A level retakes

I’m so sad. I got dde, in bio,chem, classics, applied to biomed with AAB predicted got offers from qmul, kcl, Warwick and got dde. I need to retake but no school is allowing me to do so the independent colleges are charging £10k+, only way is private centres and to do it home with no social life

Reply 1

Jasmineb0058

3

My sixth form offers retakes but its study leave until the exam so I wont even be able to go in school and have a "social life"
You could occupy yourself with a job or try see your friends who have gone to uni in the holidays/ term breaks :smile:

Reply 2

Unevu

OP

8

Original post by Jasmineb0058

My sixth form offers retakes but its study leave until the exam so I wont even be able to go in school and have a "social life"
You could occupy yourself with a job or try see your friends who have gone to uni in the holidays/ term breaks :smile:

Yeah but sadly only have a social life at school

OP

boost

Original post by Unevu

I’m so sad. I got dde, in bio,chem, classics, applied to biomed with AAB predicted got offers from qmul, kcl, Warwick and got dde. I need to retake but no school is allowing me to do so the independent colleges are charging £10k+, only way is private centres and to do it home with no social life

your best option is to do things privately to help you save on costs. If you're worried about the lack of a social life then create one for yourself whilst doing your resits, whether it's working part time, creating a study group for others in the same boat or going to the gym and joining local clubs/ gatherings in your community. you could still meetup with your friends also or get tutoring for the subjects you really struggle on.

I had to resit after i got my grades back in 2020, but honestly it's not that bad. I took a gap year and it was so worth it.

Is your own school not providing resits?

Reply 5

flyingbunny.80

7

Try to talk to your school/college and explain your situation, they can’t just block you off they’ve gotta find a solution. Nearly all schools/colleges offer resits and it’s best to do it with your own one it makes life so much easier. I’m not sure how old you are but I’m pretty sure you can apply to this thing called an advanced learner loan which will cover the cost of your retakes and tuition but as far as I’m aware you must be enrolled at a school/college for the loan to be used. Please don’t worry too much it’s not the end of the world talk to your teachers, they will never leave you with no options. Good luck🫶🏻

Reply 6

Unevu

OP

8

Original post by flyingbunny.80

Try to talk to your school/college and explain your situation, they can’t just block you off they’ve gotta find a solution. Nearly all schools/colleges offer resits and it’s best to do it with your own one it makes life so much easier. I’m not sure how old you are but I’m pretty sure you can apply to this thing called an advanced learner loan which will cover the cost of your retakes and tuition but as far as I’m aware you must be enrolled at a school/college for the loan to be used. Please don’t worry too much it’s not the end of the world talk to your teachers, they will never leave you with no options. Good luck🫶🏻

Thank you and I understand where you’re coming from. I also have been contemplating it. But I just don’t feel comfortable having any connection with my school, I’ve been there for 7 years and they never have treated me as a person that deserves respect. It was as if I was invisible. Also when I was asking for my ordicted grades they were making shady comments like oh you can’t even get a B what you asking for , or let’s be realistic here, and just comments to make me fée like I couldn’t do it. And towards the end it kinda got to me and I proved them right unfortunately, also I don’t want to see their smug faces and no one is doing it with me, I’ll be the only one and they will make fun of me and stuff. I know I sound like a little kid but having anxiety and overthinking a lot, is just too much for me. I want something where I can be at peace and I know I need to change and stop being a whimp but it’s hard, easier said then done, I guess

OP

boost

I got ABB on my a levels this year and a want to do neuroscience but a lot of the courses entry requirements say AAB-ABB but I think the ABB acceptance rate is low and I'm not sure wether I should resit or not. is it risky to apply with the grades I already have?

Original post by Bean_cat

your best option is to do things privately to help you save on costs. If you're worried about the lack of a social life then create one for yourself whilst doing your resits, whether it's working part time, creating a study group for others in the same boat or going to the gym and joining local clubs/ gatherings in your community. you could still meetup with your friends also or get tutoring for the subjects you really struggle on.

I had to resit after i got my grades back in 2020, but honestly it's not that bad. I took a gap year and it was so worth it.

Is your own school not providing resits?

Reply 9

Bean_cat

15

Original post by cat471

I got ABB on my a levels this year and a want to do neuroscience but a lot of the courses entry requirements say AAB-ABB but I think the ABB acceptance rate is low and I'm not sure wether I should resit or not. is it risky to apply with the grades I already have?

Those are still really good grades, personally I think those are good enough to apply with and unis typically don't mind if you miss by 1 or even 2 grades - the clearing process isn't as strict when it comes to grades and their requirements drop a lot. It is definitely worth trying to apply with those grades and see what happens; definitely go through all your options because I'd say you still have a really good chance

:smile:

good luck

Reply 10

User_F1

12

Same here. I was predicted A*AB and got ACC - lost my offer for medicine. I am resitting as external candidate and reapplying.

Reply 11

Noiros

13

To anyone who’s missed out, here are some possible things you can look at doing:

If you’ve missed out on grades you could resit or look at a different course. If you still don’t meet the requirements for those see if they offer a foundation or gateway year etc. and maybe apply to that. After the first degree you can look at Graduate Medicine but remember this is even more competitive than undergraduate and your UCAT score is even more important for that. So if you do want to become a Doctor the recommendation would be to take a gap year and reapply for Medicine instead of doing BioMed etc. Or you might decide Medicine isn’t for you entirely and switch to something completely different.

If you don’t fancy doing A levels again have a look at separate equivalent qualifications such as Access to HE diploma which is a one year course at a further education college and although works on a Distinction/Pass/Merit system, still serves as an A level equivalent - need to be at least 19 to start but lots of Unis accepts these (including Oxford). I know of people who don’t have any A levels but have got on to undergraduate Medicine via this qualification.

If you’ve got the grades but the aptitude test has let you down then you can work on doing the tests again and raising scores (remember BMAT going into its last year now).

If you don’t want to do any aptitude tests and/or also not sure if you want to go Uni (maybe due to financial burden) you can look at the Medicine Doctor Degree Apprenticeship starting in September 2024 - it’s a 5 year apprenticeship and you are actually paid to train as a Doctor! There are no tuition fees whatsoever and you still come out with an MBBS degree. They’ve delayed it for two years now but after the recent NHS reform plan set out by the Prime Minister I think they are most likely going to start in September 2024 and not delay another year. They’re at stage 4 now and need to be at stage 6 I think before they can deliver.

EDIT: Some people are unsure about the apprenticeship so I have posted all the relevant links below:

https://www.instituteforapprenticesh...for%20delivery.

https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/tale...apprenticeship

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/202...-need-to-know/

https://haso.skillsforhealth.org.uk/Doctor+Degree&lvl=all&sec=all#overview-22949-label

^Have a look at the last one it tells you what stage the apprenticeship is at before it can be delivered and also has a resource pack and FAQ which you should read.

Also when it does come time to apply in around Summer 2024 - you have to apply either by the Find an Apprenticeship website or the NHS jobs website. Links for these are below:

https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate

EDIT: Also forgot to include abroad options - Ireland, Europe, and QMUL in Malta - check entry requirements accordingly as well as finance and fees

Hope this helps and shows that it definitely isn’t impossible to get onto Med!

Reply 12

batman2234

4

Same. Predicted AAA and got offers from UCL and KCL, but I only got BCC. My college did allow me to resit as an external candidate, so I am planning to go to uni and do my resit at the same time.

Reply 13

flyingbunny.80

7

I completely understand. I did my A-levels in 2022 and had to retake this year, I cannot tell you how badly I was treated by my teachers to the point that I couldn't take it anymore and just dropped out and only went for my exams. It's gonna be difficult and they will always be on your case but it's just gonna be one year. If you keep your head down and focus they can't get to you. For me, I fumbled my results so badly that when I sat in those retake classes with people a year younger than me my teacher took every chance possible to embarrass me. But I always made sure I was 1 step ahead of his lessons and any question he asked me I was already prepared so he just stopped himself. If you want to go to a good uni you're gonna need to retake and the only option is to go back to school and retake because retaking privately is a lot of money. Explain your situation, go to your headteacher if you have to but get this done.

A level retakes

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