Retaking year 12 with completely different A-levels

Its currently almost the end of year 12 and I'm studying accounting economics and psychology however i heavily regret my choices, I didn't really know what I wanted to do back then and my older brother convinced me to go into the direction of becoming an accountant however now that I'm at the end I've realised that i do want to study those subjects but want to study physics and maths and possibly get into engineering. I have the gcses to do those A-levels but I'm not sure if my college would allow me to resit the year with year 12 application deadlines for most colleges being closed now or if any other colleges would take me. I'm also worried what my family and other people might think of me wasting a full year.

Reply 1

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

Original post by yazweretaken

Its currently almost the end of year 12 and I'm studying accounting economics and psychology however i heavily regret my choices, I didn't really know what I wanted to do back then and my older brother convinced me to go into the direction of becoming an accountant however now that I'm at the end I've realised that i do want to study those subjects but want to study physics and maths and possibly get into engineering. I have the gcses to do those A-levels but I'm not sure if my college would allow me to resit the year with year 12 application deadlines for most colleges being closed now or if any other colleges would take me. I'm also worried what my family and other people might think of me wasting a full year.

Well, step 1 would be to ask to current college whether or not it's an option. Is there any reason you can speak to them about this on Monday?

(Note that your choice of a 3rd A level, after Physics and Maths, will be limited by timetabling constraints - as they'll have already decided how to timetable those subjects based upon what third subject everyone else wanted to do.)

Reply 2

username6120834

11

Original post by yazweretaken

Its currently almost the end of year 12 and I'm studying accounting economics and psychology however i heavily regret my choices, I didn't really know what I wanted to do back then and my older brother convinced me to go into the direction of becoming an accountant however now that I'm at the end I've realised that i do want to study those subjects but want to study physics and maths and possibly get into engineering. I have the gcses to do those A-levels but I'm not sure if my college would allow me to resit the year with year 12 application deadlines for most colleges being closed now or if any other colleges would take me. I'm also worried what my family and other people might think of me wasting a full year.

Definitely speak with your college and see if it is an option first. You will need to weigh up pros and cons of retaking the year. How set are you on doing engineering? If you definitely want to pursue it, retaking really is the best choice as you need to have an engineering degree to pursue a a career in it, whereas with accounting you can become an accountant with any degree.
In the grand scheme of things, retaking one year is not that big of a deal if it allows you to pursue your desired career. At one point I considered resitting year 12, but ultimately decided against it as I was doing well and it would’ve been too risky. Here are some of the pros/cons I came up with when I went through it:

Pros:
-You will have a fresh start with your subjects (and have experienced the year before so you sort of know what to expect/how to shape your work ethic)
-It would be beneficial in the long run if your current options are too restrictive
-You will likely be happier doing subjects you enjoy

Cons:
-You will be a year behind your friends and they’ll be going off to uni whilst you are still doing a levels (not a big deal for some people)
-There are risks with taking brand new subjects, as you don’t know how you will find them, and could end up performing worse if you struggle with them.
-Some unis have varying perspectives on retaking a year- check on unis website/with admissions as to how they view retakes.
-You need to be sure you will work hard if you retake (you might risk having to stay an additional (4th) year)

I think something to consider are the options you have with your current subjects. Are there any courses you can do with them, that you’d enjoy? And if you decide to retake think very carefully about your new subjects. Maths, further maths and physics are the most common subjects for engineering. But if you suddenly have a change of heart these options will somewhat limit you. If it’s an option, starting off with 4 might be sensible (you can drop one whenever). And you could pick another subject that would be well regarded and would allow you to get into a non STEM course. For example, English, history, geography, a language may prove to be useful as they show you have a range of skills (geography would be useful for civil eng if that was something you were considering). Also consider the option of an apprenticeship in something engineering related.

Sorry this is long, but as someone who has gone through a similar situation, I can understand the stress, so I hope this provides you with a little more help/clarity when making your decision. Hope everything works out :smile:

(edited 10 months ago)

Retaking year 12 with completely different A-levels

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