do you think I should apply for Liverpool as well? I know that they want a minimum of AAA, but if I somehow manage to get A*A*B, would the A*'s make up for the B I got in physics? Does it work like that?

Thanks for your help in advance! :-)

Reply 1

SilverstarDJ

Original post by mayoh

Okay so I e-mailed Nottingham Uni a while back, asking them if I should take gap-years etc. and they said that as long as I had the required grades and work experience, I'd have no trouble getting in, no matter how much time I took off. I'm thinking about taking about 3 years off, to get a job, LOTS of work experience, and maybe even travel to Australia to get some work experience too! I'll also be working on a novel I'm writing up at the moment. But does anyone have any experience with taking so much time off of studying? Is it really beneficial? Should I take another A-Level subject during my time off?

I had a friend who worked for 10 years after finishing A levels and then got into vet school. So yes, you can study at any age really. My friend in question found it difficult to get back into learning after being out of education for so long so this might be something to consider as a down side.

Just so you know, students sometimes take a year off during studies, or travel after finishing uni so don't feel you won't have these opportunities if you decide to go to uni sooner.

Another thing, seeing as the veterinary facilities over here are not up to the standard, I have been rescuing cats and bringing them back to health. I've currently saved 2 cats from the edge of death without the help of a vet over here (I just took a little guidance from a rescue back in England) I only have proof/pictures of one of the cats though, I forgot to take before and after pictures of the first one :/ Is this something I should add into my CV or should I leave it out?

Whilst it's very admirable that you take care of these cats, I don't think it will make your CV stand out because, I suspect, the unis might classify those as your pets if you're not working for a registered charity.

Another thing, do you think I should apply for Liverpool as well? I know that they want a minimum of AAA, but if I somehow manage to get A*A*B, would the A*'s make up for the B I got in physics? Does it work like that?

Thanks for your help in advance! :-)

You've not got your grades yet so I wouldn't worry about it just yet. They do sometimes make exceptions to the grades but this will vary year on year. Generally speaking you should aim for AAA to be on the safe side.

Reply 2

mayoh

Wow ten years is a really long gap! I'm so glad she managed to get into veterinary though, if you don't mind me asking, what were her grades?

I've heard of people with AAB getting into veterinary, but those seem to be really few (either that, or I haven't done enough research on it lmao). Nottingham's minimum grades are AAB atm, and I think I'll hopefully manage to cross this. Nottingham's my first choice too!! Liverpool would be my second, but I'm not sure I'll be able to get in or not ://

And I didn't know you could take a year off during your course? That seems like a pretty neat thing to do. I still think I'll go to Uni later (seeing as I'm only 16 and I think there's a minimum age) and get a lot of work experience while I'm taking the years off. It'll be a bit of a refresher too, I suppose.

And I've already got the B in Physics, so would this give me less of a chance of getting in? I took the exams in October 2015 because my Dad pushed me to 'complete my studies earlier'. I didn't want to, but it's kinda scary to say no to him :/ So should I repeat the Physics exam to try and get an A? I doubt I would improve my marks much, I SUCK at physics. And math. My brain just doesn't get around it at all.

And!! Thanks for responding :-) Are you in veterinary yourself or?